Collaboration as an Opportunity for Individual Development

In this paper we explore how specific individual and group characteristics may influence students' contribution in a collaborative task as well as their progress after collaboration. An empirical study is described, where students worked on concept mapping tasks, individually and in groups. Assessing, analysing and comparing the individual and group concept maps constructed, specific influences were identified among them. Based on these data, dependences among individual and group characteristics such as knowledge and style, with individual progress were investigated. Finally, we discuss how factors that reflect individual and group characteristics before, during and after collaboration may inform the learner and group model of the adaptive concept mapping environment COMPASS.