This paper reports on the findings from a study investigating the provision of outdoor loose parts materials for upper primary school aged children. Conducted in Queensland, Australia, the study focused on loose parts materials as cultural tools, following the sociocultural argument that tools mediate activity and outcomes. The findings suggest…

The study focuses on examining elementary pupils' (N = 42, 11-13 years old) reflections on collaborative design processes, team collaboration and their co-inventions. Digital and traditional fabrication technologies were used in a 2-year co-invention project containing approximately 16 sessions during year 1 and 11 sessions in year 2. Between the…

Collaborative problem-solving (CPS) includes multiple socio-cognitive processes that can be challenging to investigate. Constructing arguments is a key practice at the intersection of CPS and science learning. To understand how students construct arguments and develop science knowledge during CPS, we focus on team synchrony--the extent of…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of instructional methods based on Constructivist theory and cooperative learning on first-grade students' mathematical learning achievement and social awareness. Method: A natural sample of 30 children aged 6-7 years old was cluster-randomized into an experimental group. Mathematical…

This study aimed to investigate the current state of education on the development of children's cooperative abilities via the use of themed role-playing games in Dak Lak, Vietnam. The period between March through June 2019 was devoted to administering an online survey for data collection. The findings indicate that preschools have devoted…

Due to the pandemic, many students have been forced to study remotely. This study aims to investigate the impact of online collaboration scripts on learning outcomes in virtual reality (VR) co-creation learning activities during distance learning. The collaboration scripts were designed to foster students' remote teamwork. The participants…

Background/purpose: It has been suggested that cooperative learning (CL) is a model-based practice which can develop students' social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies in physical education (PE) (Casey, Ashley, and Javier Fernandez-Rio. 2019. "Cooperative Learning and the Affective Domain." "Journal of Physical Education,…

This study analyses the differences in knowledge, attitudes and multicultural skills of primary school students divided into two learning models, namely a multicultural-based learning model and a student team achievement division (STAD). This study used a quasi-experiment with two control classes and two experimental classes which were determined…

Gender balance in computing education is a decades-old issue that has been the focus of much previous research. In K-12, the introduction of mandatory computing education goes some way to giving all learners the opportunity to engage with computing throughout school, but a gender imbalance still persists when computer science becomes an elective…

Integrated approaches to teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are increasingly being implemented in elementary and middle school classrooms, and despite a variety of conceptions of integrated STEM, researchers agree that small group activities and teamwork play a central role in STEM learning. However, little is known…

Get an inside look at the discourse interactions of third- and fourth-grade students as they consider various design proposals to solve an engineering problem and negotiate a group decision. The authors present possible factors that impact student teamwork and provide recommendations for teachers to develop students' skills for group engineering…

Background: A key feature of engineering design is collaborative, deliberate decision making that takes into account information about design options. K-12 students need opportunities for this kind of decision making if they are to meet the learning standards for engineering set out in the Next Generation Science Standards. Purpose: This…

Research around problem solving in collaborative groups has made progress, but several conceptual and methodological issues remain. These issues include the appropriate choices of units of analysis; the ability of current theoretical sets of macrocognition codes to capture group dynamics; detection and identification of potentially emergent…

21st century educational reform initiatives value creativity, collaboration, innovation, and higher-order thinking (Scardamalia, 2002), the skills needed for students to successfully address the complex engineering challenges facing society. "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practice, Crosscutting Concepts and Core Ideas" (NRC,…

Background: Working effectively in teams is an important 21st century skill as well as a fundamental component of the ABET professional competencies. However, successful teamwork is challenging, and empirical studies with adolescents concerning how the collaboration quality of team members is related to team performance are limited.…