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ERIC Number: ED436241
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1999-Sep
Pages: 42
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Signs and Problems of Togetherness in a Community of Learners.
Hannikainen, Maritta; van Oers, Bert
The social and collective aspect in human activities has become one of the main issues in Vygotskian analyses of learning and development. The study assumed that this aspect presupposes some feeling of belonging together and having a shared commitment on the part of the participants. Asserting that relatively little attention has been given to this "togetherness" in research on learning activities in general or on communities of learners, the study addressed the phenomenon of togetherness among a group of 6-year-old students and their teacher in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) who were involved in a collaborative text-construction task. The issue was studied mainly from a participant perspective. After a theoretical analysis of the notions of togetherness and conflict, analysis was done of a videotaped episode of collaborative work, using Hicks' (1996) multi-layered model of activity analysis. Findings showed that in this learners' community, a variety of strategies were used by the participants to maintain the togetherness in their shared activity. The paper concluded that "togetherness" is a real and meaningful aspect of collective activities; the study of which may deepen insight into the dynamics of a community of learners and its activities. (Contains 79 references.) (EV)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A