Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Date

2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Shelbi Kuhlmann

Committee Member

Andrew Tawfik

Committee Member

Philip Pavlik

Abstract

Students regularly engage in complex problem-solving, yet many struggle to recognize and use errors as learning opportunities. Without effective support, errors often go unnoticed, limiting self-regulation. Support may come from instructors or peers during collaboration, yet little is known about the role of error awareness in these instances. This study explored how middle school students’ awareness of and responses to errors were influenced by instructor or peer feedback during an inquiry-based science activity. Eighty-eight middle school students were randomly assigned to individual learning with instructor-based feedback or collaborative learning with peer feedback. Using a pre-posttest experimental design and think-aloud protocols, we analyzed real-time regulation and error responses. Students collaborating demonstrated greater error awareness than those learning individually. Although learning outcomes did not differ, both groups improved overall, with co-regulation occurring more during collaboration, suggesting additional support may be needed for error awareness and socially shared regulation to enhance learning.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest/Clarivate.

Notes

Embargoed until 2027-04-01

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Available for download on Thursday, April 01, 2027

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