Abstract Recent advancements in Web and HTML5 techniques have made collaborative simulations able to support a shared workspace and more synchronous collaboration in a single simulation. However, previous studies show divergent findings regarding the effects of the new features of collaborative simulations. To better understand the affordances and limitations of collaborative simulations, this study analyzed how 64 students learned in two different collaborative learning settings: individual-based simulation and collaborative simulation. To better reveal how students attended to different parts of the simulation, the researchers collected eye movement data and analyzed students’ discourse, perceptions of collaboration and learning performance. The findings revealed that the two groups demonstrated similar levels of learning gains. However, the students who used the collaborative simulation displayed lower levels and less frequency of individual attention to the simulation than those using the individual-based simulation. However, the joint attention and discourse analysis suggests that students learning with the collaborative simulation are more likely to engage in effective collaborative learning while demonstrating more constructive discourse threads than those using the individual-based simulation. The findings support that the collaborative simulations transformed the learning experience into a cohesive collaborative learning process. This study also found that the relationship between the joint attention and the discourse features as well as the perceived collaborative experience are not decisive but are influenced by the features of the collaborative learning environment. This article discusses the implications of the use of collaborative simulations and eye movement for supporting collaborative learning, and addresses the direction for future studies.

中文翻译：

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协作科学模拟的启示和局限性：来自多个证据的分析

摘要 Web 和 HTML5 技术的最新进展使协作模拟能够在单个模拟中支持共享工作区和更同步的协作。然而，先前的研究显示了关于协作模拟新特征的影响的不同发现。为了更好地了解协作模拟的启示和局限性，本研究分析了 64 名学生如何在两种不同的协作学习环境中学习：基于个人的模拟和协作模拟。为了更好地揭示学生如何参与模拟的不同部分，研究人员收集了眼动数据并分析了学生的话语、协作感知和学习表现。调查结果显示，这两组人表现出相似的学习收益水平。然而，与使用基于个人的模拟的学生相比，使用协作模拟的学生对模拟的个人关注程度和频率较低。然而，联合注意力和话语分析表明，与使用基于个人的模拟的学生相比，使用协作模拟学习的学生更有可能参与有效的协作学习，同时展示更多建设性的话语线索。研究结果支持协作模拟将学习体验转变为有凝聚力的协作学习过程。本研究还发现，共同注意与话语特征以及感知协作体验之间的关系不是决定性的，而是受协作学习环境特征的影响。