The Zones of Proximal and Distal Development in Chinese Language studies with the use of wikis

Authors

  • Esyin Chew University of Glamorgan
  • Seong Lin Ding University of Malaya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.180

Abstract

Educational practitioners in the higher education institutions of the UK have increasingly promoted the use of wikis. The technology enhanced learning experience of the UK was transferred to a local higher educational agency in Malaysia through a collaborative research project called WiLearn. By examining a student cohort enrolled in Chinese language studies, WiLearn explores the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and the Zone of Distal Development (ZDD) with regard to the use of wikis in peer reviewed group coursework. With the goal of informing higher education researchers and practitioners, the problematic use of wikis was discussed according to the following three dimensions: (a) the process of group work; (b) social presence; and (c) the outcome of group work. The findings reveal that more critical reflection is evident when retrieving peers’ comments through WiLearn, but less critical discourse is evident among the participants. The difference between the ZPD and the ZDD lies not in the functional use of wikis but in the degree of openness and social presence of the students from Chinese language studies. A pedagogical change in critical peer review and discourse regarding the use of wikis is suggested. This paper concludes with constructive and disruptive lessons that were learned through a series of insights that provide a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities with regard to learning and teaching with wikis for Chinese language studies.

 

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Author Biographies

Esyin Chew, University of Glamorgan

Dr Chew is a Senior Lecturer in Technology enhanced Learning, Teaching and Assessment, University of Glamorgan. She was a software engineer in E-Business and Acer Group, a lecturer in the University of Malaya, e-commerce consultant and e-learning consultant. Dr Chew is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, project leader for a few funded blended learning projects and has published book chapters, indexed journal articles and conference papers, and also an active reviewer for ISI-indexed journals and international conferences.

Seong Lin Ding, University of Malaya

Dr Ding is a senior lecturer in the Senior Lecturer in the Department of Malaysian Languages and Applied Linguistics, the University of Malaya.

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Published

2014-05-13

How to Cite

Chew, E., & Ding, S. L. (2014). The Zones of Proximal and Distal Development in Chinese Language studies with the use of wikis. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 30(2). https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.180