Uncovering what matters: analyzing transitional relations among contribution types in knowledge-building discourse

Temporality matters for analysis of collaborative learning. The present study attempts to uncover temporal patterns that distinguish "productive" threads of knowledge building inquiry. Using a rich knowledge building discourse dataset, in which notes' contribution types and threads' productivity have been coded, a secondary temporal analysis was conducted. In particular, Lag-sequential Analysis was conducted to identify transitional patterns among different contribution types that distinguish productive threads from "improvable" ones. Results indicated that productive inquiry threads involved significantly more transitions among questioning, theorizing, obtaining information, and working with information; in contrast, responding to questions and theories by merely giving opinions was not sufficient to achieve knowledge progress. This study highlights the importance of investigating temporality in collaborative learning and calls for attention to developing and testing temporal analysis methods in learning analytics research.