The effect of individual preparation on knowledge acquisition and student attitudes towards collaborative inquiry tasks in International baccalaureate schools

This research investigated the effect of activating prior knowledge by individual preparation on knowledge acquisition, retention and students’ attitudes towards future collaborative tasks. Fifty-eight secondary students (16-18 years old) in three International Baccalaureate (IB) schools worked with a PhET simulation on gravity and orbits. Students in dyads were randomly assigned in two groups: an experimental group where prior knowledge was activated individually by reading summary, and a control group with no treatment before the collaborative task. Data was gathered from a pretest on prior knowledge about gravity, a post-test and a delayed test on concepts of gravity and circular motion, and a cooperation/collaboration questionnaire. No significant differences between conditions were found on knowledge gains. Individual preparation in International Baccalaureate schools had no significant effect on learning gains in a collaborative inquiry environment. Additionally, it had no significant effect on students’ attitudes toward collaboration.