Among Friends: The Role of Academic Diversity in Individual Achievement Within a Small-Group Learning Environment

• In Event: 63.041 - College Student Engagement and Experiences With Diversity

Abstract

Small-group learning is now widely used in education at all levels. There has been considerable debate about the ideal composition of small learning groups. This study examined the effect of variation in prior academic achievement (as measured by grade point average) in small learning group on the course performance of participating students. A multiple regression analysis of 5,367 small-learning-group program participants over 7 years suggested that students benefitted from group diversity, and that this benefit was stronger for lower-achieving students than for higher-achieving students. For lower-achieving students, there was a benefit to not being the only lower-achieving student in the group. Instructors assigning students to learning groups should bear in mind that academic diversity may impact different students differently.

Authors

• Marina Micari, Northwestern University

• Zachary Van Winkle, Humboldt University - Berlin

• Pilar Pazos, Old Dominion University