iCollaborate or Not: Does Technology Impede Collaborative Learning among Primary Grade Students?

The practice of education promotes both social interaction and the utilization of technology. Although significant research has explored the role of technology in education, less attention has considered the effect of technology on group learning processes. This experimental study examined the way in which technology affected group interactions among primary grades youth who were engaged in a learning task. The social processes in the learning groups that used technology showed little difference from the groups not using technology, except for a measure that tracked role fulfillment. The report compares the groups and discusses ICT mediated collaborative learning.