Video-based analytics-supported formative feedback for enhancing low-achieving students’ conception of collaboration and classroom discourse engagement

A substantial body of research has demonstrated the essential roles of collaboration and classroom discourse in student learning. However, low-achieving students often face the challenge of engaging in collaborative work and productive classroom discourse. This study aimed to examine how learning analytics can help scaffold low-achieving students' reflective activities to enhance their conception of collaboration and productive classroom discourse engagement. To meet this goal, we proposed a video-based analytics-supported formative feedback approach in which students use a video-based visual learning analytic tool to reflect on their classroom discourse collaboratively. Using a quasi-experimental design, four classes of 9th- and 10th-grade low-achieving students were divided into an experimental group (n = 48) and a comparison group (n = 42). The experimental students engaged in a knowledge-building environment augmented with the analytics-supported approach, while the comparison students studied in a regular knowledge-building environment. Mixed-method analysis revealed that students in the experimental group, relative to the comparison group, developed a deeper conception of collaboration and engaged more productively in classroom discussions. The results highlighted the relationship between students' conception of collaboration, productive classroom discourse engagement, and conceptual understanding. Qualitative analysis of the interview responses and group discussions provided evidence of how the analytics-supported approach facilitated students’ engagement in productive classroom discourse. Theoretically, this study advances the idea of productive classroom discourse by adding a layer of focusing on the student perspective in orchestrating productive whole-class discussions. Additionally, this study contributes to the current literature by proposing a novel learning analytics-supported approach to help low-achieving students develop their conception of collaboration and engage in productive classroom discourse.