It's not how you stand, it's how you move: F-formations and collaboration dynamics in a mobile learning game

Abstract

Mobile devices offer great opportunities in the field of collaborative learning. They are especially interesting in their ability to provide digital information while still supporting social interactions between group members, which are essential elements of coordinated and shared activities. However, in truly mobile conditions, e.g. outdoors, the high variability of groups spatial configurations can potentially modify coordination mechanisms. We designed and tested an orienteering mobile learning game to better understand how device use shaped collaboration in highly mobile conditions. The study involved four groups of three students all equipped with tablets. We focused our analysis on the relationship between participants' arrangements (F-formations), their device usage and coordination mechanisms (i.e. awareness, regulation, information sharing, and discussion). Our results emphasize the importance of considering the transitions between arrangements more than F-formations per se. We discuss the implications of these findings for the design and analysis of mobile collaborative activities.