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Elementary students enhancing their understanding of energy-saving through idea-centered collaborative knowledge-building scaffolds and activities

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Abstract

Effective energy education depends on continuing research designed to identify instructional strategies that will proof effective in particular learning contexts. The aim of this study was to help Taiwanese students learn about energy-saving related concepts through idea-centered, collaborative knowledge-building activities carried out in an online environment. The participants were 34 fifth-grade Taiwanese students. The data were taken mainly from students’ online interaction logs and discourse content. We found that knowledge-building activities helped to transform students into more collaborative, autonomous and creative learners, capable of working innovatively with ideas to address the energy-related issues under discussion. The students also demonstrated deeper understanding of the energy-related topics they explored. This study suggests that knowledge-building, an innovative pedagogical approach, was conducive to collaborative learning even in young students.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this research was in part provided by a NCCU university grant and by the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan (Grant #: MOST 104-2511-S-004-001-MY3 & MOST 106-2511-S-004-008-MY2). The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of the MOST. We own special thanks to the students for their participation in this study and the research opportunities enabled by their work.

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Correspondence to Pei-Yi Lin.

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Hong, HY., Lin, PY. Elementary students enhancing their understanding of energy-saving through idea-centered collaborative knowledge-building scaffolds and activities. Education Tech Research Dev 67, 63–83 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-018-9606-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-018-9606-x

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