View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Digital Commons @ Gardner-Webb University Gardner-Webb University Digital Commons @ Gardner-Webb University Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects Hunt School of Nursing 2012 An Overview of Collaborative Work: The tudeS nt Experience Shernett M. Chung Gardner-Webb University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/nursing_etd Part of the Nursing Commons Recommended Citation Chung, Shernett M., "An Overview of Collaborative Work: The tudeS nt Experience" (2012). Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects. Paper 108. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Hunt School of Nursing at Digital Commons @ Gardner-Webb University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Gardner-Webb University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. An Overview of Collaborative Work: The Student Experience by Shernett M. Chung A thesis submitted to the faculty of Gardner-Webb University School of Nursing in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science in Nursing Degree Boiling Springs 2012 Submitted by: Approved by: ______________________________ ______________________________ Shernett M. Chung Dr. Vickie Walker ______________________________ ______________________________ Date Date Abstract This study used a descriptive, quantitative design with survey methods to examine the experiences and opinions of 69 graduate and undergraduate nursing students who anonymously responded to questions about group work. The two-fold purpose of the study was to investigate students’ negative perception and experience of collaborative learning in a tertiary level academic setting, and determine if students preferred to use the two instruments suggested in the study as regular components of future group assignments. A review of the literature suggested that the presence of slackers, social justice, and the Matthew Effect were known contributors of negative experiences within groups. The online survey sought to determine how students dealt with slackers in their groups, and the role that they would like their instructors to play in the group work process. The study correctly assumed that: more than half of the student participants would admit to having had poor experiences with group work; they would agree to more teacher input; and would agree to use the two proposed instruments in future group work. The instruments, Accountability Log and Communication Log were preferred by almost three-fourths of the respondents, who also strongly stated that more instructor involvement that spans the duration of the group project was needed. The student respondents believed that instructors needed to instruct students on group behavior and expectations prior to assigning group work, and that the instructors needed to ensure that negative behaviors were addressed. Keywords: Group work, collaborative learning, cooperative learning, group based assessment, slacker, free-rider, social justice, Matthew effect ii Acknowledgements I must express my heartfelt gratitude to my family, the BadreSinghs and the Chungs, who have given me a tremendous amount of encouragement, understanding, and love, and who have been very patient with me during this MSN thesis process. Lyra, Nadjali, Shen Hu, and Peter, thanks for being a constant source of happiness and support. To my best friend, Arlene Ramdeen, thanks for starting this journey with me; I wish that you could see the final product of one of our childhood dreams. iii © Shernett M. Chung All Rights Reserved iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I Introduction ..............................................................................................................1 Problem Statement .......................................................................................1 Purpose .........................................................................................................2 Background/Social Significance and Need ..................................................2 Conceptual Framework ................................................................................5 Significance to Nursing................................................................................6 Theoretical Background of Group Work .....................................................8 Hypothesis....................................................................................................9 Summary ......................................................................................................9 CHAPTER II Literature Review...................................................................................................11 Review of Literature ..................................................................................11 Students’ Attitudes toward Group Work ............................................12 Students’ Perceptions of Instructors’ Responsibilities .......................13 Students’ Perceptions of Group Work ................................................13 Group Relationships............................................................................15 Predicting Student Satisfaction ...........................................................16 Group Dynamics .................................................................................16 Group Trust .........................................................................................17 Collaborative Learning Outcomes ......................................................18 v Fairness in Grade Assignment ............................................................20 Student Roles ......................................................................................21 Summary ....................................................................................................21 CHAPTER III Methodology ..........................................................................................................23 Setting ........................................................................................................23 Sample........................................................................................................23 Design ........................................................................................................23 Protection of Human Subjects ...................................................................24 Instruments .................................................................................................24 Data Collection and Analysis.....................................................................25 Summary ....................................................................................................26 CHAPTER IV Results ....................................................................................................................27 Sample Characteristics ...............................................................................27 Major Findings ...........................................................................................27 Assumptions of Study ................................................................................30 Slackers ...............................................................................................33 Difficulty Scheduling Time to Collaborate .........................................33 Summary ....................................................................................................34 CHAPTER V Discussion ..............................................................................................................35 Implication of Finding ...............................................................................35 vi Application to Theoretical Framework ......................................................37 Limitations .................................................................................................38 Implications for Nursing ............................................................................39 Recommendations ......................................................................................40 Conclusion .................................................................................................42 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................43 APPENDICES A. Accountability Log for Group Members .............................................49 B. Communication Log for Group Members ...........................................51 vii List of Tables Table 1: Description of Demographic Characteristics ...........................................28 Table 2: Major Findings of Student Survey Responses .........................................29 viii List of Figures Figure 1: Pie Chart of Students’ Experience with Group Work ............................30 Figure 2: Pie Chart of Students’ Need for Instructor Involvement in Group Process .........................................................................................31 Figure 3: Pie Chart of Students’ Desire for Instructor Direction on Group Behavior and Expectations ..........................................................31 Figure 4: Pie Chart of Students’ Preference to use Accountability and Communication Logs .............................................................................32 Figure 5: Histogram of Help-Seeking Responses