Collaboration as a facilitator of planning and problem solving on a computer-based task

39 11-yr-old children worked over 3 successive sessions on a problem-solving task making heavy demands on planning and information handling, implemented in HyperCard. Ss worked on the computer either in pairs or individually on the 1st 2 sessions, and all worked individually on the 3rd. By the 2nd session, the performance of the pairs was significantly superior to that of the individuals. On the final session, with a slightly modified task, Ss who previously worked in pairs showed a substantial advantage. Findings highlight the potential practical importance of work on peer facilitation effects and emphasize the need to consider the interactive context of use of educational software during its design, development, and evaluation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).