Identifying Pivotal Contributions for Group Progressive Inquiry in a Multimodal Interaction Environment

Abstract

This chapter adopts an interaction analysis method using the notion of uptake to investigate the development of progressive inquiry learning in a classroom setting using Group Scribbles (GS). In progressive inquiry learning, students work together on elaborating a shared object such as a research problem, products in a shared digital space like GS, or experimental practices to be reflected on and transformed. An uptake analytical framework is applied to code different facets of interactions in a small group, comprising verbal interactions (utterances and gestures), artifacts created in GS, and hands-on experimental practices, into events as coordination acts and to identify uptakes and pivotal contributions (a contribution that plays the role of shifting the direction of the subsequent events seamlessly or abruptly) from such interactions. The analysis illuminates how the pivotal contributions influenced the direction of the group progressive inquiry and led the group to develop progressive understanding of the science concepts.

Appendix

Transcripts of data on electricity for the uptake analysis (from 00:12:15 to 00:16:16)

Time	Label	Name	Observable action, discourse (including graphs), or content
			Face-to-face conversations and gestures	GS artifacts	Screenshots of student trial–error experiments
12:15	O1	Others	(To S) You can try to use two batteries (using a gesture with his fingers).
12:18	J2	Joel	(J overheard what O said and understood his gestures.) Bright idea.
12:19	B3	Bruno	(To the group members) Yeah.
12:21	S4	Serena	(To the group members) Let’s try two batteries. We connect all of them? (Using her fingers to make a gesture of two. All of them got excited.)
12:38	Je5	Joel starting the experiment	(To B) Wait! Wait! I know! Quickly, connect the wire! B, hold here! Hold it hold it. Hold it properly. Ok, hold it.
12:47	Ge6	Group experiment	(B connected the wires with the two batteries to light the bulb, but the bulb was not lighted.)
12:49	S7	Serena	(To B) Hey! Wrong side (The bulb was not lighted.)
12:52	Ge8	Group experiment	(The group tried again, and this time the bulb was lighted by B’s final touch.)
12:53	J9	Joel	Hey, very bright.
12:54	S10	Serena	(To the group members) How about we try two batteries, two bulbs? Two bulbs?
13:05	Gg11	Group in GS	(The group board is empty. T looked at the group board.)
13:06	T12	Teacher	(To the group) No draft, no draft [on the group board]. Then people will look at a blank board.
13:07	B13	Bruno	(To T) I’ll draw, I’ll draw.
13:10	T14	Teacher	(To the group) Where are the two batteries?
13:13	J15	Joel	(To T) We can do with two batteries.
13:15	T16	Teacher	(To the group) One draws, one member draws … (Stopped for a few seconds) One member draws. The other three do the fix and circuit.
13:25	Bg17	Bruno in GS	(To T) I’m drawing, I’m drawing.
13:27	Je18	Joel starting the experiment	(To S) Hey, S. Hold this. Hold this. You hold here. Hold here. Hold here. (S and J begin to connect the wires with the two batteries to light the bulb again to make B understand how to draw the circuit.)
13:38	Bg19	Bruno in GS	(B is drawing and did not look up) Hey, don’t knock my hand.
13:47	T20	Teacher	(To the class) Try various ways. Use two wires. (Stopped for a few seconds.) Now children, 5E (this class number) gave me more varieties you know? 5E, I want team work.
14:16	Bg21	Bruno in GS	(B finished the drawing of the graph of circuit with two wires and two batteries to light the bulb they experimented just now on his private board.)
14:28	Ge22	Group experiment	(Before posting the drawing to the group board, S and A lighted the bulb again for B’s further check.)
14:29	Bg23	Bruno in GS	(B dragged the drawing of the circuit with two wires and two batteries on the left together with his previous drawing of the circuit with two wires and one battery to light the bulb on the right from the private board to the group board.)	B posted his drawing (on the left) together with his previous drawing (on the right) onto the group board.
14:30	B24	Bruno	(To group members) Let’s try three batteries. There must be methods to do it.
15:03	Ag25	Agnes in GS	(After observing the hands-on activity about using two batteries to light one bulb, A began to draw on B’s private board according to her understanding.)
15:10	Ag + Bg26	Bruno in GS	(While A is drawing, B is looking at and pointing to the drawing. He realized that his previous circuit graph was wrong. Ag had no time to finish the drawing; she asked Bruno to finish the rest.)
15:11	T27	Teacher	(To class) Now. Maximum two batteries.
15:13	J28	Joel	(To B) Maximum two batteries la.
15:19	T29	Teacher	(To class) All right, children, I think it’s enough now. Stop what you’re doing. Now, I want you to visit other people’s board and see whether there are new ideas. If you got different ideas, you can clone your friends’ board and paste it into your own group board. And circle it to show me that you borrow the ideas. Now you can visit your neighbor’s board.
15:50	S30	Serena	(To group members) Teacher said we cannot do la.
15:52	Be31	Bruno’s experiment	(Although the teacher asked the students to stop doing the experiment, B did the experiment again to light the bulb, trying to find out why his previous drawing of the circuit graph was not correct.)
15:53	Ag32	Agnes in GS	(To B, pointing to the drawing of the circuit with two batteries to light the bulb on the group board that B drew previously.) It’s not like that. Not like that. Cancel this one la.	A deleted the drawing from the group board
16:03	A33	Agnes	(To B, pointing to the drawing) B, you draw and finish. Draw and finish (A is observing B’s drawing).
16:10	Bg34	Bruno in GS	(B is drawing.)	B continued A’s drawing (16:03)
16:16	Gg35	Bruno in GS	(B removed his previously published drawing and posted the revised drawing of the circuit with two batteries to light the bulb as the group work to the group board.)

1. O = Others, A = Agnes, B = Bruno, J = Joel, S = Serena, T = Teacher, G = Group
2. Gg = Group working in GS (creating, editing, or moving a GS post)
3. Ag = Agnes working in GS, Bg = Bruno working in GS, Ag + Bg = Agnes and Bruno both working in GS
4. Ge = Group experimental practice, Be = Bruno’s experimental practice, Je = Joel’s experimental practice