Small-group composition and peer effects

This paper reviews research on grouping of students within classes and its effects on learning. Primary consideration is given to grouping and mixing students by ability, though consideration is also given to grouping and mixing students by ethnicity and gender as well as to research on the effects of group size. Results of meta-analyses of grouping show a small but meaningful advantage of forming students into groups for instruction as compared to using whole-class instruction. In teacher-led, homogeneous ability groups, peer effects result from the normative environment to the extent that peers contribute to norms for behavior, constructed through cycles of reciprocal teacher–student interaction. In peer-led, heterogeneous ability groups, peer effects stem directly from group interactions and discourse among students that lead to cognitive restructuring, cognitive rehearsal, problem solving, and other forms of higher-level thinking. Similarly, in groups of different ethnic and gender composition, peer effects stem from interactions among students according to their perceived status and relative influence within the groups. We argue that these peer influences interact with instructional processes to mediate the effects of group composition on students’ learning.     

Influence of Family Processes,Motivation, and Beliefs About Intelligence on Creative Problem Solving of Scientifically Talented Individuals

Predictive relationships among perceived family processes, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, incremental beliefs about intelligence, confidence in intelligence, and creative problem-solving practices in mathematics and science were examined. Participants were 733 scientifically talented Korean students in fourth through twelfth grades as well as 71 individuals in fifth grade, tenth grade, and former Korean Science Olympians. Across all students, perceived positive family processes directly predicted creative problem-solving practices in mathematics and science and were indirectly predicted through enhancing confidence in intelligence and intrinsic motivation, which, in turn, predicted students' creative problem solving in mathematics and science. Confidence in intelligence was the best predictor of creative problem solving for scientifically talented fifth- and tenth-grade students but not for Olympians. Alternative interpretations, the importance of confidence in intelligence for creative problem solving in mathematics and science, and educational implications are discussed.     

Volunteer motivation,social problem solving,self-efficacy,and mental health: a structural equation model approach

The study aimed to investigate the direct effect of volunteer motivation on social problem-solving ability, self-efficacy, and mental health and examine the mediating effects on volunteer motivation and mental health by testing social problem-solving ability and self-efficacy. We examined a hypothetical model that integrates the concepts of Self-Determination Theory, the Social Problem Solving Model, and the Self-Efficacy Belief Model. Results demonstrated that volunteer motivation was significantly associated with social problem-solving ability and self-efficacy amongst 1530 undergraduate students. Three subscales of social problem-solving ability (positive problem orientation, negative problem orientation, and avoidance style) and self-efficacy served are significant mediators. Model statistics for SEM demonstrated an adequate fit with the data. Volunteer motivation provides a way to enhance social problem-solving ability and self-efficacy. It also leads to better mental health by enhancing positive problem orientation and self-efficacy and by reducing negative problem orientation and avoidance style.     

Relative effects of three questioning strategies in ill-structured,small group problem solving

The purpose of this research is to investigate the relative effectiveness of using three different question-prompt strategies on promoting metacognitive skills and performance in ill-structured problem solving by examining the interplay between peer interaction and cognitive scaffolding. An ill-structured problem-solving task was given to three groups. One group (Type QP) received instructor-generated question prompts that guided the problem-solving process; the second group (Type PQ) developed their own peer-generated questions; another group (Type PQ-R) developed their own question prompts first and revised them later with an instructor-generated question list. In this study, students in the QP group outperformed those in any other groups. The results revealed that providing instructor-generated question prompts was more effective than letting students develop their own questions, with or without revision, in ill-structured problem solving. Analysis of each of the four problem-solving stages revealed that the provided question prompts were more helpful in the stages of justification, and monitoring and evaluating than student-generated prompts. The difference between PQ and PQ-R groups is not statistically significant either overall or in any of the problem-solving stages.     

Effects of within-class ability grouping on social interaction,achievement, and motivation

This study examined how grouping arrangements affect students achievement, social interaction, and motivation. Students of high, average and low ability were randomly assigned to homogeneous or heterogeneous ability groups. All groups attended the same plant biology course. The main results indicate that low-ability students achieve more and are more motivated to learn in heterogeneous groups. Average-ability students perform better in homogeneous groups whereas high-ability students show equally strong learning outcomes in homogeneous and heterogeneous groups. Results on social interaction indicate that heterogeneous groups produce higher proportions of individual elaborations, whereas homogeneous groups use relatively more collaborative elaborations. In the discussion, these differences in social interaction are used to explain the differential effects of grouping arrangements on achievement scores. Practical implications are discussed and topics for further research are advanced.     

Influences of an inquiry-based ubiquitous gaming design on students’ learning achievements,motivation, behavioral patterns,and tendency towards critical thinking and problem solving

In this paper, an inquiry-based ubiquitous gaming approach was proposed. The objective of the study was to enhance students’ performances in in-field learning activities. To show the advantages of the approach, an experiment was carried out to assess the effects of it on students’ learning achievement, motivation, critical thinking, and problem solving. Furthermore, the students’ behavioral patterns were investigated via content and sequential analysis methods. The experimental outcomes show that the approach promoted students’ performances of learning achievement and intrinsic motivation; moreover, the students’ perceptions of their problem solving and critical thinking were significantly promoted as well. The learning behavior analysis further show that the designated approach stimulated the participants to actively engage in field observation, comparison, and data searching in the context ware in-field learning activity.     

THE IMPACT OF PEER INSTRUCTION ON COLLEGE STUDENTS’ BELIEFS ABOUT PHYSICS AND CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM

The purpose of this study is to assess students’ conceptual learning of electricity and magnetism and examine how these conceptions, beliefs about physics, and quantitative problem-solving skills would change after peer instruction (PI). The Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM), Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS), multiple-choice test was administered as a pre- and posttest with Solomon 4 group design to students (N  =  138) enrolled on freshman level physics course. The number of chapter taught to the students was 14. Problem-solving strategy steps were asked to students in the exam. The analyses of CSEM showed that the treatment group (g  =  0.62) obtained significantly higher conceptual learning gain than the control group (g  =  0.36). The conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills of the students on magnetism considerably enhanced when PI was conducted (37% and 20%, respectively). CLASS results for 5 subscales (conceptual understanding, applied conceptual understanding, problem solving general, problem solving confidence, and problem solving sophistication) supported the findings of CSEM.     

Improving learning achievements,motivations and problem-solving skills through a peer assessment-based game development approach

In this study, a peer assessment-based game development approach is proposed for improving students’ learning achievements, motivations and problem-solving skills. An experiment has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in a science course at an elementary school. A total of 167 sixth graders participated in the experiment, 82 of whom were assigned to the experimental group and learned with the peer assessment-based game development approach, while 85 students were in the control group and learned with the conventional game development approach. From the empirical results, it was found that the proposed approach could effectively promote students’ learning achievement, learning motivation, problem-solving skills, as well as their perceptions of the use of educational computer games. Moreover, it was found from the open-ended questions that most of the students perceived peer assessment-based game development as an effective learning strategy that helped them improve their deep learning status in terms of “in-depth thinking,” “creativity,” and “motivation.”     

The Role of Beliefs and Motivational Variables in Enhancing Word Problem Solving

A Word Problem Enrichment programme (WPE) has been found to increase student word problem solving performance when facing non-routine and application problems. However, it is unknown if the WPE has an impact on student beliefs about word problem solving and how the WPE works for students with different motivation in learning mathematics. This study investigated the impact of the WPE on student beliefs about word problem solving by using Latent Profile Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling to analyse relations among the different cognitive, motivation, and belief factors. A total of 170 fourth- and sixth-grade students from elementary schools participated. Results showed that the effects of WPE are various depending on students’ initial motivation level. The impacts of the WPE on student beliefs were found only in students with a low initial motivation level, while its impacts on student problem-solving performance were found only in students with a high initial motivation level.     

Within-year changes in children’s intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations: Contextual predictors and academic outcomes

The present study was designed to investigate the nature, timing, and correlates of motivational change among a large sample (N = 1051) of third- through eighth-grade students. Analyses of within-year changes in students’ motivational orientations revealed that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations decreased from fall to spring, with declines in intrinsic motivation especially pronounced for the adolescents and declines in extrinsic motivation especially pronounced for the elementary students. These changes in motivation were explained, in part, by shifts in students’ perceptions of the school goal context. Findings suggested that typical age-related declines in intrinsic motivation may be minimized by a school-wide focus on mastery goals. Finally, the potential academic consequences of students’ motivational orientations were examined with a series of hierarchical multiple regressions. Intrinsic motivation and classroom achievement appeared to influence one another in a positive and reciprocal fashion. Poor classroom performance minimally predicted higher levels of extrinsic motivation, but extrinsic motivation was not a source of low classroom grades.     

Communication patterns in computer mediated versus face-to-face group problem solving

Research has shown that when group problem solving is computer mediated, communications become more task oriented with clearer role expectations, while face-to-face communications are more cohesive and personal. None of this research has examined those patterns of interactions in terms of the problem solving activities engaged. In this study, we compared the perceptions of participants, the nature of the comments made, and the patterns of communication in face-to-face and computer-mediated groups in terms of problem-solving activities while solving well-structured and ill-structured problems. The quantity of messages in the computer conference was smaller but more task related than in the face-to-face conversations because participants reflected more on ideas and perspectives in reaching their decisions. A cluster analysis of communication patterns showed that computer-mediated group decisions more closely resembled the general problem-solving process of problem definition, orientation, and solution development as group interaction progressed, while the face-to-face group interactions tended to follow a linear sequence of interactions. Participants who solved problems through computer conferencing were more satisfied with the process and believed that there was a greater quality in the problem-solving process.     

Peer feedback on college students’ writing: exploring the relation between students’ ability match,feedback quality and essay performance

There does not appear to be consensus on how to optimally match students during the peer feedback process: with same-ability peers (homogeneously) or different-ability peers (heterogeneously). In fact, there appears to be no empirical evidence that either homogeneous or heterogeneous student matching has any direct effect on writing performance. The current study addressed this issue in the context of an academic writing task. Adopting a quasi-experimental design, 94 undergraduate students were matched in 47 homogeneous or heterogeneous reciprocal dyads, and provided anonymous, formative peer feedback on each other’s draft essays. The relations between students’ individual ability or dyad composition, feedback quality and writing performance were investigated. Neither individual ability nor dyad composition directly related to writing performance. Also, feedback quality did not depend on students’ individual ability or dyad composition, although trends in the data suggest that high-ability reviewers provided more content-related feedback. Finally, peer feedback quality was not related to writing performance, and authors of varying ability levels benefited to a similar extent from peer feedback on different aspects of the text. The results are discussed in relation to their implications for the instructional design of academic writing assignments that incorporate peer feedback.     

The relationship between future goals and achievement goal orientations: An intrinsic–extrinsic motivation perspective

This research aimed to study the relationships between students’ future goals (FGs) and their immediate achievement goal orientations (AGOs) among 5733 Singaporean secondary school students (M age = 14.18, SD = 1.26; 53% boys). To this end, we hypothesized that the relationships between like valenced FGs and AGOs (both intrinsic or both extrinsic) will be stronger than those of opposite valenced FGs and AGOs (intrinsic–extrinsic) and tested two alternative models: Model A positing the prediction of AGOs by FGs and Model B positing the prediction of FGs by AGOs. Structural equation modeling showed the heuristic superiority of Model B in which intrinsic FGs (career-, society-, and family-oriented) were more strongly related to mastery-approach goal orientation than to performance-approach goal orientation and extrinsic FGs (fame- and wealth-oriented) were more strongly related to performance-approach goal orientation than to mastery-approach goal orientation. The findings suggest that, to enhance school motivation, teachers should encourage students to adopt intrinsic AGOs and FGs.     

Cognition in Context: Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Goal Structures and Reported Cognitive Strategy Use in the College Classroom

This study examined contextual and personal factors related to the use of cognitive strategies by undergraduates. Specifically, students’ goal orientations (intrinsic or extrinsic) and perceptions of the classroom environment (i.e., task or performance structured) were evaluated as predictors of student use of deep or surface level cognitive strategies. Results confirmed earlier work, which indicated intrinsic goal orientation was related to use of deep cognitive strategies and extrinsic goal orientation was related to use of rehearsal. There was no interaction between intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientations on use of either cognitive strategy. In addition, students’ perceptions of classroom environment were significantly correlated with students’ goal orientations. In particular, task structure of classrooms was significantly positively correlated with use of both types of cognitive strategies. Thus, student goal orientation, perception of classroom structure, and use of cognitive strategies appear interdependent, with intrinsic goal orientation moderating the effect of perceived classroom structure on the use of deep cognitive strategies. Results of this study suggest the need for university instructors to be more aware of the roles of both personal and contextual factors affecting student motivation and learning.     

Problem-Solving Preferences of Mathematics Teachers: Focusing on Symmetry

The aim of the study presented in this paper was to explore factors that influence teachers' problem-solving preferences in the process of (a) solving a problem, (b) explaining it to a peer, (c) liking it, and (d) teaching it. About 170 mathematics teachers took part in the different stages of the study. A special mathematical activity was designed to examine factors that influence teachers' problem-solving preferences and to develop teachers' preferences concerning whether to use symmetry when solving the problems. It was implemented and explored in an in-service program for professional development of high-school mathematics teachers. As a result, three interrelated factors that influence teachers' problem-solving preferences were identified: (i) Two patterns in teachers' problem-solving behavior, i.e., teachers' tendency to apply a stereotypical solution to a problem and teachers' tendency to act according to problem-solving beliefs, (ii) the way in which teachers characterize a problem-solving strategy, (iii) teachers' familiarity with a particular problem-solving strategy and a mathematical topic to which the problem belongs. Findings were related to teachers' developing thinking in solving problems and using them with their students. The activity examined in this paper may serve as a model for professional development of mathematic teachers and be useful for different professional development programs.     

Conception of learning and motivation of Spanish psychology undergraduates in different academic levels

Three conceptions of learning (rote, interpretative and constructive), and two aspects of motivation (level and value of motivation) were identified in 258 Spanish psychology undergraduates classified in three different academic levels (initial, intermediate and final course). Results about conceptions of learning showed final-course students are the most constructive and interpretative whereas students in the initial level have higher scores in rote conception. With respect to motivation, level and value are significantly related to one another, with a specific correlation between a high level of motivation and an intrinsic value whereas a low level was related to an extrinsic value. Additionally, intrinsic value in final-course students is significantly higher than in initial and intermediate-course students. Besides, we observed that students with both higher motivation and intrinsic value have a significantly higher score in interpretative and constructive conceptions. With respect to the academic level in psychology, initial-course students with intrinsic value or high motivation have a higher score in the constructive conception of learning. Intermediate students obtain a high score in the constructive conception if they are highly motivated. Final-course students did not show significant differences as regards the conception of learning dependent on motivation.     

Promotion of students’ mastery goal orientations: does TARGET work?

Achievement goal orientations are important for students’ ongoing motivation. Students with a mastery goal orientation show the most advantageous achievement and motivational patterns. Much research has been conducted to identify classroom structures which promote students’ mastery goal orientation. The TARGET framework is one example of these efforts and provides six instructional dimensions (task, authority, recognition, grouping, evaluation, time), which should form a classroom structure that fosters a mastery goal orientation. The aim of this study was to examine the entire multi-dimensional TARGET framework and its impact on mastery goal orientation in a longitudinal study with 1680 secondary school students. CFAs confirmed the existence of one latent factor TARGET comprising the six proposed dimensions. This study also provides the first empirical evidence, based on longitudinal data, that TARGET has a positive impact on student mastery goal orientations.     

Emotion management in online groupwork reported by Chinese students

Emotion and emotion regulation are increasingly viewed as critical issues in online learning environments. Online collaborative environments in particular create novel challenges for emotion regulation. Few studies, however, have focused on a range of factors that may influence students’ efforts to manage their emotion in online collaborative environments. This study examines the factors influencing the emotion management in online groupwork for Chinese students. The participants were 307 undergraduate students from 80 online study groups in China. Results from the multilevel analyses revealed that emotion management was positively associated with feedback and learning-oriented reasons at the group level. At the student level, emotion management was positively related to monitoring motivation, learning-oriented reasons, feedback, peer-oriented reasons, arranging the environment, and the number of previous online courses. The findings were discussed in relation to the previous studies in the field, and in the context of societal differences.     

Impacts of learning inventive problem-solving principles: students’ transition from systematic searching to heuristic problem solving

This paper presents the outcomes of teaching an inventive problem-solving course in junior high schools in an attempt to deal with the current relative neglect of fostering students’ creativity and problem-solving capabilities in traditional schooling. The method involves carrying out systematic manipulation with attributes, functions and relationships between existing components and variables in a system. The 2-year research study comprised 112 students in the experimental group and 100 students in the control group. The findings indicated that in the post-course exam, the participants suggested a significantly greater number of original and useful solutions to problems presented to them compared to the pre-course exam and to the control group. The course also increased students’ self-beliefs about creativity. Although at the beginning of the course, the students adhered to ‘systematic searching’ using the inventive problem-solving principles they had learned, later on they moved to ‘semi-structured’ and heuristic problem solving, which deals with using strategies, techniques, rules-of-thumb or educated guessing in the problem-solving process. It is important to note, however, that teaching the proposed method in school should take place in the context of engaging students in challenging tasks and open-ended projects that encourage students to develop their ideas. There is only little benefit in merely teaching students inventive problem-solving principles and letting them solve discrete pre-designed exercises.     

Epistemic profiles and metacognition: support for the consistency hypothesis

Relations were examined between epistemic profiles, metacognition, problem solving, and achievement in the context of learning in an educational psychology course. Two hundred thirty-one university students completed self-report inventories reflecting their epistemic profiles and use of metacognitive strategies, and were epistemically profiled as rational, empirical, or both rational and empirical in their approaches to knowing. From the larger sample, 78 students participated in a problem-solving session using a think aloud protocol. Results demonstrated that for self-reported metacognitive strategies, students profiled as both rational and empirical had the highest frequency of metacognitive strategy use compared to students profiled as empirical. Similarly, during problem solving, students profiled as both rational and empirical had the highest frequency of regulation of cognition compared to students profiled as empirical or rational. Finally, students profiled as both rational and empirical attained higher levels of problem-solving achievement compared to students profiled as empirical.