Group Versus Individual Problem Solving and Type of Problem Solved

Abstract

This article summarizes over 10 years of research on the effects of disjunctive versus conjunctive and multistage versus single-stage problem solving in a classroom setting. By a comparison of real classroom work triads with nominal groups, it is shown that the real triads perform at the level of four-member nominal groups on conjunctive tasks but are not superior on disjunctive tasks. Group participation has a demonstrable effect on individuals: persons working in groups are less likely to drop out of class and tend to give higher subjective ratings of motivation to learn the materials, to perform better on independent tests of classroom material, to know more classmates at the end of the course, and to score higher on the Raven's Progressive Matrices Test than students who do not work in groups.