Logo Programming and Peer Interactions: An Analysis of Process- and Product-Oriented Collaborations

Abstract

Recent research has made connections between Logo programming and Carol Dweck's theoretical framework for achievement motivation [1–3]. Burns and Hagerman recently reported that Logo experiences increased children's mastery-orientation and learning goals [1]. Within Dweck's framework [4, 5], Logo experiences appeared to act as training in “incremental thinking.” Experiment 1 examined peer interaction patterns of third-grade children who received extensive Logo or control programming experience as part of the Burns and Hagerman study. We investigated whether the reported increases in “incremental thinking” associated with Logo experiences were exhibited in peer interaction patterns during collaborative problem solving. Experiment 2 examined the peer interaction patterns in additional groups of third-grade children during actual use of Logo or a control programming language. Our prediction for both studies was that Logo would be associated with a differential pattern of verbalizations during collaborative problem solving. Results from Experiment 1 suggested that extensive Logo experiences may influence the pattern of process-oriented and product-oriented verbalizations during peer collaboration on problem-solving tasks. Experiment 2 provided some suggestions as to the mechanism underlying the effects found in Experiment 1. Peer collaborations using Logo were shown to focus more on the process relative to the product of problem solving when compared to a control programming language. Further research on the interrelations between Logo, peer interaction patterns and achievement motivation was indicated.