Wiki as a Collaborative Learning Tool in a Language Arts Methods Class

Source: Journal of Research on Technology in Education, Volume 42 Number 1: Fall 2009 pages 51-72.

The purpose of this study was to determine how contributing to a class wiki affected the learning of preservice teachers enrolled in a language arts methods class.

Participants were 37 preservice teachers enrolled in three sections of a field-based language arts methods class during two semesters.

Data collection included online observations of the development of the wiki pages, students' reflections periodically posted in WebCT, final reflections, e-mail correspondence, interview transcripts, and researcher notes.

Students' reflections indicate that contributing to the class wiki led to a deeper processing of the course content and was personally beneficial to the students in spite of persistent technology challenges.