Small-group collaboration and individual knowledge acquisition: The processes of growth during adolescence and early adulthood

TY - JOUR

T1 - Small-group collaboration and individual knowledge acquisition: The processes of growth during adolescence and early adulthood

AU - Howe, Christine

AU - Zachariou, Antonia

PY - 2017/11/27

Y1 - 2017/11/27

N2 - Research into small-group collaboration during middle to late childhood shows that while individual understanding can be promoted through exchanging differing opinions, the joint analyses that groups construct whilecollaborating play a tangential role. Individuals may or may not accept these constructions depending upon processes of reflection and reconciliation that are triggered through difference and sometimes occur post-group. Recognizing a dearth of research with older participants (together with inconclusive suggestions that collaborative constructions may become more significant with age), the reported study examines the impact of small-group collaboration during adolescence and early adulthood. Forty-six pairs of students aged between 10 and 22 years worked on a computer-presented task that required them to discuss and predict the trajectories objects follow when they fall from stationary or moving carriers. Associations between group dialogue and post-test performance confirmed a key role for differing opinions while collaborative constructions turned out to have little relevance.© 2017, Elsevier. The attached document (embargoed until 27/11/2019) is an author produced version of a paper published in LEARNING AND INSTRUCTION uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at the link. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it.

AB - Research into small-group collaboration during middle to late childhood shows that while individual understanding can be promoted through exchanging differing opinions, the joint analyses that groups construct whilecollaborating play a tangential role. Individuals may or may not accept these constructions depending upon processes of reflection and reconciliation that are triggered through difference and sometimes occur post-group. Recognizing a dearth of research with older participants (together with inconclusive suggestions that collaborative constructions may become more significant with age), the reported study examines the impact of small-group collaboration during adolescence and early adulthood. Forty-six pairs of students aged between 10 and 22 years worked on a computer-presented task that required them to discuss and predict the trajectories objects follow when they fall from stationary or moving carriers. Associations between group dialogue and post-test performance confirmed a key role for differing opinions while collaborative constructions turned out to have little relevance.© 2017, Elsevier. The attached document (embargoed until 27/11/2019) is an author produced version of a paper published in LEARNING AND INSTRUCTION uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at the link. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it.

U2 - 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2017.10.007

DO - 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2017.10.007

M3 - Article

SN - 0959-4752

VL - 60

SP - 263

EP - 274

JO - Learning and Instruction

JF - Learning and Instruction

IS - April 2019

ER -