Copyright by Whitney Gordon Blankenship 2010 The Dissertation Committee for Whitney Gordon Blankenship certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation Connecting the Links: Socio-Constructivism, Historical Thinking and Online Discussion Forums Committee: ____________________________ Cynthia S. Salinas, Supervisor ____________________________ Sherry L. Field ____________________________ Anthony Brown ____________________________ Kathryn Obenchain ____________________________ John Lee ____________________________ David Hicks Connecting the Links: Socio-Constructivism, Historical Thinking and Online Discussion Forums by Whitney Gordon Blankenship, B.S.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin December 2010 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my grandfather, BC Weeks, who never stopped asking when I was going back to school. And to my husband, Loyd Blankenship, thanks for going through graduate school with me. Finally, to my nieces and nephew, Holly Rine, Grayson Rine and Lila Boyd: Tag you’re it. Acknowledgements No one can take on the rigors of graduate school alone, and my case is not exception. Through out the last four and a half years I have had the help and support of numerous individuals who kept me sane and moving forward. Without this unfailing support this dissertation would not have come to fruition. First and foremost I am deeply grateful my husband, Loyd Blankenship who has been willing to put up with the long nights, panic inducing deadlines and the occasional meltdown as I have made my way through my studies. His unflagging support of my desire to take on new academic challenges allowed me to make it through in one piece. I am also grateful for my family’s encouragement throughout this process. My parents, Margie & Sam Gordon, along with my in-laws, Joye & Charles Blankenship have listened to my rants and read my papers, as well as shared in my successes and failures. Of course I must also thank the many friends and colleagues I have gained during my time at the University of Texas: Tony Castro, Michelle Bauml, Brooke Blevins, Allison Hanna Cassady, LaGarrett King and Elizabeth Almond Bellows. The last four years have been filled with challenging discussions that pushed me to refine my own thinking. Through the tears, joys and laughter of the last few years I have found friends who will always be a part of my life, even when we all move to far-flung places. And finally, I can’t even begin to express my gratitude to my committee members: Cinthia Salinas, Sherry Field, Anthony Brown, Kathryn Obenchain, John Lee and David Hicks. It is through their efforts that I have begun the change from teacher to v scholar. I value their advice and critiques more than I can put into words. I am especially grateful to my chair, Cinthia Salinas who has pushed me to move beyond my comfort zone and introduced me into the world of academia. She is more than just a mentor, she is also a life-long friend. vi Connecting the Links: Socio-Constructivism, Historical Thinking and Online Discussion Forums Whitney Gordon Blankenship, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2010 Supervisor: Cynthia S. Salinas This qualitative interpretive research study of students participating in online discussion forums explores how the socio-constructivist nature of online discussion forums fosters the development of historical thinking. The study also focuses attention on the development of the historical understandings of students as they participant in online discussion forums in particular significance, empathy and agency. Set within the context of discussion forums and framed by socio-constructivism and historical thinking, the study uncovered what it means for students to “do history” and how students construct their own historical narratives as they interact with their peers online. Data collection included transcripts of online discussion forums, interviews with participants and the collection of other related artifacts. Findings suggest that the online discussion forums facilitate socio-constructivism in the classroom by providing students with extended opportunities to engage with their peers ideas and assumptions. Additionally, the findings also conclude that students understanding of significance, empathy and agency are related to their interactions with both the official and unofficial curriculums and the temporal and physical proximity of examples to students lived experiences. vii Table of Contents Chapter 1 ....................................................................................................................................1 Introduction........................................................................................................................................1 Technology in the Social Studies ..............................................................................................................3 Technology and Social Studies Research ..............................................................................................4 Aim of Study ........................................................................................................................................7 Chapter 2: Literature Review ..............................................................................................8 Introduction........................................................................................................................................8 Socio-Constructivist Learning Theory in the Social Studies......................................................10 Historical Thinking ......................................................................................................................................13 What is Historical Thinking? ...................................................................................................................25 Historical Thinking: Empathy, Agency and Significance.............................................................26 Final Thoughts...............................................................................................................................................29 Social Studies and Technology................................................................................................... 30 Technology as Cognitive Amplifier.......................................................................................................31 Extended Interaction with Peers...........................................................................................................32 Scaffolding .......................................................................................................................................................33 A Forum for Questions ...............................................................................................................................35 Expanded Think Time ................................................................................................................................36 Cognitive Apprenticeships .......................................................................................................................36 Limitations and Benefits of the Affordance of Technology ........................................................38 Bringing it all together: Constructivism/Historical Thinking/Technology ............... 38 viii Chapter 3: Methodology & Research Design ............................................................... 40 Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 40 The Pilot Study ................................................................................................................................ 42 Research Context..........................................................................................................................................42 Data Analysis..................................................................................................................................................44 Findings ............................................................................................................................................................45 Research Questions ....................................................................................................................... 47 Conceptual Framework................................................................................................................ 48 Methodology .................................................................................................................................... 52 The case for Qualitative Research.........................................................................................................52 Case Study as Method.................................................................................................................................55 Data Collection ................................................................................................................................ 57 Artifacts ............................................................................................................................................................57 Interviews........................................................................................................................................................59