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The present paper inquires whether a meticulous program designed to resolve Interdisciplinary Societal Dilemmas through dialogic argumentation advances epistemic practices. To delineate how epistemic practices are manifested in classroom discussions, we adopted the Actor-Network Theory (ANT), which explores the interactions and agencies of human and non-human actors. ANT analyses uncover the power these actors exert on each other and help recognize the networks that these actors create or dissolve. They also delineate how epistemic practices emerge and are shaped in these networks. We identified four epistemic practices in the discussions: (1) taking a reasoned position, (2) integrating knowledge from different disciplines, (3) weighing pros and cons before taking a complex position, and (4) role-playing in a democratic game. We show that the type of discourse developed in the program was mostly dialogic argumentation. In addition, we demonstrate how teachers often inhibit these advancements. Indeed, in the case of integrating knowledge from different disciplines, teachers' role is central, but the emerged actors' network is often nondialogic. Moreover, we show how non-human actors shape the interactions in networks as well as the formation of knowledge and agency. We conclude that: (a) the design of activities for resolving interdisciplinary societal dilemmas provides many opportunities for advancing epistemic practices, (b) these practices are mostly advanced through dialogic argumentation, but (c) more efforts should be invested in affording interdisciplinary argumentation.

This study examines emotion regulation strategies in written digital discussions revolving around controversial issues. Twenty-five undergraduate students, placed in five study groups, took part in written digital discussions. Two groups were chosen to participate in the study. Participants were interviewed and were asked to read the transcript of the digital conversation they took part in, while referring to all conversation turns. They were asked to explain their own, as well as others' reasoning regarding emotion expression and emotion intensity levels. Ninety-three interpretations of participants' turns were made during the interviews. We compared the ways composers labeled their own emotions and intensity levels, with the ways in which other participants' recognize these emotions, in order to assess the correlations between them. We report on several emotion recognition strategies that were found and point to the idiosyncratically rich but lacking in common ground nature of emotional social language. We highlight the gaps between composers' emotion labeling and others' emotion recognition. The study offers new insight regarding emotional communication in CSCL settings, claiming that despite poor correlation rates and lack of shared emotional language, participants were indeed able to communicate emotionally. In CSCL settings, emotions function as a dialogic instrument enabling people to relate to each other by fostering closeness and establishing relations.

In a yearlong ethnographic study, we actively participated as members of the national planning committee for fourteen local climate conferences, we examined how citizen participation was imagined and enacted. We introduce a framework for studying the relationship between cognitive engagement, learning, and civic engagement in the public sphere. We describe the different levels of cognitive and civic engagement in the design of climate conference activities. The findings suggest that the planners' approach to democracy, the involvement of environmental NGOs, and individual attitudes toward environmental change, may collectively contribute to diminished levels of cognitive and civic engagement among residents. Furthermore, we observed that more collaborative interpretations of cognitive and civic engagement align closely with deliberative democracy approaches, emphasizing inclusive, dialogical processes. We discuss the implications of these findings for the future design of climate conferences and how they relate to the evolving roles of environmental NGOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on a broader study on perceptions of time and well-being during Covid-19, we show how governments can use social media platforms, such as Twitter, to acquire knowledge for policy learning and design. We argue social knowledge, which includes personal storytelling, emotion, and use of hashtags and emojis, can contribute to policy learning. Using a qualitative approach, we examine citizens' pandemic-related experiences, including changing work routines, mental health and self-care, sleep patterns, domestic violence, and feelings of solidarity. Such data could be useful to policymakers as they provide insights into the impact of the pandemic on citizens' everyday lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]