The Influence of Collaborative Small-Group Discussion on Social Self-Efficacy and Class Relationships

• In Event: 54.027 - Best Practices in Peer and Collaborative Learning

Abstract

The goal of this study is to examine the influence of a collaborative small-group discussion approach on students’ social self-efficacy and class relationships. This approach, called Collaborative Social Reasoning (CSR), was informed by the substantial literature on Collaborative Reasoning (Chinn, Anderson, & Waggoner, 2001) and social-cognitive development theories. A total of 120 fifth-grade students from three low-achieving and two high-achieving fifth-grade classrooms in a suburban school of a Midwest city participated in the study. The current findings suggest that CSR effectively improved low-achieving students’ social self-efficacy and buffered against the declining trend of class relationships. High-achieving students were less influenced by CSR. The differential effect of CSR will be further examined and discussed in the future.

Authors

• Tzu-Jung Lin, The Ohio State University

• Jing Chen, The Ohio State University - Columbus

• Seung Yon Ha, The Ohio State University

• Irina V Kuznetcova, The Ohio State University - Columbus

• Narmada Paul, The Ohio State University

• Sungjun Won, The Ohio State University

• Eric M. Anderman, The Ohio State University