Online Collaborative Group Work Research Articles

Predictors for students’ self-efficacy in online collaborative groupwork

This study examines factors related to student self-efficacy beliefs in on-line groupwork. Participants in this study were 204 graduate students taking an online graduate-level course from a public university in the Southeast United States of America. Two-level hierarchical linear models were used to examine predictors of the students’ self-efficacy. Three student-level variables were found to be related to groupwork self-efficacy: individual’s willingness to handle groupwork challenge, trust relationship, and leadership influence. At the group level, the group’s willingness to handle groupwork challenge was positively related to individual student’s groupwork self-efficacy. Discussions of the findings suggest that leadership is important for groupwork. Instructors of online courses are recommended to design high-quality group projects that are purposeful, meaningful, challenging, and engaging. Communications between group members are also recommended to build trust. Implications of the findings to online learning and instruction as well as directions for future research are presented.

Collaborating Online

The paper introduces a logic model of online collaborative group work for adult learners. This logic model was developed through a literature review in the context of a multi-year educational design research study aimed at optimizing the online group work experience of adult learners. The model is intended to guide online instructors at post-secondary levels who aspire to develop and teach online courses using collaborative group work and authentic complex learning tasks as primary pedagogies. The paper describes each component of the model such as the goals of collaborative group work, attributes of different groups, and various factors influencing effective group work.

Investigating factors that influence students’ management of study environment in online collaborative groupwork

The present study examines empirical models of students’ management of the learning environment in the context of online collaborative groupwork. Such environment management is an important component of students’ overall self-regulated learning strategy for effective learning. Student- and group-level predictors for study environment management in online groupwork were analysed based on the data from 298 graduate students in 86 online groups in a university in the Southeast, USA. The main findings of the study include, (a) most of the variance in environment management occurred at the student level; (b) peer-oriented reasons was the only significant predictor at the group level; (c) at the student level, environment management was positively related to feedback, help seeking and peer-oriented reasons; and (d) older students and those students who previously took more online courses were more likely to take initiative in arranging the study environment. The findings of the study were interpreted in relation to the relevant literature, and the implications and future research directions were also discussed.

How can I Learn More When I Collaborate in a Virtual Group?

Learning in virtual groups has been a process studied and analysed long from multiple perspectives. However, the literature is scarce when we look for models to explain information problem solving skills in online collaboration. A descriptive model of cognitive skills involved in individual information problem solving while using internet information can be found in recent research. The purpose of this study was to find out what information problem solving skills (IPS) students apply when working collaboratively online, and secondly, to analyse what differentiates students who do well on their knowledge tests after collaboration, in relation to these IPS skills. We conducted a research with more than 40 students in 10 virtual groups to analyse the correlation between learning and IPS skills applied by students during an online task that lasted more than 4 weeks. Students completed a weekly self-report with actions related to IPS skills and time devoted to the collaborative task. Findings show that students applied more frequently the skill to check the communication (30%), secondly, read de information (22%), in the third place exchange information (20%), followed by write the information (15%), analyze the information (8%), and finally, search for information (5%). However, only three skills correlate with learning: information exchange, analysis of information and checking communication. Two of them (exchange and check) are collaborative skills and one of them (analysis) is an information problem-solving skill. The conclusions of this study may provide guidelines for instructors and students on ways to improve learning in online collaborative group work.

Help seeking in online collaborative groupwork: a multilevel analysis

This study examined predictive models for students’ help seeking in the context of online collaborative groupwork. Results from multilevel analysis revealed that most of the variance in help seeking was at the individual student level, and multiple variables at the individual level were predictive of help-seeking behaviour. Help seeking was positively related to group role identity and handling groupwork challenges. In addition, full-time and older students were less likely to seek help in online groupwork. Meanwhile, help seeking was negatively related to the number of previous online courses taken. At the group level, ‘peer-oriented reasons’ was a statistically significant predictor for help seeking. The major results were discussed in relation to the previous research findings in this area, and in the general context of online collaborative groupwork in e-learning.

Regulation of Motivation: Students’ Motivation Management in Online Collaborative Groupwork

Background Online learning is becoming a global phenomenon and has a steadily growing influence on how learning is delivered at universities worldwide. Motivation of students, however, has become one of the most serious problems in one important aspect of online learning—online collaborative groupwork or online group homework. It is surprising to note that few empirical studies have focused on how to enhance and sustain student motivation to work together in online learning environments. Purpose The propose of the present study is to propose and test empirical models of variables posited to predict students’ motivation management in online groupwork, with the models informed by (a) research and theorizing on regulation of motivation and (b) findings from online groupwork that alluded to a number of factors that may influence motivation management in online learning environments. Research Design The study reported here used cross-sectional survey data. Participants The participants were 150 graduate students from 46 online groups in the southeastern United States. Results Results from the multilevel analyses revealed that most of the variance in group-work motivation management occurred at the student level, with online groupwork interest as the only significant predictor at the group level. At the student level, the variation in groupwork motivation management was positively related to student initiative, including arranging the environment, managing study time, and help seeking. In addition, group-work motivation management was positively related to feedback from the instructor and peers. Conclusion As most of the variance in online groupwork motivation management occurred at the student level rather than at the group level, online groupwork motivation management was largely a function of individual student characteristics and experiences. The present study further suggests that feedback and student initiative (arranging the environment, managing study time, and help seeking) play an important role in online group-work motivation management. Consequently, it would be beneficial to promote feedback among the instructor and group members in the online groupwork process. In addition, it would be beneficial to encourage students to take more initiative in online groupwork settings to better manage their motivation.

“Finding our time”: Predicting students' time management in online collaborative groupwork

The aim of this study is to propose and empirically examine multilevel models of students' time management in online collaborative groupwork. Student- and group-level predictors of groupwork time management were analyzed in a survey of 204 graduate students from 61 groups in the Southeast of U.S. Results from the multilevel analyses revealed that most of the variance in time management occurred at the student level, with peer-oriented reasons being the only significant predictor at the group level. Results further revealed that groupwork time management was positively related to feedback and students' efforts in arranging the study environment.

Individual and group-level factors for students' emotion management in online collaborative groupwork

The current study examines empirical models of students' emotion management in online collaborative groupwork. Student- and group-level predictors of emotion management in groupwork were analyzed in a survey of 298 graduate students from 86 online study groups in the Southeast of U.S. Results from the multilevel analyses revealed that most of the variance in emotion management occurred at the student level, with help seeking and learning-oriented reasons being the two significant predictors at the group level. Results further revealed that emotion management in groupwork was positively related to feedback, learning-oriented reasons, arranging the environment, monitoring motivation, and help seeking. In addition, compared with part-time students, full-time students were more likely to take initiative in managing their emotion while doing online groupwork.

Collaborative Learning in Online Study Groups: An Evolutionary Game Theory Perspective

Educational benefits of online collaborative group work have been confirmed in numerous research studies. Most frequently cited advantages include the development of skills of critical thinking and problem solving as well as skills of self-reflection and co-construction of knowledge and meaning. However, the establishment and maintenance of active collaboration in online study groups is a challenging task, primarily due to students’ inability (e.g., owing to time constraints or lack of collaboration skills) or reluctance (e.g., due to the lack of or low participation of other group members) to participate actively in the group work. Aiming to better understand and contribute to the resolution of the problems of effective online group work, we followed a novel approach based on Evolutionary Game Theory (EGT). While EGT has been used extensively as a framework for studying the emergence and maintenance of cooperation in many disciplines, to the best of our knowledge, it has not yet been applied to understanding and facilitating group collaboration in online learning settings. In this paper, we present a study we have conducted in order to investigate whether, and to what extent, EGT can be applied to explain students’ participation in collaborative study groups.

Online collaborative learning: Cultural differences in student satisfaction and performance

Recent studies focusing on Western students indicate that online collaboration enhances student learning achievement. Yet few empirical studies have analyzed student satisfaction and performance through online collaboration from a cross-cultural perspective. This study aims to examine student satisfaction and performance in online collaborative learning involving students in two different cultural contexts. A parallel e-learning environment with online collaborative group work was implemented for a group of Chinese fi rst-year students from a national comprehensive university in Beijing, China and a group of Flemish fi rst-year students from a regional comprehensive university in Flanders, Belgium. Differences and similarities with regard to student (dis-)satisfaction and their performance are analyzed and discussed from a cross-cultural perspective.

Applying an activity system to online collaborative group work analysis

AbstractThis study determines whether an activity system provides a systematic framework to analyse collaborative group work. Using an activity system as a unit of analysis, the research examined learner behaviours, conflicting factors and facilitating factors while students engaged in collaborative work via asynchronous computer‐mediated communication. The online postings from the two highest and lowest performing groups of students during one semester were analysed, coded and reorganised. The coded postings of these four groups were then compared using an activity system to identify the difference in patterns of learner behaviours. The conflicting and facilitating factors that students encountered were identified as well. The findings provide implications for online collaborative learning environment design and mediating strategies. The study also addresses some of the challenges in using an activity system to analyse collaborative learning activities and provides suggestions for future research.