Demographic isolation and attitudes toward group work in student-selected lab groups

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310918
• Publication Date: 2024-09-24T17:26:31Z
• Authors: Mitra Asgari; Amy E. Cardace; Mark A. Sarvary
• Keywords: Isolation; Group work; Sitting

Small group work has been shown to improve students’ achievement, learning, engagement, and attitudes toward science. Previous studies that focused on different methods of formation their possible impacts mainly measures academic ability, such as GPA, SAT scores, previous familiarity with course content. However little attention given other characteristics social demographic identities in research about experiences. Here, we studied the criteria students use form lab groups, examined how degree isolation varies between student-selected randomly-formed tested whether is associated attitudes. We used a pre-post survey design examine responses large-enrollment biology laboratory course. Descriptive analyses showed “students sitting next me” (57%) followed by combination “friends” (22%) were two most common reported they considered when forming groups. Notably, over 80 percent groups those who sat nearby. instances where isolated being only members historically marginalized population The prevalence was found be lower than simulated randomly assigned also multilevel linear regression an student work, yielding no consistent statistically significant effects. This study contributes growing knowledge relationship