Thomas R. Rocklin

Effects of metacognitive and elaborative activity on cooperative learning and transfer

Abstract The effects of instructing pairs of students to engage in metacognitive activities (error correcting and key idea detection), elaborative activities (use of imagery, analogies, etc.), or neither during cooperative learning were examined for both initial cooperative learning and transfer to an individual learning task. The results suggest that metacognitive activity facilitates cooperative learning and elaborative activity facilitates transfer to individual learning. These findings have strong implications for the tailoring of cooperative learning strategies to instructional goals.

Cooperative Writing Direct Effects and Transfer

This study compared the performance of students who cooperated on an instruction writing task with students who worked alone. The effects of transfer from a cooperative experience to an individual writing task was also assessed. A total of 36 students were recruited from introductory psychology classes and were randomly assigned to a cooperative or individual condition. The results of the study showed that students in the cooperative condition significantly outperformed the individual group on a measure of the communicative quality of the writing on both the initial task and on the transfer task (ps <.01). No differences between the groups were found on a measure of the completeness of the written instruction on either task (ps >.05). It appears that cooperating dyads can improve the communicative quality of their instruction writing.

The Distribution of Distributed Cognition: Multiple Interpretations and Uses

We argue that greater precision is needed in the use of the term distributed cognition if this perspective is to significantly impact educational research. We describe a continuum of interpretations of distributed cognition ranging from a conceptualization of cognition as an individual phenomenon that is influenced by factors external to the individual, to a conceptualization of cognition as a social phenomenon that cannot be reduced to individual psychological constructs. We discuss the issues raised by the papers in the current volume, and locate the perspectives taken in these papers along the distributed cognition continuum. The relationship between distributed cognition and situated cognition is then examined, as these terms are often used interchangeably. Finally, we discuss key issues for further research in distributed cognition.

Cooperative learning and test taking: Transfer of skills

This experiment evaluated the impact of cooperative interactions among students during studying and test taking. Comparisons were made between four groups: cooperative learning/cooperative testing; cooperative learning/individual testing; individual learning/cooperative testing; individual learning/individual testing. All participants were instructed on a learning and test-taking strategy. Cooperative groups applied the strategy in dyads and individual groups applied the strategy in isolation. Repeated measures analyses of free recall tests over two 2500-word passages indicated positive transfer of cooperative test-taking training to individual study and test taking for a quantitative measure of recall. For recall accuracy, cooperative study training led to better performance and transfer.

Relation between typical intellectual engagement and openness: Comment on Goff and Ackerman (1992).

M. Goff and P. L. Ackerman (1992) identified a personality trait that they called «typical intellectual engagement.» Typical intellectual engagement represents a departure from the common conceptualization of intelligence as maximal performance, and a measure of the construct correlates with measures of crystallized intelligence but not with a measure of fluid intelligence. In this article, the relation between Typical Intellectual Engagement and the personality trait of Openness is examined. In analyzing the relations between Typical Intellectual Engagement and variables in the ability, personality, and achievement domains, and between Openness and variables in the ability, personality and achievement domains, I find little support for a distinction between typical intellectual engagement and openness

Salvaging Quantitative Research with Qualitative Data

Through presentation of two case studies, this article illustrates just how ambiguous and misleading results from quantitative studies can be if not supplemented by qualitative data. The focus is on the salvaging power of qualitative methods and their ability to ensure some return on an investment that might otherwise be partially or completely lost.

Effects and underlying mechanisms of self-adapted testing.

Undergraduates participated in 3 experiments related to self-adapted testing. Experiment 1 demonstrated that, in comparison with computerized adaptive testing, self-adapted testing reduced the influence of anxiety on performance but took longer and was less efficient. Experiment 2 indicated that benefits of self-adapted testing cannot be attributed solely to item ordering. Instead, active choice of item difficulty seems to be necessary. Experiment 3 demonstrated that the provision of feedback increased the efficiency of the test but had no effect on estimates of ability derived. The potential of self-adapted testing to reduce the influence of extraneous sources of variation in test performance is discussed

The temporal patterns of worry and emotionality and their differential effects on test performance

Abstract Spielbergers Trait-State anxiety distinction and Liebert&Morriss Worry-Emotionality distinction were employed to examine the differential effects of worry and emotionality on test performance and the temporal patterns of these components of anxiety. The roles of performance expectancy and item difficulty were also examined. Eighty-eight college students (79 females and 9 males) were randomly assigned to three different item difficulty groups (hard, moderate, or easy) at the initial stage of the study. All subjects completed a Test Anxiety Inventory three weeks before the final exam and a Performance Expectancy Questionnaire and three Worry-Emotionality Questionnaires during their final exam. The results demonstrated the differential roles of worry and emotionality on test performance in terms of the associated patterns of their state forms with the other independent variables (performance expectancy and item difficutly), although their distinctiveness was attenuated in their trait forms.

A Computer-Based Learning Strategy Training Module: Development and Evaluation.

A learning strategies training module was developed which combined the strengths of computer-assisted instruction and cooperative learning. The effectiveness of this computer-assisted cooperative learning (CACL) training module was assessed. Results revealed that strategy training with this module enhanced performance on free recall tests compared to studying without an imposed strategy. Analysis of a post-experimental questionnaire supported the idea that the CACL module provided the most effective environment for learning.

The Effects of Monitoring on Cooperative Learning

AbstractThe present study explored the effects of the presence and monitoring activity of a third person on dyadic co-operative learning. Eighty-nine participants were recruited from introductory psychology classes and were assigned to one of four groups receiving learning strategy interactions: an individual study group, a dyadic cooperative group without monitors, a triadic group with active monitors, or a triadic group with passive monitors. The monitors in the passive group observed cooperating dyads while the monitors in the active group provided feedback on how well dyads used the cooperative strategy. One descriptive text passage was studied according to the experimental condition and another passage was subsequently studied alone. The results indicated that the dyads without monitors significantly outperformed the individuals on total score on the second passage. Although no other significant differences between groups were found, the mean between groups were suggestive. Implications for the devel...