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Student Interaction and Learning in Small Groups
Abstract
While research on learning in cooperative small groups has greatly increased during the past several years, few studies have focused on the interaction processes occurring within groups. This review focuses on the role of the student’s experience in small group interaction in learning. Research bearing on three aspects of small group learning is examined: (1) the relationship between interaction and achievement, (2) cognitive process and social-emotional mechanisms bridging interaction and achievement, and (3) characteristics of the individual, group, and reward structure that predict interaction in small groups. Methodological and substantive issues are discussed to evaluate and integrate research findings, and as guidelines for further research. The conclusion is that an individual’s role in group interaction is an important influence on learning, and that interaction can best be predicted from multiple characteristics of the individual, group, and setting
... However, in Budi's class, when a group consisted of three girls and one boy, the girls involved him in the discussion. This finding is consistent with previous research [42]. Webb [42] reported that in the majority-boy group, the boys focused their attention on the other boys and tended to ignore the girls, while in the majority-girl group, the girls gave more explanations and information to the boy than expected. ...
... This finding is consistent with previous research [42]. Webb [42] reported that in the majority-boy group, the boys focused their attention on the other boys and tended to ignore the girls, while in the majority-girl group, the girls gave more explanations and information to the boy than expected. Girls gave more explanations and responded more actively to requests to a boy member in the group. ...
... Girls gave more explanations and responded more actively to requests to a boy member in the group. On the other hand, girls in the majority of male groups received less help and less responses [42]. ...
The current study, a part of a bigger study, explored how teachers in Indonesia implemented cooperative learning (CL) in their distinct contexts. This multiple case study design used a qualitative interpretative approach. Following semi-structured interviews with 18 teachers who had attended CL professional development and used CL in their classrooms, four were purposefully selected as cases of teachers. Classroom observations, post classroom observation interviews, and field notes were employed to investigate the implementation of CL. The data were analysed using Miles, Huberman and Saldaña’s framework. Five themes were generated from cross-case analysis: implementation of CL principles, a lack of CL structures, a greater need of group orientation, group composition, and informal CL. The findings indicate that when an innovative pedagogical practice such as CL is implemented in a culture different from the one in which it was constructed, unique contexts both enable and disrupt the successful implementation of CL. This study proposes that further research attention must be given to understanding the challenges faced by teachers shifting away from direct teaching to student-centred pedagogies such as CL.
... Bir grup çalışmasının işbirlikli öğrenme olabilmesi için taşıması gereken koşullar: olumlu bağımlılık, bireysel değerlendirilebilme, destekleyici (ya da yüz yüze) etkileşim, kişiler arası beceriler, sosyal beceriler ve grup sürecidir (Johnson, Johnson ve Holubec 1992;Johnson, Johnson ve Smith 1998;Johnson ve Johnson 1999). Araştırmalar işbirlikli öğrenme modelinin öğrencilerin başarılarını, öğrenmenin kalıcılığını, transferi, ve üst düzey düşünme becerileri gibi bilişşsel öğrenmelerini geliştirmenin yanında; bireysel sorumluluk, dayanışma, olumlu tutum, motivasyon, derse olan ilgi, arkadaşlık ilişkileri, liderlik becerileri, sosyal iletişim becerileri ve grupla çalışma becerileri gibi duyuşsal öğrenmeleri üzerinde de olumlu etkiler yarattığını ortaya çıkarmıştır (Açıkgöz 1992;Bayrakçeken, Doymuş ve Doğan 2013;Doymuş, Şimşek ve Şimşek 2005;Gömleksiz 1993;Johnson ve Johnson 1989, 1990Slavin 1990;Webb 1982). ...
... Psikolojik açıdan öğrencilerin kendilerine saygı geliştirmelerinde etkili olur (Bayrakçeken, Doymuş ve Doğan 2013). İşbirlikli öğrenme modeli öğrencilerin özsaygıları, özgüvenlerini geliştirmekte ve morallerini artırmaktadır (Bayrakçeken, Doymuş ve Doğan 2013;Kagan ve Kagan 2000;Şimşek, Doymuş, Şimşek ve Özdemir 2006;Webb 1982). ...
... İşbirlikli öğrenme modelinin farklı yöntemleriyle geleneksel yöntemlerin kıyaslandığı yurt içi ve yurt dışı birçok deneysel çalışmada işbirlikli öğrenme nodelinin öğrencilerin akademik başarılarını arttırdığı ve derse karşı tutumlarını olumlu yönde etkilediği tespit edilmiştir (Crone ve Portillo 2013;Dori, Yaroslavsky ve Lazarowitz 1995;Doymuş ve Şimşek 2007;Gömleksiz 1993;Güvenç 2011;Holliday 2000;Kaya 2013;Kennedy, Linwick ve Vercell 2000;Özbaş 2006;Stevens, Slavin ve Farnish 1991;Şimşek 2007;Şimşek, Doymuş ve Karaçöp 2009;Tanel 2006;Webb 1982). ...
... Some researchers explained the inconsistencies in terms of different researchers using different cooperative learning techniques, learning settings, experimental designs, learner attributes, and subject matter. However, interaction among these attributes was seldom considered (Webb, 1982). Effective collaborative learning comes from productive group interactions, and thus research should focus more on "the more microgenetic features of the interaction" (Dillenbourg et al., 1996, p. 12). ...
... The most studied interaction variables are explanation, argumentation or negotiation, and regulation (Dillenbourg et al., 2009). For example, Webb (1982) revealed that giving and receiving elaborate explanations (instead of simply the correct answers) were positively correlated with individual learning gains and that off-task and passive behaviors had a negative correlation with learning outcomes. On the other hand, many process-oriented studies in the "interaction" paradigm seem to answer only one of the two sub-questions (Dillenbourg et al., 1996). ...
Collaborative learning and cooperative learning are two separate approaches developed independently by two groups of scholars around the same period of time in the 1960 and 1970 s. Due to their different origins and intertwined paths of development, they have their own distinct features while sharing many similarities. The relationship between collaborative learning and cooperative learning can be confusing. Therefore, this paper provides a brief historical review of collaborative learning and cooperative learning to identify the origins of each, where they diverge from each other, and where they are aligned. This paper examines the definitions of the two terms and compares their characteristics. This is followed by a discussion of their historical development in the last fifty years: early development between the 1960 and 1970 s; maturation in the 1980 and 1990 s; convergence in the mid-1990s; and the emergence of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) in the late 1980s. Finally, this paper summarizes the four paradigms of mainstream research on collaborative and cooperative learning, namely, the “effect” paradigm, the “conditions” paradigm, the “interaction” paradigm, and the “design” paradigm.
... According to social constructivism and sociocultural theory, social interaction is an inextricable part of learning (Bandura, 1986;Vygotsky, 1978). The presence of others motivates individuals to clarify confusion, identify questions, and reach significant insights (Foong et al., 2018b;Knights, 1985), ultimately impacting students' engagement in social discourse and interaction (AguirreGarzón, 2018;Lin et al., 2013;Webb, 1982). Accordingly, group reflection is grounded in social experiences where others' involvement might promote individuals' motivation and engagement in practice. ...
... Another area for future research is exploring and validating the theoretical justifications and practical challenges of group reflection. Theoretically, group environments offer distinguishing affordances to reflection compared to individual settings Johnson & Johnson, 1999;Webb, 1982). The article suggests four theoretical underpinnings of reflection in group contexts: (a) group settings offer more opportunities for reflection to happen, (b) group reflection can assist individuals in achieving what they cannot achieve alone, (c) social environments promote individuals' engagement and motivation in reflective practice, and (d) group reflection has long-term social effects compared to solitary reflection. ...
Reflection has been emphasized as crucial for learning and development. Yet, the social dimension of reflection is under-researched. Thus, this article proposes a conceptual framework to shed light on the social aspect of reflection and promote consistent and coherent research on group reflection. The authors first revisited reflection to recognize and justify the importance of group reflection as an explicit form of reflective practice in social contexts. Next, we conducted a 10-year (2010-2020) systematic review to examine the recent research on group reflection and identify gaps for future investigation. Based on the review findings, group composition and guidance on the practice were identified as two critical features in examining how individuals reflect at the interpersonal level to construct shared understanding within the group. Considering individuals' attributes as the source for various group compositions, we propose a three-dimensional framework to direct research on group reflection, including dimensions of (a) personal attributes, (b) group diversity, and (c) guidance on group reflection. This conceptual framework includes key attributes of group composition and four categories of guidance that may influence group reflection. Furthermore, we illustrate the application of the conceptual framework in three main research areas with specific examples of research questions. Last, we discuss the implications for future research beyond the conceptual framework.
... Departing a little from potential confrontation in small-group work, Noreen Webb and others analysed cooperative behaviour, that is, when students give or receive help from others (N. Webb, 1982;N. Webb et al., 2008N. ...
... Empirically, they examined the exchange of explanations about the content (N. Webb, 1982). They argued that, when students give explanations, they can clarify their views through justifications and develop understanding to solve gaps or inconsistencies. ...
This thesis studies the adherence of a talk-intensive approach to teaching and learning in the Brazilian context. While classroom talk is often classified as monologic due to being narrow and controlled by teachers, educational research has identified a kind of collaborative and cognitively productive talk that positively affects learning outcomes. This dialogic talk is rare in most classrooms. Many teacher professional development programmes have been designed to bridge this gap. This project builds on this vast literature to explore three key aspects in the development of a more dialogic classroom talk: small-group work, conceptual learning, and whole-class teaching. To produce such a dialogic case, an intensive, small-scale, researcher-led intervention was implemented in one primary school. The programme lasted for three months and consisted of three modules, each focusing in one of the aspects highlighted above. Data consisted of pre-post knowledge tests, audio recording of small-group work, video recording of whole-class teaching, and interviews. Classroom talk was analysed through both quantitative and qualitative methods. Within the Brazilian research field, this study is arguably the first with such aims and scope. In small-group talk, students spent only half of the time talking about the task’s content, when they used one third of dialogic utterances. Group talk features varied reasonably across tasks and no positive variation was found regarding dialogicity. It is argued that the students did not appropriate the use of ground rules for talk effectively. Although statistically significant, only small effects were found on students’ learning (knowledge tests). This result was discussed in relation to the role of different teaching modalities, talk formats, and classroom climate in promoting the co-construction of knowledge. The investigation showed how talk served as a means for learning. More specifically, five types of explanatory sequences were identified when teachers and students collectively built scientific explanations. In whole-class teaching, episodes of teachers’ dialogic practices were analysed and revealed which conditions favoured such emergence. Overall, this research sheds light on the potentialities and challenges of dialogic practices in a Brazilian primary school. The study contributes with new empirical data by systematically mapping groups’ and teachers’ discursive practices over seven tasks and nine lessons. Pre-designed classroom materials were very productive in fostering dialogic talk and teachers made many different decisions to render their own lessons more dialogic. Finally, the broad scope of this thesis—connecting professional development, use of classroom materials, student learning, and classroom talk— allowed putting forward recommendations for future intervention such as duration, pace, content, data-based reflective inquiry, and dialogic culture.
... It increases students' interest and motivation towards the lesson and the school. It changes their negative attitudes towards learning (Webb, 1982;Lehr, 1984;Johnson and Johnson, 1989;Açıkgöz, 1992;Gömleksiz, 1993;Doymuş et al., 2005;Bayrakçeken et al., 2013;Alhebaishi, 2019;Veldman et al., 2020). It increases the morale and motivation of students and improves their self-esteem and self-confidence (Webb 1982;Şimşek et al., 2006;Kagan and Kagan, 2009;Bayrakçeken et al., 2013). ...
... It changes their negative attitudes towards learning (Webb, 1982;Lehr, 1984;Johnson and Johnson, 1989;Açıkgöz, 1992;Gömleksiz, 1993;Doymuş et al., 2005;Bayrakçeken et al., 2013;Alhebaishi, 2019;Veldman et al., 2020). It increases the morale and motivation of students and improves their self-esteem and self-confidence (Webb 1982;Şimşek et al., 2006;Kagan and Kagan, 2009;Bayrakçeken et al., 2013). ...
This study aims to examine the effectiveness of different methods by comparing the academic achievement levels of jigsaw groups in the subjects they are experts in and in those they are not experts in. The sample of the study, which was carried out with a pretest posttest experimental design without a control group, consisted of 24 middle school students, 15 boys and 9 girls. A 20-question “science, technology and society achievement test” was used as the data collection tool. The test included 5 questions about each of the 4 topics of expertise assigned to the groups. The achievement that had a reliability coefficient of 0.85 was applied in the jigsaw groups as the pretest and the posttest. Since the data did not show a normal distribution, Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used for the analyses. In the analysis, the Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction was used to determine which groups had significant differences. The results showed that using the jigsaw II method increased the academic achievement of the students in all dimensions of the test. However, a significant difference was found between the success levels of the jigsaw groups in the dimensions of the test. This result showed that students are more successful in their assigned subjects than other subjects.
... The selected pupils were engaged earlier in the previous study that explored a deeper understanding of their perceptions about key aspects of FtFPI by conducting a face-to-face interview [18]. Accordingly, the pupils' perspectives on the FtFPI [18] and the present video observations may provide a complete picture of FtFPI' situations in small CL groups [49]. Using the pupils' grades in the class' protocols, the teachers chose a sample of 16 pupils 9-10 years of age (8 boys and 8 girls), as the power of mixed academic levels or mixed social status supports learning among peers [14]. ...
... The authors declare no conflict of interest. Pupils use verbal and nonverbal cues that help them to recognise pupils' signals of confusion (Webb, 1982) Pupils explicitly state about asking for help, Help-seekers persist in asking for help (Webb and Mastergeorge, 2003) "Pupils' facial expressions show their confusion" "They ask questions or look around" "He would just keep silent" "They are unable to do the task" ...
Promoting pupils’ face-to-face promotive interaction (FtFPI) is crucial for effective cooperative learning (CL) in group work. This article provides insight into interpersonal behaviour and supportive communication as two important aspects of FtFPI. Sixteen pupils 9–10 years of age were videotaped in four structured mixed-ability groups during CL sessions at two primary schools in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The features of FtFPI that pupils use for peer support in small CL groups and on interfering factors that pupils encounter during FtFPI were analysed using
a thematic hybrid approach. The study found that pupils used verbal and non-verbal features for co-learners’ responsive actions during FtFPI. However, the findings also revealed some factors that interfere with the pupils’ FtFPI, such as having insufficient knowledge and personal skills about peer attention, encouragement and praising. The study recommends that future studies should implement the intervention necessary to foster both teachers’ and pupils’ understanding and functional
knowledge of FtFPI for successful small CL groups.
... The major research on the topic of cooperative learning took place in the 1980-ies. During this period, a number of studies on the benefits of social learning in small groups were conducted by Davidson [18], Webb [19] and cooperative learning -by D. Johnson and R. Johnson [20], Slavin [21], and others. Let us consider the following main practical issues related to the implementation of cooperative learning in the learning process: formation of small groups; cooperative learning techniques; methods of cooperative learning; assessment of group achievement. ...
... There are a variety of cooperative methods and social learning techniques that can be used in cooperative learning: jigsaw method, achievement teams, team contest, team-based individual learning, cooperative team learning, distributed learning technique, coop-coop method, experiment in cooperative learning, inquiry-based team learning, etc. Most of these methods work well in a traditional face-to-face mode (Webb) [19]. Let us consider some of the methods which work effectively in the distance learning environment. ...
There is an on-going debate in the literature on theoretical underpinnings of distance learning. Scholars consider different theoretical perspectives including but not limited to theory of independence and autonomy, theory of industrialization, and theory of interaction and communication through the lens of a traditional Learning Theory approach. There is a lack of discussion on a potential role of a newly emerging field of Learning Sciences in framing the theory of distance learning. Thus, in this paper we provide a theoretical analysis of the Learning Sciences as a new approach to understand distance learning in the era of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Learning Sciences is an interdisciplinary field that studies teaching and learning. This emerging innovative field includes but is not limited to multiple disciplines such as cognitive science, educational psychology, anthropology, computer science, to name a few. The Learning Sciences’ major objective is to understand and design effective learning environments, including distance learning, based on the latest findings about the processes involved in human learning.
... In a review of research regarding small groups learning educational material at the elementary and secondary school level concluded that student ability and reward structure were the variables most consistently related with student interaction (Webb, 1982). A subsequent study by Webb and colleagues (Fall, Webb & Chudowsky, 2000) went further, suggesting that the quality of student interactions depended partly on the composition of the group: ability of the participating students, their demographic characteristics, personalities of the participants (were students outgoing, friendly, domineering, etc.?), the students' motivation to perform the assigned task, their relative peer-group and/or academic status and their skill in collaborating effectively with others. ...
... In contrast to findings from previous studies with elementary and high-school students (e.g., Fall, Webb & Chudowsky, 2001;Fall, Webb & Wise, 1997;Webb, 1982), we were surprised to find overwhelming evidence of collaborative, cooperative work among our groups, with extremely low rates of conflict, disagreements or assertions of power. The two most common codes were: "elaboration/building on an idea/adding information" and "agreement," which together accounted for one-third of all interactions. ...
Small group work performed in the context of university service-learning projects has been seen as a vehicle well-suited to teaching students about group dynamics and how to work on real world problems as members of a team. Little research, however, has focused on the intragroup processes involved in service-learning. The present study was conducted in the context of a service-learning project in which twenty groups of four to five university business school students taught continuation high school students a series of lessons regarding life skills such as goal setting and career readiness. The lesson planning sessions of the university students were video recorded and the videos were then analyzed for patterns of utterances by group participants (questions; instructions; suggestions; etc.) that occurred during the sessions. An iterative process of coding and recoding was employed to capture each behavior for further study. The results suggest that the groups engaged in a surprising level of meaningful collaboration, with leadership shared among group members, and little evidence of individual dominance of groups, or conflict between students.
... The horizontal dashed line marks the regression constant. assimilation of roommate academic performance exhibits an overall increasing trend over time, suggesting that peer effects become stronger as roommates live together longer, get more familiar with each other, and establish stronger interactions that facilitate knowledge spillovers 61,65,82 . More specifically, the increase in assimilation is more pronounced in the third semester ( Fig. 2b and Supplementary Fig. 8), which is consistent with previous literature showing that peer effects are strong and persistent when friendships last over a year 79,83 , and it appears to be disrupted in the fifth semester, which may be because senior students have a higher chance of taking different elective courses and have more outside activities that might decrease the interactions between roommates 84 . ...
Understanding how student peers influence learning outcomes is crucial for effective education management in complex social systems. The complexities of peer selection and evolving peer relationships, however, pose challenges for identifying peer effects using static observational data. Here we use both null-model and regression approaches to examine peer effects using longitudinal data from 5,272 undergraduates, where roommate assignments are plausibly random upon enrollment and roommate relationships persist until graduation. Specifically, we construct a roommate null model by randomly shuffling students among dorm rooms and introduce an assimilation metric to quantify similarities in roommate academic performance. We find significantly larger assimilation in actual data than in the roommate null model, suggesting roommate peer effects, whereby roommates have more similar performance than expected by chance alone. Moreover, assimilation exhibits an overall increasing trend over time, suggesting that peer effects become stronger the longer roommates live together. Our regression analysis further reveals the moderating role of peer heterogeneity. In particular, when roommates perform similarly, the positive relationship between a student’s future performance and their roommates’ average prior performance is more pronounced, and their ordinal rank in the dorm room has an independent effect. Our findings contribute to understanding the role of college roommates in influencing student academic performance.
... Figure 2C shows that the skills students developed during the PSS activity were scored significantly higher compared to the pre-PSS survey. Working in small groups, bouncing off ideas, constructive interaction with the professor, explanations of concepts, creating a hypothesis, making connection between class content and real-world problem enhanced cognitive learning [12,13]. Student response to what they liked in PSS also reflects that group interaction was the major factor in the learning process, "Teamwork and communication", "team development", and "I liked working with a team and that it was interactive". ...
... Students group in the stressful environment (e.g., an exam) could become a good basis for the analysis of social interaction mechanisms. A thorough description of variables for analysis of such interaction was made by Webb (1982). He focused on the role of student's experience in small group interaction and singled out such input factors as giving help, receiving help, off-task activity, passive behavior and two mechanisms of bridging interaction (directly affecting and mediating variables). ...
Ukrainian society is undergoing rapid transformational changes. The authors attempted to identify the main behavioral strategies before the war as well as possible changes in the following years. Attempting to recognize the most prevalent behavior in society, the interaction and attitude of students during the exam were taken into consideration. The student group includes representatives of various regions in proportionate numbers. The research is based on the simulation of the interaction of different groups in society by means of game theory and programming. The study proposes using Schumpeter market disturbances and ‘Nash disequilibrium’ to invigorate the current ineffective system. It has been shown that pre-war Ukrainian society exhibited a very high level of collusion. The interim conclusions were tested using Axelrod’s tournament algorithms and strategies. A simulation of the cooperative equilibrium in Ukrainian society during the pre-war period was demonstrated. The study also contains important predictions about the changes in the institutional environment in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine.
... Indeed it has been found that there is a direct relationship between the lack of assessment of individual performance in team projects and free riding (Bowes-Sperry, Kidder, Foley, & Chelte, 2005). Perhaps more troubling is the effect that free riding can have on other team members whereby non-free-riding students decide to reduce their efforts in an attempt to maintain some sense of equity (Comer, 1995;Webb, 1982;Williams, Beard, & Rymer, 1991). ...
This case study investigated how the organizational resiliency of a Midwest community college impacted student success during the COVID-19 pandemic. The college’s static resiliency components of solid planning and infrastructural preparation for probable events, a longstanding collaborative commitment to achieving key elements of student success, and effective internal communication processes produced the robust capacity for flexibility and innovation that
distinguishes dynamic resiliency. Interviews with ten senior staff members validated actions which accelerated decision processes, encouraged innovative solutions to issues, and mitigated nonacademic stresses leading to positive impacts on student success during the COVID-19 pandemic.
... This strengthens the case for universities to focus on enhancing students' social capital through strategies such as small-group teaching, which in turn fosters interaction and academic success (Webb, 1982;Wilcox, Winn, & Fyvie-Gauld, 2005). Interventions such as working in groups or assigned pairs, and encouraging peer tutoring during class can enhance students' social capital and academic integration (Baldwin, Bedell, & Johnson, 1997). ...
... In Letters to Lucilius, the first-century Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote, "while we teach, we learn." Over two thousand years later, many prevalent educational practices incorporate elements of learning by teaching (Duran & Topping, 2017), including peer tutoring programs (Leung, 2015;, collaborative learning , and small group discussions (van Blankenstein et al. 2011;Webb, 1982). In this chapter, I take a closer look at the evidence for learning by teaching, focusing on the benefits and boundary conditions associated with specific elements of teaching. ...
Students regularly ask, “How can I do well in your course?” They are surprised when I provide a simple answer: Take advantage of the quizzes. Quizzes are not a silver bullet, but they improve students’ recollection of course information and, importantly to students, increase performance on exams. Pre-lecture reading quizzes encourage students to arrive prepared (pre-training), ongoing quizzes promote
regular studying (spacing), and review quizzes help students revisit material from previous topics (interleaving). Central to the present discussion, all of these types of quizzes require students to retrieve information to answer items, which improves performance on later exams (testing effect, retrieval practice). Still, questions remain about how to use quizzes most effectively. In particular, should we use
harder application quizzes or easier factual quizzes to help students do well in the course? That is to say, should we throw students in the deep end early in the learning process or not?
... It should be noticed that only a few numbers of studies focused on both group formation and student interaction. Since group composition affects student interaction (Cohen, 1994;Webb, 1982), we suggest future researchers pursue this research direction as group formation and student interaction are inseparable for building an effective CSCL environment. ...
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has inspired applications of new techniques and tools to support collaborative learning, with automatic data analytics and real-time adaptability features. However, little work has investigated the applications and effects of AI in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) under STEM education. This chapter conducts a systematic literature review to understand the development of AI to support CSCL in STEM education from 2011 to 2021. This review examines the overall trend of AI applications designed and implemented to support CSCL and how AI supports group formation and student interactions in particular. This review further evaluates the effects of proposed AI techniques and applications in supporting group formation and student interaction. Based on review results, this chapter finally presents the design and evaluation implications and future research directions.
... Importantly, our methods not only identify groups of students-they also identify the ALEKS content that each group should focus on. More broadly, we hope to show how viewing student ability as a multidimensional construct could potentially allow teachers to implement differentiated instruction in more powerful ways than by simply viewing student ability as a fixed unidimensional construct, as is the case in the common pedagogical practice of ability grouping (Jensen & Lawson, 2011;Leonard, 2001;Linchevski & Kutscher, 1998;Webb & Kenderski, 1984;Wesson, 1992) as well as existing group formation algorithms (Abnar et al., 2012;Christodoulopoulos & Papanikolaou, 2007;Graf & Bekele, 2006;Liang et al., 2021;Manske et al., 2015). We do this by highlighting two central takeaways that may be counterintuitive or may go unrecognized under a unidimensional construct of ability. ...
Computer-assisted instructional programs such as intelligent tutoring systems are often used to support blended learning practices in K-12 education, as they aim to meet individual student needs with personalized instruction. While these systems have been shown to be effective under certain conditions, they can be difficult to integrate into pedagogical practices. In this paper, we introduce three group formation algorithms that leverage learning data from the adaptive intelligent tutoring system ALEKS to support pedagogical and collaborative learning practices with ALEKS. Each grouping method was devised for different use cases, but they all utilize a fine-grained multidimensional view of student ability measured across several hundred skills in an academic course. As such, the grouping algorithms not only identify groups of students, but they also determine what areas of ALEKS content each group should focus on. We then evaluate each of the three methods against two alternative baseline methods, which were chosen for their plausibility of being used in practice—one that groups students randomly and one that groups students based on a unidimensional course score. To evaluate these methods, we establish a set of practical metrics based on what we anticipate teachers would care about in practice. Evaluations were performed by simulating mock groupings of students at different time periods for real ALEKS algebra classes that occurred between 2017 and 2019. We show that each devised method obtains more favorable results on the specified metrics than the alternative methods under each use-case. Moreover, we highlight examples where our methods lead to more nuanced groupings than grouping based on a unidimensional measure of ability.
... Different theories proposed different mechanisms about how discussion facilitates learning. From a cognitive process perspective, Webb (1982) believes that students verbalize information when interacting with peers, which can lead to better performance in face-to-face classes. Similarly, in online discussions, students need to communicate their thoughts to peers in written text. ...
... Four of the sixteen students were English language learners. The students made sense of the tasks and orally explained their thinking, providing in-the-moment access to their thinking processes (Webb, 1982). The task was designed to indicate the process that underlies the dynamic shared learning (a shared-knowledge product) of two subjects working together to solve a problem. ...
Knowledge-in-use perspective states that knowing and doing cannot be separated but experienced in an integrated fashion that allows for problem solving, decision making, explaining real-world phenomena, and connecting new ideas within a community of practice. The socialcognitive manifestation of knowledge-in-use is referred to as sensemaking. Evidence that students have developed knowledge-in-use on individual assessment is demonstrated by: depth of knowledge; flexibility in applying an array of ideas and practices; and a robust community perspective, in which students connect to their local environment or social community. Our work shows that assessments can elicit flexibility in thinking and depth of student knowledge.
... Hence, both parties achieve better understanding rather than students that are not actively engaged in the discussion or task. Webb (1982) in his study, proved that the activities of giving and receiving help in a group contribute to the achievement of the group members. Next, students should believe that they will be accountable for their performance and learning. ...
... Collaborative learning can be an important means for enhancing students' learning of mathematics (Webb, 1982). For instance, Freudenthal (1991) argued that high-quality mathematical discussions where small heterogeneous groups of students reflect on mathematical activities contribute significantly to mathematical reasoning and level raising. ...
Background
Supporting students during collaborative learning in mathematics is challenging for teachers. We developed the Small-Group Scaffolding Tool (SGS-Tool) to assist teachers regarding how and when to offer support. The tool is based on three characteristics of scaffolding small groups at the group level: contingency to the group, phasing out content support when the group can continue independently, and transferring responsibility for learning to the group.
Method
We investigated whether the scaffolding behavior of teachers using the SGS-Tool was more adapted to the group level than that of teachers not using the tool. Participants were four teachers and their seventh grade classes. The topic was Early Algebra. We analyzed teachers’ scaffolding behavior with one group during five lessons.
Findings
The SGS-Tool offered teachers support when the groups discussed mathematics, but adaptations of the tool are needed. Overall, the SGS-Tool seems to be a promising tool for supporting mathematics teachers in scaffolding groups at the group level.
Contribution
Our study provides insight into what scaffolding small groups at the group level entails and how teachers can apply it.
... Four of the sixteen students were English language learners. The students made sense of the tasks and orally explained their thinking, providing in-the-moment access to their thinking processes (Webb, 1982). The task was designed to indicate the process that underlies the dynamic shared learning (a shared-knowledge product) of two subjects working together to solve a problem. ...
... In general, it is important to seed interdependency among group members (i.e., reliance on others to accomplish one's goals). This can be accomplished with a jigsaw structure (Aronson, 1978), by assigning discrete roles for students (Johnson and Johnson, 2009), introducing reward structures (e.g., friendly competition between groups; Webb, 1982;Slavin, 1996;Sober and Wilson, 1999), and ensuring that the task is too complex for any individual to complete alone (Saleh and Large, 2011;Sears and Reagin, 2013). Other factors related to the task, such as clearly defined and shared goals (Sniezek and Henry, 1989;Scribner et al., 2007;Van den Bossche et al., 2006), can increase the chances of group members moving in the same direction and reduces the potential to talk past one another. ...
Small-group discussion is a central component of 21st-century biology classrooms. Many factors shape these discussions and thus influence potential learning gains. This study examined how accuracy and idea consideration shaped small-group discussions in undergraduate biology labs (12 groups, M = 42.8 talk turns). To do this, we asked 1) Is there a relationship between a student's science accuracy and the amount peers consider the student's ideas? 2) To what extent does peer consideration of a student's ideas predict that student's ability to steer the conversation? Building on this second question, we then explored 3) Does general group academic ability or immediate conversational accuracy better predict group learning? To answer these questions, we coded aspects of discourse (science accuracy, idea consideration, etc.) before quantitative analysis. Strong correlation was found between students' science accuracy and idea consideration (r = 0.70). Both accuracy and idea building predicted one's ability to steer the conversation. Subsequent analysis highlighted the critical role of immediate discourse in group learning. Group-level analysis revealed that group performance was not related to the group's overall ability in the classroom, but rather the immediate accuracy of their group conversations. Implications and limitations are discussed.
... Αξθεηνί εξεπλεηέο κειέηεζαλ ηε ζεκαζία ηεο ζπλεξγαηηθήο κάζεζεο, θπξίσο όηαλ απηή ιακβάλεη ρώξα ζηελ παξαδνζηαθή δηδαζθαιία θαη ρσξίο ηε ρξήζε ησλ λέσλ ηερλνινγηώλ (Peterson et al., 1981;Webb, 1982), αιιά πνιύ ιίγνη δηεξεύλεζαλ ην είδνο θαη ηε θύζε ησλ ιεθηηθώλ αιιειεπηδξάζεσλ πνπ αλαπηύζζνληαη θαηά ηε δηάξθεηα ησλ ζπλεξγαηηθώλ δξαζηεξηνηήησλ (Wild, 1995;Hyun, 2004;Hyun & Davis, 2005). Κη απηό γηαηί ζύκθσλα κε ηε βηβιηνγξαθία νη ιεθηηθέο αιιειεπηδξάζεηο κεηαμύ ησλ καζεηώλ δελ είλαη απνδεθηέο ζηα πιαίζηα ηεο επίζεκεο εθπαίδεπζεο. ...
Σκοπός της παρούσας έρευνας ήταν να καταγραφούν τα είδη των λεκτικών αλληλεπιδράσεων που αναπτύσσονται μεταξύ των μαθητών που ανήκουν σε ομοιογενείς και ανομοιογενείς ομάδες καθώς φέρνουν σε πέρας συνεργατικές δραστηριότητες με ψηφιακά παιχνίδια και πώς αυτές επηρεάζουν τη διαδικασία της μάθησης. Το δείγμα της ερευνητικής μελέτης αποτέλεσαν 20 παιδιά ηλικίας 4 -5 ετών. Τα παιδιά αυτά βάση μιας αρχικής αξιολόγησης με φύλλα εργασίας χωρίστηκαν σε 3 υποομάδες – επίπεδα (καλοί, μέτριοι και αδύνατοι). Από αυτές τις υποομάδες – επίπεδα των μαθητών δημιουργήθηκαν 5 ομοιογενείς και 5 ανομοιογενείς ομάδες. Οι μαθητές στη συνέχεια συμμετείχαν στο πρόγραμμα παρέμβασης παίζοντας με τα ψηφιακά παιχνίδια σε συνεδρίες των 10 – 12 λεπτών, 2 φορές την εβδομάδα για μια περίοδο 4 εβδομάδων με σκοπό να καταγραφούν και να συγκριθούν οι λεκτικές αλληλεπιδράσεις των μαθητών όταν αυτοί δουλεύουν σε ομοιογενείς και ανομοιογενείς ομάδες. Η ανάλυση των αλληλεπιδράσεων των μαθητών έδειξε πως οι μαθητές που δούλεψαν σε ομάδες ομοιογενείς ως προς τη σύσταση τους παρουσίασαν στα πλαίσια της συνεργασίας τους μειωμένη λεκτική αλληλεπίδραση σε σχέση με τα παιδιά που ανήκαν σε ανομοιογενείς ομάδες.
... Beyond the Peer Instruction method, there is a lack of consensus about the effects of peer discussion on learning, and the issue about the optimal group size remains largely open to date in this field (Peltokorpi and Niemi, 2019). Indeed, some research suggests that small groups function better than larger groups because their members cannot attribute the responsibility of the discussion to others (Webb, 1982(Webb, , 1989, or may lack the ability to evaluate potential solutions to a problem (Schultz, 1989). On the contrary, other studies claim that increasing the number of students in a group might improve collaborative learning, leading students to benefit greatly from peer discussions due to a wider range of views (Needham, 1987). ...
Determining the optimal discussion group size to improve performance and learning has created an intense debate in psychology and provided mixed findings in laboratory and field settings. In a quasi-experimental study in the education field, we examined the effect of discussion group size on individual learning in a biology exercise performed on a tablet with stylus. The sample involved 102 secondary school students divided into four classes, each corresponding to one of the four experimental conditions (alone without peer discussion vs discussion in dyads vs triads vs four-member groups). They were asked to draw individually a functional schema of the human respiratory system, once before and once after discussing with peers (or reflecting alone). Both drawings were evaluated by four independent coders, and the learning gain for each student was computed from these evaluations. Results revealed that learning gain was greater for students discussing in four-member groups than for those in the other conditions. Additional analyses suggested that this effect was moderated by the students’ gender, with the learning gain being greater after discussion in four-member groups among females only. These findings suggest that group size of four individuals might be the optimal configuration to improve peer learning.
... Interns were assigned to work in pairs. The intent of pairing interns was to provide an environment in which they felt supported, could draw on individual strengths, and develop teamwork skills (Brush, 1997;Oakley et al., 2004;Webb, 1982). The pairing of 1. ...
The Geo-Launchpad Program is a pre-Research Experience for Undergraduates (pre-REU) providing a summer internship and professional development for two-year college (2YC) students from Colorado. The program goal was to build students’ interest and capacity to engage in geoscience-focused STEM career pathways. The pre-REU helped students develop skills necessary to conduct scientific research. Students worked on a project that supported scientific research under the direction of a science mentor. The program also provided multi-level mentoring, information about career pathways in geosciences, and professional development. Multi-level mentoring included engagement with 2YC faculty, researchers and professionals, and students in other internship programs. Career pathways were illuminated through informal weekly discussions with guest speakers. Evaluation data from 2015-2018 indicated the program succeeded in building students’ interest in and capacity to pursue geoscience-focused STEM careers. Annual program modifications were informed by evaluation data. Data were collected using a modified version of the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment instrument and findings were aligned with the Framework for 21st Century Learning. The internship experience was valuable for students both from the scientific research preparation perspective and developing soft skills through professional development. Overall, the professional development component of Geo-Launchpad was demonstrated to be a highly valuable component of the intern experience. In particular, data showed that exposure to a wide array of geoscience career options and pathways through the Geoscience Career Circles was one of the most impactful elements of the Geo-Launchpad internship.
... Students who perceived themselves as contributing more had a higher mean grade (83.5%) than those who thought they contributed less (79.5%; ANOVA, P < 0.1 for the class and P < 0.05 for the online group) ( Table 1), which is consistent with the idea that helping behaviors and social problem-solving skills are linked with higher achievements in small-group work (4,5). Consistent groups (in class or in breakout rooms) seem to contribute to students' comfort level in contributing, which may impact how well they understand content. ...
ABSTRACT Hybrid classrooms (taught simultaneously to both in-person and online students) have become increasingly common in the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and they have offered multiple benefits and challenges. We offer several recommendations to improve student engagement and classroom experience in such classrooms, especially for online learners who may face greater barriers to participation. These recommendations were constructed based on survey responses from students in a microbiology classroom who were categorized as in-person or online learners depending on their chosen modalities. Briefly, increasing familiarity, encouraging but not mandating camera use in online small groups, tailoring active learning activities for the online population, and enabling access to lecture recordings and transcripts were identified as strategies that would promote student engagement and improve student outcomes. As online learning will likely play an important role in higher education in the future, educators will need to continue to rethink and adapt some familiar classroom strategies to resonate with a virtual audience. In any case, lessons learned in a hybrid course can be applied to a range of teaching modalities, to provide students with a more engaging and supportive learning environment.
... B. Howe et al., 2007;Webb, 1989Webb, , 1991Webb & Palincsar, 1996). Das Unterstützungsverhalten untereinander konnte in einem breit angelegten Review als häufigste Interaktionsvariable identifiziert werden, um Leistung in Kleingruppen vorherzusagen, wobei hierbei zunächst nicht zwischen dem Geben oder Empfangen der Hilfe unterschieden wurde (Webb, 1982). In Studien aus den Sekundarstufen korreliert hingegen das Erhalten von Erklärungen in besonderem Maße positiv mit der Leistung, wenn die Erklärung auf eine selbst gestellte Frage folgte. ...
In diesem Kapitel stellen wir ein theoretisches Instrument basierend auf dem Interactive-Constructive-Active–Passive-Framework vor, das zur Analyse des Kommunikationsverhaltens von Dyaden, einem Paar von Lernenden, in kollaborativen Lernsituationen geeignet ist. Es zeigt sich, dass dieses Instrument zur Analyse von Videoaufzeichnungen von Dyaden, die mit verschiedenen Lernumgebungen beschreibende Statistik lernen, geeignet ist und eine Abhängigkeit zwischen dem so erfassten Kommunikationsverhalten der Dyaden und dem potentiellen Lernerfolg bestehen kann.
... Collaboration and student interaction form an essential part of many SGL processes (Webb, 1982), with both tutors and students having a role to play. The group member's role is to contribute to the discussion, however online discussions are difficult with time delays, which often lead to talking over each other. ...
... Çünkü bu yöntem öğrencilerin öğrenilecek malzemeyi bireysel yetenek ve hızlarına göre çalışmalarına büyük ölçüde imkan sağlamaktadır (Keuscher 1970, Rowiszowski, 1984. Ayrıca bu yöntem, eğitim ortamındaki tüm öğrencilerin öğrenme sürecine etkin biçimde katılmasına yol açmakta, (MCGRea, 1989;Sekara, 1987) (Johnson, , 1993Johnson ve F. Johnson, 1994 Böylece, öğrenciler, kendilerinin olduğu kadar, grup üyelerinin başarısından da kendilerini sorumlu hissedeceklerdir (Dansereau, 1985;Webb, 1985). ...
Araştırmanın amacı, okul öncesi dönem çocuğa sahip annelerin müzeler ve müzelerin eğitim ortamı olarak kullanımı ile ilgili görüşlerini almaktır. Araştırma kapsamında anneler ve çocukları ile birlikte 3 ayrı müze ziyareti gerçekleştirilmiş. Annelere müze gezileri öncesinde ve sonrasında araştırmacılar tarafından oluşturulan Anne Görüşme Formları uygulanmıştır. Araştırma bulguları içerik analizi ile analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlar literatür ışığında tartışılmış ve araştırma ile ilgili önerilere yer verilmiştir.
... This research applied action research. The research subjects were the students in Chinese Language 提升閱讀能力的方法很多元，但研究顯示，只提高閱讀量或是增 加閱讀時間，不一定能提升閱讀能力(魏靜雯，2003；Block, Parris, Read, Whiteley ＆ Cleveland, 2009)；不過有效的教室討論(Classroom Talk)被認為是可以增強學生閱讀能力與學習成效的重要方法之一 (Alvermann, O'Brien, & Dillon, 1990;Barnes, 1992;Langer, 1995;Mercer, 2000)，然而不同的對話方式所產生的學習成效也有所不同 (Soter et al., 2008)。 傳 統 課 堂 主 流 的 討 論 方 式 為「 教 師 引 導 -學 生 回 應 -教 師 評 估 」(Initiation-Response-Evaluation, IRE) 模 式 (Chinn, Anderson, & Waggoner, 2001)；意即由教師先講解基本知識後對學生提問並要求學 生回應，藉以評估學生理解程度。IRE 模式主張提問可刺激學生思考， 而回應過程中增進其表達與溝通能力；而教師由與學生間雙向語言互 動得以即時評估並糾正錯誤。IRE 模式雖能讓學生專注、有效地獲取 知識(Nystrand, 1997)、「跟上」教學進度；然而當教師過於主導學 習並支配學習進程時，學生顯現消極態度同時缺乏回應互動；若教師 太強調回答「對錯」，反造成學生為回應教師的期望而勉強參與討論， 理解也受限於教師思惟，最終無法對文本進行高層次理解與批判性思 考等負面影響 (Allington, 2001)。 另 一 種 常 使 用 的 討 論 方 式 為 學 生 主 導 的 小 組 討 論(group discussion)，討論中小組成員運用對話互動以建立自身或團體的想法、 世界觀、及整體論述(Rogo , 1990)進而強化理解能力；面對意見岐 異的討論，成員在辯證中同時釐清自身思惟、提升思考層次、或增加 對他人或自身批判思考的機會 (Nystrand, Wu, Gamoran, Zeiser, & Long, 2003;Higham, Brindley, & Van De Pol, 2014)。許多研究顯示課堂討論 與對話增強小組成員交流意願，同時提升成員的社會性和情感性連結 (Alvermann et al., 1996;McKeown, Beck, & Sandora, 1996;Nystrand, 1997;Wheelock, 2000;Mercer, 2000;Reznitskaya & Anderson, 2002)，討論中的 交互對話使學生得以深入參與學習，增加口語表達能力 (Reznitskaya, Kuo, Glina, & Anderson, 2009;Gillies, 2004)。然而一般的課堂教學中只 會偶爾出現高品質的討論(Nystrand et al., 2003)，當小組討論缺少適 當引領與教導時，會造成主題過於發散、互動溝通技巧不足、缺乏討 論的認知、合作觀念薄弱、無法自我監控等問題(沈文蓓，1997)。 因此，具備明確的教學策略以激勵學生互動，引導學生討論為有效討 論教學的重要環節 (Webb, 1982 (Howe, 1993;Light, Littleton, Mercer, & Joiner, 1994 (Mercer, 1996(Mercer, , 2002Nystrand, 1997;Webb, 1991) ...
Quality Talks has been proven to be a group discussion approach that helps improving student’s reading comprehension and enhancing critical thinking. However, cultural and language differences in context might influence the discussion and interaction in class. In most Asian countries, teachers are deemed as the main role in teaching knowledge. Students are accustomed to passive learning. They are less likely to actively asking questions. Sometimes students worry about teacher or peer’s judgment and are timid to ask questions in class. Moreover, most of the learning significantly relies on the textbook in Taiwan. There is a fixed schedule for each curriculum and examinations are applied to evaluate the learning achievement. Therefore, how to embed Quality Talk in the current education system, how to conduct Quality Talk in the classroom, and the acceptance and learning achievement of students who go through Quality Talk, are the research topics that worth studying. This research applied action research. The research subjects were the students in Chinese Language Class. Through the cyclic process of planning, action, observation, and reflection, the research aimed to develop the framework of Quality Talk in Chinese Language Class and learned the change of the question level and critical capacity among students.
... Çünkü bu yöntem öğrencilerin öğrenilecek malzemeyi bireysel yetenek ve hızlarına göre çalışmalarına büyük ölçüde imkan sağlamaktadır (Keuscher 1970, Rowiszowski, 1984. Ayrıca bu yöntem, eğitim ortamındaki tüm öğrencilerin öğrenme sürecine etkin biçimde katılmasına yol açmakta, (MCGRea, 1989;Sekara, 1987) (Johnson, , 1993Johnson ve F. Johnson, 1994 Böylece, öğrenciler, kendilerinin olduğu kadar, grup üyelerinin başarısından da kendilerini sorumlu hissedeceklerdir (Dansereau, 1985;Webb, 1985). ...
... The second theme is cooperation. Student interaction in class can either be competitive, individual or collaborative including taking on responsibility for each other's learning (Webb, 1982). Cooperation is a functional component from Johnson and Johnson's (1999) educational theory of cooperative learning which postulates that cooperative learning is achieved when students working together on a shared learning goal. ...
Learning in flow is the ultimate experience. Flow means being completely absorbed and focused in the moment. This study investigates the possibility of achieving flow from problem-based learning in students. Problem-based learning was used to teach Conservation Genetics to nineteen undergraduate students. Their perceptions of the learning experience were evaluated using a focus group interview. Four themes were generated: enjoyment of learning activity, cooperation, independent learning and appreciation of learning. Students were thoroughly engaged in the learning activity and simultaneously driven by curiosity and interest of the subject to remain challenged, focused and motivated at the task at hand. Problem-based learning applied in teaching Conservation Genetics influenced enjoyment, an aspect of flow during the learning activity. These findings suggest that the flow experience induced from problem-based learning enhances student learning and appreciation of the subject.
... In this stage, the individuals' personal information and knowledge are transferred into the platform (Cress & Kimmerle, 2008). Deeper processing and clarification are required in the stage of externalization (Flower & Hayes, 1980;Webb, 1982). The information presented in the virtual community exists independently from the members who created it and develops in a way that is determined by the related knowledge of the participants. ...
Little is known about sustainable information-sharing in virtual communities, although it is increasingly recognized as a useful information-sharing tool. The aim of this study is to explore the influential factors and the realization mechanism of sustainable information-sharing in virtual communities. Starting from the similarity between biological fermentation and the information-sharing process in virtual communities, the present study creatively introduces the knowledge fermenting theory used in the analysis. Six factors influencing sustainable information-sharing in virtual communities are first identified based on this theory, which include sharing bodies, interactive topics, communication mechanism, supporting technology, communication environment, and platform scale. The relations among these six factors are then analyzed using the Decision-Making and Trial Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method. The results indicate that the factor of sharing bodies has the strongest influence on other factors and the factor of interactive topics receives the most influences from the other factors. On this basis, the realization mechanism of sustainable information-sharing in virtual communities is elaborated from the following four aspects: the four stages of the information-sharing realization, the guide role of “strain,” the catalytic role of “enzyme,” and the effect of environment. The results indicate that sustainable information-sharing in virtual communities is a process of spiral evolution. Finally, recommendations are given to virtual community managers, users, and business firms.
... In general, student-student interaction is the dominant pattern of communication in learner-centred classrooms, since it expands student talking time and fosters student use of language for learning, as opposed to only demonstrating what they have learnt. Working in groups on cooperative learning tasks produces many constructive student-student interactions which, in turn, enhance learners' educational achievement, aspirations, motivation, self-esteem, positive attitudes to learning (Webb 1982) and helps develop social skills. Yet collaborative learning and speaking tasks may also generate conflicts which are less likely to occur in teacher-centred classes, where teacher-student interaction usually dominates. ...
The article deals with the problems of teaching and learning speaking, in particular those which are most relevant in the context of developing oral skills at the advanced level of foreign language proficiency. The complex nature of spoken discourse must be taken into account and reflected at each stage of the learning process. Thus, the article examines the difficulties connected with choosing the appropriate framework and approach and discusses the typical patterns of interaction in the foreign language classroom. It also examines forms of control and evaluation and suggests some speaking activities which seem most suitable for advanced language learners in the light of the above theoretical considerations.
In the dissertation, the author investigates modern learning modes in continuing education among public administration servants and healthcare workers (pharmacists). The choice to explore innovative continuing education methods among professionals from such diverse backgrounds makes the research findings more universal and applicable not only to public servants and pharmacists but also to other professions where continuing education is necessary. Moreover, public servants and pharmacists must keep their professional knowledge up-to-date to perform their tasks. It creates the need for continuing professional development.
The conveyance of knowledge and skills are essential goals of the educational process. Besides, the design of educational materials and user acceptance are significant factors in increasing educational efficiency. In this research, the e-learning courses were prepared for public administration servants and pharmacists as part of their continuing education process. The author has designed and carried out several observational and experimental studies in Hungary and Poland since 2008.
The present paper is the result of an investigation on attitudes towards study among students of 8th EGB ( 14 years old, final course of compulsory primary education in Spain).
The need to overcome a too restrictive concept of education, often limited to the cognitive component is justified. Techniques used in the applied pedagogical program are described, as well as their reason. An exposition and statistical analysis of the results
obtained in the control and experimental groups are also made. Finally, the main
conclusions of the investigation are explained:
l. The students' object of the investigation shows negative levels of attitude towards the study (pretest).
2. The application of a pedagogical program based on participation techniques,
cooperation, and persuasive communication has proved to be useful in the formation of positive attitudes toward study.
3. The change of attitude towards study has provoked better academic results in the experimental group.
4. The obtained results make it clear that it is possible to apply pedagogical programs to form and change attitudes without a substantial change in the school organization.
KEYWORDS: Attitude. Program. Belief change. Attitude change. Study attitude.
In this chapter, we report findings from a study of five groups’ interactions and task completion process to examine how students solve a mathematical task collaboratively through group work. Five groups in one class were recruited. The video recording and transcripts of students involved with collaborative mathematics tasks were analysed. We first determine each group’s negotiative event chain to portray the task completion process. On this basis, group dynamics in terms of group discussed topics, students’ utterances, and group status, for example, collaborative or not, during the discussion were analysed. The results showed that even though negotiative event chains vary between different groups, most groups concentrate on mathematics and task-related events rather than social aspects. The study lays a foundation for understanding how Chinese students work together to solve a mathematical problem and raises certain questions about group dynamics in such contexts. For example, whether students’ gender differences in composition influence the group’s control over the problem-solving process, and so on.
This paper reflects on Freire’s discourse on liberating education and adult educators’ educational roles with community groups in transforming communities. Mineral-rich communities in Ghana are in danger of losing water bodies, rich arable lands and forest vegetation cover through ‘galamsey’, which refers to ‘the gathering of rich mineral resources illegally for sale’. Yet the 4th Industrial Revolution Age positions adult educators strategically in making learning the needed skill among community groups to improve communities. This qualitative study adopted a convenience sampling procedure to select and interview eight graduate students in a higher education institution (HEI) in Ghana. Data were analyzed using thematic and narrative approaches. The results indicate that adult educators’ educational roles are empowering, yet they should employ more dialogical, story-telling and conversational approaches; and must listen to community members’ views on community development programs. The study concludes that adult educators drive community development programs via inclusiveness and networks to make communities sustainable.
This paper reflects on Freire’s discourse on liberating education and adult educators’ educational roles with community groups in transforming communities. Mineral-rich communities in Ghana are in danger of losing water bodies, rich arable lands, and forest vegetation cover through “galamsey,” which refers to the gathering of rich mineral resources illegally for sale. Yet the fourth Industrial Revolution Age positions adult educators strategically in making learning the needed skill among community groups to improve communities. This qualitative study adopted a convenience sampling procedure to select and interview eight graduate students in a higher education institution (HEI) in Ghana. Data were analyzed using thematic and narrative approaches. The results indicate that adult educators’ educational roles are empowering, yet they should employ more dialogical, story-telling, and conversational approaches; and must listen to community members’ views on community development programs. The study concludes that adult educators drive community development programs via inclusiveness and networks to make communities sustainable.
While scholars and educators have increasingly recognized the importance of mathematics learning, many students suffer from anxiety. Therefore, educators and students demand more knowledge to reduce math anxiety’s negative impacts effectively. This study explores the underlying mechanisms by which math anxiety affects students’ learning efforts, thereby mathematics performance. Using data obtained from PISA 2012 assessment on US high school students’ mathematics learning, the analyses revealed that students’ sense of belonging serves as a potential mediating mechanism that links math anxiety and students’ learning efforts. Specifically, math anxiety may adversely impact students’ self-esteem, hindering their willingness to engage in social interactions at school. As a result, they may perceive a lower sense of belonging, leading to reduced motivation in learning mathematics. However, the study found that this negative link might be potentially mitigated by introducing formative assessment by their teachers as such assessment allows teachers to offer timely feedback on students’ performance, thus creating a more welcoming environment to engage the students.
Conversational agents can facilitate learning discussions by applying natural language understanding to process students' discourse. Agents can assume the roles of figures such as peers or mentors, to promote actions similar to human interactions. In this study, we explore how and for whom different role designs of a text-based agent (i.e., chatbot) can facilitate discussion patterns and systems thinking in small-group discussions. Participants included 172 students in 9th grade (ages 13–14). Participants were randomly assigned to groups of five students and interacted with no agent, an expert agent, or a less knowledgeable peer agent. Results suggest that both agents facilitated learning of systems mechanisms by enhancing transactive exchange, where students built on prior ideas in their discussion groups. We also found differences in the agents' effects on discussion and learning outcomes based on groups' variation in systems thinking pre-test. Findings highlight the importance of role design considerations of agents in group settings.
Cooperative learning is an educational approach which aims to organize classroom activities into academic and social learning experiences (Gillies, 2016). There is much more to cooperative learning than merely arranging students into groups, and it has been described as "structuring positive interdependence. Students must work in groups to complete tasks collectively toward academic goals. Unlike individual learning, which can be competitive in nature, students learning cooperatively can capitalize on one another's resources and skills, asking one another for information, evaluating one another's ideas, and monitoring one another's work, (Chiu, 2008). This study aims to find out how cooperative learning through structured and unstructured grouping schemes compare in terms of their effectiveness in reinforcing students’ Mathematics achievement and the difficulties encountered by the students in both structured and unstructured groups. The one-shot quasi-experimental research design specifically the pre-posttest design was employed in the study. Participants of this study were the first year students of the College of Teacher Education of Cagayan State University. Descriptive and inferential statistics like frequency count, percentage, mean and t-test for dependent and independent samples were used to interpret the data. The integration of cooperative learning strategy, either structured or unstructured grouping schemes reinforce the performance of students in Mathematics. However, cooperative learning has far better results when unstructured grouping scheme is employed among students. Since the students find difficulty on simplifying expressions with rational exponents to radicals, composition of functions, solving linear and quadratic equations and solving word problems on linear and quadratic equations; intervention measures such as modular approach in teaching, simulation activities and remedial teaching were suggested to address such difficulties and to enhance the performance of the students in Mathematics particularly in College Algebra.
Large classroom configurations and lecture-centered pedagogy discourage student engagement. The advances in educational technology have empowered instructors to fill the gap. This study designed a digital question board (DQB) on digital canvas to facilitate student engagement in large lecture classes. A mixed-methods study with a quasi-experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of such intervention. The study was situated in an introductory research methodology course in a large comprehensive university in eastern China (n = 253). The quasi-experiment lasted for six weeks. The data from surveys, interviews, observations, and online posts were collected and analyzed. This study mainly presented qualitative analysis results from the exploratory approach. Eight themes emerged from 12 interviews, 161 survey responses and 457 student posts were discussed. It was found that following the proposed design principles, the presence of a DQB effectively facilitated students’ cognitive and emotional engagement. The enhanced self-regulation and co-construction of knowledge all led to the improved cognitive engagement. The reduced social pressure of questioning and increased interactivity contributed most to their emotional engagement.
Abstract
Discussion forums are the primary medium for supporting in-course student interactions in digital learning settings. Despite the significant uptake of discussion forums, questions remain as to how the tool can be used to initiate, maintain, and support interpersonal student connections. Large-scale patterns of student online interactions in forums derived from across the university are under-explored. Most studies have relied on data derived from a single course. This study presents a multi-site analysis of student interactions in online course forums at the university-level. Digital interactions of 14,643 students were analysed across several years in three universities located in the North American, South-East Asian, and Pacific regions. Descriptive results indicate that students with similar grades tend to co-participate in learning discussions. We applied exponential random graph modelling and regression analysis to further understand this observed similarity. Results suggest that this phenomenon can be explained by social processes of selection only to a small extent, and even less so by peer influence mechanisms. The study suggests that occurrence of similarity stems from other factors, such as course and forum designs. The implications of these results raise questions regarding learning designs and the benefits linked to the formation of student connections based on grade similarity.
Background:
Engineering courses often complement lectures with laboratory classes to optimise student learning outcomes and further develop valuable skills for future employment. Computer simulated experiments for conducting laboratory exercises have become increasingly popular in higher education and vocational training institutions to replace traditional hands-on laboratories. Reasons for this include for example, cost efficiency and repeatability.
Research question:
There has been a wide array of discussion on the efficacy of the two laboratory modes in teaching, both in general and for students in engineering fields (for example, chemical engineering or electrical engineering). However, many previous studies on this question did not reach a universally valid conclusion. The used methodologies mixed other influences with the impact of the investigated learning modes. These influences include for example accompanying lectures, experimental instructions, teachers, learning objectives, tests, working teams, and many more. Thus, the differences in results of these studies cannot be attributed to the laboratory mode only.
The study conducted for this thesis investigated differences in learning outcomes of students in higher education when comparing two laboratory modes in the local domain:
1. In-person hands-on laboratories allow students to directly interact with the subject at hand, although this interaction might be mediated through technology or a user interface.
2. In-person simulated laboratories moderate all student interactions through a user interface. The properties of the investigated effect are simulated by computer software. The students work in a classroom equipped with computers on which the simulations are running.
Since this study was focused solely on comparing different learning modes, all other aspects were held as constant as possible. Improvements that were theoretically possible in only one of the teaching methods (e.g. time-lapse in simulations) were not implemented in order to keep the surrounding conditions as equal as possible. Thus, the aim of the research was not to determine which of the investigated laboratory modes would be best for teaching a specific topic, but rather to investigate whether or not there are discernible differences in teaching success when conducting the same experiment in hands-on and simulated laboratories. The ultimate goal was to establish more reliable and generalisable insights into the influence of a particular laboratory mode on learning.
The study did not include a remote laboratory condition; the comparison was only made between in-person laboratory teaching with proper laboratory equipment and simulations conducted in the local domain. An important note on demographics: a third of students at universities of applied sciences have completed apprenticeships in the German vocational education and training programs (VET) before enrolment. These VET programs mainly consist of practical on-the-job learning and aim to directly prepare apprentices for entering the job market. Due to the large size of this demographic and their previous experiences mostly with hands-on learning, it was of additional interest to see if VET-participants’ results differed significantly from those of their peers when confronted with the two laboratory modes. It was also of interest to see if the perception of the learning modes influenced the outcome.
Methodology:
This study was conducted in two consecutive phases on the example of a practical course teaching the basics of batteries (not related to physical manipulation of the batteries). A counterbalanced within-subject methodology was employed with German and international participants in nine study runs. The laboratory modes alternated, while the learning objectives and the experimental approach of laboratory exercises remained practically identical.
In the first phase, the objective was to compare students’ learning success when working with hands-on laboratories and with overt computer simulations, respectively. The second phase was conceptualised to give insight into possible subjective influences of students’ perception of the two laboratory modes. In this phase, the simulation condition was hidden. Participants used hands-on equipment in both conditions. In the first condition, real measurements were shown; in the second condition, hands-on devices displayed simulated battery behaviour to investigate the influence of students’ perception. The participants were not aware of the differences in data sources.
Besides the comparison of knowledge test results, questionnaires were employed to correlate prior, specifically technical, practical experience and previous apprenticeship training with the success of the knowledge transfer in both of the compared modes. Well-known personality tests were also employed in order to provide further insight into the subjects. The study collected subjective opinions regarding the laboratory modes in two ways:
1. Participants of the main study were asked to provide feedback after conducting a laboratory experiment. This method allowed for the indirect gathering of information about the difference in perception towards the two modes.
2. Persons who had either not yet started the laboratory or weren’t participating in the laboratory were asked to fill out a general questionnaire distributed amongst different universities in different countries. This method asked directly for subjective opinions regarding the learning modes.
Finally, the THI university database was analysed to extract objective information about students with and without vocational training degree to gain broad background information about the compared groups.
Outcomes:
In the first phase, it was found that there were statistically significant differences in learning outcomes favouring the hands-on mode. When the simulation condition was overt, students with a background in vocational training before enrolment showed statistically significant trends towards better learning with hands-on experiments. Students in the international runs and Germans without a VET background performed similarly in both modes.
In the second phase, when students were not aware that they were using simulations, both modes showed similar student learning across all student groups. Generally, simulations were reported as less relevant and their authenticity was called into question.
A VET background seems to determine whether or not students had different levels of success in hands-on and simulated laboratories. As hidden differences in the simulations could be excluded from having been the reason for inferior learning results, psychological effects needed to be considered to comprehend the different laboratory modes’ effectiveness.
The study outcomes lead to the conclusion that students’ personal perception of the laboratory modes, particular simulations, can have a significant impact on laboratory learning.
Beim paarweisen Lernen mit digitalen Instruktionsmaterialien treten vielfältige Interaktionen zwischen den Lernpartnerinnen und Lernpartnern auf. Neben der Betrachtung zeitlicher Aspekte des Kommunikationsverhaltens (Zeitpunkt des Auftretens in der Lernphase, Verteilung und Länge der Kommunikationsphasen) wird dessen Beeinflussung durch fokussierende Fragen untersucht, die die Lernenden während der Lernphase beantworten. Darüber hinaus werden formatspezifische Eigenschaften der digitalen Instruktionsmaterialien bzgl. ihres Einflusses auf das Kommunikationsverhalten der Probanden in den Blick genommen. Standortübergreifend zeigt sich vermehrte mathematikbezogene Kommunikation während der Bearbeitung fokussierender Fragen in Bezug auf die durchschnittliche mathematikbezogene Kommunikationsdichte; letztere wird zudem während der gesamten Lernphase durch Eigenschaften der eingesetzten Medien sowie verschiedene Lernendengruppen beeinflusst. Generell erweisen sich Pausen in den Audiokommentaren bzw. in dem Ablauf der digitalen instruktionalen Medien als förderlich für die Kommunikation über Mathematik.
Free-riding is a serious challenge in group projects. While there are various methods to reduce free-riding, marketing educators still face a difficult task when selecting an appropriate method for their course. In this study, we propose a students’ preferences-based approach that supports marketing educators with the selection of methods to detect and handle free-riding. To measure these preferences, students completed an online survey based on a choice task about two methods to detect free-riding and a ranking task about four methods to handle free-riding ( n = 254). Their answers were analyzed using chi-squared tests, Borda scores, and rank-ordered logit models. The results show that (a) neither Dutch nor international students have a clear preference for one of the two detection methods (the reporting system vs. the process evaluation system), (b) grade discussion (a possible reduction of the free-rider’s grade based on a conversation with the course coordinator about each student’s contribution) is the most preferred method to handle free-riding, and (c) international students have a stronger preference for stricter handling methods. Marketing educators can apply the proposed approach, or use our specific findings, for designing methods to reduce free-riding in their courses.
The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of leadership among sorority women and to increase knowledge of the measurement potentialities of certain new or less well-known assessment procedures. Five kinds of measurements were collected, viz., biographical information, peer ratings, self-ratings, paper-and-pencil test scores, and situational test scores. The seven largest sororities on the Louisiana State University campus agreed to participate in this research project. The subjects were motivated to volunteer in two ways: (a) each girl was promised that a personal letter would be sent to her discussing her assessment based on the various phases of the research in which she participated, and (b) each sorority would be informed as to its standing in relation to the other six sororities. This double incentive was successful in recruiting the necessary volunteers. Results show that older sorority women with more university experience are more active in extracurricular pursuits, are higher in university and sorority leadership status, tend to be more esteemed by their sorority sisters, and tend to be less motivated to be a leader in their sororities. Personality differences tend to be more discriminating among university leaders and nonleaders than among sorority leaders and nonleaders. Sorority leadership status tends to be slightly less associated with various measures of ability than does university leadership status. The efficiency of initially leaderless group discussions tends to be lower, the more feminine in temperament the women participants and the less university experience they have had. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Research on classroom cooperative learning techniques, in which students work in small groups and receive rewards or recognition based on their group performance, has been increasing in the past few years. This review summarizes the results of 28 primary field projects lasting at least 2 weeks, in which cooperative learning methods were used in elementary or secondary classrooms. The pattern of research findings supports the utility of cooperative learning methods in general for increasing student achievement, positive race relations in desegregated schools, mutual concern among students, student self-esteem, and other positive outcomes. The various cooperative learning methods are contrasted in terms of characteristics and outcomes, and the next steps for research in this area are outlined.
Experiments exploring the effects of group discussion on attitudes, jury decisions, ethical decisions, judgments, person perceptions, negotiations, and risk taking (other than the choice-dilemmas task) are generally consistent with a "group polarization" hypothesis, derived from the risky-shift literature. Recent attempts to explain the phenomenon fall mostly into 1 of 3 theoretical approaches: (a) group decision rules, especially majority rule (which is contradicted by available data); (b) interpersonal comparisons (for which there is mixed support); and (c) informational influence (for which there is strong support). A conceptual scheme is presented which integrates the latter 2 viewpoints and suggests how attitudes develop in a social context. (41/2 p ref)
White and Negro Es administered digit-symbol tasks of 3 levels of difficulty to Southern male Negro college students. The task was described as a test of eye-hand coordination. On the most difficult task Ss worked more efficiently when tested by a white than when tested by a Negro. On the 2 easier codes the skin color of the administrator had no effect. Next, 2 additional groups of Negro Ss were tested by the same Negro and white Es on the most difficult task only, but now the task was described as a test of intelligence, rather than as a test of motor coordination. The effect of the IQ instruction was to elevate slightly performance with a Negro tester and to lower scores markedly in the white-tester group, with the net result that the white-tester and Negro-tester groups performed at the same level in the hard task-IQ instructions situation.
AN EXPERIMENT ON COOPERATION AND COMPETITION BY RAVEN AND EACHUS WAS REPLICATED. MOST HYPOTHESES FORMULATED BY OTHER INVESTIGATORS IN THE FIELD OF COOPERATION AND COMPETITION IN SMALL GROUPS WERE CONFIRMED. THERE WERE 2 EXCEPTIONS, HOWEVER. CONTRARY TO RAVEN AND EACHUS' RESULTS, COALITION FORMATION WAS SHOWN TO OCCUR MORE FREQUENTLY IN COMPETITIVE GROUPS THAN IN COOPERATIVE GROUPS. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 2 EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS IN SPONTANEOUS LEADERSHIP COULD NOT BE DEMONSTRATED. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
Evaluated the effects of 2 teaching techniques-student teams and instructional games-on the level of cross-race and cross-sex interaction in the classroom. Placing 110 7th graders on heterogeneous 4-member student teams created significantly greater cross-race and cross-sex helping and friendship. Team success did not have the predicted positive effect on cross-race and cross-sex interaction. Playing the instructional game had a marginal effect on cross-race helping only; however, the game-team combination considerably increased the incidence of cross-race and cross-sex interaction over that of games alone. (29 ref)
Investigated the effects of labeling pictorial stimuli at the specific object, particular concept, and general concept levels, on concept formation. These treatments were orthogonally crossed with 2 levels of articulation. 60 undergraduates learned concrete concepts, then abstract concepts, and finally number concepts. Objects labeled at the particular concept level were learned as concepts more readily than those labeled at either of the other 2 levels. Articulation enhanced the optimal learning treatment and depressed the less effective ones. Results suggest that labeling functions as an encoding mechanism and articulation increases the saliency of the appropriate code for the task. (26 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
On the basis of various matching procedures introductory psychology students at MIT were separated into 4 cooperative and 4 competitive groups. Puzzle and human relation problems were given to the groups for solution. The members of the 4 cooperative groups received final grades in the course which in part depended upon which group, as a group, turned in the best solutions. In the competitive groups the final grade was in part determined by how much
each individual contributed to his group's solution. The findings may be summarized by saying that greater productivity occurs when the members of a group are organized in terms of cooperative activities rather than competitive. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Investigated the independent effects of level of reward (recognition based on the performance of a 4- to 5-member cooperative learning team vs recognition based on individual performance) and comparison of student quiz scores (comparison with ability-homogeneous groups vs comparison with entire class) on student achievement and attitudes. Ss were 205 7th graders in 8 intact English classes. The experiment used a 2 × 2 (Reward Level × Comparison Group) factorial design, in which Ss studied grammar and punctuation for 10 wks. Results indicate reward level effects in favor of team reward and comparison group effects in favor of the comparison with equals on percentage of time on task, positive interpersonal perceptions, and other variables. No academic achievement effects were found for either factor. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
As a secondary school mathematics teacher, I am expected to conduct a class of more than thirty students so that each student can learn as much as possible.
The present study aimed at investigating motivational influences on epistemic observation of a physical phenomenon. Two experiments, which followed Pre-test-Instruction-Post-test paradigm, were undertaken. Ss of 2 experimental groups were motivated for observation by receiving information discrepant with their prior beliefs.
One hundred and twenty-five 3rd-graders served as Ss of the 1st experiment. In the Instruction session, they observed and confirmed by a scale conservation of weight under deformations of a clay ball, and under changes of man's posture. Immediately before the observation, pupils of a group termed “Discrepant Information Group” (DI) were shown a table of response frequencies about conservation by an experimenter. Distribution of responses, which were pretended to be opinions of pupils of another, was markedly differnt from theirs, Ss of a “Discussion Group” (D) were required to anticipate conservation or non-conservation and to debate on the question. Control Group (C) Ss were given neither of these experimental manipulations.
The results were as follows:
1) Ss who observed the event after incongruity was aroused (as in DI) could recognize the event more accurately and could more readily generalize the principles of conservation.
2) If Ss were strongly committed to a certain belief (as in D), they often conceptualized ambiguous results in a biased manner, making them consistent with the belief.
As to generality of learning, however, performance of D Ss did not differ significantly from that of C Ss. This result was an unexpected one. Its interpretation was that there was low incongruity in D, because proponents of conservation were highly predominant at the discussion.
In order to verify the interpretation mentioned above, the 2nd experiment was undertaken. Eighty-seven 4th-graders observed and confirmed by a scale conservation of weight under dissolution of sugar into water. One school class was assigned to C. Two groups of 22 pupils, of whom 2/3 were non-conservers, were selected from 2 other classes and served as D. They were expected to experience high incongruity during the discussion.
The results showed that, compared with C, improvement of performance was greater among D. They could state adequate explanations of conservation of weight, generalize more readily the principles of conservation, and resist extinction (the observation of an apparently non-conserving event). Furthermore, Ss of D reported high epistemic curiosity.
77 7th and 8th graders in mathematics classrooms learned a 2-wk unit on exponents and scientific notation in mixed- or uniform-ability groups. Group interaction was tape recorded. Three categories of interaction were related to achievement (ACH): Receiving no explanation for a question or error (receiving no response or receiving only the correct answer) was negatively related to ACH; giving and receiving explanations were positively related to ACH; and ACH and interaction in the group were related to group composition, sex, ability, and personality. Medium-ability Ss in uniform-ability groups showed higher ACH and received more explanations than medium-ability Ss in mixed-ability groups. Males showed higher ACH than females. There was a curvilinear relationship between ability and ACH in mixed groups: Highs performed best, and mediums and lows showed similar ACH. High-ability Ss gave more explanations than low-ability Ss. Introverts outperformed extroverts, but extroverts received more explanations. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
A classic study which, by synthesizing the approaches of psychoanalysis and group dynamics, has added a new dimension to the understanding of group phenomena.
An experimental study examined the effects of ability grouping on academic achievement of students. More than 2000 fifth and sixth grade public school students in New York City provided the data, over a two-year period, upon which the conclusions are based. It was found that ability grouping per se had no significant effect on academic achievement. The volume opens with a survey of research, then describes the design of the study. Other chapters discuss academic achievement, self attitudes; school interests and attitudes, ratings of pupil streotypes, and teacher ratings of students. The final chapter offers a summary and the conclusions, and extensive appendices present samples of the instruments and tables of data. (NH)
This study investigated (a) the relationships among student and group characteristics, group interaction, and achievement in small groups in junior high school mathematics classrooms, and (b) the stability of these relationships over time. One hundred and five students in four classrooms participated in two studies. All students first learned a unit on consumer mathematics. Three months later, half the students learned a unit on area and perimeter, and the other half learned a 1-week unit on probability. Interaction in the group was a potent predictor of achievement in all studies; asking a question and receiving no answer, the best predictor, was detrimental to achievement. The best predictor of interaction in the group was group composition: The frequency of asking questions and receiving no answer was higher in uniform-ability groups than in mixed-ability groups. Group interaction tended to be stable over time, both in average frequency and in individual students’ relative levels of participation.
The learning of mathematics is presented as a cognitive process, rather than as a behavioristic one. A generative model of mathematics learning is described. Empirical research relevant to the model is discussed. Implications for teaching mathematics as a generative process are summarized.
Previous work on the effects of cooperative and competitive settings appears to be completely ambiguous. An examination of these studies suggests that the strength and direction of the effect is strongly influenced by the extent to which the group has an interdependence task. A review of the literature suggests that the results may be generalized to a variety of types of groups. The thesis is put forward that these results may be conceptualized in terms of a balance between two opposing behavior patterns: one oriented to greater individual productivity and one oriented to blocking the productivity of others. This paper reports an experiment confirming the hypothesis.
In a field experiment which contrasts two treatments for producing equal-status behavior in interracial groups of early adolescents and pre-adolescents, it was hypothesized that Expectation Training, based on previous theoretical and laboratory work, would be more powerful than Learning Center, the alternative treatment. Effects of treatment were measured immediately after the intervention and again after three weeks of classroom experience with a cooperative curriculum. It was also hypothesized that the experience of social interaction in these specially structured classrooms would act to maintain the effects of the initial treatment. Results showed equal-status behavior in the students experiencing both treatments on the first measurement. The final measurement indicated some treatment differences, with a pattern of white dominance reappearing in the Female Learning Center. There was a tendency toward black-domination in Male Expectation Training in the long run. Test of the second hypothesis indicated that the classroom phase was associated with no significant changes in black initiation rates over time.
Mockjuries, composed of six females each, listened to a tape-recording of facts in a courtroom trial. Twelve juries heard incriminating facts, and twelve heard exonerating facts. In half the juries, all jurors heard the facts in the same (homogeneous) order; in the remaining juries, each juror heard the facts in a different (heterogeneous) order. Jurors individually rated the defendant's guilt, then discussed the case as a jury, and again individually rated guilt. It was expected that a greater variety of facts would be remembered and shared during discussion under heterogeneous than under homogeneous order conditions and that this would lead to greater polarization of postdiscussion judgments under the former condition. This prediction was supported. The results suggest that, in cases where all group members are exposed to the same information, differential memory may be a mechanism for producing variety in the information shared during group discussion, and thus for enhancing discussion-induced judgment shifts.
This study investigated ability � treatment interaction effects on students' learning in large-group and small-group teaching approaches. Each of two elementary teachers taught a 2-week geometry unit to two classes of fourth- and fifth-grade students. Each class received one teaching approach. Stratified random assignment was used to assign students to classes. Students completed aptitude measures at the beginning of the study and achievement, attitude, and retention measures at the end. Regression analyses showed a significant curvilinear aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) for ability that supported previous ATI findings. High- and low-ability students did better in the small-group approach than in the large-group approach. Medium-ability students did slightly better in the large-group approach than in the small-group approach. Analyses of observations of group processes indicated that high- and low-ability students benefited from peer tutoring processes that occurred in the small groups.
By direct observation, 203 fourth-graders confirmed the conservation of combined weights of sugar and water as measured before and after dissolving. Prior to this confirmation, experimental group subjects were required to choose one of three alternatives of a conservation problem and were presented with a fictitious choice response distribution with conflicting reasons. Control group subjects were given only the multiple-choice problem. Experimental group subjects showed (a) stronger curiosity for confirmation by observation, (b) greater progress in generalizing the principle of weight conservation to a variety of situations, and (c) higher positive correlation between curiosity and amount of progress.
77 7th and 8th graders in mathematics classrooms learned a 2-wk unit on exponents and scientific notation in mixed- or uniform-ability groups. Group interaction was tape recorded. Three categories of interaction were related to achievement (ACH): Receiving no explanation for a question or error (receiving no response or receiving only the correct answer) was negatively related to ACH; giving and receiving explanations were positively related to ACH; and ACH and interaction in the group were related to group composition, sex, ability, and personality. Medium-ability Ss in uniform-ability groups showed higher ACH and received more explanations than medium-ability Ss in mixed-ability groups. Males showed higher ACH than females. There was a curvilinear relationship between ability and ACH in mixed groups: Highs performed best, and mediums and lows showed similar ACH. High-ability Ss gave more explanations than low-ability Ss. Introverts outperformed extroverts, but extroverts received more explanations. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This experiment attempted to produce equal-status interaction among four-person interracial groups of junior high school boys by assigning a high level of competence to the black subjects on two related tasks. Each treated group played a criterion game where the probabilities of whites and blacks being active and influential could be measured. Previous research has shown that in untreated groups the racial status characteristic becomes activitated, i.e., whites are much more likely than blacks to be active and influential. Results: unless the expectations for black competence held by both whites and blacks are treated, whites will dominate the interaction in the criterion game. When expectations of the whites are treated by having the whites serve as students of the black teacher, behavior on the game approximates an equal status pattern. The strongest treatment involves spelling out the relevance of the training tasks to the criterion game. Implications for school desegration are discussed.
Models of behavior and achievement in small group and individual settings are presented. These models arc based on intensive analyses of observations of groups and individuals at work. For each setting the varieties of behavior observed, social‐psychological mechanisms hypothesized to influence observed behavior, and factors hypothesized to relate behavior to learning are described. A synthesis of the models suggests that neither the group nor the individual setting is best for all persons; the benefits of a particular setting depend upon the experiences of the learner within that setting.
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During the learning of 10 two-choice discriminations, Ss were required to verbalize either the correct member of the pair, a pair member designated randomly, or a mixture of these two types of verbalization. When compared with a nonverbalizing control group, performance during learning was facilitated for the Verbalize Correct group and impaired for the Random group. The Mixed and Control conditions did not differ. Comparisons of the performance of Mixed group Ss on pairs for which the correct member was verbalized or pairs in which a random member was verbalized with performance on the same pairs by Ss in the Random and Correct conditions showed that the presence of each of the two types of verbalization in the Mixed condition altered performance on the other pair type during learning but not during recall.
This chapter reviews existing research and thought on the role of group interaction in task-oriented groups, and provides suggestion that part of the difficulty in understanding the relationship between group interaction and group effectiveness has to do with the nature of existing methodological and conceptual tools. It proposes an alternative framework for research on group effectiveness. The major functions group interaction serves in enhancing and depressing group effectiveness have been explored in the chapter and a set of strategies for influencing group interaction and group performance by alteration of “input” factors has been proposed within the new framework. The chapter presents an argument for a return to action-oriented research as a way to improve simultaneously the understanding of the determinants of group effectiveness and the capability to change and improve it. Implications for research and for action have been drawn and explored.
The present study compared learning in individual and small group settings, accounting for differences between conditions as partly a function of student ability and group process. The following questions were examined: (1) How does the individual's achievement when learning in a group differ from that student's achievement when learning alone; (2) How do ability level of a group and the range of ability in the group influence learning; and (3) What aspects of group interaction account for any difference between an individual's learning in a group and learning when alone.
The present study is a replication of the initial use of the Teams-Games-Tournament (TGT) technique in the primary grades. TGT is a classroom management technique in which (1) students are placed on four member teams; (2) the student teams compete in regularly scheduled tournaments; and (3) the tournaments are structured around instructional games. Fifty-four third grade students were randomly assigned to either a TGT or control condition. Both treatment groups were exposed to a six-week curriculum unit teaching language arts skills. The results indicate a positive TGT effect on language arts skills and on classroom social processes. This study provides important validation of the effectiveness of TGT in the primary grades. (Author)
This paper describes a study which evaluates two classroom innovations directed at the problems of student motivation, academic performance, and social perceptions. These innovations, "Student Learning Teams" and "Academic Divisions," are evaluated in a two by two factorial field experiment in eight seventh grade English classes (the teams and divisions versus no teams, no divisions comparison was replicated in two additional schools.) The treatments were as follows: Control students worked individually. Cooperative work was allowed, but not encouraged. Students received scores on their quizzes. No Teams, Achievement Divisions: Same as control, except that students were assigned to homogeneous achievement divisions based on past grades in English. At the end of each week, each student's score on the sum of two quizzes was compared to that received by the others in his or her division. Students' individual divisional points were reported in a weekly class newsletter. Teams, No Achievement Divisions: Same as control, except that students were assigned to teams. Each team was made up of a high achiever, a low achiever, and average achievers. Students tutored each other. At the end of the week, a newsletter announced the teams with the highest point averages. Teams and Achievement Divisions: This treatment incorporated both the team and division components. In summary, the results are favorable toward the Student Teams- Achievement Divisions (STAD) combination. STAD is more effective than the control in increasing academic achievement, peer support for academic performance, liking of others, and number of students cited as friends. (Author/JM)
In this study, the status ordering of a four-man group working on a task requiring discussion and decision was predicted on the basis of status characteristic theory. Two of the group members were white; two were black. They were matched as to age, height, and also on a combined index of socioeconomic status and attitude toward school. The difference in the value of the status characteristic of race proved to be associated with differences in rank order of the number of acts initiated, with the whites much more likely to have a higher rank in the groups than the blacks. The whites were also more likely to be influential in the making of group decisions than the blacks, expecially where the decisions were contested. In addition to some very quiet blacks who helped account for these marked overall results, there were many moderately active and influential black subjects and three black subjects who were both "high" on influence and initiation. Some groups were clearly black-dominated. Certain differences in interaction style were noted between blacks and whites; and these differences suggested different retraining techniques that might be used. [Not available in hard copy due to marginal legibility of original document.] (Author/JM)
This study examines the effects of using a learning game (EQUATIONS), student teams, and the games-teams combination on classroom process variables in seventh grade mathematics classes for a four-week period. Using the game created greater student peer tutoring, less perceived difficulty, and greater satisfaction with the class. Using student teams positively altered classroom process by creating greater student peer tutoring, and greater perceived mutual concern and competitiveness in the classroom. The games-teams combination resulted in greater peer tutoring than either games or teams alone. The results are interpreted using a structural theory of games and of teams.
Five recently published methods for conducting cooperative small-group learning in the classroom, and the experimental studies conducted by the authors of these methods are examined, evaluated, and compared in this study. The five methods are: Aronson’s Jigsaw classroom, DeVries’ Teams-Games-Tournaments (TGT), Slavin’s Student Teams and Academic Divisions (STAD), the Johnsons’ cooperative learning approach, and the Sharans’ Small-group Teaching method. The former three methods are categorized as Peer-Tutoring methods, while the latter two are classified as examples of a Group-Investigation (G-I) approach. Findings are considered from experimental studies with these five methods, in terms of their differential effects on academic achievement, students’ attitudes, and on ethnic relations in desegregated classrooms. The implications of the distinction between Peer-Tutoring and G-I methods are explored. New directions for research are suggested with these cooperative small-group techniques which appear to exert noteworthy effects on a variety of cognitive and social-affective variables.
A cognitive model of human learning with understanding is introduced. Empirical research supporting the model, which is called the generative model, is summarized. The model is used to suggest a way to integrate some of the research in cognitive development, human learning, human abilities, information processing, and aptitude‐treatment interactions around the notion of transfer of experience and abilities.