Motivation and affect in peer argumentation and socio - cognitive conflict

Whereas the cognitive processes and effects of collaborative learning have been intensively studied within the Learning Sciences, little attention has been paid to the way motivational and emotional factors may affect them. In this symposium, we present recent findings from three independent lines of research that focus on the way motivation and affect shape the interaction between peer learners and how this, in turn, affects cognitive gains from this interaction. All three presentations focus on learning within a socio-cognitive conflict task design, while drawing on different data sources, each highlighting different aspects of the interaction process: (1) Students self-reported perceptions of the self, the other and the interaction; (2) Epistemic and motivational features of verbal dialogue content; and (3) Interactants’ emotional reactions using facial signals and content-free vocal parameters of speech. The findings shed new light on how motivational and affective factors may promote or inhibit productive interactions in the face of socio-cognitive conflict.