Amund Grothe

• Falck, Andreas; Kristensen, Jarl Kleppe; Grothe, Amund & Torkildsen, Janne von Koss (2026). Does digital collaboration enhance vocabulary learning? The role of “leading” and “advising” in collaborative exchanges. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose Morphological knowledge, the understanding of how words can consist of multiple meaningful parts, is a predictor of vocabulary and reading comprehension. Individualized morphology interventions have been shown to improve morphological knowledge, but it is unclear whether collaboration provides additional benefits. This study examined whether collaboration supports morphological learning in third graders, and whether specific collaborative roles (leading vs. advising) differentially affect learning. We also explored whether effects of collaboration interact with children’s reading and attention-control skills. Methods A total of 192 Norwegian third-graders played the digital morphology learning game ‘Captain Morph’ in three within-subject conditions, across six 40-minute sessions: individually, or collaboratively in either a leading or an advising role. Morphological learning was assessed through receptive and productive measures pre- and post-training. In addition, children were tested with the Test of Word Reading Efficiency, and teachers rated the children’s ability to control attention on a six-item scale. Results Children’s knowledge of morphology improved on all measures and in all conditions. Contrary to our expectations, the advising role produced the most learning, while the leading role produced the least. This pattern was accentuated for children who scored lower on either attention control or reading, with these two scores contributing independently to the differences. Moreover, children with problems controlling attention had a distinct learning advantage from playing individually. Conclusions Collaboration is not always beneficial for learning: learning gains depend on the role taken and on individual differences. These findings suggest that digital morphology interventions should be adapted to the learners’ cognitive profiles to maximize gains.

• Falck, Andreas; Kristensen, Jarl Kleppe; Grothe, Amund & Torkildsen, Janne von Koss (2025). Does digital collaboration enhance vocabulary learning? The role of “leading” and “advising” in collaborative exchanges. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Is collaboration a useful tool for language learning in third graders, and if so, why? Here, we employ an app-based vocabulary learning program to investigate whether collaboration is more effective for learning vocabulary compared to working alone, and to provide insights into which aspects of a collaborative exchange may promote learning. To this end, we use an adaptation of the language learning app Captain Morph, designed to support vocabulary acquisition for primary grade students by training morphology. The app trains derivational affixes, such as “-ist” in cyclist or “re-” in reuse, by exposing children to tasks about how such affixes change the meaning of words (e.g. “cycle” vs “cyclist”). In a recent randomized controlled trial with 717 Norwegian second graders, the app demonstrated durable effects on word knowledge, including untrained words containing trained morphemes. For the present study, we expanded the single-player version of Captain Morph to include a multiplayer mode. In this mode, students collaborate on solving morphological tasks while alternating roles as “game leader” and “game advisor” in an experimentally controlled fashion. This setup allows investigation of whether collaboration yields better learning outcomes than working alone, as well as effects of different roles in the collaboration. Do students learn more from solving a collaborative task when having a leading role, or when giving advice to others’ solutions? We present preliminary data from a withinsubject experiment including approximately 190 Norwegian third graders, in which we investigated whether being either the leader or advisor in a collaborative exchange enhanced learning compared to solo play. We also investigated whether the potential added value of collaboration (compared to solo play) differed between students who score lower or higher on language or attention measures. Outcome measures included both receptive and productive vocabulary on three sets of test items: trained words, untrained words including trained morphemes, and newly invented words including trained morphemes (e.g. “If ‘over-sing’ was a word, what would it mean?”). On the group level, students improved between pre- and posttest on all measures. When it comes to the effectiveness of collaboration and of the different roles of leader and advisor, results were mixed: collaboration was not always more effective than solo play, and the advisor role seemed the most effective for learning (counter to our initial expectations). However, rich process data collected by the app (still being analyzed at the time of abstract submission) may provide additional insights on the circumstances under which a collaborative setting improves learning.

• Torkildsen, Janne von Koss; Kristensen, Jarl Kleppe; Grothe, Amund & Falck, Andreas (2025). Captain Morph: an app-based morphology intervention. Full text in Research Archive
• Torkildsen, Janne von Koss; Falck, Andreas; Grothe, Amund; Kristensen, Jarl Kleppe; Karlsen, Jannicke & Monsrud, May-Britt [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2025). Seminar for lærere og skoleledere om Kaptein Morf. Full text in Research Archive
• Torkildsen, Janne von Koss; Kristensen, Jarl Kleppe; Grothe, Amund & Falck, Andreas (2025). Enhancing Vocabulary through Morphological Training: Insights from Two App-Based Interventions​. Full text in Research Archive
• Torkildsen, Janne von Koss; Kristensen, Jarl Kleppe; Grothe, Amund & Falck, Andreas (2025). The Captain Morph vocabulary app – single and multiplayer modes [app demo]. Full text in Research Archive
• Torkildsen, Janne von Koss; Kristensen, Jarl Kleppe; Grothe, Amund & Falck, Andreas (2025). Enhancing Vocabulary Learning with Captain Morph: A Single player and Multiplayer Morphology App. Full text in Research Archive

View all works in NVA