The achievement of all students in schools, but especially in mathematics and science, is a national concern for American schools. Moreover, there are concerns about the achievement of minority students in mathematics and science. There are many suggestions for educational improvement, but one that seems to offer important benefits for students is the use of small collaborative groups. Students that work in small groups to solve academic tasks seem to do achieve at higher levels and also have more positive attitudes towards learning. At the same time, there may be difficulties in the use of small groups for learning in that some students may not feel competent in groups, some students may not participate equally, and some minority students may feel left out of the group or may feel incompetent in the groups.
The proposed study will examine how small groups can be structured to increase the likelihood that all students, but especially minority students, can achieve more and have more positive attitudes towards learning. The study will involve the use of different conditions to structure group learning of mathematics tasks. One condition will have the groups focus on mastery and understanding of mathematics. A second condition will have the groups focus on doing better than other groups in a more competitive mode. A control condition will include students working individually on the same math tasks. It is expected that working in small groups under a mastery condition will have benefits for all students, but especially for minority students. The results will help us understand how different conditions can improve the operation of small group learning. These results can be used to guide teachers in improving their use of small groups in classrooms.
