Impact of the work in small groups on the educational process in the University of Civil Engineering

Mikhail Leontev

doi:10.1051/matecconf/201710609004

Abstract

Researchers and teachers know about the positive impact that cooperation can have on students learning in a small group. It is necessary to clarify how the interaction and cooperation among learners influence the learning process and problem solving in a small group. The objective of the study is to increase the knowledge about the group work in higher education and understand the basis of successful teamwork of students of the university. The study is focused on the concept of student work in small groups in the University of Civil Engineering. Empirical data were collected using specific semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using qualitative content analysis and special questionnaire. The analysis revealed three variables that influence learning in small groups of students of the University of Civil Engineering: learning process, social function of learning and organization of learning. The author revealed the correlation between these variables and the final result of learning (increase or decrease of the effectiveness of learning), as well as between these variables and the presence of positive or negative work experience in a small group.

Highlights

The work in small groups is used as a tool for learning at all levels in the majority of educational systems
Experimental data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis based on the three research questions: (1) How the work in a small group contributes to your education? (2) What is the positive experience you get while working in the group? (3) What is the negative experience you get while working in the group? Each question matches to one aspect of the purpose of the research
The study focused on the aspects of group work and education in small groups of students of the University of Civil Engineering

Summary

Introduction

The work in small groups is used as a tool for learning at all levels in the majority of educational systems. The main goal of the work is to serve as a stimulus for learning. That is noted in studies aimed at improving the effectiveness of group work and understanding the benefits of certain types of group work. A.D. Ishkov argued that the growing interest in this topic can be noticed in the fact that the researches and teachers are aware about the positive impact of cooperation on learning capacity in some types of group work. The main problem in this field of research was to determine how the interaction and cooperation among learners affect learning and problem solving in a small group [1, 2, 3]

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Methods

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Discussion

Conclusion