Core Research Publications of Learning Sciences and Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

Abstract

Learning Sciences (LS) is a research field investigating human learning in real-world contexts. One major component of LS is technology-enhanced learning and collaboration. Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is partially overlapped with LS research in their alliance with computer science and artificial intelligence (Hoadley & Van Hanghan, 2011). There is mutual engagement with the two fields. Although LS and CSCL began separately, they were soon integrated under the same professional society, the International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS) in 2002, ensuring close contacts and exchange of researchers between the two fields.
One of the most important aspects of academic research is publications, especially those that are regarded as important by researchers. Publications listed as core readings in a course, for example, can influence fellow researchers, especially those who are still in training. They are likely to serve as bases on which they build their future research. The question we are asking in this paper is what are the core literatures of LS and CSCL research and how they are related. Given their overlapping research focus and researcher community, there is much reason to expect a strong overlap between the two fields. However, given a differential emphasis on collaboration, technology and initial history, there can be differences in what each deems as core research. We rely on document analysis to answer this question in this paper.