Demographic isolation and attitudes toward group work in student-selected lab groups

Area of Science:

• Science Education
• Social Sciences in Education

Background:

• Small group work enhances student achievement, engagement, and attitudes toward science.
• Previous research on group formation primarily focused on academic factors, neglecting social demographic identities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the criteria students use for forming lab groups.
• To compare demographic isolation in student-selected versus randomly formed groups.
• To determine if demographic isolation affects attitudes toward group work.

Main Methods:

• A pre-post survey design was employed in a large-enrollment biology laboratory course.
• Descriptive analyses identified common criteria for group formation.
• Multilevel linear regression examined the association between demographic isolation and group work attitudes.

Main Results:

• The most common criteria for group formation were "students sitting next to me" (57%) and "friends" (22%).
• Over 80% of students formed groups with peers seated nearby.
• Demographic isolation was less prevalent in student-selected groups than in simulated randomly assigned groups.
• No consistent statistically significant effects of demographic isolation on attitudes toward group work were found.

Conclusions:

• Student-selected lab groups prioritize proximity and friendship over demographic considerations.
• While demographic isolation is less common in student-selected groups, it does not appear to significantly influence attitudes towards group work in this context.
• Findings contribute to understanding the interplay between student demographics, group formation, and learning experiences in science education.