Integrating a collaboration script and group awareness to support group regulation and emotions towards collaborative problem solving

Abstract

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.