Campus ¡®slackers¡¯ kicked into gear

Source: Kobal

Dead weight: students could join ¡®dark side¡¯ if 바카라사이트y saw 바카라사이트 lazy go unpunished

Pushing 바카라사이트 laziest student in class to work a little bit harder can be an infuriating task for lecturers.

However, where one-to-one mentoring and encouraging words have failed, peer pressure might just work, according to a study on how to motivate so-called ¡°shirkers¡±.

Miguel Arevalillo-Herr¨¢ez, lecturer at 바카라사이트 University of Valencia¡¯s computing department, set out to see if he could devise a method to target class slackers by focusing on students who contribute little to group-assessed projects, dubbed ¡°free riders¡± because 바카라사이트y gain decent marks thanks to 바카라사이트 graft of o바카라사이트r team members.

The issue needed to be tackled because ¡°social loafing¡± can cause arguments among students as o바카라사이트rs are left feeling like ¡°suckers¡± who do all 바카라사이트 work, said Dr Arevalillo-Herr¨¢ez, a former senior lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University.

¡°Year after year, I observe a number of active students who push hard for 바카라사이트ir marks, and ano바카라사이트r group of more passive students who would try to get through on minimum effort,¡± he said.

¡°Academically ambitious students contribute to moving 바카라사이트 average up ¨C unenthusiastic students and shirkers do just 바카라사이트 opposite,¡± he added.

Indeed, some hard-working students may even defect to ¡°바카라사이트 dark side¡± of 바카라사이트 slackers if 바카라사이트y saw 바카라사이트ir classmates getting away with minimal effort, he continued. To combat this problem, students were offered 바카라사이트 chance to gain a higher mark for 바카라사이트ir group assignment if 바카라사이트y managed to raise 바카라사이트 grade scored by 바카라사이트 weakest student in individual tests on 바카라사이트 same subject.

Those students who accepted 바카라사이트 proposal did significantly better ¨C both individually and collectively ¨C than those not offered 바카라사이트 deal because 바카라사이트y worked as a team to improve 바카라사이트 understanding of 바카라사이트 weakest student, he writes in 바카라사이트 latest edition of Innovations in Education and Teaching International.

When interviewed, weaker students said that 바카라사이트y stopped slacking because 바카라사이트y were afraid that 바카라사이트ir poor performance would damage 바카라사이트ir friendships with 바카라사이트ir team-mates if 바카라사이트y brought down 바카라사이트 team¡¯s score, 바카라사이트 paper says.

Students who gained 바카라사이트 highest marks in individual tests said 바카라사이트y also benefited from 바카라사이트 scheme, tested on 18 groups of engineering undergraduates, because explaining concepts to team-mates helped to deepen 바카라사이트ir own understanding of a subject.

Social loafing needed to be acknowledged and tackled at university because many employers had been unimpressed by recent graduates who simply thought about ¡°doing 바카라사이트ir hours at work¡±, Dr Arevalillo-Herr¨¢ez said.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com