Abstract
A key feature distinguishing cooperative settings from other learning settings is the opportunity for interaction among students. Yet, a look at the last several decades of research on classroom interaction and achievement reveals that researchers have only recently begun to devote much attention to interaction among students in cooperative groups. Recent studies of student interaction in small groups have uncovered some significant relationships between student interaction and achievement. Although some studies have produced significant results, the overall picture of the importance of student interaction in achievement is somewhat mixed. Part of the reason for the mixed picture is the generality of the measures of student interaction. Most studies have not used specific measures of student interaction that reflect the amount of elaboration contained in students’ interaction with one another. Further, the measures of student interaction used in most studies have typically reflected isolated behaviors rather than sequences of interaction among students.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bargh, J. A., & Schul, Y. On the cognitive benefits of teaching. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1980, 72, 593–604.
Bass, B. M., McGehee, C. R., Hawkins, W. C., Young, P. C., & Gebel, A. S. Personality variables related to leaderless group discussion behavior. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1953, 48, 120–129.
Bass, B. M., Wurster, C. R., Doll, P. A., & Clair, D. J. Situational and personality factors in leadership among sorority women. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 1953, 67, 1–23.
Berkowitz, L., & Levy, B. Pride in group performance and group-task motivation. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1956, 53, 300–306.
Crandall, V. C., Katkovsky, W., & Crandall, V. J. Children’s beliefs in their own control of reinforcements in intellectual-academic achievement situations. Child Development, 1965, 36, 91–106.
Deutsch, M. An experimental study of the effects of cooperation and competition upon group process. Human Relations, 1949, 2, 199–231.
Deutsch, M. The effects of cooperation and competition upon group process. In D. Cartwright & A. Zander (Eds.), Group dynamics: Research and theory (2nd ed.). New York: Row, Peterson, 1960.
DeVries, D. L., & Mescon, I. T. Teams-Games-Tournament: An effective task and reward structure in the elementary grades (Rep. No. 189). Center for Social Organization of Schools, The Johns Hopkins University, 1975.
DeVries, D. L., Mescon, I. T., & Shackman, S. L. Teams-Games-Tournament in the elementary classroom: A replication (Rep. No. 190). Center for Social Organization of Schools, The Johns Hopkins University, 1975.
Edwards, K. J., & DeVries, D. The effects of Teams-Games-Tournament and two instructional variations on classroom process, student attitudes, and student achievement (Rep. No. 172). Center for Social Organization of Schools, The Johns Hopkins University, 1975.
Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. Eysenck Personality Inventory. San Diego, California: Educational and Industrial Testing Service, 1968.
Grosz, H. J., & Wagoner, R. MMPI and EPPS profiles of high and low verbal interactors in therapy groups. Psychological Reports, 1971, 28, 951–955.
Hammond, L. K., & Goldman, M. Competition and non-competition and its relationship to individual and group productivity. Sociometry, 1961, 24, 46–60.
Hanelin, S. J. Learning, behavior and attitudes under individual and group contingencies. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, 1978.
Johnson, J. A. Learning in peer tutoring interactions: The influence of status, role change, time-on-task, feedback, and verbalization. (Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, 1978). Dissertation Abstracts International, 1979, 38, 5469A–5470A. (University Microfilms No. 79–06, 175)
Michaels, J. W. Classroom reward structures and academic performance. Review of Educational Research, 1977, 47, 87–98.
Peterson, P. L. Personal communication, October 19, 1982.
Peterson, P. L., & Janicki, T. C. Individual characteristics and children’s learning in large-group and small-group approaches. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1979, 71, 677–687.
Peterson, P. L., Janicki, T. C., & Swing, S. R. Individual characteristics and children’s learning in large-group and small-group approaches: Study II. American Educational Research Journal, 1981, 18, 453–473.
Slavin, R. E. Student learning teams and scores adjusted for past achievement: A summary of field experiments (Rep. No. 227). Center for Social Organization of Schools, The Johns Hopkins University, 1977.
Slavin, R. E. Effects of student teams and peer tutoring on academic achievement and time on-task. Journal of Experimental Education, 1978, 48, 252–257. (a)
Slavin, R. E. Student teams and achievement divisions. Journal of Research and Development in Education, 1978, 12, 39–49. (b)
Steiner, I. D. Group process and productivity. New York: Academic Press, 1972.
Stern, H., & Grosz, H. J. Personality correlates of patient interactions in group psychotherapy. Psychological Reports, 1966, 18, 411–414.
Swing, S. R., & Peterson, P. L. The relationship of student ability and small group interaction to student achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 1982, 19, 259–274.
Webb, N. M. An analysis of group interaction and mathematical errors in heterogeneous ability groups. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 1980, 50, 1–11. (a)
Webb, N. M. Group process: The key to learning in groups. New Directions for Methodology of Social and Behavioral Science: Issues in Aggregation, 1980, 6, 77–87. (b)
Webb, N. M. A process-outcome analysis of learning in group and individual settings. Educational Psychologist, 1980, 15, 69–83. (c)
Webb, N.M. Group composition, group interaction and achievement in cooperative small groups. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1982, 74, 475–484 (a)
Webb, N. M. Peer interaction and learning in cooperative small groups. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1982, 74, 642–655. (b)
Webb, N. M. Sex differences in interaction and achievement in cooperative small groups. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1984, 76, 33–44. (a)
Webb, N. M. Stability of small group interaction and achievement over time. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1984, 76, 211–224. (b)
Webb, N. M., & Cullian, L. K. Group interaction and achievement in small groups: Stability over time. American Educational Research Journal, 1983, 29, 411–424.
Webb, N. M., & Kenderski, C. Student interaction in small group and whole class settings. In P. L. Peterson, L. C. Wilkinson, & M. Hallinan (Eds.), The social context of instruction: Group organization and group processes. New York: Academic Press, 1984.
Wittrock, M. C. Learning as a generative process. Educational Psychologist, 1974, 11, 87–95. (a)
Wittrock, M. C. Mathematics learning as a generative process. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 1974, 5, 181–196. (b)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1985 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Webb, N.M. (1985). Student Interaction and Learning in Small Groups. In: Slavin, R., Sharan, S., Kagan, S., Hertz-Lazarowitz, R., Webb, C., Schmuck, R. (eds) Learning to Cooperate, Cooperating to Learn. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3650-9_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3650-9_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-3652-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-3650-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive