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Group Heterogeneity and Homogeneity in Personal Content Goals for a Group Learning Activity: Impact on Individual Appraisals
Author(s) -
Wosnitza Marold,
Volet Simone
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
applied psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.497
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1464-0597
pISSN - 0269-994X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1464-0597.2012.00507.x
Subject(s) - psychology , homogeneity (statistics) , social psychology , collaborative learning , empirical research , group work , applied psychology , mathematics education , epistemology , philosophy , statistics , mathematics
This article examines the extent to which group heterogeneity and homogeneity in personal goals for a collaborative learning activity influences individuals' appraisals of that activity. This research addresses the lack of empirical work on the significance of personal content goals in collaborative learning contexts. A framework that takes into account the social dimension of such settings formed the conceptual basis of an empirical study carried out with 313 university students. The results show that while group homogeneity in high‐ and low‐level goals led to expected appraisals and reflections, group heterogeneity led to appraisals that were as positive as those found in groups dominated by members with high‐level goals. Implications for educational practice are discussed.