This article provides one example of a method of analyzing qualitative data in an objective and quantifiable way. Although the application of the method is illustrated in the context of verbal data such as explanations, interviews, problem-solving protocols, and retrospective reports, in principle, the mechanics of the method can be adapted for coding other types of qualitative data, such as gestures and videotapes. The mechanics of the method are outlined in 8 concrete steps. Although verbal analyses can be used for many purposes, the main goal of the analyses discussed here is to formulate an understanding of the representation of the knowledge used in cognitive performances and how that representation changes with learning. This can be contrasted with another method of analyzing verbal protocols, the goal of which is to validate the cognitive processes of human performance, often as embodied in a computational model.

/pdf/quantifying-qualitative-analyses-of-verbal-data-a-practical-3pidr8itv1.pdf

Quantifying Qualitative Analyses of Verbal Data: A Practical Guide

This study attempts to find appropriate interaction analysis/content analysis techniques that assist in examining the negotiation of meaning and co-construction of knowledge in collaborative learni...

/pdf/analysis-of-a-global-online-debate-and-the-development-of-an-zom040i7va.pdf

Analysis of a Global Online Debate and the Development of an Interaction Analysis Model for Examining Social Construction of Knowledge in Computer Conferencing.

Inquiry experiences can provide valuable opportunities for students to improve their understanding of both science content and scientific practices. However, the implementation of inquiry learning in classrooms presents a number of significant challenges. We have been exploring these challenges through a program of research on the use of scientific visualization technologies to support inquiry-based learning in the geosciences. In this article, we describe 5 significant challenges to implementing inquiry-based learning and present strategies for addressing them through the design of technology and curriculum. We present a design history covering 4 generations of software and curriculum to show how these challenges arise in classrooms and how the design strategies respond to them.

/pdf/addressing-the-challenges-of-inquiry-based-learning-through-16dqf4y6jk.pdf

Addressing the Challenges of Inquiry-Based Learning Through Technology and Curriculum Design

It has been recognized that system design will benefit from explicit study of the context in which users work. The unaided individual divorced from a social group and from supporting artifacts is no longer the model user. But with this realization about the importance of context come many difficult questions. What exactly is context? If the individual is no longer central, what is the correct unit of analysis? What are the relations between artifacts, individuals, and the social groups to which they belong? This chapter compares three approaches to the study of context: activity theory, situated action models, and distributed cognition. I consider the basic concepts each approach promulgates and evaluate the usefulness of each for the design of technology. (http://www.ics.uci.edu/~corps/phaseii/nardi-ch4.pdf)

http://sonify.psych.gatech.edu/~ben/references/nardi_studying_context_a_comparison_of_activity_theory_situated_action_models_and_distributed_cognition.pdf

Studying context: a comparison of activity theory, situated action models, and distributed cognition

This chapter represents an adopt a view of representations of work whether created from within the work practices represented or in the context of externally based design initiatives as interpretations in the service of particular interests and purposes, created by actors specifically positioned with respect to the work. It argues the importance of deepening the resources for conceptualizing the intimate relations between work, representations and the politics of organizations. It then aims to a design practice in which representations of work are taken not as proxies for some independently existent organizational processes, but as part of the fabric of meanings within and out of which all working practices the own and others' are made. The sense in which it rings true is particularly remarkable, the large and growing body of literature dedicated to work-flow modeling, business process re-engineering and other methods aimed at representing work in the service of transforming it.

Making work visible

(1995). Interaction Analysis: Foundations and Practice. Journal of the Learning Sciences: Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 39-103.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/1466849.pdf

Austin Henderson

Papers

Interaction Analysis: Foundations and Practice