Gender group differences on behavior patterns in collaborative problem solving through LEGO

Abstract

Collaborative learning has been proved to be an effective learning method that can benefit group members more than individual learning. However, these benefits do not extend equally to boys and girls. Many studies have been conducted to explore the effects and features of different gender groups, but they have presented conflicting findings, which possibly resulted from variations in task type and learning environment. In this case study, we focused on collaborative problem solving under a technology practice environment using LEGO to explore gender differences in the composition of three-person groups. In total, 12 fourth-grade students (six males, six females) participated in the experiment and were divided into FFF, FFM, FMM, and MMM groups. Students’ interactions were analyzed to unravel the distributions and the behavior patterns of interactions in the collaborative problem-solving process of each gender group. The results indicate that (1) mixed-gender groups had a more relaxed atmosphere; (2) single-gender groups could reach a consensus—especially, the FFF group had better interpersonal responsiveness; and (3) even though members of female-dominated groups participated in constructing the artifacts more uniformly, the artifacts were of worse quality than the ones made by male-predominated groups.