With the advent of knowledge-information society, a vast amount of information is available at classes. In this environment, problem solving skill is getting more important than memorizing skill. Furthermore, the style of learning is being changed fro...
With the advent of knowledge-information society, a vast amount of information is available at classes. In this environment, problem solving skill is getting more important than memorizing skill. Furthermore, the style of learning is being changed from individual-based to team-based learning.
In order to manage this consistently changing circumstance, it is necessary for schools to lead students to develop themselves by sharing knowledge among others.
As an alternative method of instruction, team project-based learning comes into the spotlights since it helps students improve creative learning and accomplish collaborative learning. Although team project-based learning is welcomed and used in many classes, research on team performance measurement and its predictive variables are not sufficient yet. Therefore, we need to do more research on team performance in school settings. One of the candidate variables which can predict team performance in school setting is team-efficacy. As it is proved that it can statistically predict team performance significantly, the research on team efficacy has been done increasingly in organizational setting these days. With this context, we need to do more research on team efficacy in the school settings as a predictor of team learning and performance.
Another possible variables that can influence team learning and performance is the shared knowledge among team members which is composed of two major dimensions, interpersonal understanding and proactivity in problem solving.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the variables which can be positively correlated with team learning and performance in school setting. Based on such research proposes, the hypotheses for this study are as below.
1. Is team efficacy positively related to team test grade?
2. Is team efficacy positively related to team task performance?
3. Is interpersonal understanding positively related to team test grade?
4. Is interpersonal understanding positively related to team task performance?
5. Is proactivity in problem solving positively related to team test grade?
6. Is proactivity in problem solving positively related to team task performance?
In order to examine these hypotheses, 12 project teams composed of 37 college students in South Korea were participated in this study. To conduct descriptive statistics and Spearman's rank order correlation analysis for the collected data in this study, SPSS 16.0 for windows was used.
The results of this research are as below.
First, variables which are positively correlated with team test grade are team efficacy and interpersonal understanding. This result tells that the more team efficacy students have, the more success in team learning can occur and the more team members know each other's strengths and weakness, the more chances to experience team success they can have. Contrary to team test grade, however, both team efficacy and interpersonal understanding fails to predict the team performance.
Second, None of variables is positively correlated with team task performance grade. Especially, proactivity in problem solving fails to predict both team test grades and team performance grade.
With this result, practical implication for this study is as below.
First, there were various trials to improve learning environment in school and team learning activities during this study. From jigsaw game for team formation to team-test as a method of evaluating team level learning, there were a few of meaningful strategies in the design of team project-based class.
Second, many research on team efficacy, interpersonal understanding and proactivity in problem solving are originally from organizational settings. This study, however, tried to apply these organizational-level variables for predicting team performance to school setting in order to prove the team level learning and performance. With this kind of trial, the more research on team base learning in school setting will be done in the near future.