Technologies for Vocational Training

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Leading House: Technology for vocational trainingUn programme de recherche de l'Office fédéral de la formation professionnel et de la technologie

ÉC O L E P O L Y T E C H N I Q U EFÉ DÉR A L E D E L A U S A N N E

http://dualt.epfl.ch/http://dualt.epfl.ch/

Project 1 Project 1

Fostering autonomy through on-line scaffolds Fostering autonomy through on-line scaffolds across learning contexts across learning contexts

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Team members : Jean-Luc Gurtner, Matthieu Calame, Diego Corti, Catherine Rochat

Dept of Education University of Fribourg

25.01.07 CSCL Alpine Rendez-vous

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1 Context

2 Research Questions

3 Research Design

4 Current phase: School-workplace gaps

5 Next phases


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1. Context

Underlying conjectures :

• Apprentices’ autonomy can be enlarged if they know that they

could get just-in time assistance when needed

• NLT can serve as a medium to ask for and to receive just-in time

assistance from a distance

• On the workplace, NLT need to be non intrusive, easy to use and

portable.


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Theoretical Context

Learner’s autonomy

Self-regulated learning

Legitimate peripheral participation

Help-seeking behaviours

Communication through technology and grounding in communication

Talking aloud and problem solving


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Help-seeking behaviours

Two forms of help-seeking in classroom context (Karabenick & Knapp, 1991):

• Executive (expediant) help-seeking involves others in an attempt to avoid work (e.g. soliciting the answer to a problem)

• Instrumental help-seeking is undertaken to gain the minimum assistance sufficient to achieve independently (e.g. asking for a hint or an explanation)


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Help-seeking behaviours (2)

Why (or why not) ask for help ?

Some observations:

- Learning goal oriented students prefer instrumental help, performance oriented students expediant help (Karabenick, 1998)

Avoidance of help seeking happens if

- self-efficacy beliefs are low (Ryan & Pintrich, 1997);

- teacher is perceived as « cold » (Newmann & Schwager, 1993);

- competition and/or performance orientation is high (Ryan, Gheen & Midgley, 1998).

Socio-cognitive perspective


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Help-seeking behaviours (3)

When do I really need help ?

- Kids often evidence comprehension monitoring deficits (Markman, 1979)

- Efficient self-regulating help-seekers question themselves before deciding to ask others for help (Puustinen, 1998)

- Students tend not to use help facilities offered by learning environments effectively and present unproductive help-seeking behavior (Aleven et al. 2003, 2004)

Metacognitive issues


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1 Context


3 Research Design


5 Next phases


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2. Research questions

2.1 Are help-seeking behaviours at work the way they are at school ?

2.2 Does availability of « just-in-time help » foster an apprentice’s autonomy at work?

- will it improve risk-taking from the part of the apprentice ?

- will it modify the willingness of supervisors to attribute challenging tasks to an apprentice ?


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Research questions (2)

2.3 Are easy to use NLT appropriate to ask and receive help at the workplace ?

– Technically ?– Cognitively ?– Socially ?

2.4 Do thinking aloud and talking through help apprentices in solving the problems they encounter at work

- the problem at hand ?- later problems ?


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1 Context


3 Research Design


5 Next phases


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3. Research design

Preliminary study : observation of what is going on at the work place regarding training

evaluate the technical and cognitive feasability of the project, i.e :

analyse the apprentice’s ability to communicate their problems and needs via a mobile phone.


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Subjects

• Apprentices in car mechanics (garage)

• Volunteers of various school years (mean age = 17 years)

• Apprentices are equipped with cellular phones, headsets, and microphones


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Method

• Once a week during 8 consecutive weeks, we call apprentices and ask them to verbalise their thoughts and feelings (e.g. problems encoutered) out loud during their work at the garage.

• We listen to the apprentices and intervene only if an apprentice remain silent for a long time or if an apprentice

does not spontaneously comment on any difficulties.

• Each session is recorded and selected critical or relevant events are transcribed and analysed


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Method (2)

• A typology of the various kinds of problems generally faced by apprentices in a garage is set up

• For each situation, we analyse - whether, when and why the apprentice requests help, - from which person is help expected, - whether this help could be provided from « at a distance » or whether « shoulder-to-shoulder » help would be necessary.

• Observations are reported in a « table »


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Observation categories

Purpose of the demand

The query was made to …

Move of…Remote

assistance possible ?

Understanding the problem

Processing the task

Purpose of the request (Understanding the problem, Processing the task, Transforming the task… )

Person(s) to whom the query is addressed (more experienced co-worker, receptionnist, other apprentice,..)

Person(s) who stops working and moves towards the other ?

Is remote assistance possible ?


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Example 1


The query was addressed

by … to …Move of…

Remote assistance possible ?


AM1 + M2 A Possibly yes

Processing the task

The apprentice (A) does not understand what is indicated on his work plan. He moves around in the garage and calls out a few of his colleagues (M1, M2) to get clarification.


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Example 2


The query was made by …

to …Move of…

Remote assistance possible ?


Processing the task AC C No

The apprentice (A) does not have enough strength to release a brake. He calls a co-worker (C) in order to find some help. The co-worker stops his activity and moves to help the apprentice.


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1 Context


3 Research Design


5 Next phases


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Contrasting a task at work and a task at school

In a garage:

• Tasks are not selected according to their appropriateness but imposed. Learning is only second to production.

• Mistakes are not allowed.

• Confrontation seems not possible. A same task is rarely accomplished by others at the same time.

• « Teachers » are not there to be teachers.


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Contrasting apprentices’ behaviours at work and at school

In a garage:

• Making mistakes is worse than asking help when not needed.

• Avoiding to ask for help never pays off.

• Underchallenging tasks are welcome.

• Sense of belongingness is high.


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1 Context


3 Research Design


5 Next phases


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Further developments in the following 3 directions

• Critical episodes are forwarded to teachers at school for didactical exploitation

- with the respective apprentice

- with other apprentices


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Further developments in the following 3 directions (2)

• Teachers at school or mentors assist the apprentice at work from outside

- strategic assistance- rogerian attitude


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Further developments in the following 3 directions (3)

• A network is constituted on the workplace through which

- apprentices can ask questions and receive answers through NLT (not only!)

- remote supervision and assistance can be achieved by more expert co-workers.

Documents

Technologies for Vocational Training