How do peers affect learning? Tamise Ironstrack Jennene Minera Stephanie McKay Amanda Klee

Group Socialization Theory (Harris) “The process by which an infant becomes an acceptable member of his or her society -- one who behaves appropriately, knows the language, possesses the requisite skills, and holds the prevailing beliefs and attitudes.”

The Basic Phenomena of Group Behavior In-group favoritism Out-group hostility Between-group contrast Within-group assimilation Within-group differentiation

Categorization Age Sex Race

Within-Group Processes Assimilation Temperament and group behavioral norms “Peer pressure” Differentiation Status hierarchies Social Comparison

Between-group contrasts Within-group differences in status Effects that increase individual differences in personality among children in Western Societies Major effects: Between-group contrasts Within-group differences in status Within-group social comparisons Minor effects: Within-family differences in status Within-family social comparisons and contrasts

Gender Same-gendered groups Mixed-gendered groups

Critical Question Which type of peer groups are more effective… Mixed-gendered groups? Same-gendered groups?

Effects of gender in peer collaborative problem solving in an eighth grade classroom Students were given the opportunity to choose their own groups Students primarily chose to work with students of the same gender, mostly friends

Results Problems that arose in completing the tasks decreased over time Social problems were less prominent in peer groups of females than with groups of males More effective work was done when the students chose to work with peers of the same gender Many times teachers fear same-gendered groups because of disruptions and time off task

Piaget Perspective that with positive relationships in a group there will be lesser conflict. Thus, performance of collaborative tasks will be more positive

Early on in a child’s life, their peer interactions tend to be characterized in same-gendered groups Trend continues throughout childhood

Group Socialization Theory Children spend a lot of time playing together in same-gendered groups Socialization does occur Explains why children tend to flock toward same gender peer groups in school

Interaction within groups Boys tend to participate in more active-forceful activities in larger groups, away from adults Girls were more likely to play in small, dyadic groups, near adults Drawback--stereotypical gender roles within these same-gendered groups Less prominent when the groups are mixed-gendered

Attainment Girls tend to take school more seriously than boys do Until about the age of sixteen Equally likely to become high attainers

Mixed-gendered groups When the activities within collaborative groups are less structured

Ethnicity African Americans Mexican Americans Asians

Critical Questions How do students from different ethnic groups contribute to each other’s learning? How do peer aspirations for academic achievement differ along racial lines?

African American More Black peers leads to lower academic achievement especially for high ability students This can be attributed to “acting white” “Acting white” theory doesn’t work for all peer groups

Students of Mexican Origin Peers are most influential in the groups of students with low familial births in the United States

Students of Chinese origin Chinese peer groups are formed with academic performance as a main factor High achieving students have higher social status

All aspirations have similar effects on students Aspirations of peers Hispanic - lowest aspirations for peers African American - low aspirations Asian - high aspirations for peers All aspirations have similar effects on students

Ability Gifted Learners Typical Learner Learning Disabled

Critical Questions How do students with different ability levels tend to group themselves? How can professional educators group these students in their classrooms so that all students benefit?

Students tend to… Gravitate towards others of similar ability in peer situations

Motivation Learners Must… Pay attention Be able to retain the modeled behavior Be able to physically reproduce what has been modeled Must be motivated to demonstrate what they have learned

Learning disabled may believe they are “physically” unable to reproduce what they see being modeled in gifted learners. Intern this may cause students who struggle to group themselves together.

Gifted students tend to be extremely competitive, thus gravitating towards one another in social situations because of common motivation. Many gifted students prefer individualized learning to cooperative learning, because they have a desire to be viewed as intellectually above others.

Most Beneficial to All… Although some students may prefer individual or cooperative learning over the other, all students actually achieve higher and have greater gains in heterogeneous cooperative learning situations (Schniedewind, Davidson, 2000)

The Key The key lies in engaging students in tasks with different levels of complexity. In this model “every student learns something that he or she doesn’t already know; all students contribute to a common goal” (Schniedewind, Davidson, 2000).

High Ability Benefits Must explain concepts that they are attempting to master. Challenged to think about why a concept works and how to explain it, rather than simply figuring it out and moving on. Teachers understand this.

Low Ability Benefits Observe thought processes that are different from their own. Many times these lower-level students need a very concrete model of how to think or accomplish a task, when higher-level students are able to be that model, lower level students achieve higher.

Not all about academics Not only do students of high ability make academic gains they also learn to Think critically Encourage others Critique others Express themselves (Schniedewind, Davidson, 2000).

A Well-Rounded Education More academic gains may be seen in lower ability students does not mean that heterogeneous grouping is detrimental to students of high ability. It is important to remember that a quality education is not simply about academic success, but about learning to work democratically with others.

Conclusion Group Socialization Theory - peer groups influence behavior & learning more than families or genetics Peer groups more effective when they are heterogeneous Salient differences have dramatic influence on shaping behavior Diverse groups help students become active members of our democratic society