Storyboard: Primary school students designing and making explanatory animations Brendan Paul Jacobs Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirement of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy April 2015 Melbourne School of Graduate Research The University of Melbourne ii Abstract This practitioner action research project involved eight students from an inner Melbourne Primary School who created explanatory animations in 2011. Third generation activity theory was used in this study as a methodological lens to examine the explanatory animation process at various stages as both a tool and an object. The explanatory animation creation task was initially the object of activity but as reflexive practice, the project itself became the unit of analysis. My claim here is that the children’s mental models, as depicted through the animation key frames, functioned as both flexible models and diagnostic tools. Vygotsky and Sakharov's dual stimulation method was used as a theoretical framework to conduct the current study due to the close unity between conceptual tasks and their resolution. The dual stimulation method requires that “the subject must be faced with a task that can only be resolved through the formation of concepts” (Vygotsky, 1987, p. 124). Vygotsky explained the nature of this link by stating that “the path through which the task is resolved in the experiment corresponds with the actual process of concept formation” (ibid, p. 128). This research provides a chronology of the children's conceptual consolidation by providing a tangible insight into the children's evolving mental models. iii iv Declaration This is to certify that: (i) the thesis comprises only my original work except where indicated, (ii) due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used, (iii) the thesis is less than 100,000 words in length, exclusive of the reference list and appendices. v vi Acknowledgements I would like to thank my two supervisors, Professor Susan Wright and Dr Nicholas Reynolds. Nick's keen eye for detail combined with his over arching concern for thematic consistency has had a transformative effect on my writing. Susan's interest in the children's voices and encouragement to present the digital data in its native context emanated from her deep understanding of creativity and innovation. My two original supervisors are no longer at the University of Melbourne as one retired and the other took up a position at another University. I would like to thank Associate Professor Julianne Moss for being my first contact person at the University of Melbourne and for inspiring me to persevere throughout the candidature process. I would also like to thank Dr Tony Jones for his encouragement and for introducing me to the work of Seymour Papert and the seminal book Constructionism. Other academic staff at the University have had a greater influence on my progress than they probably realise through comments made at my confirmation seminar in 2011 and at the Thesis Boot Camp in 2013. Three school principals have also enabled this research to happen. Dr Robin Stickland was my principal when I first started this thesis. Although I ended up moving to another school, her continued interest in my work and her first-hand understanding of the PhD process have been invaluable. At my last school I was fully supported by the principal Rhonda Holt and then, subsequently, Rob Csoti who is the current principal and the one who was there during the data collection phase in 2011. Dr Bernard Robin from the University of Houston has also been a source of encouragement. His interest in this research and facilitation of guest lecturing opportunities in 2009 and 2010 were simultaneously strategic and inspiring. Dr John Cripps-Clark from Deakin University was also very helpful through the Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) discussion groups that he organised and chaired. My main source of support was ultimately from my wife, Marlene Jacobs as she was always willing to listen to my ideas. Marlene was also very gracious and understanding about the demands that this research placed on my time, and so I am thankful for her support in helping me to maintain a work-life balance. vii viii ix Table of contents Abstract…………………………………………………………..……………….……… iii Declaration……………………………………………………...……………….………. v Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………...………… vii List of tables…………………………………………………………………...…………. xiii List of figures……………………………………………………………………………... xv Chapter 1. Introduction………………………………………………………………... 1 Setting the scene: 8 children, 1 multifaceted task…………………………… 1 Statement of the research question………………………………………....... 2 Thesis overview…………………………………..…………………….............. 3 Limitations of this study………………………………………………............... 6 Chapter 2. Literature review………………………………………………………….. 9 Introduction to the literature review……………………………………………. 9 Constructionism…………………………….............…………………………... 11 Conceptual change and conceptual consolidation………………….............. 13 Concepts as systems and variables……….…………………………............. 17 Visualisation and mental models………………………………………………. 19 Multimodality and knowledge representation………………......................... 20 The affordances of storyboards….……………..……………………………… 22 Explanatory models……………………….……………………….................... 23 Metaphors and analogies as mediating devices………………………..……. 25 The abstract and the concrete…………………………………………………. 28 Learning from viewing explanatory animations…………………………..….. 30 x Design principles for teaching with animation………………………………... 31 Concept formation and the dual stimulation method………………………... 34 Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT)……………………………………. 35 Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development…………………………………... 40 Schematic diagrams as conceptual metaphors………………………........... 43 Summary…………………………….……………………………………........... 44 Chapter 3. Research methodology………………………………………………...... 47 Introduction………………………………………………………………………. 47 The 2010 Storyboard pilot study………………………………………………. 48 Practitioner action research………………………………………………......... 50 Explanatory case study…………………………………………………………. 51 Selecting the eight participants……………...……………………….………... 52 Selecting the animation platform………………………………………………. 53 The animation sessions…..………………………….…………………………. 54 The twelve data sources.………….………..……………………………......... 55 Prior knowledge videos………………………………...………………. 57 Imagery files….…………………………..…………............................ 57 Voice-over scripts…………………...………………………………….. 59 Completed explanatory animations….……..………………………… 60 Directors’ commentaries……………………………...………………... 61 Student weekly reflections…………...………………………………… 61 Attendance roll….……………………………..................................... 62 Lesson plans…………………………………………..………………... 63 Researcher reflections in weekly reviews……….…………...…….… 63 Researcher’s reflexive journal…………………………………………. 64 xi Conceptual consolidation rubrics……………………………………… 64 Debriefing sessions………………………….…………………………. 66 Organisation of the twelve data sources…………….………………………... 66 Integrity of the research methodology………….……...……………………… 69 Issues concerning dependability……..………………………..……... 70 Issues concerning confirmability………..…………...………………... 70 Issues concerning transferability…………….………………………... 71 Issues concerning credibility……….................................................. 71 Summary………….……...…………………………………………………….… 72 Chapter 4. Data analysis and results……………….………………………………. 75 Introduction to the data analysis and results…………………...………......... 75 Creating zones of proximal development…………..………..……………..… 75 Portraits of the children’s conceptual journeys…………………………..…... 78 A portrait of Harriet........................................................................... 80 A portrait of Sunny………………………........................................... 85 A portrait of Neil………………………...………………....................... 93 A portrait of Magnus…………........................................................... 101 A portrait of Molly……………...………………………………………... 111 A portrait of Ingrid……...……………………………………………….. 120 A portrait of Ryan…...…………………..………………………………. 129 A portrait of Maria……...……………………………………………….. 138 Montages from the eight portraits………….…………………………..……… 145 xii Chapter 5. Discussion………………………………………………………………… 149 Reflections on the CHAT triangle……………………………………………… 149 Animation as variant graphics……………………...……………………......... 154 EAF as a mediating tool, co-constructed over time………..………………… 155 EAF - Duration….………..…………………………………………..…. 157 EAF - Synchronicity…………..……………………………...…………. 158 EAF - Focus………………………………...……………….................. 159 EAF - Simplicity………………………….………………...……………. 160 Directors’ commentaries as a genre of research data………………………. 161 Summary…………………………………………………………………………. 163 Chapter 6. Conclusion………………………………………………………………… 165 Introductory remarks.……………………….…………….…………………….. 165 Three complementary theories of conceptual consolidation….……………. 166 1. Concepts as systems and variables…………......………..………. 166 2. Processes of conceptual consolidation……….……………….….. 169 3. Paraphrase and vector-based learning………...…………...…….. 170 Transmediation as a catalyst for understanding…….………………….……. 172 Explanatory animation creation as a learning tool…………………………… 173 Digital storyboards as flexible models.………………….…………………….. 175 Coda………………………………………………….…………………………… 177 Application of CHAT as a synthesis model……...…………………… 178 Implications for future research...………….……..…………………… 179 Affordances of digital artefacts……...……...….……………………… 180 xiii References……………………………………………………………………………....