Knowledge Conversion Dynamics in Multicultural LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Learning Environments: SECI Model and Constructionism Integrative Study

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Multicultural learning environments are increasingly prevalent in higher education; however, empirical understanding of how cultural context shapes knowledge conversion during collaborative, hands-on learning remains limited. This study examines how knowledge conversion unfolds within LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) activities by integrating Nonaka and Takeuchi’s SECI (Socialization, Externalization, Combination, Internalization) model with constructionist learning principles and multimodal interaction theory. A qualitative comparative case-study design was employed. Two graduate cohorts – Thai learners (n=9, Thai-medium instruction) and International learners from East and Southeast Asian backgrounds (n=10, English-medium instruction) – participated in an identical LSP-based Smart City design workshop under controlled conditions. Data were collected from group presentation videos, individual reflection recordings, and instructor observations, and analysed using a hybrid deductive–inductive coding framework with frequency counts of Smart City-related coded episodes as a structured basis for cross-cohort comparison. The findings suggest distinct, culturally patterned knowledge-conversion trajectories. Thai learners appeared to demonstrate tacit synchrony, metaphor-first externalization, holistic combination, and experiential–emotional internalization. International learners appeared to exhibit explicit verbal coordination, verbal-first externalization, analytical combination, and cognitively oriented internalization. These patterns suggest that SECI processes may not operate uniformly across cultural contexts but appear to be mediated by communication styles, cognitive orientations, and culturally situated meaning-making practices. Based on these findings, the study proposes the Multicultural SECI Flow Model, which explains how constructionist artefacts may function as intercultural mediating objects that support convergence toward shared understanding across divergent cultural learning pathways. The study contributes to Knowledge Management scholarship and provides practical implications, including facilitation guidelines and a practitioner checklist, for culturally responsive LSP-based learning in higher education, corporate training, and digital collaboration contexts.

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Related topics: Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods · Educational Leadership and Innovation · Educational Environments and Student Outcomes