Student-student interaction

Student-student interaction encompasses all forms of interaction within the group of learners in an educational institution.

The class as a group

Class communities develop specific relationship structures with one another, whereby their cohesion increases with increasing age. The groups themselves can differ on the basis of certain group characteristics, which have an effect on the interaction between their members.

Group characteristics:

externally assigned group membership
Group with common goals
Group with a subjectively perceived "we character"
Group membership due to differentiation from other groups

The requirements that are placed externally on a group shape its characteristics and thus also the student-student interaction in detail. The more the goals of a group are internalized by its members and the more intrinsic motivation is present, the greater the likelihood that deeper social bonds will develop from the interaction of the group members. Doing schoolwork together can provide such an opportunity, but it can also inhibit interaction if viewed as a purely functional unit.

On this basis, the following behavioral expectations and roles result for the interaction:

task-related roles (e.g. coordinate, inform),
group-related roles (e.g. activate),
disruptive roles (e.g. blocking, dominating).

The student within the group

The following conditions shape the student-student interaction in the classroom:

Act in the presence of classmates

When actively acting in the presence of others, our body shows a state of increased alertness. Regardless of whether the actions are evaluated through direct feedback , one tends to anticipate the expectations of the others and thereby draw conclusions about their evaluation of one's own action.

Interact with others

A distinction is made here between two effects that have a positive or negative effect on student-student interaction.

Acting side by side: Social interaction is desired, this happens in parallel and all group members are on the same evaluation level. The cooperation between the group members increases social cohesion.
Act against each other: Assessment and evaluation of services are compared and analyzed against each other. This creates a competitive or competitive situation and inhibits optimal student-student interaction.

Teamwork

Working together towards a goal can have a positive effect on student-student interaction. To achieve the most effective interaction possible, use the following options:

Cooperative task structures: The students pursue a common goal through the mutual exchange of information, ideas and materials.
Equal opportunities in the assessment: The student's individual performance level at the start of a task is included in the subsequent assessment.
Cooperative feedback structures : Positive feedback, also from individual services, is passed on to the entire group, whereby the individual work share is kept transparent.
Evaluation of feedback: After cooperation processes, groups receive feedback on their work from the teacher and the other group members.

Copying, adapting and compromising

Observing other group members expands one's own spectrum of experience and can therefore have a positive influence on student-student interaction. In the case of negative behavior, however, the opposite effect can also occur. What is important in student-student interaction is a mutual willingness to compromise and the adaptation of the group members to one another. This requires to a greater extent social competence and regulation of one's own claims and the deferral of one's own wishes and ideas.

Direct influence from group members

Acting is partly also controlled directly externally. Students who willfully disturb the class through their behavior will be reinforced in their behavior by the attention of the other students.

Problems with student-student interaction

The deeper background of the student-student interaction usually escapes the teacher because he doesn't know enough about the specific situations. Obvious insults are perceived, but subtle signs usually remain undetected. Social fringe positions (outcast, rejected, ignored) intensify the problem in student-student interaction and lead to anxiety , inhibition, reduced self-confidence , unpleasant experiences with classmates and failure to perform .

Clique formation

Clear demarcation of small groups of pupils from the rest of the class through behavior or external identifiers. The result is often the division of the class into competing parties.

literature

Gage, NL & Berliner, DC (1996). Educational Psychology. Weinheim: Beltz
Rosemann, B. & Bielski, S. (2001). Introduction to Educational Psychology
Weidenmann, B. & Krapp, A. (2001). Educational Psychology. Weinheim: Beltz