Grounding and knowledge elaboration across cultural and geographical contexts: An exploratory case study

In this paper, we investigate the processes by which groups of primary and secondary school students from two Francophone contexts (Guadeloupe Québec) try to establish what has been mutually understood (grounding processes) with respect shared tasks in geography literature. We identify dynamic interplay meaning-making dialogue, knowledge-building processes, types contributions that are made. Analysed data include videoconference interaction sequences (4 13 min) concerning Geothermal Energy Traditional Folktales, at different educational levels. Findings show interactive confrontation alternative contexts, differ terms geology (the way geothermal energy is made) status folktales (oral written traditions) can lead misunderstandings due overgeneralization one context another. Overcoming grounding leads co-elaboration knowledge on object study, own context, they confronted with. The study emphasizes importance strategies support or inhibit further discussion deepen reasoning, resolve potential conflict, reach common knowledge. discuss implications for design productive intercultural collaborative learning situations.