Implementation of instructional processes and the examination of asynchronous complex geoscience communications

This study examined the development and implementation of an instructional process relating to virtual geoscience field trips. The instructional process assisted secondary science teachers in generating cognitively complex communications in a structured asynchronous online environment. Secondary science teachers were enrolled in an online geoscience program called Science for Southern Colorado during summer and fall of 2006. The geoscience program was divided into three separate one-credit modules covering physical geological topics. Upon completion of the virtual field trip components of each module, teachers, in small groups, developed cognitively complex geoscience communications using a prescribed instructional process map of scaffolding and social interaction. Teachers then posted their communications in a dedicated asynchronous discussion forum. Members of each small group used a specific protocol to engage in discussions with peers. Three raters scored individual postings using the Gunawardena et al. interaction analysis model. This model was a constructivist paradigm that established a five-phase hierarchy, I-V, to determine cognitively complex communications. Most of the 400 posted geoscience communications received Phase III-V ratings (negotiation of meaning to construction of knowledge), which were considered cognitively complex. There was substantial inter-rater reliability (.78) between the raters. This data supported the implementation of the instructional process map as a facilitative tool relating to virtual field trips to promote complex geoscience communications of learned topics.