Effects of group experience and information distribution on collaborative learning

Jimmy Zambrano,Paul A Kirschner,Femke Kirschner,John Sweller

doi:10.1007/s11251-019-09495-0

Jimmy Zambrano, Paul A Kirschner + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-019-09495-0

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Abstract

Collaborative learning is a widely used instructional technique, but factors determining its effectiveness still are unclear. Cognitive load theory was used to examine the effects of prior collaborative experience and density of distribution of information amongst learners on short-term retention and delayed retention tests, as well as cognitive efficiency of collaborative learning and its outcomes. Data obtained with 240 secondary school students showed that groups with experience in collaboration outperformed and were more cognitively efficient than inexperienced groups, and low information density increased performance during the learning process. Also, when tasks required processing high information density, experienced groups were more cognitively efficient than inexperienced groups. For tasks with low information density no difference was found. These results provide instructional implications for designing effective collaborative learning environments.

Highlights

Collaborative learning is a promising instructional technique for learning to solve complex problems (Hesse et al 2015)
This study examined the effects of prior collaborative experience on relevant tasks, and information distribution on the performance of collaborative learning and its outcomes on short-term retention and delayed retention tests
multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) revealed significant main effects for group experience, F(2, 60) = 10.40, Wilks’ Λ = .74, p < .001, p2 = .26, and information distribution, F(2, 60) = 3.33, Wilks’ Λ = .90, p = .04, p2 = .10, which indicate that these variables affect a combination of performance, mental effort, and efficiency scores

Summary

Introduction

Collaborative learning is a promising instructional technique for learning to solve complex problems (Hesse et al 2015). Discrepancies may be due to a lack of knowledge about the many different interacting variables involved in inter-individual activities (Hogg and Gaffney 2018). To reduce this gap, this paper first discusses the advantage of preparing groups to collaborate effectively and shows some existing knowledge gaps in the research. Groups to collaborate because this would optimize the collaborative cognitive load, taking into account the effect of the distribution of task information among group members. These theoretical considerations are followed by a report on an experiment that investigated the effect of prior collaborative experience and information distribution on collaborative learning and its outcomes (i.e., in short-term retention and delayed retention tests) (Kirschner et al 2018; Sweller et al 2011)

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