GROUP STRUCTURING IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS: PEER-BASED OR ACADEMIC-BASED

This quasi-experimental pilot study examined how structuring of groups affects academic progress in math for grade 3 students (N = 71) from School X in Surrey, British Columbia. Participants completed the Vancouver Island Numeracy Assessment (INA) as a pre-test, followed by an intervention (group structuring: academic-based and peer-based). After 16 weeks, all participants, completed the INA a second time as a post-test to determine if the structuring of groups impacted mathematical abilities. When mathematical performance was considered, a main effect was revealed: pre-test (M = 33.55, SD = 8.27, p < .001); post-test (M = 37.61, SD = -6.58, p < .001). No other main effects or interactions were observed between groups, or when sex and age were considered. Despite a small sample size and no significant results between groups, the study sheds initial ideas on the way in which groups are structured and paves the way for further inquiry.