The structure of the help-seeking process in collaboratively using a computer coach in problem-based learning

Research on help seeking with a computer coach providing on-demand help has not produced fully adequate models of the process from a cognitive perspective. The present study postulates a model of help seeking from a cognitive perspective and tests this model in a learning situation characterized as problem-based and computer-supported. The participants were 18 graduate students from the faculty of Education of a Canadian university. Their participation involved solving a complex problem in statistics, in pairs, with the help of a computer coach, the McGill statistics tutor. Analysis of the performance data was performed using directed probability graphs and the log-linear approach. Results show that the model is reflected in the data. Implications for the design of computer coaches and instructional situations are discussed.