Abstract:

The objective of this research was to analyze how social aspects can help in the formation of groups in Distance Education (DE). Distance learning courses are increasingly in need of strategies that allow the development of groups. Working with group dynamics is a constant challenge for the educator, mainly due to the difficulty in forming groups of students that actually carry out the activities collaboratively. Therefore, this article proposes to analyze how social interactions established in a virtual learning environment can help us grouped together for group work. In this study, we sought to identify the interests and needs of students and their affinities in the course of the process. The research was carried out in a qualitative, case study type approach. The target audience was undergraduate students in a university degree in Brazil. The instruments applied were two: a questionnaire with questions that address interests and needs; sociometric surveys for the realization of the social combination; participant observation. The results showed that, in this research, the students were successful and liked the formation of groups that was suggested by the teacher. All the groups worked to face their difficulties through the negotiation and sharing of experiences, contributing to the construction of knowledge of them. In this sense, the social combination, performed through sociometry, was considered an effective strategy for the formation of groups in the DE.

Keywords:

Formation of Groups, Social Aspects, Distance Education.