Examining Collaborative Support for Block-Based Programming with Upper Elementary Students

Abstract

Elementary students’ pair programming relationships can be imbalanced in terms of talking and driving time. We investigated the balance of talk distribution between 4th and 5th grade students while they pair program. Students in our study either used a system that supported their switching and talking or the original block-based programming environment. Qualitative examination suggests that the students who received reminders had more balanced talk distribution than students who did not. We investigated this further by examining case studies of four pairs of students. We found that the two more balanced pairs often agreed with each other in regards to the positioning of their roles. The two pairs who were less balanced each had a student who disengaged from the task in their sessions. These findings suggest ways in which support for collaboration may foster young learners’ interactions.