Evaluating How the Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Community Fosters Critical Reflective Practices

In recent research, little attention has been paid to issues of methodology and analysis methods to evaluate the quality of the collaborative learning community. To address such issues, an attempt is made to adopt the Activity System Model as an analytical framework to examine the relationship between computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) and critical reflective capabilities. This paper attempts to build an appropriate analysis scheme to reveal the quality of the reflective learning community in the computer supported environment. Data is analysed to examine how interactivity, social presence, and teaching presence have contributed to the mastery of critical reflective capabilities in the CSCL community. Findings revealed that high levels of social interaction and collaboration contributed to the establishment of a community of reflective learners, nurturing a space for promoting critical reflective capabilities through co-creation of new understandings and interpretations for transformative outcomes. Methodological problems encountered will be discussed as well.