This study examined the effect of guided questioning prompts within cooperative learning groups on group performance and individual achievement, self-regulation, and domain self-efficacy. In comparison to the less guided questioning prompts, the more guided questioning prompts would be used to facilitate reflection activities within a group, which would serve as a model for learners to incorporate such reflective activities into their individual self-regulation. It is anticipated that the development of individual self-regulation will increase domain-specific self-efficacy, and in turn, improve academic achievement.
A pretest-posttest comparison group design was utilized in which 37 learners enrolled in two sections of a non-majors biology course at a Southeastern community college worked in cooperative learning groups of three to four learners. Over the course of four weeks, the cooperative learning groups were given either more guided questioning prompts (MGQP) or less guided questioning prompts (LGQP) to facilitate discussion about planning and monitoring group processes to create a group project of a presentation and paper. Pre- and post- intervention survey data were collected in regard to individual academic achievement, self-regulatory behaviors, and biology self-efficacy.
This study did not find any quantitative support for the hypotheses and the qualitative data yielded mixed support for the hypotheses. Cooperative learning groups in the MGQP treatment level produced papers that appeared to be more collaborative and were more likely to mention specific activities that worked well during the process of developing the project. However, cooperative learning groups in the LGQP treatment level demonstrated less variance in their progress toward the project goal, especially during the meeting prior to project submission. In addition, members of the cooperative learning groups in the LGQP treatment level were more likely to mention the social aspects of the project, such as being committed to the group. The implications and limitations of this study are presented as well as recommendations for future research.
