Abstract
Many studies have explored the effect of grouping and task distribution strategies in collaborative learning in the conventional condition, for example, grouping based on student’s learning style, gender diversity, and motivation, but few studies have investigated the impact of heterogeneous grouping with mixed gender and ability factors and the distribution of roles and tasks on members’ engagement and collaboration in the IVE environment. This study proposed external scripts that were composed of grouping strategies and distribution strategies. The former includes Mixed Gender and Ability Grouping (MGAG) and Mixed Gender Grouping (MGG), while the latter contains Role-based Task Distribution (RTD) and Freely Distribution (FD). The scripts serve as a heterogeneous grouping and distribution procedural guide for collaborative learning in an Immersive Virtual Environment (IVE), which has the potential to address issues such as homogeneous competencies, collaboration confusion, and conflict among group members to meet the needs of IVE-based collaborative learning. This study used a quasi-experimental research method to explore the effects of IVE-based collaborative learning on students. The results of the experiment which contained 77 junior high school participants from 2 classes showed that: (1) MGAG can stimulate students’ motivation(d = 1.55); (2) RTD can improve students’ engagement(d = 0.66) and reduce their cognitive load(d=-0.92); (3) There is no significant interaction between MGAG and RTD in motivation, engagement, and cognitive load. Therefore, the study recommends MGAG combined with RTD to be stressed in IVE-based collaborative learning.
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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Funding
This work was supported by [National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant numbers: 62277024)] and [The Central China Normal University of Research Projects of National Teachers’ Development Cooperation Innovation Experimental Base Construction (Grant numbers: CCNUTEIII 2021-05)]
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Appendices
Appendix 1
Ability test scale
Appendix 2
Collaborative learning scale
Variable | Item | Source and Cronbach’s alpha reliability |
|---|---|---|
Motivation | Adapted by Gagné et al. (2015) | |
Mot_1 | In group learning, I am very interested in the new learning material. | Cronbach’s alpha = 0.752 |
Mot_2 | In my opinion, cooperation and communication with peers are more conducive to acquire knowledge from learning materials. | |
Mot_3 | Intra-members and I can complete the collaborative learning tasks. | |
Mot_4 | I can use what I have learned before in group learning. | |
Mot_5 | I get along well with peers in group learning. | |
Mot_6 | The help of my peers can make up for my deficiency in collaborative learning. | |
Participation | Adapted by Reeve and Tseng (2011) | |
Part_1 | In group work, I tried to collaborate with peers, to complete the task. | Cronbach’s alpha = 0.892 |
Part_2 | I can listen carefully to peers’ views and express my opinions during the group discussion. | |
Part_3 | I become more willing to participate in group learning due to the discussion and communication. | |
Part_4 | I try to understand different peers’ ideas so that I can help me to understand important concepts | |
Cognitive load | Adapted by Hwang et al. (2013) | |
CL_1 | I think it difficult to complete the collaborative learning tasks. | Cronbach’s alpha = 0.800 |
CL_2 | I need to make a lot of effort in group learning. | |
CL_3 | It took me a log time to think about the problems in group learning. | |
CL_4 | I think communicating with peers can help me understand some concepts more quickly. | |
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Zhong, Z., Wang, J., Deng, Y. et al. Effects of external scripts incorporating capabilities, roles and tasks on IVE’s collaborative learning. Educ Inf Technol 28, 11495–11516 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11640-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11640-9