Equity Issues in Collaborative Group Assessment: Group Composition and Performance
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of group ability composition on group processes and outcomes in science performance assessments. Students in 21 eighth-grade science classes worked on science assessments first individually, then in groups, and finally individually again. Group composition had a major impact on group discussion quality and on student achievement. Groups with above-average students produced more accurate and high-quality answers and explanations about how to solve the test problems than groups without above-average students. As a result, below-average students who worked with above-average students showed higher achievement than did below-average students who worked without above-average students. High-ability students generally performed better when they worked in homogeneous groups than when they worked in heterogeneous groups. The fact that heterogeneous groups provide a greater benefit for below-average students than they impose a detriment on high-ability students is discussed.
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The quality of explanations is higher in groups with above-average students than in groups without these students.
“Research has demonstrated that it is important that a certain level of expertise is available within the group, because the quality of explanations is higher in groups with above-average students than in groups without these students (Webb et al. 1998).”
From Making the Black Box of Collaborative Learning Transparent: Combining Process-Oriented and Cognitive Load Approaches (2010) · cites this paper as Webb et al. 1998
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- Authors
- Webb, N. M., Nemer, K. M., Chizhik, A. W., & Sugrue, B.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- University of Iowa (US)
- ORCID
- Webb, Noreen M.
- Venue
- American Educational Research Journal
- Published
- 1998-01
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 607-651
- ISSN
- 0002-8312 (ISSN-L)
- 1935-1011
- OpenAlex
- W2162634447
- Cited by
- 284
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 41 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 9.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Educational Research Journal (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods
- Social Sciences › Education › Science Education and Pedagogy
- Social Sciences › Education › Student Assessment and Feedback
- Keywords
- group composition, educational equity, academic performance, homogeneous groups, heterogeneous groups, eighth grade students
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