Distinguishing knowledge-sharing, knowledge-construction, and knowledge-creation discourses

van Aalst, Jan

Two dependent variables were derived from the collaborative summary notes. The Knowledge Quality scale measured: (a) an epistemic position ranging from knowledge as a single factual claim to a fully integrated explanation in which several concepts and/or causal mechanisms were invoked (Hakkarainen et al. 2002) ; and (b) the extent and correctness of knowledge from a single finding, possibly with evidence of misconceptions, to at least three findings without evidence of misconceptions. The Significance of Findings scale was intended to measure the students' ability to identify the significance of what they had learned, ranging from a brief restatement of their findings to a clear explanation of the significance, limitations, and potential for further inquiry. Self-assessment of the significance of learning is a metacognitive ability needed for knowledge construction and knowledge creation, especially for setting new learning goals. The descriptors for each point on these two scales are shown in Table 1 .