Investigating preschoolers' problem solving strategies in computer-mediated collaborative environments
by Georgia Virla; Nikolaos Tselios; Vassilis Komis
International Journal of Learning Technology (IJLT), Vol. 10, No. 1, 2015

Abstract: This study aims at investigating gender's influence on the collaborative behaviours among preschoolers in the context of a collaborative problem-solving task with computers. The collaborative task was mediated using the puzzle-solving game Incredible Machine. Their approaches towards the problem-solving task were examined while they worked in one of three gender groups (girls, boys, mixed). In order to classify the verbal interactions during their collaboration, Mercer's and Yelland's model was adopted as a means to understand the cognitive dimension of children's talk around computers. In addition, Inkpen's taxonomy of mouse usage across the group members' was adopted in order to deeply understand their expressed low level interaction styles. Analysis of results demonstrated significant deviations for all gender pairs, which are presented and discussed in detail.

Online publication date: Sat, 16-May-2015

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Learning Technology (IJLT):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com