Effective student teams for collaborative learning in an introductory university physics course

Jason J B Harlow,Andrew Meyertholen,David M Harrison

doi:10.1103/physrevphyseducres.12.010138

Jason J B Harlow, Andrew Meyertholen + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevphyseducres.12.010138

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Abstract

Students in randomly assigned collaborative learning groups do just as well as those in carefully assigned groups.

Highlights

Physics education research (PER) has led to an increased emphasis on collaborative learning in reformed-pedagogy physics courses around the world
Should the teams of students be sorted by student ability, or instead should the teams contain a mix of strong, medium, and weak students? Second, is a team of three students better than a team of four students? previous studies suggest that a team of only one female student with the rest males should be avoided, because the male students will dominate the interactions in the team [7,8]
Courses that concentrate on conceptual understanding, as we do in our classes and practicals, have been shown by others [36,37] to have a small impact on the ability of students to solve conventional problems, this depends on the type of problem

Summary

Introduction

Physics education research (PER) has led to an increased emphasis on collaborative learning in reformed-pedagogy physics courses around the world. Questions about how to structure teams of students for collaborative learning to achieve the best possible outcomes are increasingly important. In this study we instead ask some comparatively simple questions about teams of students engaged in collaborative learning. Previous studies suggest that a team of only one female student with the rest males should be avoided, because the male students will dominate the interactions in the team [7,8].

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Conclusion