Cooperative Learning in Virtual Space

Die Studie widmet sich dem bisher wenig erforschten Themenkomplex der computervermittelten Kooperation in der fremdsprachlichen Lehrerbildung. Sie vollzieht eine Verknüpfung der Theorien zum 'Kooperativen Lernen' (KL) mit und deren Übertragung auf das (Fremdsprachen-) Lernen mit digitalen Medien im Rahmen des Blended Learning, in welchem Online- und Präsenzunterricht kombiniert werden. Die Studie legt im Detail dar, welche Strategien erwachsene Fremdsprachenlehrende anwenden, um mithilfe einer elektronischen Lernumgebung in Kleingruppen virtuell zu kooperieren.

The present study combines research from the fields of cooperative learning and computer-mediated cooperation with recent findings from research on foreign language teacher education and development. In particular, it provides insights into the functioning of (tele-)collaboration among a cohort of prospective foreign language teachers who participate in a blended learning teacher development programme. A large proportion of research on Cooperative Learning (CL) to date has concentrated on situations where the cooperating partners have the opportunity of working together by sharing face-to-face contact. With the increasing popularity of virtual learning scenarios, the question arises as to whether the defining principles of CL can be transferred to digital environments where partners share little or no face-to-face contact. This study takes the CL approach as a starting point and discusses a transfer of insights from this area to the field of cooperation in an online learning environment.