Group work does not necessarily equal collaborative learning: Evidence from observations and self-reports

Abstract

Situative and sociocognitive analyses were combined to examine engagement in high-level collaborative learning and its relationship with individuals' cognitions. Video footage of 53 science university students' (nine groups) collaborative learning interactions as they worked through a case-based project was analysed in combination with students' appraisals and reflections on the activity. Sizeable group differences in amount of high-level discussion of learning content were revealed. Individual high-level contributions were positively correlated with overall unit performance. Motivation at task onset predicted amount but not depth of content-related group discussion. Interviews with participants suggested that groups' divergent patterns of engagement with content could be related to different perceptions of the notion of collaborative learning. Results are discussed in terms of implications for collaborative learning research and educational practice. © 2010 Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Lisboa, Portugal and Springer Science + Business Media BV.