This study investigated the utility of using the constructs of transactive memory system and heedful interrelating to explain the causal mechanisms of resulting learning and attitudinal outcomes emerging from the promotive interaction which occurs under conditions of positive social interdependence. An experimental study with clarifying qualitative analyses was conducted with college students as participants. Two aspects were addressed: (a) to define the promotive interaction in quantitative and qualitative terms using heedful interrelating and transactive memory system and (b) to assess the role of the promotive interaction, defined by heedful interrelating and transactive memory system, in the relationship between social interdependence and both proximal learning-related attitudinal outcomes including task value and situational interest, as well as more distal behavioral learning-related outcomes including group and individual task performance and individual perceptions of group performance. There was no direct effect of social interdependence on any outcome of interest nor were the mediational roles of heedful interrelating and transactive memory system in the relationship between positive social interdependence and outcomes of interest (individual and group performance, situational interest, task value, and perceptions of performance) supported, further exploratory analyses revealed these constructs did have significant direct effects on various outcomes of interest. Heedful interrelating was positively predictive of participants' situational interest, task value, individual perceptions of group performance, and individual and group performance. Transactive memory system was also positively predictive of individual situational interest and task value and group performance while an unexpected negative direct effect was found for individual performance. Qualitative analyses focusing on selected groups were used to explore this unexpected impact of transactive memory system on individual learning. Ways in which future studies may build on quantitative and qualitative findings are discussed.

abstract: This research investigated preservice teacher collaboration in the context of an undergraduate teacher preparation program. Small groups of preservice students were examined over five collaborative work sessions as they collaboratively designed and delivered instructional projects for their fellow classmates. This study contributes to understanding factors that influence the quality of preservice collaboration to help teacher educators better prepare preservice students for current collaborations with their peers and future collaboration in professional settings. A parallel mixed methods design, with an embedded two case study, was employed to analyze and interpret two research strands, quantitative, and qualitative. Quantitative results served as complementary to corroborate the qualitative findings. The quantitative results and qualitative findings indicate that past collaborative experiences and beliefs about future professional collaboration impacted students’ current collaborative efforts. Students with a flexible orientation toward collaboration and/or expanded beliefs about professional collaboration were more likely to heedfully interrelate than students with fixed orientations or simple beliefs about collaboration. Preservice students’ perceptions of the quality of their own heedful interrelating remained stable across the phases of the collaborative task. However, analysis of the HICES noted significant differences in groups’ perception of the quality of their collaborative interactions. Finally, analysis of the two-case study indicated that high quality heedful interrelating among group members created the more effective collaborative instructional project. A model of how preservice beliefs and orientations may influence their heedful interrelating during collaboration, and impact their efforts in designing and creating effective collaborative instruction was presented. The dissertation research contributed to a more thorough understanding of factors that influence preservice collaboration as they prepare for professional collaboration, when the outcomes of collaboration are critical not only for themselves, but also for their own students. Implications for educational practice and further research point towards the continued need to better understand the processes of preservice collaboration, and factors that impact their interaction as they learn to collaborate for improving instruction, and how teacher preparation programs can support and best address their needs as they prepare for their critical careers. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Psychology 2016