Learner Views about Cooperative Learning in Social Learning Networks

The purpose of this study was to reveal the attitudes and views of university students about the use of Edmodo as a cooperative learning environment. In the research process, the students were divided into groups of 4 or 5 within the scope of a course given in the department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology. For each group, Edmodo small groups were formed, and the students used these Edmodo small groups to share and communicate with their group friends in relation to the group tasks assigned to them within the scope of the study. This process lasted one academic term. As the data collection tool, an online cooperative learning attitude scale and a semi-structured interview form were used. At the end of the academic term, 15 students were interviewed about their cooperative learning experiences within the scope of the course as well as about how they made use of Edmodo in the process. The results demonstrated that the students had positive attitudes towards online cooperative learning. The findings obtained via the qualitative data analysis were examined under the headings of “social networks used”, “preferences of forming groups”, “communication within group” and “views about the courses executed via Edmodo”.


Introduction
The rapid changes in students' expectations regarding effective learning and teaching (Durak & Ataizi, 2016;Paechter, Maier, & Macher, 2010) and the rapid spread of new technologies like social media (Arnold & Paulus, 2010;Ebner, Lienhardt, Rohs, & Meyer, 2010;Taylor, García-Peñalvo, Colomo-palacios, & Lytras, 2012) have all brought about the need for renovations in education.In this respect, for the purposes of meeting these expectations and bringing renovations into teaching and learning processes, it is now necessary for teachers to train themselves regarding technology-enabled learning processes (Gan, Menkhoff, & Smith, 2015;Paechter et al., 2010).

Method
This part of the study, in which qualitative and quantitative data were collected together, presents information about the participants, the data collection tools and the analysis of the research data.

Participants
The participants of the study were 3 rd grade university students taking the course of Human-Computer Interaction in the department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology at Necatibey Education Faculty of Balikesir University in the academic year of 2013-2014.In the study, a total of 104 students filled in the Attitude Scale, and 15 students responded to the open-ended questions.

Data Collection Tools
In order to measure the participants' attitudes towards online cooperative learning, the Online Cooperative Learning Attitude Scale developed by Korkmaz (2012) was used.The scale included two factors: positive attitudes and negative attitudes.
For the purpose of examining the participants' cooperative learning experiences in Edmodo in more detail, a form made up of open-ended questions was prepared.While preparing the questions, the theoretical information obtained via review of the related literature and the theories underlying the present study were taken into account, and accordingly, the draft form was prepared.This draft form was examined by experts from the fields of educational technology, assessment and evaluation, and in line with their feedbacks, the form was finalized.

Application Process
In the study, within the scope of a course given in the department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology, the students were dived into project groups of 4 or 5.For each group, small groups were formed in Edmodo, and the students used their "Edmodo Small Groups" for sharing and communication with their group mates regarding the group tasks assigned to them within the scope of the course.This process continued for the whole academic term.The faculty member giving the course not only monitored the "Edmodo Small Groups" to see whether the groups functioned effectively or not but also gave them advice regarding the use of the system.

Data Analysis
The research data collected with the Attitude Scale were analyzed using the software of SPSS, and descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA were applied.
In relation to the qualitative data, each participant's responses were evaluated individually, and each researcher formed an interview coding key.The coding keys formed by the researchers were examined by a field expert in terms of reliability to evaluate the consistency between the coding keys.After ensuring consistency, the data were divided into themes based on the theoretical foundations of the study.In addition, direct quotations were given to reflect the students' views.
In qualitative studies, the process of data analysis includes three phases: description, analysis and interpretation (Yildirim & Simsek, 2008).The description phase of data analysis focuses on determining what interviewees have said.In the analysis phase, relationship between the data and the themes obtained via the data are established.Lastly, the process ends with the interpretation of the findings within the research context.

Validity and Reliability
In the study, for validity purposes, the participants were informed about the fact that their views would be used only in an academic study and that their names would be kept confidential.In this way, the intention was to allow the participants to report their views sincerely.As for the reliability of the study, the findings obtained were presented without any related interpretation.In addition, the researchers of the study and a faculty member experienced in the field of qualitative research worked on the data together.

Findings
This part presents the findings obtained via the analyses.ies.ccsenet.

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In the stu application 5 (I comp responses.As can be seen in Table 2, there was no significant difference between the male and female students' attitude scores.For the purpose of determining the influence of the type of high school the participants had graduated from on their attitude scale scores, independent samples t-test was used.Table 3 demonstrates the results obtained.According to Table 3, no significant difference was found between the attitude mean scores of the students graduating from a vocational high school and of the students graduating from other high schools.In the questionnaire applied in the study, the students were also asked about their GPA, and their responses were transformed into a categorical variable.The categories were as follows: less than 1.5, between 1.5-2, between 2-2.5, between 2.5 and 3 and higher than 3.In order to reveal whether there was a significant difference between the attitude scores with respect to the categories of the variable of GPA, ANOVA was applied.The results obtained can be seen in Table 4.When Table 4 is examined, it is seen that there was no significant difference between the attitude scores with respect to the categories of GPA.In other words, no significant difference was found between the attitudes of the students with different levels of academic achievement.

Qualitative Findings
The data obtained via the analysis of the qualitative findings were coded, and the themes were formed.The findings obtained based on the individual interviews were grouped under the following headings: social networks used, preferences of forming groups, communication within group, views about the courses executed via Edmodo.

Social Networks Used
The participants were asked to state which social networks they used.All the participants reported that they used WhatsApp, and 14 of them said they used Facebook.Besides these two social networks, Twitter was used by 8 participants; Instagram by 6; and LinkedIn was used by 3 of the participants.

Preferences of Forming Groups
The participants were also directed to the question of "What are your preferences of forming groups".In addition, more in-depth information was obtained asking the questions of a-) Why are you with these friends?and b-) How did you form the group?The views of 15 participants responding to the question were analyzed.The frequency distribution of the items under the theme of favorable characteristics of group friends can be seen in Table 5.
Table 5. Preferences of forming groups Favorable characteristics of group friends f Having the feeling of responsibility 12 Being a close friend 11

Past experiences 9
Adaptation to team work 9 Showing understanding 8 Common goals 5 Being honest and frank 5 Being respectful 4 Having the necessary knowledge and skills 4 Individuals with different viewpoints 3 Table 5 demonstrates the participants' preferences of forming groups.Among all the characteristics, the one favored most for group friends by the participants was "Having the feeling of responsibility".In addition, most of the participants stated that "Being a close friend" was another characteristic they considered while forming a group.These two characteristics were followed by "Past experiences", "Adaptation to team work" and "Showing understanding".The other responses included "Common goals", "Being honest and frank", "Being respectful", "Having the necessary knowledge and skills" and "Individuals with different viewpoints".For example, in relation to this, one of the participants said "We wanted friends who complement one another.We formed a group including individuals who respect to each other and who can take the responsibility".

Communication within Group
The participants were asked the question of "How was your communication within your group throughout the academic term?".In addition, other questions directed to obtain more in-depth information included "a) Where did you meet? b) Which type of communication did you prefer (Individual/Group)?Why? c) Which tool/media (did you use for communication (Edmodo, Facebook, skype, mobile phone, and so on)? d) How did you inform each other about the changes experienced in the process?".The views of 15 participants responding to the question were analyzed.Table 6 demonstrates the frequency distribution regarding the items under the themes of place of meeting, communication preferences, media used in communication, influence of effective communication on group success and communication problems within group.

Active participation 9
Increasing motivation 6 Completing the project in time Under the theme of communication within group, the sub-themes included place of meeting, communication preferences, media used in communication, influence of effective communication on group success, and communication problems within group.The participants maintained their communication within group both via virtual environments and in real places.The meetings in virtual environments were held via such applications as Facebook and WhatsApp, while face-to-face meetings were held in places like school, home and café.When the participants were asked about their communication preferences, all of them stated that they established communication via the group, and four of them reported that they met in pairs.When the participants were asked about the environments they used for communication, all of them stated that they used Edmodo which was also used as a medium to execute the course.In addition, almost all the participants reported that they used Facebook, and some of them said used WhatsApp besides Facebook.For instance, one of the students said "We met in a café.We made our decisions there.Then, everyone worked individually.We used Edmodo to communicate with each other." When the participants were asked about the contribution of communication to the success of their groups, "active participation" ranked first.This response was followed by "increasing motivation" and "completing the project in time".For example, one of the students said "Our constant communication resulted in our success in the phases of the project and helped us progress in our project in line with our teacher's directions" In addition, the students were asked about communication problems within group.This question was answered by few of the students, and the related responses included the problems resulting from the irresponsible participants in the groups and some other personal problems.

Views about the Course Executed via Edmodo
The participants responded to the question of "Could you please evaluate the course in general?".The views of the students responding to the question were analyzed.Table 7 presents the frequency distribution for the items under the theme of Views about the Course Executed via Edmodo.The course was executed based on discussions and active participation 12 It was an interesting course different from traditional methods 10 It contributed to learning 9 It constantly helped maintain our motivation 7 The activities took a lot of time 4 The participants reported that they carried out discussion-based applications with the help of this course supported with Edmodo and that they actively participated in the course.This response was followed by "it was an interesting course different from traditional methods".The other responses were related to the students' motivation and the contribution of the course to their learning.On the other hand, some of the participants stated that it took a considerable amount of time to carry out activities via such discussion-based applications.

Conclusion, Discussion and Suggestions
The study was conducted within the scope of a course, and the students taking the course were divided into project group of 4 or 5.The course was supported with Edmodo.The students were expected to work in cooperation, and the process was executed by the instructor.The findings obtained via the scale applied to the students at the end of the course revealed that most of the students had positive attitudes towards online cooperative learning applications.
The results obtained via the individual interviews held with the students who experienced cooperative learning were evaluated with respect to the social networks used, preferences of forming groups, communication within group, and overall views about the course executed via Edmodo.Based on the results, it could be stated that the students made active use of information and communication technologies because almost all the students were users of WhatsApp and Facebook.This situation could be said to help the students adapt themselves easily to the online cooperative learning environment of Edmodo, which has a similar structure to Facebook.
In related literature, there are three different approaches to forming groups regarding cooperative learning: random selection, self-selection and instructor-selection.These three methods have specific advantages and disadvantages (Sadeghi & Kardan, 2016).In the present study, the self-selection approach was adopted, and the process of forming groups was conducted by the students.The students' preferences of forming groups were examined in-depth, and their responses in relation to forming groups revealed that they mostly preferred their close friends as well as other individuals who had the feeling of responsibility.This finding is consistent with the results of other studies in related literature reporting that learners prefer groups with individuals who take the responsibility (Duque, Gomez-Perez, Nieto-Reyes, & Bravo, 2015).In addition, it is reported in relation to group members' forming groups that they favor individuals who will decrease their own workloads (Worchel, Rothgerber, & Day, 2009).Preferring individuals with the feeling of responsibility will naturally help decrease students' workloads in their group works.Also, in one study, it was found that friendship relations play an important role in forming a group if students form their groups on their own (Moreno, Ovalle, & Vicari, 2012).Lastly, past experiences and adaptation to team work were also among the characteristics considered to be important by the students.
Under the heading of communication within group, the students were asked about the platforms they used during the activities and about their communication preferences.It was found that the students met their communication needs almost equally via virtual and real environments.In addition, it was seen that the students favored group communication more when compared to individual communication.When they were asked about the media they used for communication, it was found that Edmodo, the platform which was used to execute the course, was used by all the students as a means for communication.As the course was supported with Edmodo, it could be stated that the students naturally used Edmodo for communication purposes.In addition, the instructor has the opportunity to monitor students' correspondences via Edmodo.Also, Edmodo does not allow individual communication between students.Besides Edmodo, almost all the students reported that they established communication via Facebook in relation to their group works.This result might have been due to the fact that Facebook is a quite a commonly-used social network; that it was easy for the students to use this social network; that they sometimes needed to establish personal communication; and that they did not want the instructor to see some of their correspondences.In the study, the students were asked about the effects of their communication activities on their group success, and their responses revealed that communication activities could increase their active participation and motivation.In addition to this, the students also reported that communication activities could help complete the project or the work in time.Lastly, under this heading, the students who experienced cooperative learning were asked about the communication problems they faced within group.The students stated that they experienced problems due to their irresponsible friends in their groups.As can be remembered, this result was also found to be the most important result under the theme of preferences of forming groups.
When the students who experienced cooperative learning were asked about Edmodo, which was used to execute the course, among the most frequent response was active participation achieved thanks to the discussion-based structure of the course.This result could be said to be one of possible consequences of cooperative learning.This response was followed by the view that such a course was more interesting than other courses taught with traditional methods.The fact that the students found the course interesting could be said to increase their motivation for the course.One other response was that such a course could help them learn the course subjects better.This view is supported by the result reported in related literature that courses involving cooperative learning contribute to learning (Al-Rahmi & Othman, 2013;Biasutti, 2011;Ekici & Kiyici, 2012;Forkosh-Baruch & Hershkovitz, 2012;Grosseck et al., 2011;Hung & Yuen, 2010;R. Junco et al., 2011;Kabilan et al., 2010;Lawson et al., 2011;Mazer et al., 2007Mazer et al., , 2009;;Wodzicki et al., 2012).Despite all these positive views, there were some other students with negative views who reported that it took quite a lot of time for them to carry out the activities involving cooperative learning.However, this result might have been due to the problems experienced by the students who had difficulty adapting themselves to the cooperative learning activities.

Table 2 .
t-Test results regarding the positive and negative attitudes with respect to gender

Table 3 .
t-Test results regarding the positive and negative attitudes with respect to the type of high school the participants had graduated from

Table 4 .
One way ANOVA results regarding the positive and negative attitudes with respect to GPA scores

Table 6 .
Communication within group