An Investigation into the People‐Sequential Heuristic Method of Group Formation

This study investigates the people-sequential heuristic method of group formation as proposed by Beheshtian-Ardekani and Mahmood [2] and examined by Muller [9]. Responding to Muller's call for continued research on this topic, we first replicate the seven hypothesis investigations presented in that study and then consider several additional hypotheses designed to more fully examine the value of the process to the group members themselves. The results of this study indicate that the balanced groups assignment method is not effective as a sole means of increasing learning or satisfaction with the project. Of the twelve hypothesized relationships, which, if supported, would favor the use of balanced groups over randomly assigned groups, only one was supported. These findings and their relationship to group learning theory are discussed.