• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.667-680
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate 1) the types of knowledge students ask for in their reading comprehension of science textbooks using an online annotation system, 2) the accuracy of the knowledge provided by the students to their peers, 3) the frequency of knowledge sharing behaviors, 4) the evaluation of the effect of collaborative reading, and 5) the trust among peers as knowledge sharers. Questions made by 241 students in the second grade of middle school using an online annotation system in two chapters of the science textbook were analyzed using Bloom's revised taxonomy and their answers were grouped according to five accuracy categories. Also, questionnaires for the evaluation of the effectiveness of collaborative reading comprehension and of trust among the students were used. The students asked their peers 'understanding questions' which comprised almost 80% of the total questions they made and were similar with individual metacognitive strategies for reading comprehension. Of the total threads, 71% has scientifically correct threads shared by the students. The frequency of the knowledge sharing behaviors was high but this was affected by the rewards (point system). Students evaluated that collaborative reading comprehension conducted through an online annotation system were helpful in their learning. In addition, the ratio of students trusting their peers who did the knowledge sharing is over 80%. This study shows that when students use an online annotation system, they can fill one another's cognitive gaps in the reading process by sharing knowledge. Also, collaborative reading using an online annotation system has proved that cognitive individualization is possible through sharing knowledge interactively and dynamically, unlike reading hard copies of textbooks which are a one way information transfer.