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Characteristics and Principles

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  • 23-03-2011 3:21pm
    #1
    doyler442
    Registered Users Posts: 325 ✭✭


    Hi All

    I'm currently doing a Phd looking at social media and learning.

    At the moment I'm looking at the learning literature and trying to define the characteristics of collaborative learning.

    What I'm wondering though is what is the difference between characteristics and principles? From a quick Google I think they are pretty similar but if I find a paper that says "principles of collaborative learning are ..." can they be used as characteristics?

    Also if anyone has any good papers that would help me identify and define these characteristics feel free to point me in that direction.

    Cheers


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    #2
    LilMsss
    Registered Users Posts: 153 ✭✭LilMsss


    At first glance, I would say that the principles would form a theoretical framework of system that could be applied to a situation or context.

    You said you are looking at an aspect of media, so if, for example you were looking at Herman and Chomsky's Propaganda model - the five filters of news could be seen as five 'principles' by which you could apply to any story to see if it constituted 'news'.

    Anything which added to, or fell outside the remit of these principles could be categorised as 'characteristics', either of the individual issue or situation you are discussing, or else of the wider situation.

    That would be my reading of it. It would be worth your while defining both concepts early on in your research. State what the experts say each are, and then state your own interpretation.

    E.g. For the purpose of this research, the principles of collaborative learning will be taken to refer to .......

    TBH, I would say both can be interchangeable, but it just depends on the context, and how you use them.


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    #3
    doyler442
    Registered Users Posts: 325 ✭✭doyler442


    LilMsss wrote: »
    That would be my reading of it. It would be worth your while defining both concepts early on in your research. State what the experts say each are, and then state your own interpretation.

    E.g. For the purpose of this research, the principles of collaborative learning will be taken to refer to .......

    TBH, I would say both can be interchangeable, but it just depends on the context, and how you use them.

    Thanks for that advice, it is something that I will bring up with my supervisors in our next meeting anyway but I just needed some form of explanation for now.


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