Factors for Collaborative Learning in Small Group Discussion Activities : A Case Study in the Sixth Grade Elementary Science Unit "Electromagnet"

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine important factors for collaborative learning in small group discussion activities in elementary science class. As the result of analyzing the protocol of the discussion activities and students' work-sheets, the rate of "the utterance to point out differences of experiment results or ideas of members" was high in the small group where collaborative learning was confirmed. It became also clear that it was important for collaborative learning in small group discussion activities that each member made "the utterance to try to find out causes for the difference of experiment results", and that group members discussed to solve problems sharing "the utterance to find out new viewpoints for problemsolving". In addition, it was recognized that plural students in the collaborative learning group tended to speak with same words by turn more frequently than in other groups.