Use Of Group Work Research Articles

Development and evaluation of the effectiveness of an individual educational route for a younger student with disabilities

In this article existing approaches to the development and implementation of an individual educational route for a younger student in an inclusive school environment were analyzed. This work was carried out as part of the dissertation research. The author presents the results of a comparative analysis of regulatory and pedagogical literature, revealing the content of such concepts as individual educational trajectory, educational environment, educational space, individual educational route, and individual curriculum. The contradictions between modern scientific ideas about the essence of an individual path in education for normatively developing children and its reduction in inclusive practice to a consolidated plan of correctional and developmental work are revealed. If in the first case, the role of the student is characterized by subjectivity, the goals of individualization of education are associated with the identification and implementation of the cognitive interests and inclinations of the child, and the role of the teacher is to provide pedagogical support and facilitation, to promote educational ideas, trials, then in the situation of developing an individual educational route for a student with disabilities of health in the center of attention is his nosology. The "route" here represents the stages of the correctional and developmental work of specialists, which is a necessary condition for the child's life, his development, but not the only tool for the individualization of education, understood as the process and result of building a person's image through the development of culture in ways that are adequate for him, at a pace and choice of content... The article proposes the author's interpretation of the concept of an individual educational route for a child with disabilities, identifies the structural components, highlights the participants contributing to its formation. As the basic resources of the variable educational environment, based on this environment an individual educational route is designed, it is proposed to consider the spheres of additional and informal education. The author presents a semi-structured interview as a pedagogical tool that allows you to design an individual educational route and evaluate its effectiveness within the framework of an anthropological approach to education. The proposed semi-structured interview as a pedagogical toolkit is intended for use in group work with the inclusion of a family raising a child with disabilities, a teacher of additional education, and other members of the inclusive community. The results and conclusions of the article, the described stages of the semi-structured interview can be used in the work of psychological and pedagogical councils of general education schools that implement educational programs for children with special educational needs.

REVISITING GROUP WORK METHOD IN THE CONTEXT OF NON-FORMAL EDUCATION

The use of group work in non-formal education has been practiced for many years. Researchers mention that group work may be mutually beneficial for learners in terms of the acquired knowledge, however, group work participants might be carried away by dealing with relationships within the group. In recent years, various international projects of training courses for youth and adult educators choose learner-centred group work or workshop format instead of traditional teacher-centred lecturing style. Also, generation of millennials who are digital residents and are more accustomed to technologies and telephones than face-to-face interaction requires more detailed preparing of the activities of the group work. Young adults prefer to work with facilitators who are approachable, supportive, good communicators, and good motivators. According to the previous research results, during the work group learners develop critical thinking skills, time management skills, team work and presentation skills, tolerance and other skills. The present paper is an attempt to research the strengths and weaknesses of the group work method in non-formal education in the framework of two international project activities: Nordplus adult education project “Design thinking method for creative tackling unemployment” and international youth training of Erasmus+ project "You(th)r Culture". The conclusion gives the summary of the findings of the research, focusing on the benefits of using of the group work method for the multinational audience of adult educators and youth, as well as identifying the main differences in its implementation for the relevant audiences.

The Use Of Group Work To Enhance Speaking Skills For High School Students In Vietnam

The Use Of Group Work To Enhance Speaking Skills For High School Students In Vietnam

Students Choice of Group Mates: Avoiding Conflict to Enhance Learning

The use of group work in student centered collaborative learning in STEM courses has widely increased over the past decades. There is significant evidence available in literature about the benefits of group work in terms of student learning, peer acceptance, and retention of knowledge. However, group work is not beneficial if the groups are not structured strategically. There is conflicting evidence in the literature about what type of group structures are most beneficial for enhanced learning. There is a significant gap in the literature about how to compose groups in order to maximize cognitive engagement, performance, and satisfaction and minimize interpersonal conflicts in undergraduate inquiry‐based introductory labs. One of the goals of our study is to understand the impact of the group selection methods on student network formation in association with group dynamics and conflicts that arise.To explore this idea, we used a socio‐cognitive perspective in combination with the framework of Cooperative Learning Effects on Learning to conduct a longitudinal study in thirty‐five sections of an undergraduate inquiry‐based biology laboratory at the University of Georgia (n=796). Our data was collected over a 3‐week period in the form of 7 surveys over the summer semester and over 7 weeks in the Spring semester. After each lab, students were given a survey that asked them to report who they worked with, things they noted as good and bad traits in their group mates, how frequently they communicated, how they rated effort from their group mates, and if they planned to work with these students again the following week. The data from the first five surveys in each of the semesters was analyzed quantitatively by social network analysis.The student network analysis showed that there is clustering with respect to gender and ethnicity regardless of whether students are in the structured or unstructured lab. Empirical observations suggest that pre‐class friends choose to work together. In the unstructured sections, students chose to work with the same group members throughout the lab course, even when given the option to change groups. Students would rather stay with a problem group member that they know rather than confront the issue and change groups. In the preliminary data, students were asked to identify “good” and “bad” group member traits. The top three good group member traits were “prepared” “interested in class”, and “participated.” Students in the unstructured labs (9%; n= 540) are less likely to report negative comments about their group members in comparison to students in structured labs (16%; n=532). In the future, we are going to run qualitative analysis in case studies to understand at what point students will report intragroup conflicts.Support or Funding InformationThis study was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant no. 1659423 as part of the UBER‐REU program, however; the findings of this study do not explicitly represent the views of the NSF. We would like to thank the GLAs and students who contributed data to this study. Additionally, we would like to thank Destiny Williams, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Cellular Biology, and the SEER Centre for contributions to this project.

Choosing between the Truth and Participants' Rights: The Dilemma of a Qualitative Researcher

AbstractMaking group work works in a classroom can be challenging, not only in the attainment of the objectives or results of the group work, but also of the whole process. This phenomenological study on the use of group work among pre-service teachers was initially aimed at exploring their experiences and understanding of group work as a process of learning and teaching. The study involved twelve final year female students enrolled in an undergraduate skill-based course. The students were given the task of organizing a field trip to an orphanage. They were provided with guidelines in planning and managing the trip, after which they were required to write a report. Students also documented their experience in a journal. Students’ reports and journals were analysed, and resulted in three broad themes, which were group work as a constructive pedagogy, as a process of development or learning, and the challenges of group work in terms of group dynamics. However, the third theme, which is, the intra and inter group relations and interactions, put the researcher in a situation where she found herself in a dilemma to present either the truth of the study (i.e. the results), or to maintain the rights of the participants. This paper discusses how the researcher managed her dilemma through the negotiation of her roles as a researcher and course instructor. At the same time, she was compelled to redefine the boundaries of the study with the participants’ consent. The paper reveals that a researcher’s readiness to return to the field and to the participants is imperative in our attempt to ensure that the ethical issues of a research are carefully attended to.Keywords: Qualitative study, phenomenology, researcher’s roles, ethical issues, group work, group dynamics, pre-service teachers

The investigation of effectiveness of individual and group forms of learning a foreign language in Kazakhstan

It is known that the language classroom is the place where teachers and learners come together for interaction and students can learn English in natural settings. Group work is a teaching strategy at all levels of education and researchers have observed that group based assignments and discussions are a common feature of tertiary education. The effective use of group work in the language class can provide a valuable learning experience to students and give them the opportunity to practically experience the language exposure of the ideas presented and strengthen their learning.
 In this regard, this paper attempts to identify the efficiency of individual and group work teaching strategy of the students to excel at foreign language learning. Then, the paper aims to define the effect of individual and group work of students’ value participation in academic communication. Finally, the paper tries to determine the most effective methods for working in a group and individually with the help of the data obtained with the help of a purpose-designed questionnaire to assess their preference for different teaching methods.

A Perspective Evaluation of Group Work in English Language Classroom

This paper provides insights into how Jordanian university students perceive their experiences in learning English through group work activities. A total of 55 students of Mutah University who learn English as a preparation for their TOEFL examination took part in this quantitative study which was carried out in the first semester of the 2019 academic year. The respondents are from different majors, such as Business Administration and International Relations. Data were collected through three sets of questionnaires with a 5 point Likert scale which focused on the learner perspectives regarding the use of group work for English language learning, the student-peer collaboration, and the student-teacher collaboration involved in the group work activities. Descriptive statistics involving frequency counts and percentage were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that the majority of the students had positive views regarding the use of group work for language learning. They were also satisfied with the collaboration with their peers and the teacher throughout the group work activities. However, in comparison, the student-peer collaboration is perceived as less positive than the student-teacher collaboration. This study concludes that group work is favoured by the students but for the group work to be successful, their collaborative skills need to be improved.

EFFECTS OF GROUP WORK WITH CREATIVE WRITING TECHNIQUE ON STUDENTS’ NARRATIVE WRITING AT DAYANU IKHSANUDDIN UNIVERSITY BAUBAU

The aims of this research were to find out whether the use of Group Work with Creative Writing Technique improves the students’ writing skills and interest of students’. Quasi-experimental design was applied in this research. The experiment of this research was third semester students of English Educational Study Program of Dayanu Ikhsanuddin Baubau, in 2014/2015 academic years. The sample of the research was 80 students which consist of two classes; in experimental 40 students and control class 40 students. There were two instruments in getting the data on this research : the test on narrative writing as well as questionaires to get the interest. The researcher used descriptive and inferential for test data analysis. Meanwhile , likert cale for interest. The findings were: (1) the application of Group Work with Creative Writing technique got the students’ writing performance improved, (2) the application of Group Work with Creative Writing technique is interesting to the students on writing class. On the other hand, the application of Group Work with Creative Writing technique improved the students’ writing performance on content, organization, vocabulary, language use and mechanics and they got very high interest on the application of Group Work with Creative Writing technique in teaching writing.

Small changes, big gains: A curriculum-wide study of teaching practices and student learning in undergraduate biology.

A growing body of evidence has shown that active learning has a considerable advantage over traditional lecture for student learning in undergraduate STEM classes, but there have been few large-scale studies to identify the specific types of activities that have the greatest impact on learning. We therefore undertook a large-scale, curriculum-wide study to investigate the effects of time spent on a variety of classroom activities on learning gains. We quantified classroom practices and related these to student learning, assessed using diagnostic tests written by over 3700 students, across 31 undergraduate biology classes at a research-intensive university in the Pacific Northwest. The most significant positive predictor of learning gains was the use of group work, supporting the findings of previous studies. Strikingly, we found that the addition of worksheets as an active learning tool for in-class group activities had the strongest impact on diagnostic test scores. This particular low-tech activity promotes student collaboration, develops problem solving skills, and can be used to inform the instructor about what students are struggling with, thus providing opportunities for valuable and timely feedback. Overall, our results indicate that group activities with low barriers to entry, such as worksheets, can result in significant learning gains in undergraduate science.

Self-efficacy and self-regulatory factors as impediments to Pasifika students’ success in accounting education

Purpose This paper aims to examine the issues of underrepresentation and barriers that impede Pasifika students’ achievement and success in tertiary accounting education. Design/methodology/approach The participants of the study were the second- and third-year students from the “Pasifika” ethnic community enrolled in undergraduate accounting degree papers. The first stage of data were collected through face-to-face questionnaire survey and quantitatively analysed. Further data were collected through focus group meetings held as “talona” sessions and analysed using descriptive narrative, to capture the lived experience of the students. Findings The findings of the study suggest that low self-efficacy beliefs, low self-regulation and culturally unresponsive pedagogical practices negatively impact on Pasifika student success in accounting education. Better student engagement; use of culturally responsive pedagogy; utilisation of internal assessment tools; and more strategic use of group work could help enhance the retention and success of Pasifika students in accounting programmes. The findings also suggest that the institutional support framework for Pasifika students’ needs to be more responsive to proactively help develop their self-efficacy and self-regulation learning needs. Practical implications This research makes a significant contribution by informing accounting educators, support staff, tertiary institutions and other stakeholders including Pasifika students, of potential challenges faced by Pasifika students in completing a tertiary accounting qualification. The findings have the potential to assist in the design and implementation of actionable strategies to enhance the retention and success rates for students from this group. Originality/value This research complements earlier studies on barriers faced by students from disadvantaged communities in gaining tertiary qualifications and looks specifically at challenges faced by Pasifika students in gaining an accounting qualification.

Group work in Ghana with persons living with HIV/AIDS

ABSTRACT Social work practice in Ghana involves the use of group work as a method of providing services for clients. However, not much Ghanaian literature exists on group work. This provides a narrative of a group worker’s facilitation of a support group for persons living with HIV/AIDS to highlight the lessons learned from the experience.

Embedding and Sustaining Inclusive Practice to Support Disabled Students in Online and Blended Learning

UK higher education data has shown persistent differences in degree outcomes for specific student groups. Consequently, the Office for Students (the UK government’s higher education regulator) are funding 17 projects to address these inequalities. Building on its expertise, our institution is leading the IncSTEM project alongside colleagues from two other universities, to evaluate, scale up and promote inclusive teaching and learning practice within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines in higher education.There are challenges with inclusive distance learning, many of which are emphasised in STEM through the prevalence of practical and field activities, the widespread use of groupwork, and the use of text that is rich in symbolic notation. Online and blended learning approaches, including access to digital learning resources, bring opportunities for more inclusive practice, but can also lead to unforeseen and unquantified barriers for students. Integrating an inclusive approach to teaching and learning requires universities to embed and sustain practices that consider the diverse needs of students throughout curriculum design and delivery, bringing benefits to all students.In this paper, we present data on staff perceptions and practices regarding accessibility and inclusion for disabled students, explore examples of inclusive practice, and discuss how these can be applied by practitioners in order to create a higher education environment in which students of all backgrounds and characteristics are able to succeed.

The Use of Group Work in the Teaching of Writing Skills in Secondary Schools in Keiyo North Sub County, Kenya

Writing plays a significant role in the school curriculum. However, studies have pointed out that secondary school students lack basic skills of writing. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to assess the use of group work in the teaching of writing skills in secondary schools in Keiyo North sub county, Kenya. The objectives were to: find out teachers' knowledge and understanding of group work as a teaching strategy and to determine the nature of learning activities teachers engage learners in when using group work to teach writing skills. The study was guided by the constructivist theory by Jerome Bruner. The study utilized descriptive survey research design and it targeted 43 teachers of English and 3,574 Form 4 students drawn from 19 secondary schools in Keiyo north Sub County. Purposive sampling was used to select 13 teachers of English while stratified, proportionate and simple random sampling procedures using the lottery technique were used to select a sample size of 364 Form 4 students. This study used the questionnaire, interview and observation schedules to collect data. Quantitative data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics including: frequencies and percentage and was presented in tables, figures and descriptions. Qualitative data were categorized and analyzed using content analysis procedures and reported in emergent themes based on study objectives and variables. The study found out that majority of the teachers did not utilize group work in teaching of writing skills.

Developing a procedure for learning and assessing peer review in a forensic science programme

Peer review of forensic casework is essential for ensuring quality and reducing error rates. However, it is not a common component of forensic science degree courses, and there are no published studies, guidelines or methods for teaching and learning forensic peer review. This study describes a method of learning, teaching and assessing forensic peer review through the use of group work to prepare checklists for reviewing casefiles and expert witness reports, followed by individual peer feedback. Example checklists and assessment criteria are provided. The peer feedback comments on expert reports were categorised revealing that suggestions are the most frequent type of feedback provided, followed by questions. Through a questionnaire, participants strongly agreed that the learning and teaching process described here was relevant to their future professional practice, and that through the use of checklists they understood the criteria for effective forensic peer review. It emerged from a semistructured interview that limited time led some students to surface review expert reports, that peers were seen as legitimate sources of knowledge, and additional feedback from lecturers was required. This study may be relevant to other areas where professional peer review is used, such as open source software development, nursing and community pharmacy.

Traditional vs Non-traditional Teaching and Learning Strategies - the case of E-learning!

The traditional teaching approaches are generally teacher-directed and where students are taught in a manner that is conducive to sitting and listening. It is true that the traditional expectations and department philosophies often allow us to continue with the lecture-based model with some useful results as evident by the past accomplishments of many and this cannot be disputed as much. However it is often argued that the traditional approach may not provide students with valuable skills and indeed some even go as far as saying the traditional method leads to a student not retaining knowledge after exams - they have little or no recall of the body of knowledge learnt beyond the end of a semester, for example. The teaching of mathematics that is usually referred to or called non-traditional uses constructivist philosophy as its basis; this implicates strategies in which the individual is making sense of his or her universe. So the student is an active participant, which allows an individual to develop, construct or rediscover knowledge - a major goal that can be very time consuming process if taken literally for each student; alternately, there is also a philosophical position known as social constructivism; which suggests group work, language and discourse to be vital for learning in a cultural framework of the knowledge base; so the use of group work, discussion, and group solving problems in a cooperative manner lead to a discourse which is believed to be the most important part of learning process. It is argued that the non-traditional teaching is done using a problem solving approach; where the learner is the problem solver.Typically, university lecturers in mathematics and engineering are often not trained in the non-traditional classroom methods. Some have argued that even if they included non-traditional teaching in their universities in fact they may not be in reality using the so called non-traditional methods and goals. They argue that lecturers are often lacking the underlying philosophical knowledge of the non-traditional goals and objectives, and therefore they are not in a position to implement such methodologies and assessment techniques, in reality, even when they say they are.The non-traditional teaching and learning (NTTL) in mathematics and engineering needs to be well understood before any appropriate comparisons can be made with the older techniques if we are to do it in professional manner. For example the teachers of engineering courses need to reflect where the students are coming from, and where will they need to be after completing the course; also lecturers need to keep the context and goals of the course the degree program in mind while preparing for their class teaching content for the semester. So, we need to consider the knowledge, procedures, skills, beliefs and attitudes that will be expected for each student of mathematics or engineering at the end of the course that is to be taught in a time frame of 12 to 13 weeks; in addition to keeping the economic constraints of a university in modern times in check at all times.The computer based teaching technology (e-learning) is now constantly used in mathematics and engineering courses. The e-learning methodology is considered to be in line with the non-traditional approaches than the traditional teaching approaches; and this paper critically reviews the literature on mathematics and engineering that have made comparisons of the approaches outlined. The paper will specifically examine the advantages/disadvantages of the approaches as well the manner in which they influence performance of students in mathematics and engineering courses.

Upskilling student engineers: The role of design in meeting employers’ needs

Integrated learning makes use of group work to develop students’ professional competencies in tandem with their transferable skills. This paper looks at the skills required to undertake a fourth year chemical engineering “capstone design project” (Design) and the skills developed therein. Staff and students were surveyed about their perceived skills abilities, both before and after the project; the results of which showed agreement as to the skills necessary to undertake Design: these were grouped under personal effectiveness skills, communication skills or research skills. Students described a number of extra-curricular activities that contributed to skills development but sometimes failed to appreciate their transference to academic arenas. The surveyed students indicated that their confidence in all skills areas was increased by Design: but there were instances where some individual sub-set devaluing occurred. There is a link between experiential practice, predominantly as a result of producing assessed components, and high skills confidence; hence, it is recommended that students are encouraged to reflect on their project experience and that integrated learning be promoted to develop all skills effectively.

Primary teachers` beliefs about teaching English to young learners

While there is a growing belief that English should be taught from an early age in order to achieve better results, little is known about the practices and attitudes of primary school English teachers in Spain. Therefore, a qualitative study based on interviews with 22 primary school teachers of English was carried out in order to investigate teachers’ beliefs about teaching methodology, the use of group work and the use of the mother tongue. It was found that all the teachers believe in following a communicative approach which focuses mainly on speaking and listening and in which the explicit teaching of grammar plays a minor role. Most of the teachers also claimed to use only the target language in class and to make frequent use of group and pair work. One of the aspects which seems to have influenced these teachers’ attitudes is their own negative experience as language learners in traditional, grammar-based classrooms.

English

Group learning has become a common practice in schools and tertiary institutions. It provides more comfortable and supportive learning environment than solitary work. It fosters critical thinking skills, develops individual accountability, increases levels of reasoning and positive interdependence, improves problem-solving strategies and internalizes content knowledge. But many factors influence the group relation, such as members’ perceptions, attitudes and willingness to cooperate and contribute as a team. Therefore, this study was conducted on students’ perceptions and attitudes towards the usefulness of group work mainly, and how the students evaluate factors that may affect their participation specifically. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Bule Hora University from February to June, 2015. Quantitative research approaches had been applied; using semi-structured face-to-face interviews and focus group discussion with Biology students and Instructors. Of the total number of 47 students who participated in the study, 25 (53%) of the students’ responded that they prefer group work than other types of assessment while few of them 4 (8.51%) replied that they disagree with group work use. The results indicated that students had misconception on objectives of group work and they perceived group work as a means of getting pass mark than seeing it as a means of learning cooperatively through activity. Key words: Group work, biology, students’ perception, Bule Hora, Ethiopia.

Supporting self-management by Community Matrons through a group intervention; an action research study.

The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and impact of a group intervention by Community Matrons to support those living with multiple long-terms conditions. Little evidence exists as to how the role of the Community Matron (CM) should be delivered to effectively enhance disease self-management and levels of self-efficacy for the service users. This qualitative participatory action research study explored the use of group work as a method of intervention by CMs. A purposive sample of 29 participants was recruited. Each patient group had 8-10 participants, led by a CM working in both the researcher and practitioner role, operating over 12-month period. Data were collected by participant observation, researcher reflexive account and interviews. Grounded theory method was used to systematically analyse the data. Three main data categories emerged: (i) comparison by patients that leads to re-motivation of the self; (ii) learning, leading to enhanced self-management techniques, through storytelling and understanding of each other's experiences; and (iii) ownership that resulted in the self-awareness, cognisance and insight into the role of the support group they were based in and how it benefited them. The core category of 'Taking back the self - understanding the whole,' conveyed the impact that this care delivery method had upon readjusting the balance of power between health professional and service users and its consequence in refreshing and improving their self-management and the patients' self-efficacy. It was concluded that CM intervention using a model of group learning can lead to more effective and efficient support, through improving self-efficacy and patients' related self-management ability.

Advantages and Drawbacks of Using Group Work in Translator Training

Abstract Nowadays the role of a lecturer has considerably changed as the study process has become more student-centered. Students’ cooperation and communication, sharing knowledge and ideas have become highly valuable. The aim of the research was to improve the quality of translator training identifying students’ opinion about the advantages and drawbacks of group work. The conducted research allows concluding that the use of group work in the process of translation is a successful way of diversifying the process of translator training because in spite of some drawbacks the group translation facilitates the development of the translator's experience, skills and language competence.