The temporality of learning through the lenses of Dasein and the dialogical self

The temporality of learning has garnered attention in the last decade. Although learning is understood as a process of growth that develops over time, learning is a personal experience that does not necessarily progress in a linear fashion. It may be difficult to determine which events in learning are important and if order matters. This study aims to investigate how students interpret the order and progression of time regarding their learning as well as how Dasein and the dialogical self theory (DST) can supplement this investigation. Dasein is an existential-philosophical concept that focuses on the significance of Being or existence, whereas DST is a psychological concept that focuses on the dialogical nature of the human mind. In this study, discourse analysis was conducted using transcribed audio of 10 Finnish university students collaboratively learning in a technological learning environment. Discourse analysis was comprised of priming, layering, and coding. Priming reviewed the heuristics of discourse, layering incorporated Dasein and DST into the discourse, and coding identified temporal themes within the discourse. The results underscored that learning is not a linear process, and that mutual comprehension may be necessary in collaborative learning activities. Moreover, Dasein explained the nonlinearity of learning, whereas DST explained the discrepancy in mutual understanding of temporality. The results suggest that collaborative learning may be better achieved by orienting the self with the present context towards a future through proactive discourse. Thus, teachers may want to encourage students to plan their group learning by discussing and aligning personal goals.