Narrative-centered Learning Environments (NcLE) offer a

powerful tool for enhancing students’ learning through interactive experi-

ences. The integration of open-ended questions in NcLEs encourages stu-

dents to express their thoughts, opinions, and ideas without any restric-

tions. While different submission formats are implemented in NcLE, little

research has argued the importance of assessing their potential effects.

This study, therefore, investigates how the text quality in writing varies

based on different submission formats for open-ended submissions in a

NcLE. We proceed to analyze three types of submission formats within a

narrative scripts platform: a) formal individual, b) pre-collaboration, and

c) a chatbot interface. For this study, data was collected in a randomized

controlled trial that involved 311 secondary school students participating

in a social media literacy workshop. The quality of the submissions was

assessed using an automated text cohesion and coherence analysis tool

(Coh-Metrix). Our results show that having formal submission pages for

open-ended questions has an effect in students’ efforts to create submis-

sions with higher writing quality, while submissions via chatbot interfaces

tend to be brief and conversational in nature. The results presented in

this study have practical implications for learning technology develop-

ers and educators, as they can guide decisions related to the creation,

and integration of elements to promote writing quality in online learning

environments.

Reference:

Theophilou, E., Lobo, R., Sanchez, R., & Hernandez-Leo, D. (2023). Students’ Generated Text Quality in a Narrative-Centered Learning Environment: Effects of Pre-Collaboration, Individual, and Chat-Interface Submissions. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Collaboration Technologies (CollabTech) . (unpublished manuscript)