Intentional Knowledge Creation Leads to Deeper Approach and Strategy with More Sophisticated Epistemic Beliefs and Agency in Knowledge Building Environments

Hamdi Erkunt, Bogazici University, Turkey

ABSTRACT:
Change in students' deep and strategic approach towards the course, their epistemic beliefs in full and partial Knowledge Building Environments (KBE) were examined in addition to the correlation of the approaches and epistemic beliefs assessment. University students taking a course with knowledge building pedagogy and technology have shown differences in their epistemic beliefs and approaches to studying and their study skills. Epistemic Beliefs Inventory and ASSIST questionnaires were administered. Their Omniscient Authority, Simple Knowledge, Strategic and Surface/Apathetic Approach scores declined whereas Deep Approach scores have increased. Students have shifted to an objectivist stand in fair proportion to their EBI scores in general, and to a subjectivist stand in moderate proportion to their Deep Approach score after the treatment. A wider analysis of scores from courses with similar treatment has indicated a shift from objectivist to subjectivist stand in general as well as a decline in Simple Knowledge, Omniscient Authority and Quick Learning factors depending on their domain and class. Control group with partial use of Knowledge building pedagogy only through the use of Knowledge Forum have shown no significant difference in both questionnaires. Intentional and collective effort for knowledge creation and improvement has lead to a deeper approach towards the course. Social network analysis was employed to assess the epistemic agency, defined as taking cognitive responsibility in knowledge building. This group (n=23) with network 10% density and 24% centrality in terms of knowledge sharing, distributed regulation of inquiry, outdegree, indegree and number of partners, with epistemic agency according to the scale of 4 (high) to 1 (low) have four, three, six and ten students respectively. Students with the highest epistemic agency had the highest scores in the aforementioned criteria and they maybe considered knowledge brokers of the community. Student created content analyzed in terms of object of inquiry was mostly explanation (73%), some problem related (15%) and some information providing (12%).