Collaborative learning groups’ adoption of shared metacognitive regulation: examining the impact of structuring versus reflection-provoking support and its relation with group performance

Abstract

This study investigates (1) the impact of structuring versus reflection-provoking support on university students’ adoption of socially shared metacognitive regulation (SSMR) during face-to-face peer tutoring (PT) and (2) the relation between SSMR and group performance. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, involving 72 educational sciences students who were randomly assigned to PT-groups of six. Each group was provided with either structuring (SS) or reflection-provoking (RS) support. The training and closing PT-session of six groups in each support condition were videotaped (48 h). SSMR was studied by means of systematic observation of video-recorded PT sessions, whereas PT groups’ score on the assignment during the last PT session served as performance measure. The results revealed only significant differences in SSMR between both support conditions, when the proportion of students actively involved in SSMR, was taken into consideration. More specifically, PT groups in the RS condition revealed significantly more SSMR in which (nearly) all students are engaged, as compared with PT groups in the SS condition. The correlational analyses further indicated that only SSMR representing a high participation degree of (nearly) all students is significantly positively related to PT groups’ performance.