Success Expectations and Preferences for Individual and Collaborative Learning Among Black and White College Students

Abstract

The presence and involvement of other people can be a key factor in any student learning environment. Students typically learn or study either completely alone; alone but with the assistance of experts, e.g., tutors; in groups of their classmates; or in groups of peers directed by experts, e.g., teachers. There is a good deal of evidence concerning the effects of observers and participants in individual and group problem-solving settings, though that evidence is by no means exhaustive and conclusive for all the important issues. Zajonc (1965) reviews the literature concerning social facilitation and concludes that the mere presence of other people enhances the performance of tasks for which the person is highly skilled. On the other hand, the presence of others inhibits performance when the task is not well-rehearsed. Hence, Zajonc's observations would imply that learning or studying with the passive presence of peers would be detrimental. The literature on group problem-solving is large and diverse. (For reviews see Hoffman, 1965; Kelly & Thibaut, 1969; Lorge, Fox, Davitz, & Brenner, 1958.) Nevertheless, it is clear that under a wide variety of circumstances groups can solve problems more effectively than the average individual. The extension of this principle is that the