I HIKI) SPACE: SHARING A COMPUTER IN A FIRST-GRADE CLASSROOM BY XIAO-HUI CHRISTINE WANG B.Ed., Beijing Normal University, 1992 M.Ed., Beijing Normal University. 1995 THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2003 llrbana. Illinois 3 id yQjiko l NIVERSII V OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN GRADUATE COLLEGE May, 2003 date WE HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THE THESIS BY Xiao-Hui Christine Wang . ^ ™ Third Space: Sharing a Computer in a First-Grade Classroom E N T I T L E D __________________________________________ BE ACCEPTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF P °ctor Philosophy______________________________________ A- ---------- Director of Thesis Research Head of Department tRequired for doctor’s decree hut not for master s. 0-5 1 7 Copyright by Xiao-Hui Christine Wang, 2003 ABSTRACT Drawing primarily upon sociocultural perspectives and space theory, I propose a transactional model of Third Space construction to investigate young children’s spontaneous group game-plaving at a classroom computer, which is often misjudged as chaos, a waste ot time or a system design problem. A school year-long ethnographic stud\ was conducted in a first-grade classroom at a public school located in a Midwest town. 1 he data sources included videos, field notes, interviews and artifacts. The interaction analysis approach and grounded theory approach were applied to the research design, field work and data analysis. I he results indicate that when children spontaneously form groups around a classroom computer, highly complex and sophisticated patterns of social behavior emerge. Classroom rules and artifacts - the computer, a timer and waiting lists - both enable and constrain children's collaborative computer use. The physical form of the space around the computer and its intended, regulated usage embody the individual- oriented computer culture and teacher-centered classroom norm. However, children desire and practice a group-oriented computer norm and thus, they engage in an underground computer culture that is partially driven by their individual goals and collective goals. This manifests itself in the collaboration, negotiation, and conflict- solving that occurs between and amongst seated players and mobile participants. To reconcile the different cultural norms, children consistently negotiate tensions between their goals and the atfordances ot the environment, which results in complex spatial, temporal, social and cognitive processes. In these processes, children also appropriate and transform the meaning ot artifacts and the rules in their environment in order to serve the needs of complex social negotiation. Consequently, children as active agents create a 1 hird Space where the meaning, rules and practices are fluid and are constantly being constructed and reconstructed, going beyond the physical form and the intended and regulated practices at the computer. In conclusion, the transactional model provides a useful theoretical framework with which to study children's social practice at a classroom computer, as well as practical suggestions for teachers and computer engineers who wish to optimize students' collaborative interaction at the computer. This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, Yu-Ying Zou and Yu-Kun Wang, who have provided me with unwavering support from across the ocean and 13 time zones away. Their love and confidence in me have made the journey possible and rewarding. This work is also dedicated to my grandfather, W7ang Yu-Fu. and grandmother. Zhu Ming- Chen. who unfortunately did not live long enough to see my graduation. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I he completion ot this project and my doctoral program would not have been possible w ithout the support of many people. First and foremost, I would like to thank the teacher and the children who participated in my study. They taught me more than I could ask for. My heartfelt thanks go to my committee members - Bertram (Chip) Bruce. Lilian G. Katz. Cynthia Carter Ching. and Michael B. Twidale - who made all this possible. Chip, as my dissertation director, provided valuable guidance and unlimited resources for this project. Lilian, my academic advisor, granted me freedom and support for the pursuit of my research interests. Cynthia and Mike devoted their unreserved time and efforts to this project. My special thanks go to my mentor, Bernard Spodek. Throughout these years of graduate school, he has patiently guided my adjustment to study, work and live in this country. Numerous great minds and generous hearts on this campus have nurtured my intellectual growth and scholarly progress. To name just a few. Fouad Abd-El-Khalick. Liora Bresler, Daniel Walsh, Steve Asher, Bob Stake, Peggy Miller, and Karen Femeding. 1 am indebted to them forever. I cannot thank Alaina Kanfer at NCSA and Cheryl Bullock at OIR enough. They provided crucial financial support for me to survive graduate school and complete my studies. Finally, 1 thank my family back in China, my fellow graduate students and my numerous friends, especially Yore Kedem, Michelle Hinn, Diana Steele. Zhao-Yang Chi. CongCong Zhang, Zhang. Geng Geng Wang. Wang. Tim Tim Dorset!, Dorsett. and and PriscillaPriscilla Luming, Luming, who who have have endured endured this this longlong process process with \\ith me, me. offering offering unwavering un\.\avering support support and and love. love. VIIvii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES....................................................................................................................... CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem...............................................................................................1 I ransactional Model ol Third Space Production: An Overview.............................. 5 Research Questions.......................................................................................................12 Significance of the Study............................................................................................. 13 Overv iew of the Dissertation.......................................................................................14 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE................................................................. 16 Third Space in Classrooms and Schooling................................................................ 16 Young Children as Active Agents and Their Social Practices................................24 Cultural Artifacts and Social Practices.......................................................................34 Summary........................................................................................................................50 CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD................................................................................. 52 Method Overview................. ....................................................................................... 52 Research Site and Participants.... ................................................................................55 Context for Computer Use...........................................................................................57 My Entrance and Positions in the Classroom............................................................58 Data Collection.............................................. .............................................................. 62 Data Analysis............................................. ...................................................................69 CHAPTER IV RESULTS AND DISCUSSION.................................................................... 75 The Nature of Third Space........................................................................................... 76 Social Practices in Third Space................................................................................... 83 Children’s Individual and Collective Goals.............................................................104 Affordances of the Artifacts and Rules for Collaboration..................................... 114 Processes of Negotiating Goals and Affordances of the Environment................ 123 Appropriating and Transforming Cultural Artifacts...............................................147 Appropriating and Transforming Rules................................................................... 158 Meaning and Learning in Third Space: Discussion................................................168 CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................186 Theoretical Implications............................................................................................186 Implications for Computer and Software Designers...............................................192 Implications for Teachers........................................................................................ *194 Limitations and Future Research Directions........................................................... 197 REFERENCES........................................................................................................................199 APPENDIX A TRANSCRIPTION CONVENTIONS....................................................... 214 APPENDIX B STUDENT INTERVIEW PROTOCOL.....................................................