Abstract :
This study determineswhether an activity system provides a systematic framework
to analyse collaborative group work. Using an activity system as a unit of
analysis, the research examined learner behaviours, conflicting factors and
facilitating factors while students engaged in collaborative work via asynchronous
computer-mediated communication. The online postings from the two
highest and lowest performing groups of students during one semester were
analysed, coded and reorganised. The coded postings of these four groupswere
then compared using an activity system to identify the difference in patterns of
learner behaviours. The conflicting and facilitating factors that students
encountered were identified as well. The findings provide implications for
online collaborative learning environment design and mediating strategies.
The study also addresses some of the challenges in using an activity system to
analyse collaborative learning activities and provides suggestions for future
research.
