Using Theories of Social Exchange and Status Construction in Mixed-Group Cooperative Learning Practices

Authors

• Joseph M. Quinn, University of South CarolinaFollow
• Valerie K. Barron, University of South CarolinaFollow

Abstract

Classroom group work can reproduce broader social inequalities when status-based expectations shape whose contributions are valued or ignored. Intergroup Contact Theory (IGCT) proposes conditions of contact that can reduce prejudice but provides limited explanation of the interactional processes through which these conditions generate cooperation or alter status expectations. We integrate IGCT with the Theory of Social Commitments and Status Construction Theory to identify micro-level structural mechanisms that instructors can leverage to create more equitable intergroup interactions that can also enable social learning and bias reduction toward underrepresented groups. Drawing on these theories, we propose a three-part strategy: forming strategically mixed-status groups, designing highly joint tasks that create mutual dependence and shared responsibility, and providing process-centered feedback that rewards cooperation while making diverse forms of competence visible. Together, these practices can foster positive relational experiences, disrupt status-based performance expectations, and reduce inequities in participation and evaluation. We argue that incorporating these interactional mechanisms into the IGCT framework strengthens contact-based approaches to cooperative learning and offers instructors a theoretically grounded strategy for making diverse classrooms sites of prosocial intergroup contact and positive meaning-making about categorically dissimilar peers.

Recommended Citation

Quinn, Joseph M. and Barron, Valerie K. (2026) "Using Theories of Social Exchange and Status Construction in Mixed-Group Cooperative Learning Practices," Feminist Pedagogy: Vol. 7: Iss. 4, Article 9.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/feministpedagogy/vol7/iss4/9