Understanding the experience of graduate students’ social knowledge construction in a learning community: Focusing on BK21 project participants

The purpose of the study is to understand the social knowledge construction process from the learning communities experience of postgraduate students participating in the BK21 project. There are two research problems: one is to explore how postgraduate students' learning communities experience contributes to the construction of knowledge from the perspective of Social Constructivist Learning Theory, and the other is to understand the changed perceptions after postgraduate students’ learning communities experience. The research method used was interviews, among qualitative research methods. The study results derived four themes: postgraduate students' motivation and process for participating in the learning communities, passive social knowledge experience, active social knowledge experience, and transition from peripheral to owner. First, the social knowledge construction process is appeared through interaction (communication) and cooperative learning (joint research, seminars) as help (feedback, social relationship) of professors/seniors/colleagues in the zone of proximal development (learning community). Second, postgraduate students showed a change in confidence in social support and a positive attitude toward graduate life after participating in the learning communities. In addition, postgraduate students recognize their tendency to learn about their major and research methods from various majors and perspectives through a learning communities. This study will enable to comprehensive understanding of postgraduate students' learning communities. It will provide basic data to improve the operation of learning communities and create an educational environment based on the social knowledge construction process in graduate schools.