Epistemic Network Analysis: A Worked Example of Theory-Based Learning Analytics

Abstract

In this article, we provide a worked example of a theory-based approach to learning ana- lytics in the context of an educational game. We do this not to provide an ideal solution for others to emulate, but rather to explore the affordances of a theory-based - rather than data-driven - approach. We do so by presenting 1) epistemic frame theory as an approach to the conceptualization of learning; 2) data from an epistemic game, an approach to edu- cational game design based on epistemic frame theory; and 3) epistemic network analysis (ENA), a technique for analyzing discourse and other data for evidence of complex thinking based on the same theory. We describe ENA through a speci c analytic result, but our aim is to explore how this result exempli es what we consider a key "best practice" in the eld of learning analytics.