A cross cultural study of university students' perceptions of group work

Volet, S. and Ang, G. (1996) A cross cultural study of university students' perceptions of group work. In: 1996 ERA/AARE Joint Conference, 25 - 29 November 1996, Singapore Polytechnic, Singapore.

Abstract

The aim of this research project is to develop better understanding of local and international students experience of working on assignments with other students. More specifically, the project examines students' practices, perceptions, reflections and attitudes about group work. It explores the relationships of students' current attitudes about group work to their study motives, prior experience of group work and cultural attitudes.

Initial exploratory work involved questionaries and focussed group interviews with students who had just completed a unit requiring them to work in groups. Preliminary results revealed some similarities and differences in local and international students' division of labour, experience of problems, feelings about the group experience., and rationale for preferring individual or group work.. The relationships between students' cognitive and affective perceptions and various aspects of the experience were examined. The initial exploratory work provided the basis for developing an instrument to measure tertiary students' attitudes towards group work. The instrument is based on a cumulative model and is theoretically grounded in recent cognitive, motivational, volitional and social learning theories.