ABSTRACT
When learners are unable to solve problems, comprehend text materials, or understand their teacher’s explanations, their options include not only continued persistence or abandoning tasks (Feather, 1961, 1963) but also obtaining assistance from a variety of sources, such as friends, classmates, teachers, and colleagues. The importance of social processes in knowledge acquisition has long been proposed (Vygotsky, 1978), but until recently, seeking assistance was considered to have little significance for learning. The predominant view, reflected in the early achievement motivation literature (e.g., Atkinson, 1964), stressed independence. Those who sought help were denigrated as dependent, and the act of relying on others was considered the antithesis of what it means to strive for excellence (e.g., Winterbottom, 1958). That view has changed dramatically, however, with the recognition of help seeking’s strategic value in the learning process.
