Digital collaborative learning in elementary and middle schools as a function of individualistic and collectivistic culture: The role of ICT coordinators' leadership experience, students' collaboration skills, and sustainability.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of online collaborative learning experiences on students' digital collaboration skills and on the sustainability of e‐collaboration in schools' culture—comparing individualistic versus collectivistic cultures. In addition, we explored how the leadership experience of schools' ICT coordinators was predicted by their sense of professionalism and cognitive, emotional and social aspects of perceived learning (PL), while leading the collaborative projects. The participants were ICT coordinators from 513 Israeli schools; 214 of whom were Hebrew‐speakers, and 299 Arabic‐speakers. The participants were asked to complete an online questionnaire, which included multiple‐choice and open‐ended questions. The results showed significant differences between a variety of the coordinator‐related variables as a function of learning culture (more individualistic vs.more collectivistic). Coordinators' leadership experience was a powerful predictor of students' digital collaboration skills, but did not predict the sustainability of e‐collaboration. Coordinators' emotional PL predicted the sustainability of collaboration in both schools with more individualistic and with more collectivistic learning cultures. The implications of the findings for educational theory and practise are discussed. Lay Description: Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topicOnline collaboration has the potential to develop digital literacy skills of students, and affects a variety of academic, psychological and social outcomes.Community interactions are related to cultural collectivism and reflect the important impact of environment on the individual.What this paper addsWe examine students' e‐collaboration skills and sustainability of e‐collaboration in schools.The ICT coordinators' characteristics differ between individualistic vs. collectivistic schools.Students' digital collaboration skills were not affected by these differences between the schools.ICT coordinators' leadership predicted student e‐collaboration skills, but not e‐collaboration sustainability.Implications for practice and/or policyProfessional development and longitudinal support are essential for teachers in e‐collaboration initiatives, but should be gradually diminished for sustainability.Support needs to be provided with reference to the cultural differences and to the particular difficulties documented in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]