Group work as ‘terrains of learning’ for students in South African higher education
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Date
2014
Authors
Thondhlana, Gladman
Belluigi, Dina Zoe
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Education, University of the Free State
Abstract
A common global perception of group work in the higher education context is that it
has the potential to act as a platform which can enable student learning by means
of interactions, shared diverse experiences, deep engagement with subject concepts
and the achievement of tasks collaboratively. Indeed, in different socio-economic,
historical and institutional contexts, group work activities have become levers by
which deeper learning could be achieved. Drawing on perceptions and experiences
of group work among environmental science students at a South African university,
we investigate the ways in which group work could be more expansively viewed as
‘terrains of learning’ for students. The results in general indicate that students have
positive perceptions and experiences of group work, though problematic elements
are evident. This particular case study points to the attention that should be paid
to understanding issues of background, ethnicity and various student personalities
which could hinder or enable the desired student learning. Such an understanding
could contribute to debates regarding the achievement of higher quality learning,
given issues of diversity and transformation in the South African higher education
context.
Description
Keywords
Group work, Higher education, Diversity, Learning
Citation
Thondhlana, G., & Belluigi, D. Z. (2014). Group work as' terrains of learning' for students in South African higher education. Perspectives in Education, 32(4), 40-55.