Collaborating learners learn more effectively and efficiently than individual learners on cognitively challenging tasks, but group work becomes disadvantageous on cognitively unchallenging tasks¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2010 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? In experiments by F. Kirschner et al., collaborating learners on cognitively challenging tasks could divide information processing, expanding cognitive capacity, and learned more effectively and efficiently than individual learners. → Janssen 2010 q2 i? With cognitively unchallenging tasks that individual learners could carry out alone, the group advantage disappeared and working in a group became disadvantageous for learning effectiveness and efficiency. → Janssen 2010 (2)

Evidence¶

Janssen 2010¶

Janssen, J., Kirschner, F., Erkens, G., Kirschner, P. A., & Paas, F. (2010). Making the Black Box of Collaborative Learning Transparent: Combining Process-Oriented and Cognitive Load Approaches. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-010-9131-x

q2 · i? · review · r3

The review describes a series of experiments by F. Kirschner et al. (2009a, b, c) into effects of task-imposed cognitive load on individual versus group learning, reporting that "collaborating learners learned more effectively and efficiently than did individual learners" on cognitively challenging tasks. No effect sizes are printed in the review.

"collaborating learners learned more effectively and efficiently than did individual learners"

Janssen 2010 (2)¶

Janssen, J., Kirschner, F., Erkens, G., Kirschner, P. A., & Paas, F. (2010). Making the Black Box of Collaborative Learning Transparent: Combining Process-Oriented and Cognitive Load Approaches. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-010-9131-x

q2 · i? · review · r3

For cognitively unchallenging tasks, the review reports the group advantage disappeared: "Working in a group even became disadvantageous for learning effectiveness and efficiency because group members had to be engaged in cognitive activities related to interindividual communication and coordination."

"Working in a group even became disadvantageous for learning effectiveness and efficiency because group members had to be engaged in cognitive activities related to interindividual communication and coordination."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The collective working memory effect: group learning is more efficient than individual learning for high-complexity tasks, but individual learning is more efficient for low-complexity tasks — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Collaboration facilitates learning only under specific knowledge and experience conditions; with advanced learners it can be detrimental via the expertise reversal effect — related
• Collaborative learning distributes cognitive load across multiple working memories, aiding learning of high-load tasks — related
• Collaborative tasks should be complex enough that joint effort is worthwhile, engaging the collective working memory effect — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Collaborative learning is beneficial or detrimental depending on individual and situational factors — a broader claim this one bears on