The role of collaboration scripts in collaborative learning among Finnish lower secondary school students

In a knowledge-driven culture, collaboration is recognized as a crucial skill, and collaborative learning has become a popular educational strategy. The interactive nature of collaboration has the potential to support groups' learning success but also to distract the collaboration by causing new types of challenges. There is a requirement for instructional support that ensures a higher quality in both collaborative learning processes and individual learning outcomes. The study aims to explore the role of collaboration scripts in assisting collaborative learning. Additionally, the study explores the influence of positive interdependence and negotiation on collaborative learning. The participants were fifth and sixth-grade students (n=25) from a comprehensive school in Finland. The students worked collaboratively in small groups for their STEAM course. Quantitative and qualitative data collection took place within the students' classroom settings which included Likert type scale questions and group reflective journals to study how the factors influenced collaborative learning. The quantitative results confirmed that collabora-tion script, positive interdependence, and negotiation had a significant influence on collabora-tive learning. PLSc-SEM was used to analyze the relationship of collaboration script, positive interdependence, and negotiation on collaborative learning, and thematic analysis was used to analyze the group journals. Results also showed that collaboration script and negotiation influ-ence decreased over time. The qualitative results revealed that the students utilized collabora-tion scripts for the allocation of roles as suggested in collaboration scripts which led to equal participation within the groups. Positive interdependence within groups led to supportive inter-action among group members as groups collectively acknowledged challenges and engaged in joint problem-solving. Interestingly, shared successes were not only intrinsically tied to task-related activities but also revealed a strong connection to the final product they were building for their client. Groups negotiated on dividing roles which led to structuring of their collabora-tive process. In conclusion, the finding this study can provide insights to educators aiming to employ collaboration scripts to structure collaborative learning tasks within the STEAM frame-work for their learners.