1. High Schoolers’ Perceptions of
Group Work in Class
Megha Nagaswami
Haverford Senior High School

2. Introduction
 My personal interest in studying this topic stems from
my own experiences with group work and individual
work in classes.
 I have encountered different instances where one
method seems more useful than the other.
 I have also noticed factors that affect how efficiently
a group works together, or how efficiently I work
alone.

3. Introduction (continued)
 My goal in this project was to investigate the
thoughts and attitudes of high school students who
experience both group work and individual work in
their classes.
 Many studies examine students’ test scores to
compare the two methods, so I wanted to expand on
this by analyzing students’ own actual perceptions
and attitudes.

4. Prior Research
 Forsyth defined a group as “two or more individuals who
are connected to one another by social relationships”
(2006).
 In the past, studies have found that students’ test scores
tend to improve when they work in groups.
 Webb (1993) found that students scored higher in groups
than individually on tests. However, “many students used
the resources of the group to get the right answer but not
to learn the procedures for solving the problem.”

5. Prior Research
 Frykedal and Chiriac (2011) held three focus groups
with teachers, and realized that group work is a tool
for students to build socially.
 Shaw (1932) found that groups are more accurate
than individuals, in terms of the proportion of correct
answers on a test.

6. Research Questions
 1. Do students’ perceptions and preferences vary by
grade?
 2. Do students’ perceptions and preferences vary by
academic level?
 3. Is there a certain class in which students feel they
benefit the most from group work?
 4. Is there a certain class in which students feel they
benefit the least from group work?

7. Hypotheses
 1. Younger (freshmen and sophomores) will have
more positive perceptions of group work.
 2. Students in lower academic levels will have more
positive perceptions of group work.
 3. Students will feel that they benefit the most in
Math classes.
 4. Students will feel that they benefit the least in
History classes.

8. Demographics of Participating
Schools
 School A: A public high school in suburban
Philadelphia
 87% white students; 6% Asian students; 5% black students
 Approximately 1,800 students total
 School B: A public high school in Philadelphia
 35% black students; 24% white students; 22% Asian
students
 Approximately 3,300 students total

9. Survey Design
There were four main survey categories:
 Category 1: Demographics
 Grade, academic level of English/History/Science/Math
 Category 2: Impact of Group Work
 How students are affected in class
 Category 3: Experiences in Class
 How groups work together in class
 Category 4: Perceptions of Subjects
 Which classes benefit/do not benefit students
 16 questions total

10. Survey Administration
 School A: The survey was administered to
approximately 800 students in all grades, and 388
usable surveys were received.
 School B: The survey was administered via an online
survey software as an email link to all students. 61
usable surveys were received.
 A total of 449 survey responses were received and
analyzed.

11. Interpreting Survey Results
 The students were asked to rate the extent to which
they agreed with certain statements.
 1= Strongly Disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Agree, 4=
Strongly Agree
 Ex. A mean score of 3.5 on a question indicates that
the majority of students agreed with the statement.

12. Survey Results
Survey Question
Group work has made my classes more enjoyable than if I were working individually.
Working in groups has enhanced/supported my understanding of concepts
Group tests or projects help me apply and understand concepts
My group members have hindered my ability to learn material
I feel that my scores on group tests or projects would increase if I took the same test individually
The majority of my groups are able to help me when I am having trouble learning material
The majority of my groups are cooperative when we are working
The majority of my groups are focused when we are working on a task
All of my group members play an equal role in the completion of a task
N
438
439
434
421
424
430
430
426
428
Mean Score
3.04
2.94
2.89
1.71
1.62
2.90
2.94
2.73
2.45
Students were asked to rate the survey’s statements on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree)
to 4 (strongly agree). This table shows the mean scores of all the participants’ responses.

13. Is there a relationship between grade
and perceptions?
Gr 9
SD
Impact of Group Work
3.23
N=112
0.47
Experiences with Group Work
2.75
N=116
0.51
Gr 10
SD
Gr 11
SD
Gr 12
SD
3.14
N=88
0.45
3.26
N=110
0.55
3.29
N=93
0.55
2.71
N=91
0.51
2.75
N=110
0.54
2.79
N=97
0.51
This table shows the average of two scale categories, by grade, based on the
corresponding survey questions in each category. There is little to no variation in the
values between grade, suggesting that grade of student does not alter views of group
work.

14. Is there a relationship between
academic level and perceptions?
Academic Math
SD
AP Math
SD
Impact of Group Work
3.23
N=142
0.47
3.17
N=63
0.59
Experiences with Group Work
2.76
N=145
0.48
2.76
N=63
0.55
Academic Science
SD
AP Science
SD
Impact of Group Work
3.20
N=134
0.45
3.20
N=55
0.59
Experiences with Group Work
2.75
N=136
0.47
2.71
N=56
0.54
Note: In both schools, “academic” is the lowest achievement level, while AP (Advanced
Placement) is the highest.

15. Relationship between academic level
and perceptions (continued)
Academic English
SD
AP English
SD
Impact of Group Work
3.23
N=158
0.42
3.23
N=64
0.66
Experiences with Group Work
2.81
N=164
0.43
2.74
N=65
0.63
Academic History
SD
AP History
SD
Impact of Group Work
3.25
N=153
0.42
3.24
N=91
0.63
Experiences with Group Work
2.82
N=160
0.44
2.74
N=93
0.63
When the mean values of each scale are compared, there is little to no variation between
academic level.

16. In which class do students feel they
benefit the most from group work?
“In which core subject do you feel that you benefit the most from group
work?
Frequency
Valid Percentage
Math
178
43.2
Science
71
17.2
English
81
19.7
History
82
19.9
Total
412
100.0
This table shows the responses from all surveyed students. The highest percentage
reported that they benefitted the most from group work in Math, which fits my
hypothesis.

17. In which class do students feel they
benefit the least from group work?
“In which class do you feel that you benefit the least from group work?”
Frequency
Valid Percentage
Math
113
27.4
Science
54
13.1
English
151
36.6
History
95
23.0
Total
413
100.0
This table shows the responses from all surveyed students. The highest
percentage reported that they benefitted the least from group work in
English, which was different from my hypothesis.

18. Interview Design
 The interviews consisted of 10 open-ended questions.
 Student volunteers in each grade were randomly
selected to be interviewed by a third party member.
 Student responses were recorded, but were kept
anonymous.
 Student responses were not connected to their
survey responses.
 Total number of interviews conducted: 5

19. Example Interview Questions
 Why do you prefer to work in some classes individually/in
groups?
 What factors have you noticed that make your groups
work efficiently and effectively?
 Describe a time when group work worked well/did not
work well for an assignment.
 How do you think group work or individual work affects
your grades?
 How fair do you think group work or individual work is?

20. Interview Findings
 In 4 of the 5 interviews, students reported that they prefer
to work individually in math classes.
 All participants felt that grades based on individual work
are more accurate than grades based on group work.
 4 of the 5 participants preferred to work in groups in
science classes.
 The interviews contradicted the survey data, in that the
interviewees preferred to work individually in math, and
with groups in English.

21. Interview Findings (continued)
 All of the participants pointed out that in some
groups, their team members have copied their
answers without doing any work.
 All participants believed that individual work is more
fair, as they can take all personal accountability for
the results.
 The participants stressed the importance of
communication when working in groups.

22. Conclusion
 Based on the results of my study, I concluded that the
majority of students in my sample have a positive
perception of group work.
 Students believe that group work helps them learn,
understand, and apply the material, while also being
enjoyable.
 These views do not change throughout different
grades, or levels of academic achievement.

23. Significance of Findings
 Educational psychologists, teachers, parents,
students, and policymakers are interested in finding
the best way to learn and teach material.
 These findings may encourage schools and teachers
to include more group work in their math classes.
 Educational policymakers may start designing
curriculums that incorporate group work in all grades
and academic levels.

24. Further Research
 I am interested in comparing the results of the
surveys and interviews to the actual academic
performance of students.
 The same test would be administered to students in
groups, and students working individually. The scores
from the two samples would be compared.
 It would be interesting to see if group tests yield a
higher score, since group work is more preferred by
students.

25. References
Forsyth, D. R. (2006). Group dynamics (international student
edition). Thomson/Wadsworth: Belmont, CA.
Frykedal, K. F., & Chiriac, E. H. (2011). Assessment of students'
learning when working in groups. Educational
Research, 53(3), 331-345.
Shaw, M. E. (1932). A comparison of individuals and small
groups in the rational solution of complex problems.
The American Journal of Psychology, 491-504.
Webb, N. M. (1993). Collaborative group versus individual
assessment in mathematics: Processes and
outcomes. Educational Assessment, 1(2), 131-152.

26. Acknowledgements
 The administrators at Haverford Senior High School
and Northeast High School, who allowed me to
conduct my study in their schools.
 Dr. Janine Remillard, Dr. Angela Duckworth, Mr. David
Meketon, and Ms. Claire Robertson-Kraft, from the
University of Pennsylvania, in helping me to refine
and develop my study.