Conflict resolution and group work.Abstract Group work is a common strategy used by college professors interested in using more student-centered teaching strategies, although, conflict is believed to be common in group projects between students. Very little research, has considered how students perceive and manage group work. The current study fills this void by examining 143 students who recently completed a group project. Results suggest that students who participate in groups learn to manage conflict and improve their communication and cooperation skills. Introduction Various types of instructional methods such as lecture, direct teaching, lecture with discussion, brainstorming, role playing role playing, n in behavioral medicine, learning exercise in which individuals assume characters different from their own. The individual may also be asked to simulate a particularly difficult situation and apply the characteristics that are common to his or group work are employed to educate students. The most common instructional method is lecture-based instruction where factual material is presented in a direct, logical manner (Shuell, 1986). However, with lecture-based instruction the audience is often passive, learning is difficult to gauge, and the communication is one-way one-way adj. 1. Moving or permitting movement in one direction only: a one-way street. 2. Providing for travel in one direction only: a one-way ticket. (Shuell, 1986). As such, this instructional method may limit the amount of learning material retained and comprehended by students. Moreover, educational research indicates that students retain 10 percent of what they read, 20 percent of what they hear, and 90 percent of what they say and do (Reif 1993). Therefore, the field of education in general has evolved to allow for more student-centered learning strategies. These student-centered strategies are called different things including collaborative learning Collaborative learning is an umbrella term for a variety of approaches in education that involve joint intellectual effort by students or students and teachers. Collaborative learning refers to methodologies and environments in which learners engage in a common task in which each , cooperative learning cooperative learning Education theory A student-centered teaching strategy in which heterogeneous groups of students work to achieve a common academic goal–eg, completing a case study or a evaluating a QC problem. See Problem-based learning, Socratic method. , and active learning (Colbeck, Campbell, and Bjorklund 2000). While there are subtle disagreements regarding the precise definition of each strategy, the basic commonality com·mon·al·i·ty n. pl. com·mon·al·i·ties 1. a. The possession, along with another or others, of a certain attribute or set of attributes: a political movement's commonality of purpose. among these strategies is that they call for more active participation of students in pursuit of education. Group work is a common strategy used by college professors interested in using more student-centered teaching strategies. Some authors note that active learning strategies improve the way that students learn about specific concepts related to their courses (Walzer 2001; Zipp 2002). Rinehart (1999) points out that collaborative learning strategies can make theoretically-based concepts and issues more interesting and reduce students' apprehensions about the topics. A similar case can be made for using group projects, a form of collaborative learning. However, students often appear to afraid of, and a little disinterested Free from bias, prejudice, or partiality. A disinterested witness is one who has no interest in the case at bar, or matter in issue, and is legally competent to give testimony. in, the process. Students' concerns about group work often appear to center on the realizations that conflicts often arise when engaging in group work. Some professors also have reservations about group projects. Many view group projects as stifling creativity and creating barriers to learn new skills (Ashraf 2004). If work is divided up, new tasks may not be learned by students. Also, the possibility of conflict often hinders professors from using group projects. Hence, both students and professors may experience any of the following forms of conflict when using group projects: (1) conflicts about how to assign grades fairly, (2) conflicts about time commitments and free riding, and (3) interpersonal in·ter·per·son·al adj. 1. Of or relating to the interactions between individuals: interpersonal skills. 2. conflicts that arise when students are expected to work together. Grading is one of the most commonly debated issues related to group work. How should students be graded? Should each student get the same grade (e.g., a project grade)? Should fellow students have input into the grades students receive? How can the instructor ensure that fair grades are given to students? The answers to these questions vary among instructors. Many professors view group grades in a negative light, therefore, do not agree with giving the same grade to all students without consideration for individual input. Kagan (1995: 68) is especially critical writing: The concept of giving a single grade for each member of a group project is unfair because it prevents exceptional students from being rewarded and allows uncooperative students to get good grades. Moreover, it encourages negative values among students and does not teach them the value of personal accountability. Group grading also deemphasizes the importance of hard work, personal ability, and perseverance. While hard work and personal accountability are laudable laud·a·ble adj. Healthy; favorable. goals, proponents of group grades note that promoting individualism individualism Political and social philosophy that emphasizes individual freedom. Modern individualism emerged in Britain with the ideas of Adam Smith and Jeremy Bentham, and the concept was described by Alexis de Tocqueville as fundamental to the American temper. is not always the message faculty want their students to receive, especially in liberal arts liberal arts, term originally used to designate the arts or studies suited to freemen. It was applied in the Middle Ages to seven branches of learning, the trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, and the quadrivium of arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. oriented o·ri·ent n. 1. Orient The countries of Asia, especially of eastern Asia. 2. a. The luster characteristic of a pearl of high quality. b. A pearl having exceptional luster. 3. courses. Faculty who support assigning as·sign tr.v. as·signed, as·sign·ing, as·signs 1. To set apart for a particular purpose; designate: assigned a day for the inspection. 2. individual grades for group projects have to decide how to determine a particular student's grade. Several advocates recommend that faculty use peer assessment strategies to assist them in developing group grades. Peer assessment strategies allow students to evaluate one another's creativity, writing, research, and input (Brown 1996). These strategies can dramatically alter the grade a student receives. One study comparing group grades and individual grades for one group project found that when individual contributions were considered, at least one third of the students received a grade "different from the grade the project as a whole would have received" (Cheng and Warren 2000: 243). Peer assessment strategies are believed to be most effective when they are implemented early in the project (Brooks and Ammons 2003). Moreover, the earlier a student is aware that his or her peers think he or she is slacking, the better the chance that the student's contributions will improve. In addition to individual grades, some instructors think group projects are inherently unfair when it comes to grading and time commitments that may lead to conflicts among students. Using game theory to understand group work, Pitt (2000) argues that group work disadvantages those students who are forced to work with unproductive students. For students wanting high grades, and willing to put forth the effort, Pitt believes that different collaborative learning strategies, including group projects, are biased. Free riders Free rider A follower who avoids the cost and expense of finding the best course of action simply by mimicking the behavior of a leader who made these investments. or social loafers “Penny loafer” redirects here. For the collegiate a cappella group, see Penny Loafers. Loafers or penny loafers are low, leather step-in shoes usually with moccasin construction, with broad flat heels. They first appeared in the mid 1930s. are students who don't want to do their fair share is also a problem (a.k.a. social loafing  An editor has expressed concern that this article or section is .Please help improve the article by adding information and sources on neglected viewpoints, or by summarizing and , see Brooks and Ammons 2003; Maranto and Gresham 1998) when using group work. Maranto and Gresham (1998) describe the Knickrehm method as a grading strategy to handle free riding. The Knickrehm method is a form of peer assessment where students are given a total number of points to distribute among others in their groups. It's similar to how our chairpersons figure out merit raises. They have a certain amount to distribute, and they decide based on productivity how much someone should receive. In the Knickrehm method, the instructor uses the students' input and ultimately decides the final grade. Most professors have probably worked with a free rider or social loafer in one capacity or another. As students, some of us probably work with social loafers, while some of the rest of us may have assumed the role of social loafer ourselves. If we were a social loafer, what was it that brought us out of that role, if we are out of it? Is it possible that social loafers learn from group work that they are, in fact, social loafers? From a dramaturgical dram·a·tur·gy n. The art of the theater, especially the writing of plays. dram  a·tur perspective, could social loafers assume
the identity of the contributor by learning from other students what
their roles should be in a group? Of course, productive students rarely
look at free riders as an opportunity to display their altruistic al·tru·ism n. 1. Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness. 2. Zoology Instinctive cooperative behavior that is detrimental to the individual but contributes to the survival of the species. sides. Concerns about grading and free riding together are likely to create a situation in which conflict will arise among students in the group. Other aspects of group work may eventually lead to conflict as well (McKinney et al. 2004). Where are students supposed to meet? How are they supposed to find suitable times? How should they use their time? How should they approach the project? These and other questions that must be addressed could possibly lead to group conflict. Certainly, many faculty members may avoid group work for no other reason than they know that conflict will occur. Others see the creation of this conflict as a good thing because students will be forced to learn how to resolve conflict (Nance and Mackey-Kallis 1997). While much has been written about the advantages of group work, very little research has considered what students learn about resolving conflict and how they would change aspects of group work. We address this void by evaluating how our students enrolled in an applied research methods course reported resolving conflict Methods All graduating seniors in our department are required to take a course titled Capstone Research Project. This course is group centered and provides students the opportunity to learn how to conduct research by actually doing a study. They decide on a topic, write a literature review, decide upon an appropriate methodology, obtain human subjects approval within the college, collect and analyze the data using either SPSS A statistical package from SPSS, Inc., Chicago (www.spss.com) that runs on PCs, most mainframes and minis and is used extensively in marketing research. It provides over 50 statistical processes, including regression analysis, correlation and analysis of variance. or SAS (1) (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, www.sas.com) A software company that specializes in data warehousing and decision support software based on the SAS System. Founded in 1976, SAS is one of the world's largest privately held software companies. See SAS System. , and finally present their findings in a research-like symposium symposium In ancient Greece, an aristocratic banquet at which men met to discuss philosophical and political issues and recite poetry. It began as a warrior feast. Rooms were designed specifically for the proceedings. with faculty acting as discussants. Surveys were collected from 145 students enrolled in the courses in which the instructor assigned as·sign tr.v. as·signed, as·sign·ing, as·signs 1. To set apart for a particular purpose; designate: assigned a day for the inspection. 2. individual grades. The survey consisted of two sections--a close-ended section and an open-ended section which assessed how students felt about group work in general. To analyze the close-ended questions, respondents In the context of marketing research, a representative sample drawn from a larger population of people from whom information is collected and used to develop or confirm marketing strategy. were given a Likert-type scale and could respond that they strongly disagreed, disagreed, agreed, or strongly agreed with the respective question. Content analysis was conducted to analyze responses the open-ended questions A closed-ended question is a form of question, which normally can be answered with a simple "yes/no" dichotomous question, a specific simple piece of information, or a selection from multiple choices (multiple-choice question), if one excludes such non-answer responses as dodging a . The responses were coded and organized based on common themes which arose. This paper provides the results from the open-ended section question which asked students.... What did you learn about resolving conflict from your group project?" Results Students were generally positive about what they learned about group projects. Results from the close-ended questions described elsewhere (Payne and Monk-Turner, 2005) reveal the following patterns: * Nearly 90 percent agreed that they learned more from the group centered research project than they would have through any other teaching method. * One-third of the students did not think members of the group contributed equally. * One-third of the students did not look forward to future group projects. * Two-thirds of the students thought more classes should use group projects. From the analysis of the open-ended questions, four overlapping themes consistently arose in their comments. These themes included the following: (1) Cooperation, (2) Reciprocal Bilateral; two-sided; mutual; interchanged. Reciprocal obligations are duties owed by one individual to another and vice versa. A reciprocal contract is one in which the parties enter into mutual agreements. learning, (3) Learning about interpersonal communication Interpersonal communication is the process of sending and receiving information between two or more people. Types of Interpersonal Communication This kind of communication is subdivided into dyadic communication, Public speaking, and small-group communication. , and (4) "I learned nothing." Details are discussed below. Cooperation A common theme noted by the students was that they learned how to compromise in order to better achieve the aims of the project. Students made comments such as "compromise has to happen," "compromise is better than fighting," and "you have to give a little to get a little." While students probably already knew the importance of compromise, the group project allowed students to recognize first hand how valuable compromising skills truly are. In the words of one student: "I learned that the most important thing to do was compromise. We couldn't all have our way every time, so sometimes you give in a little." Another student stated, "I liked being able to get opinions from three other group members and then being able to come to a final decision based on the input from all the group members." Reciprocal Learning Somewhat related to learning about how to compromise, students also reported learning that can, in fact, learn from one another. The following comments made by students describing what they learned are indicative of this reciprocal learning process: * Everyone has different views on different things. * How to take everyone's point of view into consideration. * To use constructive criticism. Other students provided more specific examples of how they learned from one another. Said one student, "others can learn from your mistakes and you can learn from their mistakes. Another student reported learning the following: You can get a task accomplished much more efficiently. You have five people contributing and giving their thoughts and ideas. If there is something you don't understand, another group member who does can help you. Five minds are better than one. The process of reciprocal learning seemed to make students feel better about the project and themselves. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. one student, "I like that I was able to call and ask for help when I needed it and I could ask others' opinions on my work." Another important aspect of reciprocal learning is that students seemed to learn about diversity in all of its different meaning. An older student said she learned this about younger students: "I think that the younger students should take a lesson or two on how to work as a team. They seem to bicker bick·er intr.v. bick·ered, bick·er·ing, bick·ers 1. To engage in a petty, bad-tempered quarrel; squabble. See Synonyms at argue. 2. a lot and lack conflict resolution." Another student acknowledged how everyone's different backgrounds created a better project when he stated the following: "I liked the diversity of ideas, backgrounds, and races. Each person brought a different set of work ethics work ethic n. A set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. work ethic Noun a belief in the moral value of work and standards that were incorporated to everyone's satisfaction." Learning about Interpersonal Communication The most common thing students reported learning about was how to improve various aspects of their interpersonal communication skills. Students often made comments saying that they learned "to talk it out," "to utilize conflict resolution," or "that communication is essential." Other students' comments (e.g., "We all learned about discussing differences and resolving them maturely," "You learn to communicate better with people you don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. ") also seemed to indicate that students gained a great deal of appreciation for interpersonal skills "Interpersonal skills" refers to mental and communicative algorithms applied during social communications and interactions in order to reach certain effects or results. The term "interpersonal skills" is used often in business contexts to refer to the measure of a person's ability . Students also learned how to apply interpersonal skills. One student, for example, said that he learned that "You can work things out through listening and explaining." Another reported that she learned to "be direct and open-minded." A third student said she learned that "differences can be worked out by sitting down and calmly discussing any conflicts." Another student said he learned "you have to tell someone what to expect from them." Students also reported learning about their own and others' interpersonal communication skills. One student, for example, made the following comments: "I liked getting to know different people. I was nervous about giving my ideas at first, but my group members liked them." Also showing that she learned how to communicate with others, another student said, "I learned that you have to validate To prove something to be sound or logical. Also to certify conformance to a standard. Contrast with "verify," which means to prove something to be correct. For example, data entry validity checking determines whether the data make sense (numbers fall within a range, numeric data others to not make others [sic Latin, In such manner; so; thus. A misspelled or incorrect word in a quotation followed by "[sic]" indicates that the error appeared in the original source. ] feel insignificant and outside of the group." "I Learned Nothing." A handful of students reported they did not learn anything about students. One student, for example briefly said, "I learned nothing. Group members still have their differences." Another student was just as pessimistic pes·si·mism n. 1. A tendency to stress the negative or unfavorable or to take the gloomiest possible view: "We have seen too much defeatism, too much pessimism, too much of a negative approach" about group work stating about groups: "They usually don't work." Concluding Remarks Our results suggest that students learn a great deal of useful skills, beyond the actual skills of doing research, when they participate in group projects. They learn, or hone, (1) their communication skills, (2) their cooperation skills, and (3) how to learn from one another. As well, a handful of students had "less than favorable fa·vor·a·ble adj. 1. Advantageous; helpful: favorable winds. 2. Encouraging; propitious: a favorable diagnosis. 3. " impressions about group work. Still, these results are quite telling for college instructors resistant to group projects because of their concerns about student conflict. Three points can be made about students' responses to conflict. First, professors are correct in expecting conflict to occur between students working together. Any time individuals are expected to work collaboratively, whether as students or co-workers, conflict is sure to occur. The task at hand is to recognize that this conflict can be productive and useful. Second, it is prudent to recognize that students will be able to overcome conflicts that arise. Developing the ability to overcome conflict in group settings is definitely a strength of group work. Protecting students from group work on the grounds that we do not want them to experience conflict does a disservice dis·ser·vice n. A harmful action; an injury. disservice Noun a harmful action Noun 1. to students can be better prepared for future conflict by overcoming it in the college experience. Third, it is equally prudent to note that students learn a great deal from overcoming conflict. They learn how to talk to one another and listen to one another. They also learn how to work collaboratively and develop goals consistent with the group. In addition, they learn that they have something to offer to their fellow group members. Developing this sort of insight will certainly better prepare students for the careers they will eventually enter. References Ashraf, Mohammad. 2004. "A Critical Look at the Use of Group Projects as a Pedagogical ped·a·gog·ic also ped·a·gog·i·cal adj. 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of pedagogy. 2. Characterized by pedantic formality: a haughty, pedagogic manner. Tool." Journal of Education for Business 79(4), 213-216. Brooks, Charles M. and Janice L. Ammons. 2003. Free Riding in Group Projects. Journal of Education for Business 78(5): 268-272. Brown, Sue. 1996. "Assessing Individual Performance on Group Projects." Focus on Learning Problems in Mathematics 18(4): 1-7. Cheng, Winnie and Martin Warren. 2000. "Making a Difference: Using Peers to Assess Individual Students' Contributions to a Group Project." Teaching in Higher Education higher education Study beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. 5(2): 243-256. Colbeck, Carol L., Susan E. Campbell, and Stefani Bjorklund. 2000. "Grouping in the Dark." Journal of Higher Education 71 : 60-78. Kagan, Spencer. 1995. "Group Grades Miss the Mark." Educational Leadership 52(8): 68-71. Maranto, Robert and April Gresham. 1998. "Using World Series Shares to Fight Free Riding in Groups." Political Science and Politics 31 (4): 789-791. McKinney, Kathleen, Maria A. Medvedeva, Karey Vacca, and Janice Malak. 2004. "Beyond the Classroom." Teaching Sociology Teaching Sociology (TS) is an academic journal in the field of sociology, published quarterly ( January, April, July, October) by American Sociological Association. Teaching Sociology publishes articles, notes, and reviews intended to be helpful to the discipline's teachers. 32(1): 43-60. Nance, Teresa and Susan Mackey-Kallis. 1997. "Can't You Just Talk to Them? Small Group work in a Senior Thesis Course." A paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Chicago, 1L, November 19-23, abstract retrieved July 5, 2004. Payne, Brian and Elizabeth Monk-Turner. (2005). "Students' Attitudes about Group Work." College Student Journal (in press). Pitt, M.J. 2000. "The Application of Game Theory to Group Project Assessment." Teaching in Higher Education 5(2): 233-241. Rief, Sandra sandra (sänˑ·dr  ),adj F. 1993. How to Reach & Teach ADD/ADHD Children: Practical Techniques, Strategies, and Interventions for Helping Children with Attention Problems and Hyperactivity hyperactivity, excessive physical activity of emotional or physiological origin, usually seen in young children; one of the components of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. . West Nyack, N.Y: Center for Applied Research in Education Rinehart, Jane A. 1999. "Turning Theory into Theorizing: Collaborative Learning in a Sociological Theory Sociological Theory is a peer-reviewed journal published by Blackwell Publishing for the American Sociological Association. It covers the full range of sociological theory - from ethnomethodology to world systems analysis, from commentaries on the classics to the latest Course." Teaching Sociology 27(3): 216-232. Shuell, Thomas (language) Thomas - A language compatible with the language Dylan(TM). Thomas is NOT Dylan(TM). The first public release of a translator to Scheme by Matt Birkholz, Jim Miller, and Ron Weiss, written at Digital Equipment Corporation's Cambridge Research Laboratory runs . 1986. "Cognitive conceptions of learning." Review of Educational Research, 4:411-436. Walzer, Susan. 2001. "Developing Sociologists through the Qualitative Study of College Life." Teaching Sociology 29(1): 88-94. Zipp, John F. 2002. "The Impact of Social Structure on Mate Selection." Teaching Sociology 30(2): 174-184. Brian K. Payne, Old Dominion University “ODU” redirects here. For other uses, see ODU (disambiguation). The university was recently named one of the best colleges in the Southeast by The Princeton Review. , VA Melvina Sumter, Old Dominion University, VA Elizabeth Monk-Turner, Old Dominion University, VA Payne, Ph.D., is professor of Criminal Justice, Sumter is assistant professor of criminal justice, and Monk-Turner. Ph.D., is professor of Sociology. |
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