Kelly_2020_Interdiscipliary.pdf (475.35 kB)
Interdisciplinary group work in higher education: a student perspective
journal contribution
posted on 2020-10-21, 11:43 authored by REGINA KELLY, Eilish McLoughlin, Odilla E. FinlaysonThis research intends to provide understanding of the impact that a module consisting
entirely of collaborative interdisciplinary science tasks had on students’ group work
behaviour, attitude and motivation. It was hypothesised that implementing a module
based entirely of group tasks would develop positive attitudes and increase student
accountability. Previous research indicates that large introductory modules in higher
education fail to nurture student motivation to engage with course work. In this study
303 students completed surveys and focus groups that examined the level and nature of
group work, student feelings towards group work, and student motivation to complete
tasks and attend timetabled class sessions. The findings suggest that in order to complete
the science tasks, students typically completed sections individually and consolidated
their individual parts to form a complete solution. Collaboration occurred when students
completed numerical aspects of the task as students felt these sections demanded group
members to share ideas. Collaborative work can promote positive student attitudes,
increase students efforts to work on tasks and attend timetabled class sessions. These
findings imply that collaborative work may act as a means of promoting attendance and
facilitating student engagement in module activities throughout the semester. This study
highlights the need for educators to assess learning outcomes achieved in higher
education and to distinguish between tasks that promote working collaboratively and
collaborative learning.
History
Publication
Issues in Educational Research;30 (3), pp. 1005-1023Publisher
Western Australian Institutes for Educational ResearchNote
peer-reviewedLanguage
EnglishExternal identifier
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