Group Work Skills Research Articles

Methodical foundations of the use of project-based technologies in teaching physics to students of technical specialties of higher education institutions

The presented work is devoted to the issues of using project technologies of training in higher education institution based on information technology. The training of highly qualified competitive specialists is the main task for all higher educational institutions. In other words, a graduate of a higher educational institution should design highly efficient, technically advanced engineering systems, analyze the effectiveness of a project in comparison with other projects. The question arises of how to prepare such a specialist in the conditions when the current educational system often lags behind the processes taking place in the global space. In this regard, the authors attach special importance to mini-projects that can be carried out in a short time, while these projects build students' skills such as group work, teamwork management, project reporting, design and research skills. The paper also proposes a general structure of the educational project for one semester. This describes the experience of using the computer program Electronics Workbench version 512 in teaching physics to students of technical specialties. The questions of the effectiveness of innovative creativity of students in the performance of tasks of the mini-project in the course of physics are considered on the example of the simulation of the operation of oscillatory circuits – serial and parallel.

Developing novice teachers practice through critical reflection

Group work and leadership skills are essential skills of 21st-century students. For students to develop these skills well, teacher students and teachers need to be trained and practice proficiency at schools. This study was conducted to show how group teaching in university was practiced in schools. The study is carried out in two phases: at VNU University of Education firstly when observing students’ teacher classrooms and secondly students’ classroom at primary/ secondary schools. The findings of the study are used to suggest guidance for good practice in leadership and management training courses in Vietnam.

Patient and public involvement in designing and conducting doctoral research: the whys and the hows

Plain English summaryEvidence shows that public and patient involvement in research has a positive effect on its quality and end-results. Thus, public and patient involvement in all stages of research is becoming commonplace. There are limited detailed examples however, that describe how to make this possible, especially for those doing PhD research. Doctoral researchers are often new to research practice or have limited experience and are often bound by strict time and financial constraints. It is also not usually a requirement of the award to involve public and patients in their research. Hence, they may not feel confident or motivated to involve or engage with public and patients during their research. We, four doctoral researchers, share examples from our own research studies that have included different approaches to public and patient involvement. Two studies formed public and patient advisory groups who helped design the research questions, data collection tools and recruitment methods. One enlisted the help of an online public and patient panel from a local hospital. A different study worked with patients from an established group to help define key medical words. We did face some challenges, such as the need to develop good group work skills and to apply for grants to cover reimbursement, but we all found it beneficial to involve patients in our studies. We noticed a positive effect on each study’s progression and an improvement in our own self-esteem. In addition, having public and patient involvement helped reduce the isolation we felt as doctoral researchers. Thus, we strongly encourage more doctoral researchers to involve public and patients in their studies.Public and patient involvement (PPI) has been shown to have a positive impact on health and social care research. However, adequate examples describing how to operationalise effective PPI, especially in doctoral studies, are lacking. Hence, doctoral researchers new to research, or those with limited experience, can be discouraged from facilitating PPI in their research. This paper aims to describe and discuss in detail the approaches used by four doctoral researchers to incorporate PPI at different stages of their research studies from study design to disseminating findings.We aim to inform other doctoral researchers about the challenges and limitations relating to PPI that we faced. Through these, we share pragmatic recommendations for facilitating PPI during doctoral studies.The description of four case studies demonstrated that PPI could be incorporated at various stages during doctoral research. This has had a beneficial impact on our research study progression, researcher self-esteem and lastly, helped alleviate researcher isolation during doctoral studies.

Assessing the Impact of Clinically Themed Dissection-based Projects on Anatomy Knowledge in the Veterinary Pre-clinical Curriculum

Cadaveric dissection-based anatomy teaching is being reduced or removed in several veterinary schools driven by infrastructural, economic and ethical issues. This may be due to a view that the learning of anatomy is purely a knowledge-based process. Using clinical themed dissection-based projects in the first year of the veterinary curriculum we show that cadaveric dissection is not only important in gaining clinically relevant anatomy knowledge but has other benefits including improvement of dissection skills, technical communication and group working skills. We believe that adopting such innovative approaches to anatomy dissection classes are critical for vertical integration across the veterinary curriculum and support during the transition from preclinical to clinical years.

The answer is in the community: credible messengers and justice system involved youth

ABSTRACT This story is about a person who spent 13 years in New York State prisons who now works with groups of young people on probation. As a credible messenger for New York City’s Arches program, Mr. Fuller describes this work and how his own experiences inform the group work skills he uses. At a time when jurisdictions around the country are looking for more just ways to address youth crime, credible messengers keep young people in the community and help returning citizens create new narratives about themselves as community assets.

Intergroup dialogue: frequencies of social justice

ABSTRACT Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) is a model of dialogue which engages my knowledge, awareness and skills in group work, social justice education, and psychodynamic practice. In this article, I discuss the ways that I link group work and social justice in a course that I developed and teach. I discuss the importance of locating oneself and share an activity I use to support this goal. I also examine group dynamics, particularly communication skills (i.e. the building blocks of dialogue) that participants learn in IGD and the ways participants across identities are encouraged to bring in their voice and perspective. I end by discussing the layers of facilitation, facilitating yourself, others, and the group. My narrative illustrates how Intergroup Dialogue is an effective tool for linking group work and social justice.

Intergroup dialogue facilitation in psychology training: Building social justice competencies and group work skills.

Intergroup dialogue facilitation in psychology training: Building social justice competencies and group work skills.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND SKILLS ACQUISITION IN THE UNIVERSITY AREA: A CASE STUDY

The change of the paradigm entailed in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has without question represented an improvement in the educational process. We consider that university teachers currently organize learning environments which involve their students. In the context of the EHEA, the evaluation system is designed to get to know the students’ acquirement of knowledge and competences. In this framework, we consider that the students’ tutored and self-directed learning favors their acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue their university studies and their professional and life project. However, this change has also highlighted a series of problems which appear in the university environment in the EHEA. This work presents the results of the implementation of a series of innovations proposed with the aim of improving students’ academic performance, reducing the drop-out rate, acquiring group work skills, and showing students the advantages of computer tools and virtual environments. To do so, the research has been carried out over five academic years, compiling information via surveys and interviews of the students in a subject, which is taught in the 2nd. year of Degree of Political Sciences and Administration at the Pablo de Olavide University (Seville, Spain): Quantitative Methods applied to Social Sciences. Being a quantitative subject that is taught in the area of Social Sciences means that from the start the students in general reject it a priori. To avoid this leading to the students dropping out or not passing the subject, we put into practice a teaching model based on the students’ continuous evaluation. The teaching model means that 50% of the time is dedicated to theoretical classes and 50% to practical classes (which take place in smaller-sized classrooms or in computer labs). In the case of the theoretical classes, the students are evaluated at the end of the semester by a written examination. The practical classes are assessed using three individual tests during the semester and a weekly individual follow-up work. After introducing the methodological and evaluating innovations, we have achieved an increase in the number of students who pass the subject, a reduction in the drop-out rate and a better use of Information and Communication Technologies. Although this has meant a greater workload for the teaching team and the students, the skills which we have worked on have had a satisfactory short-term result. At the same time, we consider that this experience can be applied to any subject studied in the university area.

Virtual reality to improve group work skill and self-directed learning in problem-based learning narratives

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a type of student-centred educational approach where students learn a topic via their experience in solving open-ended problems. In PBL, elements of active, interactive, and collaborative learning are incorporated to allow teachers to observe their students’ learning process. The contexts of problems in PBL are in the form of cases and narratives of the real world where there are no right or wrong answers. Virtual reality (VR) is a part of mixed reality where a real-world environment is made to be virtual online. In VR, real-world elements are rendered as 3D objects. By adopting VR technologies in PBL, this will enable teachers to form virtual world narratives and cases akin to problems in a real world. VR allows elements of active, interactive, and collaborative to be integrated in students’ learning process. This study explores how VR may be adopted to enable PBL and improve group work skill as well as self-directed learning. The gained research results indicated that PBL with the presentation problem scenario in VR environment is effective in enhancing the group work skills and self-directed learning among students.

The Value of Groupwork Knowledge and Skills in Focus Group Research: A Focus Group Approach With Marginalized Teens Regarding Access to Third-Level Education

This article explores the value of applying groupwork expertise and skills in conducting focus group research. It identifies and provides an analysis of comparisons between the arenas of focus group moderation and social groupwork facilitation drawing from literature from both fields. In addition, the article discusses key skills needed by focus group moderators highlighting how these are also foundational social groupwork competencies. The article draws from the authors’ experiences of designing and facilitating focus groups with teenagers as part of a 2-year research study examining the perceptions and experiences of young people from marginalized communities in relation to accessing third-level education. In light of this analysis, the authors assert that some developments in focus group research methodology have resulted in a greater degree of alignment between these two spheres and that focus group moderation is enhanced and rendered increasingly effective when groupwork skills, knowledge, and insights are employed.

“Hitting the ground running”: preparing groups for outdoor learning using a theoretically-based video

ABSTRACTOur thoughts and feelings towards groupwork and outdoor learning impact our subsequent engagement in, and learning from, such activities. This study explores the impact of a pre-course video when used in preparation for an outdoor groupwork skills course. The video was designed according to the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to enhance intentions to develop groupwork skills in an international cohort of university students. At the induction session of the 3–5 day residential course (N = 173), participants were assigned to either video-only, video with goal-setting worksheet, or control conditions. Their thoughts and feelings towards the course were measured pre- and post-induction and their groupwork skills were measured pre- and post-course. In line with the TPB, participants’ attitudes and self-efficacy towards the course were significant and meaningful predictors of their learning intention and subsequent behaviour change. These pre-course beliefs towards groupwork and outdoor learning were significantly improved by the video, despite learners already holding favourable beliefs at baseline. However, these high baseline scores meant that improvements in attitudes resulting from the video were small, and not enough to enhance the subsequent learning outcomes. The potential mechanisms of the pre-course video are discussed along with practical implications.

The perceptions of STEM tutors on the role of tutorials in distance learning

ABSTRACTAs part of a wider study into perceptions that different university stakeholders have of tutorials, we investigated the UK Open University model for tuition through a process of semi-structured interviews with a self-selecting set of STEM tutors. The aim of the study was to elucidate perceptions that tutors have of the role and purpose of tutorials, and their perceptions of student expectations of group tuition. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts using a grounded theory approach identified several key themes. These include perceptions of the tutor role in group tuition: facilitating academic learning and skills; and supporting the building of confidence, motivation, social interaction and collaborative group-work skills. Difficulties were identified in encouraging student interaction in online synchronous tuition. In addition, mismatches became apparent between tutors’ perceptions of student expectations of tuition and their own preferred approaches, with suggestions that students expect a didactic rather than interactive experience.

Students Engagement and Learning through the Development of Didactic Models for Mechanical Engineering

Eight mechanical engineering students built three didactic models that show how different mechanical elements and mechanisms work in a pick-up truck. This study reviews their experience while manufacturing them, challenges faced and their learning experience. The project was directed by students entirely which posed planning, organizing, manufacturing and fundraising challenges. The biggest technical challenge was cutting open certain parts of the models to expose internal mechanisms; it was overcome combining different manufacturing strategies and equipment at hand. Every challenge was confronted as a team helping develop leadership, group work and other human skills. The further impact and usage of the models built was analyzed through polls sent to professors and students using them for different classes such as introduction to mechanical engineering, mechanical design and material sciences. The models have facilitated learning complex concepts, generated more open discussions, made learning more interactive, created enthusiasm and curiosity amongst students.

Knowledge disagreement formulations in problem-based learning tutorials: balancing pedagogical demands with ‘saving face’

ABSTRACTAs a pedagogical approach that aims to develop students’ group-working skills and to challenge their current knowledge, problem-based learning (PBL) provides a unique setting in which to examine disagreements in interaction. Previous research on disagreements in classrooms has typically examined tutor–student interaction or student–student interaction in which a tutor is present. This paper, however, examines tutorless PBL tutorials and focuses specifically on those moments in which knowledge claims are challenged by other students. The data comprise 30 h of video recordings from 24 chemical engineering PBL tutorials in a Scottish university. Conversation analysis was used to identify 101 disagreement formulations, many of which follow the format seen in other classroom settings (e.g. agreement-prefaced disagreements). A subset of disagreement formulations manage epistemic responsibility through invoking expert sources (e.g. tutor-provided worksheets and academically superior out-group members). Through invoking an expert source in this way, students attend to the pedagogical activities – without tutor assistance – while minimising the conversational trouble associated with the act of ‘doing’ disagreement (i.e. indirectly enacting disagreements whilst maintaining a neutral stance). This paper thus contributes to CA literature on disagreements, while providing a unique insight into PBL tutorial interaction. Directions for future research are suggested.

Merging Micro and Macro Intervention: Social Work Practice With Groups in the Community

ABSTRACTClinical or micro intervention predominates in social work education and practice. The prevailing assumption in social work practice and education is that one engages in either micro or macro intervention. In this article, we describe how these interventions may be merged into an integrated whole through social work practice with groups. The conceptual and evidence base of community work is summarized, as are efforts to identify practice skills that overlap both approaches. We assert that group work is ideally suited to promote individual empowerment and community change. Case examples illustrate the relative ease with which tasks and skills of group work at the micro level can be used in group work practice in the community. Implications for social work education are discussed.

The Effect of Cooperative Learning Method Enhanced with Metacognitive Strategies on Students’ Metacognitive Skills in Math Course

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of cooperative learning method enhanced with metacognitive strategies on metacognitive skills of 6 th grade students in mathematics education. The research was designed as a mixed method in which qualitative and quantita­tive methods were used together. The quantitative research was planned as a pre-test post-test control group quasiexperimental design. Document review method, one of the qualitative research techniques, was used to obtain qualitative data. The research participants were composed of 101 6 th grade students. Cooperative learning method enhanced by metacognitive strategies was used in the first experimental group and only cooperative learning method with no support of metacognitive strategies was used in the second experimental group. There was no intervention for the control group. Data were collected using the “Junior Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (Jr. MAI)” developed by Sperling, Howard, Miller, and Murphy (2002) and through the written opinions of the students about implementation process. The quantitative data was analyzed by performing the dependent group t-test and analysis of variance. For the qualitative section, data was analyzed using descriptive analysis. According to the results of the data analysis, at the end of the interventions, it was seen that the levels of metacognitive skills of the first experimental group were significantly higher than of both the second experimantal group and the control group. Also, the levels of metacognitive skills of the second experimental group were higher than those of the control group. According to the results based on the analysis of students’ views, it was seen that, the students in the first experimental group expressed their thoughts on the development of their metacognitive skills. In this context, it was observed that, the students’ questioning the problems and their solution processes, analyzing their mistakes and their planning skills have been improved. Also, the second experimental group students stated that they did reciprocal questioning on paired worksheets and their group work skills improved.

Social Work Students’ Experiences With Group Work in the Field Practicum

ABSTRACTThe study reported on in this article assessed MSW and BSW students’ opportunities to practice group work in their field practicum. More than one third of participants had no such opportunity during their yearlong internship, despite their program’s requirement that group work opportunities be available. Among the students who did have experience leading a group for clients, their opportunities to engage in core group work activities and skills was limited, as was their academic preparation to do so. Students demonstrated a desire to practice group work as professionals. Yet the findings call into question whether they were adequately prepared to effectively engage in the modality. The findings underscore the need for schools and programs of social work to collaborate more closely with field instructors and agencies to ensure that students are provided with suitable opportunities to practice group work. Greater attention also must be focused on ensuring that practice opportunities in the field reflect the depth and breadth of the group modality and complement learning in the classroom.

Case study of enquiry-based learning designed for rotating magnetic fields in electric machinery course

This paper describes a case study of enquiry-based learning to teach problem solving, innovation, group working, and presentation skills for electrical engineering students in electric machinery course at Beijing Jiaotong University. The research project is designed by teachers and students go through three processes: project-based teaching and learning, problem-based derivation and simulation, and enquiry-based presentation. The multidiscipline project is innovated to meet the requirements of engineering education while keeping its traditional effectiveness in driving students to apply knowledge to practice and problem solving. The feedback from students shows positive support for the innovations.

Chain Experiment competition inspires learning of physics

The Chain Experiment is an annual competition which originated in Slovenia in 2005 and later expanded to Poland in 2013. For the purpose of the event, each participating team designs and builds a contraption that transports a small steel ball from one end to the other. At the same time the constructed machine needs to use a number of interesting phenomena and physics laws. In the competition’s finale, all contraptions are connected to each other to form a long chain transporting steel balls. In brief, they are all evaluated for qualities such as: creativity and advance in theoretical background, as well as the reliability of the constructed machine to work without human help. In this article, we present the contraptions developed by students taking part in the competition in order to demonstrate the advance in theoretical basis together with creativity in design and outstanding engineering skills of its participants. Furthermore, we situate the Chain Experiment in the context of other group competitions, at the same time demonstrating that—besides activating numerous group work skills—it also improves the ability to think critically and present one’s knowledge to a broader audience. We discussed it in the context of problem based learning, gamification and collaborative testing.

Hands-on Learning for Classics: Building an Effective, Long-term Project

AbstractIn this paper, I explore the use of long-term, hands-on learning activities for Classics courses. I will show that a carefully designed project can complement classroom lectures on Greek and Roman culture and contribute towards the development of students’ critical thinking and group work skills. As an example, I describe a successful hands-on learning project that I designed for my Ancient Greek Cities course at Monmouth College (USA). The students were tasked with researching and building an historically faithful, ancient Greek mudbrick building for the college's annual Classics Day event. With the success of this project in my class, I will show that Classics instructors can pursue similar long-term, hands-on learning activities for engaging students in ancient Greek and Roman culture and teaching essential skills.