An interaction analysis model to study knowledge construction in interprofessional education: proof of concept

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Collaborative Learning
• Knowledge Construction

Background:

• Interprofessional clinical learning aims to foster knowledge co-construction for patient care.
• Processes of knowledge construction among health professions students in clinical settings are not well understood.
• Understanding these processes can inform educators on designing effective clinical learning experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the feasibility and utility of Gunawardena's Interaction Analysis Model (IAM) for evaluating knowledge construction in interprofessional clinical learning.
• To adapt and apply the IAM, previously used in computer-supported collaborative learning, to interprofessional education settings.

Main Methods:

• Applied the Interaction Analysis Model (IAM) to analyze learner dialogue during interprofessional clinical placements.
• The IAM categorizes knowledge construction into five progressive phases: sharing/comparing, exploring dissonance, co-constructing meaning, testing, and coming to agreement/applying co-constructed knowledge.

Main Results:

• Application of the IAM to learner dialogue was found to be labor-intensive but feasible and useful.
• The IAM effectively characterized learners' knowledge construction behaviors in an interprofessional context.
• The model demonstrated utility as a research tool for analyzing collaborative learning processes.

Conclusions:

• The Interaction Analysis Model (IAM) is a potentially valuable framework for analyzing knowledge construction in interprofessional education.
• Further study of the IAM is warranted to refine its application in clinical placements.
• Findings suggest the IAM can guide the design of clinical learning environments and the analysis of interprofessional learning behaviors.