student conceptions of group work: drawing the group
TRANSCRIPT
STUDENT CONCEPTIONS OF GROUP WORKPamela McKinney [email protected] @ischoolpamChloe Cook: Undergraduate student in the Economics department
Introduction Motivations for the study An Arts Informed visual research
methodology using the Draw-and-Write technique
Selected results Questions
Motivations
MotivationsGroup work does not always go smoothly: Variable levels of commitment Freeloading Personality clashes Enhanced admin & teaching work if groups
encounter problems Often we assess the product of group work
while knowing very little about the process of group work
What conceptions do students have about working in groups?How can we better support students in their group work?
Research questions:
Arts Informed Visual Research Methodology: the draw and write technique
Dr Jenna Hartel, Associate Professor, University of Toronto
The isquare corpus: conceptions of information
http://www.isquares.info
Data Collection Data collected in 2014-15 from students in
the Information School 1 x Undergraduate module and 3 x
Postgraduate modules: 164 isquares collected (12 x UG; 152 x PG)
Students had all experienced group work as part of their Information School course, and may have had prior experiences in other courses/institutions
Large number of international students
SURE: Sheffield Undergraduate Research Experience
• SURE scheme funds a 2nd year undergraduate student to work on a research project with an academic for 6 weeks in the summer vacation
• I recruited 2nd year BSc Economic student Chloe Cook
• Chloe made exact replicas of each isquare, undertook compositional, content and thematic analysis. Interviewed students, transcribed & analysed the interviews
Data Analysis Compositional interpretation using
categories defined by Engelhardt (2002) Content Analysis Thematic analysis Theoretical analysis
Motif/Graphic representation Number
Stick figure 82
Arrows 59
Circles 53
Table/Desk 26
Thought/Speech Bubbles 26
Paper/Writing 18
Technology 16
Reading/Books 13
Hands 10
Building/Structure 8
Parts/Puzzles 7
Question Mark 5
Lightbulb 4
Whiteboard 4
Trees 4
Figures around Table/Desk
Use of Laptops/Technology
Multiple information inputs / outputs
Paper/Writing
Hands/holding hands
Question mark
Lightbulb
Buildings/structures
Parts/Puzzles
Circles
Leader role/Hierarchy
The ‘process’/stages of group work
Negativity
Different Cultures/Languages
‘Freeloading’
Positivity
Summary Face-to-face working is an important part group work Students work creatively with various technology and
non-technology based tools and information inputs and outputs
Free-loading and communication problems are significant barriers to effective group working, although students may not be sympathetic to outside commitments
The drawings reveal interesting conceptions of group work i.e. “solving a puzzle” and “building”
Students can view group work as a process, and a set of defined stages
Some students see a need to have a hierarchical group structure with a named leader and specific group roles
Although negative views about groups are expressed, many of the drawings present a reasonably positive view of group work.
Reflections An interesting and quick way to collect
data Prompts students to reflect on their
experiences with group work A way to identify sources of problems in
groups (e.g. language & communication) A way to stimulate discussions about
group work with students
Questions?
References Engelhardt, Y. (2002). The language of graphics: A
framework for the analysis of syntax and meaning in maps, charts and diagrams. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Institute for Logic, Language and Computation, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Hartel (2014) An arts-informed study of information using the draw-and-write technique. Journal of the Association for Information Science & technology 65 (7)
Weber, S., & Mitchell, C.A. (1995). That’s Funny You Don’t Look Like a Teacher: Interrogating Images and Identity in Popular Culture. Routledge: London.