Group Work

The Pros and Cons of Group Work in Higher Education Learning

[Abdulrahman Nasr]

[No. 00146861]



Introduction3

Discussion3

Conclusion9

Task 1: The Pros and Cons of Group Work in Higher Education Learning

Research Strategy

The base of group work emanating from the belief that use of collaborative approaches are associated with increased level of productivity in lesser amount of time is primarily ingrained in the early stages of life; that is when an individual is in the academic phase of his life, where group work is recognized as highly reliable and vital study skills required for effective learning. In alignment with this, educational infrastructure at macro level is so designed that the major elements that describe the culture of any educational institute also possess group work. Not only the major proportion of academic activities that form the main forte of academic institutes, are woven around group work but major portion of extracurricular activities are also designed around group work. Students seeking to participate in any interschool competition, workshop, seminar, or any other event are usually required to register themselves in groups as the events are usually composed of activities that would be requiring participants to from groups. This is all embedded in the educational framework and resultant culture in any institute along which educational institutes are run, and even though this approach has been promoted by academic institutes and followed by students since decades, it possess certain positive as well as negative aspects (Watson, Kumar and Michaelsen, 1993, pp. 596). For the effective achievement of the goal for which group is formed and the effective development of student, it is important to understand both the negative as well as positive consequences of working in a group, and it is primarily for this purpose that this assignment has been undertaken. Meeting the needs and requirements stipulated by this assignment will prove to be instrumental in successful future course of studies, however for that purpose, it is imperative to use an effective and well thought out research strategy.

As reflected in the objectives of the assignment that this research will focus on the pros and cons of group work to understand its effectiveness, including disparate other secondary aspects that this research study is bound to explore in catering to the topic of the assignment effectively, the research strategy that appears as most appropriate to be used is Case Study Approach. With this research predominantly involving substantial empirical investigation; through the focus being on higher education learning and postgraduate studies, as also endorsed by the research philosophy, case study research strategy becomes important for this study, which will not only address the concern through explanatory perspective but also through exploratory perspective, and in doing so will ensure comprehensive and credible results. Experimental research strategy will also be used side by side with the case study research strategy in an attempt to better assist the development of exploratory perspective; which precisely is imperative to be used in researches that are based on the use of Positivism research ...