Collaborative Group Interactions of Students from Two Ethnic Backgrounds

Australian university campuses are reflecting increased cultural diversity at a time when group work is emphasised as an effective student-centred approach to learning. This paper reports an investigation of differences in rates of verbal interaction by 72 first year male undergraduate engineering students from two ethnic cohorts (Australian-born Anglo-European and overseas-born South East Asian students) during a collaborative group activity. A quantitative methodology was employed. Verbal interactions were recorded under two conditions: mono-ethnic groups containing four students from one ethnic cohort; and bi-ethnic groups made up of two students from each ethnic cohort. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed highly significant differences for the main effects of both Ethnicity and Group Type and also their Interaction. The key finding of this study suggests that the South East Asian students were inhibited in terms of their verbal participation when with Australian students.

[1]  Kenneth A. Bruffee,et al.  Collaborative Learning: Higher Education, Interdependence, and the Authority of Knowledge , 1999 .

[2]  Cindy Gallois,et al.  Accommodating intercultural encounters: Elaborations and extensions , 1995 .

[3]  David Kember,et al.  Misconceptions about the learning approaches, motivation and study practices of Asian students , 2000 .

[4]  University students' perceptions of collaborative learning and assessment , 1994 .

[5]  Kris Bosworth,et al.  Developing collaborative skills in college students , 1994 .

[6]  E. Kelly.  Individualism and collectivism , 1901 .

[7]  Denis Lander,et al.  A Practical Way of Structuring Teaching for Learning. , 1995 .

[8]  G. Hofstede,et al.  Culture′s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values , 1980 .

[9]  G. Hofstede,et al.  Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind , 1991 .

[10]  D. Nesdale,et al.  Internationalising Australian universities: the intercultural contact issue , 1993 .

[11]  H. Simon,et al.  Situated Learning and Education1 , 1996 .

[12]  William D. Gudykunst.  Anxiety/uncertainty management (AUM) theory: Current status. , 1995 .

[13]  Ernest T. Pascarella,et al.  Influences on Students' Openness to Diversity and Challenge in the Second and Third Years of College , 2001 .

[14]  Sue Dockett,et al.  Australian association for research in education , 1989 .

[15]  S. Volet,et al.  A short‐term longitudinal investigation of cross‐cultural differences in study approaches using Biggs' SPQ questionnaire , 1994 .

[16]  M. Westwood,et al.  The Influence of a Peer‐Pairing Program on International Students' First Year Experience and Use of Student Services , 1994 .

[17]  S. Volet,et al.  Culturally mixed groups on international campuses: an opportunity for inter-cultural learning , 2012 .

[18]  R. Slavin.  Cooperative Learning: Theory, Research and Practice , 1990 .

[19]  Jeanne Marcum Gerlach,et al.  Is this collaboration , 1994 .

[20]  Patricia A. Alexander,et al.  Learning and study strategies : issues in assessment, instruction, and evaluation , 1988 .

[21]  L. Goodfellow,et al.  Cooperative Learning Strategies , 1995 .

[22]  Michael Harris Bond,et al.  Social Psychology Across Cultures: Analysis and Perspectives , 1994 .

[23]  Kenny C. W. Tang,et al.  Spontaneous Collaborative Learning: A New Dimension in Student Learning Experience? , 1993 .

[24]  Joann Keyton.  Introduction The Relational Side of Groups , 2000 .

[25]  S. Volet,et al.  Fostering social cohesion in universities : Bridging the cultural divide , 2000 .

[26]  Stella Ting-Toomey,et al.  Chinese communication processes. , 1996 .

[27]  John B. Biggs,et al.  Teaching for Quality Learning at University: What the Student Does , 1999 .

[28]  David W. Johnson,et al.  Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills , 1975 .

[29]  Warren E. Watson,et al.  Cultural diversity''s impact on interaction process and performance: Comparing homogeneous and diver , 1993 .

[30]  Simone Volet,et al.  Significance of Cultural and Motivation Variables on Students’ Attitudes Towards Group Work , 2001 .