What to Expect With Group Work: Problems, Frequency, and Success of Mediation

Abstract

Instructors who wish to take advantage of the benefits of collaborative group work often hesitate over concerns about conflict or problems that arise between students. There are no estimates of the level of conflict that can be expected even if best practices for collaboration are implemented, and there are few tested suggestions for mediating and resolving students’ conflicts once they are identified. This research study sought to determine the frequency and types of conflict exhibited in large-enrollment introductory biology courses that use classroom group work. We compared the ability of a mid-course questionnaire to identify group problems with a validated conflict identification survey. We also compared the satisfaction and achievement level for those groups that reported conflict with those that did not, and between groups that reported conflict but then either declined or accepted mediation. We found that a single question item provided better identification of conflict than a seven-item survey, and that groups that indicated conflict but choose to decline mediation had similar final satisfaction with groups that never indicated a problem. Groups with conflict that selected mediation had lower performance and group satisfaction—perhaps an indication of more serious problems.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peggy Brickman

Peggy Brickman ([email protected]) is a professor in the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.

Austin Lannen

Austin Lannen is an undergraduate at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Jill Beyette

Jill Beyette is an academic professional in the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.