GIRLS TEACH THEMSELVES, AND BOYS TOO - PEER LEARNING IN A COMPUTER-BASED DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY

In this study, we investigated the use of female students as peer expe rts in a workshop introducing an interactive, computer-based learning environment called LEGO/Logo. In LEGO/Logo, children design, construct and program computer-controllable machines using specialized parts su ch as motors, sound elements, and sensors. The eighty-five students wh o participated in the study attended 6th grade (age 12) at a middle-cl ass elementary school in the United States. The LEGO/Logo workshops we re approximately 15 hours each, and the students worked primarily in p airs or groups of three. The findings indicate that the students were successful in building a wide range of LEGO/Logo machines, from simple to complex models, and that the peer teachers were utilized as expert s by the other students and benefited from this experience. Certain ge nder-related differences were observed in the students' interactions a nd in working with the LEGO/Logo system. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd .