WONG, Joyce Choi Chun (Teacher Librarian of Kingston International School) http://citers2013.cite.hku.hk/en/paper_621.htm --------------------------- Author(s) bear(s) the responsibility in case of any infringement of the Intellectual Property Rights of third parties. --------------------------- CITE was notified by the author(s) that if the presentation slides contain any personal particulars, records and personal data (as defined in the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance) such as names, email addresses, photos of students, etc, the author(s) have/has obtained the corresponding person's consent.

1. 1
How teacher intervention affects
primary student collaboration in
Wiki environment
Ms Joyce Wong Choi Chun
Teacher Librarian
Kingston International School
Dr. Samuel Kai Wah Chu
Associate Professor
Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong

2. 2
Presentation outline
 Research on Wikis in education
 Research Instruments
 Findings and Discussion
 Conclusion and Implications

3. 3
Past research on Wiki in education
What is Wiki?
Wiki is a Web 2.0 tool for collaboration and social
networking that allows multiple authoring and
editing.
Wiki in education
Teachers believe students who used either a blog
or a wiki increased their 21st Century Skills
including collaboration, communication, basic
literacy, digital literacy and global awareness
skills (Lutcher, 2011)

4. 4
Research Background
 A Bilingual International School in HK
Class size: 14-22 with one English teacher and
one Putonghua teacher
 Each class in upper primary (P4-P6) has a class
wiki for teaching and learning
Platform: PBWorks free version
 Participants: 28 students (age 8-9) from two P4
classes. 4 P4 class teachers.

5. 5
Research Instruments
1. Two online group projects completed earlier in
September and November 2012
2. Two different sets of online survey for
students and teachers
3. Group interviews for all participants

6. 6
Data Collection (1) – Online Group Projects
 Two online group projects in Wiki were studied. Number
of editions and comments were looked at to determine
the degree of collaboration among the users.
 They are both bilingual projects including different
contents in English and in Chinese
 First project about Body System is a trial project. It was
not part of the assessment.
 Second project about Ecosystem is part of an
assessment.

7. Sample of IS Students’ Project on Wiki
7
• Sample of students’ GS project work on Google Sites (with annotations in red)

8. 8
Sample of IS Students’ Project on Wiki

9. 9
Sample of IS Students’ Project on Wiki

10. 10
Data Collection (2) – Online Surveys
 Questionnaire was adapted from Chu’s (2012), Hazari’s
(2009)and Chen’s (2008) questionnaires on the use of wiki in
education
 Online survey for students concerning 5 constructs:
1. Learning/ Pedagogy
2. Motivation
3. Group interaction
4. Technology
5. Social factor
 Online survey for teachers concerning 5 constructs:
1. Learning
2. Motivation
3. Group interaction
4. Technology
5. Teaching and Planning

11. 11
Data Collection (3) – Group Interviews
Group interviews for all participants
6 groups of students (4-5 students in a group)
3 groups of teachers
Questions related to the following areas:
1. Advantages and disadvantages of using Wiki
2. Collaboration by discussing, commenting and editing
3. Feelings about posting and commenting
4. Teacher’s roles
For teachers (covering the above and the following):
1. Planning, monitoring and assessing wiki group projects
2. Time and efforts spent on maintaining wiki work
3. Can Wiki be a self-sustained learning tool for students to use without
teacher intervention

12. 12
Findings and Discussion
1. Analysis of Group Projects – Student Comments
• The most common type of comments made in the projects is to give positive
feedback/ compliment. Both teachers and students stressed on the use of
appropriate language in the interviews.
• “Don’t just say bad things about other’s work. You may hurt others’ feelings. If
we want them to improve, tell them what they can do to make it better.”
Student comment types Examples Number of
occurrences
Work progress “I hadn't finish the poster yet!” 13
Positive feedback/
compliment
“I watch the vidoes aready they are very useful”
“ 寫得很好啊”
22
Ask question about
project
“but where is P4 unit group i can't find it.”
“Are we supposed to do this at home or at schoo or both?”
18
Answer questions “hey,Conner, we do need to do it both at school and at
home”
7
Suggestion on the work “and remembered please put all the intenet that you gone to
please put it into the WIKI!!!^o^”
9
Social (well-being,
online/offline)
“are you online?”
“Timothy are you felling better?”
11
Off topic “no conner the corn” 4
Total no. of comments 84

13. 13
Findings and Discussion
1. Analysis of Group Projects – Teacher Comments
Teacher comment
types
Examples Number of
occurrences
Guidance/ suggestion
on work
“you should find some chinese beacause this is bilingual!”-TA
“Could you please paste some more specific websites about what
you've found? Brainpop, school.ebonline, kidzsearch are too
broad. Thanks!” – TA
“It is great to know you are excited about learning, but I can help
you use this information in a better way so it is YOUR words
Johnny. Thanks!” -TC
22
Positive feedback/
compliment
“You did such a great job, Theresia! 太棒了～！裡面的內容你都看懂
了嗎？期待你能把這些資料製作成精美的海報！加油！” - TA
“Wow, great work so far!” -TB
12
Chase students’ work “I'd also like to see more information from any books you have
found. Thanks!” –TA
“Keep it coming!” –TB
“Hi Ryosa, please spend more time on the Wiki. You have not
been on the Wiki in 1 week! Thank you.” -TC
14
Answer questions “We will help you Fedoria” - TB 2
Social comments “Nicholas, great job! 早睡早起身體好！ See you tomorrow!” - TA 8
 The most common teacher comment type is guidance and suggestions. They tend
to be more detailed and directional, while compliments are brief and general.
• Teacher tried to use subtle and positive words to chase students’ work.
• Social comments help foster a trusting relationship.

14. Teacher Intervention/ Roles
Teacher Intervention Results
Project Class English teacher Chinese
teacher
No. of groups
submitting their
work
No. of groups
including
Chinese
1 A
  All 5/6
B X
(absent for 2 weeks)
X 4/6 0/6
2 A
  All 6/8
B
 X All 2/8
 The above table shows a significant difference between student
participation with and without teacher intervention.
 Teachers’ consistency in making comments reminds students their works
are constantly monitored.
 Assessment is important in determining collaboration. Project 1 wasn’t
graded and so two groups in Class B didn’t even submit their work.

15. Teacher intervention/ roles
 RQ: Can wiki be a self-sustained learning tool for primary students
without teacher intervention? “No way!”
 Teacher’s roles
Student perceptions Teacher perceptions
Supervision &
Coaching to be
Responsible
Information
Users
“Talk to the whole class when we
don’t do sensible things”
“Teachers delete the bad
comments”
“Teachers know who did what
part”
“Provide a safe avenue for students to
learn, unlike facebook” -TD
“Teach kids to be accountable for what
they say” -TD
“When students complain or say something
bad about the other student, let them know
there’s consequence” -TA
Technology skills “Teach us how to save and upload
our works.”
“Takes a lot of time to train kids to use it,
upload things, save things and locate their
work.” -TA
“A lot of time spent is to fix the bugs.” -TB
Guidance &
Encouragement
“Teachers post lots of great
resources”
“Teachers appreciate our
works and participation”
“Consistency in encouraging students to use
and participate more” -TD
“Reinforce it at the beginning till it becomes
a habit, for some students at least” -TD

16. Comparison between Local School (LS) students and
International School (IS) students on the Wiki Use
16
LS students IS students
Age (grade) 10-11 (P5) 8-9 (P4)
Academic
performance
Average/ above average Advanced
No. of
schools
4 1
Sample size 420 28
Instrument
for
comparison
Survey covering 4
constructs
Learning/pedagogy
Motivation
Group interaction
Technology
Survey covering 5
constructs
Learning/pedagogy
Motivation
Group interaction
Technology
Social Factor

17. Sample of LS students’ group project on Wiki
17
• Sample of students’ GS project work on Google Sites (with annotations in red)

18. Sample of IS students’ group project on Wiki
18
• Sample of students’ GS project work on Google Sites (with annotations in red)

19.
Statements regarding wiki’s influence on IS students’ learning
Mean (SD)
Sample
Size
A1. Use of the wiki enhanced my interest in the course
A2. I would like to see wikis used in other courses
A3. I will retain more material as a result of using the wiki
A4. I participated in the assignment more because of using the wiki
A5. Use of the wiki aided me in achieving course objectives
3.71
4.04
3.82
3.46
3.68
28
28
28
28
28
1. Learning/ Pedagogy
 5-point Likert-type scale
(with 1 being “strongly disagree”, 5 being “strongly agree”)
Statements regarding wiki’s influence on local school students’ learning
Mean (SD)
Sample
Size
A1. Use of the wiki enhanced my interest in the course
A2. I would like to see wikis used in other courses
A3. I will retain more material as a result of using the wiki
A4. I participated in the assignment more because of using the wiki
A5. Use of the wiki aided me in achieving course objectives
3.73 (±1.16)
3.81 (±1.20)
3.77 (±1.10)
3.65 (±1.10)
3.87 (±1.06)
385
384
384
384
385
19
Comparison between LS and IS students’ Survey Result
 Overall, all the results are positive. IS students rated 3 questions higher but two
lower, but the differences are slight.

20.
Statements regarding wiki’s influence on IS students’ learning
Mean (SD)
Sample
Size
B1. Benefit of using the wiki is worth the extra effort and time required to learn it
B2. I would recommend classes that use wikis to other students
B3. I would prefer projects that use wikis over other projects that do not use wikis
B4. I will continue to explore use of wikis for project-works
B5. I stayed on the task more because of using the wiki
3.79
3.93
3.25
4.14
3.39
28
28
28
28
28
 Motivation
Statements regarding wiki’s influence on local school students’ learning
Mean (SD)
Sample
Size
B1. Benefit of using the wiki is worth the extra effort and time required to learn it
B2. I would recommend classes that use wikis to other students
B3. I would prefer projects that use wikis over other projects that do not use wikis
B4. I will continue to explore use of wikis for project-works
B5. I stayed on the task more because of using the wiki
3.58 (±1.12)
3.71 (±1.15)
3.71 (±1.19)
3.75 (±1.15)
3.73 (±1.09)
383
380
384
384
383
20
 All the results are positive. IS student rated 2 questions significantly
lower than LS students.
 B3 in particular: Possible explanations may be IS has more resources
and its small teacher-student ratio allows more variety and engaging
project options to happen in the classroom.
Comparison between LS and IS students’ Survey Result

21.
Statements regarding wiki’s influence on IS students’ learning
Mean (SD)
Sample
Size
C1. I liked seeing other students’ interaction with material I posted in the wiki
C2. Use of the wiki for the assignment helped me interact more with students
C3. Because of using the wiki, my group was able to come to a consensus faster
C4. I learned more because of information posted by other students’ in the wiki
C5. Use of the wiki promoted collaborative learning
4.14
3.89
3.36
3.93
3.75
28
28
28
28
28
2. Group Interaction
Statements regarding wiki’s influence on local school students’ learning
Mean (SD)
Sample
Size
C1. I liked seeing other students’ interaction with material I posted in the wiki
C2. Use of the wiki for the assignment helped me interact more with students
C3. Because of using the wiki, my group was able to come to a consensus faster
C4. I learned more because of information posted by other students’ in the wiki
C5. Use of the wiki promoted collaborative learning
3.56 (±1.10)
3.64 (±1.11)
3.61 (±1.10)
3.63 (±1.11)
3.73 (±1.09)
385
381
385
381
383
21
 Overall, all the results are positive. IS students rated 4 out of 5 questions higher.
 Except C3: A few students mentioned in interviews that a delay in response makes it harder
to communicate than real time communication. Thus, they feel more neutral considering
Wiki speeds up the discussion process.
 C1 was rated very high compared to LS students. IS students take pride in their works and
they rated high to see others interact with material they post.
“Teachers appreciate our work and participation.”
 For C4, IS students learn more from wikis.
“Not just low kids, higher level kids gain a lot out of it.” - TD
Comparison between LS and IS students’ Survey Result

22.
Statements regarding wiki’s influence on KIS students’ learning
Mean (SD)
Sample
Size
D1. The wiki interface and features were overall easy to understand
D2. Benefits of using the wiki outweighed any technical challenges of its use
D3. Browsing/editing information in the wiki was easy
D4. Compared to other online discussion board, the wiki was easier to
D5. Technical features in the wiki helped enhance my learning
4.18
3.75
4.57
3.96
3.68
28
28
28
28
28
 Technology
Statements regarding wiki’s influence on local school students’ learning
Mean (SD)
Sample
Size
D1. The wiki interface and features were overall easy to understand
D2. Benefits of using the wiki outweighed any technical challenges of its use
D3. Browsing/editing information in the wiki was easy
D4. Compared to other online discussion board, the wiki was easier to
D5. Technical features in the wiki helped enhance my learning
3.93 (±0.98)
3.52 (±1.17)
3.84 (±1.09)
3.59 (±1.21)
3.76 (±1.07)
386
384
386
384
385
22
 Overall, IS students rated significantly higher than LS students on
technology area. They find technology of Wiki is overall easy to use and
understand.
Comparison between LS and IS students’ Survey Result

23.
Statements regarding wiki’s influence on IS students’ learning
Mean
(SD)
Sample
Size
E1. I feel comfortable posting in the Wiki environment.
E2. I feel awkward to edit other's works
E3. I feel embarrassed or insulted if my classmates edit my work.
E4. I feel safe to use Wiki when I know my teachers are checking our works on Wiki.
E5. I don't feel free to comment because I know my teachers are checking our works on Wiki.
4.18
3.75
4.57
3.96
3.68
28
28
28
28
28
23
Social Factor
 All results from survey are positive.
 In general IS students feel comfortable to post (E1) and they feel safe to use Wiki with the
presence of teacher supervision (E4). However, they rated the highest in the survey E3 that
they feel embarrassed or insulted if others edit their work. That can explain why E2 that
they also feel awkward to edit other’s works.
 From interviews, a few students expressed their worries related to social factor.
“I may get in trouble if I make a comment. I don’t mean to be mean but others may think I am.”
“Maybe I think his work’s kinda rubbish, but he thinks it’s important.”
“I feel awkward and worried that the other person may feel bad”
“I’m scared to comment others because they may feel sad.”
Little research has taken social factor of students into account in Wiki use.
This study shows that impact of social factor is significant in student collaboration.

24. 24
Conclusion and Implications
 Teacher intervention definitely promotes collaboration in
group work in Wiki
 Teacher intervention does not mean a lot extra work and
effort
 “I take 5-10 minutes over my coffee to read and comment on students’ work
every morning” - TB
 “We plan the work anyway at the beginning of the unit. We just need to post it
up on Wiki” -TA
 “Spent time at the beginning to guide them through it, but they have self-
sustained pretty well.” - TB
 “At the beginning, we reinforced it and then it became a habit, for some
students.” -TD
 As teachers, we need to be more sensitive towards students’
feelings when working on an open-access Wiki. Positive
reinforcement (even just a ‘WOW!’, ‘Great job’) can boost
students’ confidence in posting their work, and reinforce positive
and responsible behavior of students.

25. References
Chu, S.K.W., Tavares, N.J., Chu, D., Ho, S.Y., Chow, K., Siu, F.L.C., Wong, M.
(2012). Developing upper primary students' 21st century skills: inquiry
learning through collaborative teaching and Web 2.0 technology. Hong
Kong: Centre for Information Technology in Education, Faculty of
Education, The University of Hong Kong.
Hazari, S., North, A., & Moreland, D. (2009). Investigating Pedagogical Value
of Wiki Technology Journal of Information Systems Education, 20(2), 187-
198.
Lutcher, R. L. (2011). Teachers' perceptions on the impact of blogs and wikis
regarding the acquisition of 21st century skills in the classrooms for the
future classroom: A study of two pennsylvania high schools. Indiana
University of Pennsylvania). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Retrieved
from http://search.proquest.com/docview/913067220?accountid=14548