Mobile instant messaging or face-to-face? Group interactions in cooperative simulations

The capability of learners to work cooperatively and to coordinate efforts in a team is becoming more important to the success of any job and advancement of knowledge. In cooperative learning, the literature regarding the impact of social technologies is controversial. Because of this controversy, the object of this study is to examine students’ experiences and feedback regarding teamwork in cooperative simulation interactions. The research object was addressed in a two-phase study with an experimental design. The participants were 328 students of 6 classes from a large city in China. In this experiment, communication through face-to-face encounters, mobile instant messaging, and combinations thereof were executed based on qualitative and quantitative data. Our research results describe the differences between experimental treatments. Various relevant teaching implications are discussed as well.