Mastering New Information through Facebook and a Discussion Forum: A Comparative Analysis
This paper investigated the effect of productive failure (PF) as an instructional strategy in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) groups using Facebook and a discussion forum. PF is an instructional mode design that advocates the delaying of support for the learners during learning...
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| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU)
2014
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| Online Access: | https://library.oum.edu.my/repository/1070/ |
| _version_ | 1848801568714915840 |
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| author | Nantha Kumar Subramaniam, Maheswari Kandasamy, |
| author_facet | Nantha Kumar Subramaniam, Maheswari Kandasamy, |
| author_sort | Nantha Kumar Subramaniam, |
| building | OUM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This paper investigated the effect of productive failure (PF) as
an instructional strategy in computer-supported collaborative
learning (CSCL) groups using Facebook and a discussion forum.
PF is an instructional mode design that advocates the delaying
of support for the learners during learning — the more they
struggle, and even fail, while trying to master new information,
the better they are likely to recall and apply that information
later. PF has been used successfully in the classroom. However,
it is not known whether the use of a PF instructional mode with
adult learners in CSCL groups such as Facebook and discussion
forums will produce such a positive effect. A discussion forum
is an important platform used to deliver teaching and learning
via the Web, while the use of social media, especially Facebook,
for teaching and learning has gained prominence lately. This
paper reports an initial study that compares a ‘productive failure’
instructional design in CSCL groups through Facebook and a
discussion forum. Five Facebook and five discussion forum
groups participated in the study. Both groups solved
ill-structured complex problems in small groups without the
provision of any support or scaffolding from their instructors.
The findings suggest that the Facebook groups produced a
variety of scope for discussion and deliberation for solving the
problems and were more successful in sustaining the discussion
compared to the discussion forum groups. Facebook groups also
had a higher critical thinking ratio than the discussion forum
groups. Based on these findings, the implications of a PF
instructional design for adult learners are presented. [ABSTRACT BY AUTHORS] |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T21:09:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | oai:eprints.oum.edu.my:1070 |
| institution | Open University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T21:09:32Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | oai:eprints.oum.edu.my:10702017-01-13T06:33:31Z Mastering New Information through Facebook and a Discussion Forum: A Comparative Analysis Nantha Kumar Subramaniam, Maheswari Kandasamy, LC5201 Education extension. Adult education. Continuing education LC5800 Distance education LG Individual institutions (Asia. Africa) This paper investigated the effect of productive failure (PF) as an instructional strategy in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) groups using Facebook and a discussion forum. PF is an instructional mode design that advocates the delaying of support for the learners during learning — the more they struggle, and even fail, while trying to master new information, the better they are likely to recall and apply that information later. PF has been used successfully in the classroom. However, it is not known whether the use of a PF instructional mode with adult learners in CSCL groups such as Facebook and discussion forums will produce such a positive effect. A discussion forum is an important platform used to deliver teaching and learning via the Web, while the use of social media, especially Facebook, for teaching and learning has gained prominence lately. This paper reports an initial study that compares a ‘productive failure’ instructional design in CSCL groups through Facebook and a discussion forum. Five Facebook and five discussion forum groups participated in the study. Both groups solved ill-structured complex problems in small groups without the provision of any support or scaffolding from their instructors. The findings suggest that the Facebook groups produced a variety of scope for discussion and deliberation for solving the problems and were more successful in sustaining the discussion compared to the discussion forum groups. Facebook groups also had a higher critical thinking ratio than the discussion forum groups. Based on these findings, the implications of a PF instructional design for adult learners are presented. [ABSTRACT BY AUTHORS] Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) 2014 Article PeerReviewed text https://library.oum.edu.my/repository/1070/1/library-document-1070.pdf Nantha Kumar Subramaniam, and Maheswari Kandasamy, (2014) Mastering New Information through Facebook and a Discussion Forum: A Comparative Analysis. AAOU Journal, 9 (1). ISSN 1858-3431 https://library.oum.edu.my/repository/1070/ |
| spellingShingle | LC5201 Education extension. Adult education. Continuing education LC5800 Distance education LG Individual institutions (Asia. Africa) Nantha Kumar Subramaniam, Maheswari Kandasamy, Mastering New Information through Facebook and a Discussion Forum: A Comparative Analysis |
| title | Mastering New Information through Facebook and a
Discussion Forum: A Comparative Analysis |
| title_full | Mastering New Information through Facebook and a
Discussion Forum: A Comparative Analysis |
| title_fullStr | Mastering New Information through Facebook and a
Discussion Forum: A Comparative Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mastering New Information through Facebook and a
Discussion Forum: A Comparative Analysis |
| title_short | Mastering New Information through Facebook and a
Discussion Forum: A Comparative Analysis |
| title_sort | mastering new information through facebook and a
discussion forum: a comparative analysis |
| topic | LC5201 Education extension. Adult education. Continuing education LC5800 Distance education LG Individual institutions (Asia. Africa) |
| url | https://library.oum.edu.my/repository/1070/ |