CREATING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY IN THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT: AN INVESTIGATION INTO COLLABORATIVE LEARNING AMONG GRADE 12 STUDENTS

Although collaborative group-work has become an integral part of the learning process, students often demonstrate and express their unwillingness to participate. This study utilized an action research design to explore the reasons for such responses by examining how a small group of grade 12 students experience collaborative learning. Participants established guidelines for the collaborative learning process, researched and constructed information on global issues, and negotiated possible solutions for such issues. They simultaneously volunteered their reflections through confidential interviews and a questionnaire on their experiences in collaborative learning throughout their schooling. While acknowledging the numerous benefits they had with collaborative learning, many voiced their dissatisfaction with the limited time allotment for in-class collaborative group-work, their concern about their grades, and their frustrations with the unequal task performances of group members. This action research provides the immediate feedback needed to improve the ways for implementing future collaborative activities for students.

Name thesis:degree_name

M Ed

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Year dc:date.issued

2008

Author dc:creator

• Persaud, Omadat

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Barnett, John
• Hibbert, Kathryn

• action research
• collaborative learning
• constructivist psychology
• computer- supported collaborative learning
• group cohesion
• qualitative data

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/19337

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/19337