ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION A computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment is a learning environment in which a large amount of information can be accessed easily, and in which knowledge can be shared and coconstructed through communication and joint construction of products. It is believed that these characteristics make CSCL an environment with potential to provoke and support the construction of knowledge (Lethinen, Hakkarainen, Lipponen, Rahikainen, & Muukonen, 2001). However, using a CSCL environment is no guarantee of productive student interaction or positive effects on learning. Research on collaborative learning has shown that meaningful learning is related to the quality of the interaction processes (Van der Linden, Erkens, Schmidt, & Renshaw, 2000). This relationship can be studied by taking into consideration the specific characteristics of the domain of study and the co-constructed nature of knowledge.
