Interactions between students mediated by cues as activating factors of collective and individual progress in cooperative learning situations when dealing with a complex mathematical task

This exploratory study is based on a qualitative analysis of interactions between students asked to solve a complex mathematical problem in groups structured according to the principles of cooperative learning. Specifically, it seeks to understand the impact of interactive regulation between students, mediated by cues to support processes of representation and verification, on collective performance (solving the complex problem during group work) and individual performance (solving a reinvestment task, to be done alone after group work). The aim of the article is not only to show the potential richness of interactions between students, but also to point out the challenges inherent in group work, even when it has been designed according to a methodological approach (cooperative learning) whose effectiveness has been widely demonstrated.