Page 15 - Jurnal Kurikulum BPK 2018

initiative change management, successful individual transitions should be the main focus (Prosci
Inc., 2018). With regards to this study, the individuals involved in the change thus have to be
supported, coached and guided in groups to ensure the change is manageable but still successful.
Ungureanu, Rascu-Pistol, & Ungureanu, (2014) commented that where change is taken
without the consent of members of the organization, this type of change can generate frustration.
Moreover, if organization members look lightly on this type of change, the change can easily
disappear when the authority requiring the change is no longer in power. This type of change is
therefore not recommended, as it may have been accepted only because the negotiation process
regarding the change was difficult and delay was unacceptable. The best type of change is
participatory change as it requires collaboration, involvement and responsibility. Although
participatory change requires more time to implement, it is more effective as members tend to put
it into practice. The advantage of such a negotiated change is that it leads to more support from
all members involved in the agreement (Ungureanu, Rascu-Pistol, & Ungureanu, 2014). Bearing
this in mind, the change initiative in this study was implemented as participatory change requiring
collaboration and responsibility to be effective and to ensure the continuous support of the
participants involved.
The change initiative was also implemented with the Cognitive Constructivism Theory in
mind. The Cognitive Constructivism Theory emphasises the learner-centred approach and the
activity oriented learning process (Ravenscroft, 2003). The learning theories exemplify that all
learning theories shape learning. They all involve different processes that, when combined,
constitutes learning. As the WhatsApp group messaging system is a kind of discussion forum
incorporating the social nature of learning, it takes into account the constructivist theory of
learning. Constructivism involves having the teacher incorporating problem-solving and inquiry-
based learning activities whereby students have to collaborate actively in a learning environment
(Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2004). Therefore the learning is social in nature, as the
students have to interact with others to learn.
Learners are more likely to learn when they are involved in meaningful activities which
are based on the real world. In constructivism, the teacher provides learning activities for the
students to form their ideas, make inferences, and convey their knowledge collaboratively. They
become active participants in the learning process, guided by the teacher. Students actively
construct their knowledge rather than just absorbing knowledge from the instructor or the text
(Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2004). Discussion forums could be suitable tools to
mediate learning. They promote collaborative learning and sharing of information. The
WhatsApp group set up was to share ideas or information that had been thought through and to
promote learning.
Yukselturk (2010) also concurred that discussion forums via the WhatsApp messaging
system promote interaction and discussion among students, enabling the sharing of ideas and
critical reflection about these ideas from other students. Sharing experiences is one of the
strategies in the cognitive approach to learning. Discussion forums also allow asynchronous
interaction, i.e. using the same forum at the individual students’ own time (Yukselturk, 2010).
The social nature of learning emphasised by theories such as constructivism and situative theories
(Ravenscroft, 2003), can be effectively accommodated in discussion forums to facilitate social
interaction through online collaborative learning. Such collaborative learning involves learners
working in groups to solve problems, complete tasks, or to create something. As learning is a
social activity, learning occurs when students actively engage via face-to-face with their peers,
(Curtin University, 2018) or organization members online. Vygotsky (1978) is of the viewpoint

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