Browsing by Author "Greiff, Samuel"

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    Assessing collaborative problem-solving skills among elementary school students
    (PALGRAVE, 2021) Rojas, Matias; Nussbaum, Miguel; Chiuminatto Munoz Pablo Andres; Guerrero, Orlando; Greiff, Samuel; Krieger, Florian; Westhuizen, Lindie Van Der
    As 21st century skills have become increasingly important, Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) is now considered essential in almost all areas of life. Different theoretical frameworks and assessment instruments have emerged for measuring this skill. However, more applied studies on its implementation and evaluation in real-life educational settings are required. In this sense, pre-post experimental designs are essential for identifying new methods for developing collaborative problem-solving skills. To do so, equivalent tests are needed to facilitate consistent score interpretations and reduce the practice effect. In the present study, a Design-Based Research approach is used to design and validate an assessment tool with two equivalent forms based on a framework proposed by the OECD and applied to a collaborative activity. A total of 719 students aged between 10 and 13 years old participated in the different stages of the study. The results show that the proposed instrument effectively measures the problem-solving dimension of collaborative problem-solving skills among students of this age. Moreover, the results from the test were equivalent for both forms and across genders. Finally, there were no significant differences when assessing collaborative problem-solving in human-human groups versus human-agent groups using the proposed instrument. For future work, we recommend including other data sources than just text-based conversations. This would allow us to capture the rich social interactions present in this type of activity. Future work should also consider exploring the extent to which skills could be trained. This could be done in an experimental design assessed using the equivalent forms of the proposed instrument as a pre- and post-test. Doing so would provide a more accurate measure of students' collaborative skills.
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    Integrating a collaboration script and group awareness to support group regulation and emotions towards collaborative problem solving
    (Taylor and Francis, 2022) Rojas, Matias; Nussbaum, Miguel; Guerrero, Orlando; Chiuminatto Munoz Pablo Andres; Greiff, Samuel; Del Rio, Rodrigo; Alvares, Danilo
    The research landscape displays increasing awareness of the important role of self-regulation and emotions in the process of acquiring Collaborative Problem-Solving skills (CPS), which are considered essential in almost all areas of life. However, there is still a dearth of research on developing CPS skills among elementary-school students. Our research therefore looks at how elementary school students' regulation skills and emotions are supported by a collaborative game using a collaboration script to scaffold group awareness. An intervention was carried out with a sample of 223 students aged between 10 and 13. The experimental group worked collaboratively in sub-groups, scaffolded by the game, while the control group attended regular lessons. The students' attitudes towards collaboration were evaluated before and after the intervention. In addition to this, a focus group was held a week after the intervention, which involved 32 students from both groups. The quantitative analysis revealed that attitudes towards collaboration improved significantly among students in the experimental group. This difference can be explained by a combination of the intervention, the students' initial attitudes, and their respective GPAs. The qualitative analysis provided evidence of the regulation processes and emotions that emerge when combining a collaboration script with group awareness tools during CPS activities. Furthermore, the results highlighted the relationship between these tools and positive emotions (i.e., satisfaction), co-regulation, and shared regulation. These findings suggest that there is a relationship between the co-regulation process required by the game and a shift in emotions from frustration to satisfaction. This work provides evidence of how scaffolding group awareness using a collaboration script supports regulation skills and emotions, thus promoting the development of Collaborative Problem-Solving skills.