Abstract:

This session reports the results of student perceptions about the individual contributions of group members that participated in a team assignment as part of a tertiary education course. This study is an extension of Branch and Lee (2020a) [1] and Branch and Lee (2020b) [2] that focused on patterns of agreement among team members while completing a group project. This study implemented recommendations from several sources, including reactions to the published results of Branch and Lee (2020b), and the participants in attendance during the Branch and Lee (2020a) oral presentation session at the 14th annual INTED conference in Valencia, Spain. While the previous Branch and Lee studies measured the perceived degree of contributions of other team members by each single team member, there was a lack of correlation reported between a team member’s perception and the final grade for that student. This follow-up study attempts to display such correlation.

Context:
Group projects are often designed to augment individual assignments during academic study, yet teamwork poses a unique set of issues. This study adopts Johnson, Johnson and Smith’s (1991) [3] strategies for [cooperative] learning in college classrooms who emphasize creating interdependence, devoting time for developing teamwork skills, and cultivating an atmosphere of individual accountability. The problem is that students unaccustomed to working with others on projects with genuine consequences often fail to equally contribute to the group. Preliminary findings indicate that because the amount of effort for one individual can vary significantly than another individual within the same group while contributing a substantially different amount of effort, and thus, affecting a final course grade. Therefore, this follow-up study was guided by the question “What is the relationship between the reported degree of individual contribution by a team member and that that team member’s final grade?”

Research Design:
The participants were students in a tertiary education course at a doctoral degree granting university in the Southeastern United States of America. Data was collected via a confidential [electronic] questionnaire called the Individual Contributions Form that was required to be completed by each student prior to receiving a final grade. The Form considered each team member’s contributions to all aspects of the team’s work, including, meetings, documents, and presentations, beginning with the formation of the team, ending with the adjournment of the team. The data collection period is ten years ending in December 2023.

A summary of the results will be presented. The session will also feature an opportunity for audience participation.

References:
[1] R. Branch, & H. Lee. Collaborative learning: Patterns of student perceptions of the contributions of other team members during a group project. Paper presented at the 14th annual International Technology, Education and Development Conference. Valencia, Spain, March, 2020a.
[2] R. Branch, & H. Lee. Collaborative Learning: Patterns of Student Perceptions of the Contributions of Other Team Members During a Group Project. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 20(7). https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v20i7.3148 , 2020b.
[3] D.W. Johnson, R. Johnson, & K. Smith, K. “Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom’” Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company, 1998.

Keywords:

Collaborative Learning, Team Work, Group Project, Design.