Psychological rationales for grouping children

Schools are organized so children are most often taught in groups. The rationale for grouping children can be based on psychological principles. Broad paradigms, such as the mechanistic, organismic, and the dialectical/contextual, provide reasons for grouping children. Specific psychological approaches including behavioral, maturational, constructivist, cultural-historical, and social cognitive indicate varying reasons why children collaborate. This article lists psychological reasons children are grouped for instruction.