Students’ reflection on the effect of collaborative learning on the learning environment and academic achievement in online reflective platforms

ABSTRACT

The significance of collaborative learning (CL) for enhancing the quality of the learning environment and academic achievement among students needs to be investigated. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine the effect of CL on the learning environment and academic achievement of graduate students in the field of educational leadership within the online reflective platforms (ORPs). Thus, we explored students’ reflections on how they experienced the process. Conducting a quantitative study with a one-shot case study design of pre-experimental designs, 17 students completed a questionnaire, and their academic achievement was measured through the summative evaluation. For the qualitative phase, 15 students participated in semi-structured interviews. The results of the quantitative study indicated that CL had a positive effect on the learning environment and students’ academic achievements. In-depth interviews supported the findings and showed that CL could help in creating an interactive and secure learning environment, enhance students’ reflective and interactive learning process, and strengthen their motivation to learn interactively and reflectively through ORPs. The implications of this study could enhance instructors’ motivation to implement CL in online hybrid environments, facilitate the academic achievement of students, and encourage decision-makers to provide a suitable platform for its implementation.

KEYWORDS:

• Adobe connect
• collaborative learning
• interactive learning environment
• reflective practice
• WhatsApp messenger

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ali Keramati

Ali Keramati is an undergraduate student majoring in Computer Engineering with a minor in Educational Science at the University of Tehran. His primary research interests include e-learning, educational technologies, digital learning design, and computer-supported collaborative learning.

Mohammad Reza Keramati

Mohammad Reza Keramati is an Associate Professor, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Iran. He was a visiting academic at the University of Alberta (2011-2012) and the University of Queensland (2019-2020). His major research interests include learning–teaching sciences, cooperative learning, small group process, and classroom leadership in primary and secondary schools and universities.

Mohammad Hossein Arefian

Mohammad Hossein Arefian is a Ph.D. candidate of Applied Linguistics at Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran. He is an M.A. and B.A. holder in Applied Linguistics from Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran. He has published several articles in national and international journals. His main interests are teacher education, professional development, reflective practice, action research, and assessment.