Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T16:40:20.643Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The impact of social motivation on cooperative learning and assessment preferences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Christopher Selvarajah
Affiliation:
Faculty of Business and Enterprise, Swinburne University, Hawthorn VIC, Australia
John Chelliah
Affiliation:
School of Management, University of Technology, Sydney NSW, Australia
Denny Meyer
Affiliation:
Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University, Hawthorn VIC, Australia
Edwina Pio
Affiliation:
AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand
Pacapol Anurit
Affiliation:
School of Management, Shinawatra University, Pathumthani, Thailand

Abstract

This study explores the assessment preferences of 453 postgraduate business students in New Zealand, Australia, and Thailand using a survey linking motivational and educational preferences. This study compares the needs of Western students (Australian and New Zealand), Asian (Thai) and international students (predominantly Chinese and Indian students) in Australia and New Zealand (ANZAC). One major finding is that students from these three countries who are socially motivated prefer ‘cooperative learning’. Further, the study specifically shows that students from Thailand are more socially motivated than students from Australia and New Zealand (ANZAC) while International ANZAC students have the greatest desire for cooperative learning. It also shows that group assessment poses quite significant challenges for local ANZAC students and therefore, remedial intervention from universities is essential if group assessments are to remain relevant and useful in achieving meaningful teaching and learning outcomes.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allen, R (2004) Foreword, Teaching and Learning in Focus 5 (12):1.Google Scholar
AUT (2005) Auckland University of Technology: Profile 2005-2007, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland.Google Scholar
Barfield, RL (2003) Students' perceptions of and satisfaction with group grades and the group experience in the college classroom, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 28 (4):355370.Google Scholar
Bejarano, Y (1987) A cooperative small-group methodology in the language classroom, TESOL Quarterly 21:483504.Google Scholar
Bishop, R and Glynn, T (1999) Culture counts: Changing power relations in education, Dunmore Press, Palmerston North.Google Scholar
Bloom, B, Hastings, J and Madaus, G (1971) Handbook on formative and summative evaluation of student learning, McGraw-Hill, New York.Google Scholar
Brody, CM (1995) Collaborative or cooperative learning? Complimentary practices for instructional reform, Journal of Staff, Program and Organizational Development 12 (3):133143.Google Scholar
Byrne, BM (2001) Structural equation modelling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications and programming, Erlbaum, Mawah NJ.Google Scholar
Candy, PC (1991) Self-direction for lifelong learning: A comprehensive guide to theory and practise, Jossey Bass, San Francisco.Google Scholar
Cavallo, AML and Schaffer, LE (1994) Relationships between students' meaningful learning orientation and their understanding of genetics topics. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 31:393418Google Scholar
Clark, C (2002) Effective multicultural curriculum transformation across disciplines, Multicultural Perspectives 4 (3):3746.Google Scholar
Cohen, E (1994) Designing group work, Teachers College Press, New York.Google Scholar
Dornyei, Z (1994) Motivation and motivating in the foreign language classroom, Modern Language Journal 78(2):73284.Google Scholar
Dornyei, Z (1997) Psychological processes in cooperative learning: group dynamics and motivation, Modern Language Journal 81(1):482493.Google Scholar
Garfield, J and Gal, I (1999) Assessment and statistics education: current challenges and direction, International Statistical Review 67:112.Google Scholar
Gerlach, JM (1994) Is this collaboration?, New Directions for Teaching and Learning 1994(59):514.Google Scholar
Ghaith, GM (2002) The relationship between cooperative learning, perception of social support, and academic achievement, System 30:263273.Google Scholar
Ghaith, GM (2003) Effects of the learning together model of cooperative learning on english as a foreign language reading achievement, academic self-esteem, and feelings of school alienation, Bilingual Research Journal 27 (3):451474.Google Scholar
Ghaith, GM and Yaghi, H (1998) Effect of cooperative learning on the acquisition of second language rules and mechanics, System 26:223234.Google Scholar
Giroux, HA (1992) Border crossing: Cultural workers and the politics of education, Routledge, New York.Google Scholar
Hair, JF, Anderson, RE, Tatham, RL and Black, WC (2005) Multivariate data analysis, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs NJ.Google Scholar
Handy, CB (1985) Understanding organizations, Penguin, London.Google Scholar
Hofstede, GH. (2003) Culture's consequences: comparing values, behaviours, institutions and organisations across nations, Sage, Beverly Hills CA.Google Scholar
Kagan, S (1990) The structural approach to cooperative learning, Educational Leadership 47 (4): 1215.Google Scholar
Kohn, A (1992) No contest: The case against competition, Houghton Mifflin, New York.Google Scholar
Kohn, A (1987) It's hard to get left out of a pair, Psychology Today 10: 16.Google Scholar
Lansdale, D (1984) Institutional culture and third world student needs at American University, in Barber, EG, Altbach, PG and Myers, RG (eds) Bridges to knowledge, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.Google Scholar
Lauren, B (2005) Foreign students enrolled down for first time in three decades, accessed at http://www.nytimes.com on 14 January 2005.Google Scholar
Leask, B (2001) Bridging the gap: Internationalizing university curricula, Journal of Studies in International Education 5(2):100115.Google Scholar
Lee, T (2005) Intercultural teaching in higher education, Intercultural Education 16 (3):201215.Google Scholar
Lewis, R (1997) Assessment of student learning, in Morey, A and Kitano, M (Eds) Multicultural course transformation in higher education: A broader truth, Allyn and Bacon, Boston MA.Google Scholar
Li, M and Campbell, J (2008) Asian students' perceptions of group work and group assignments in a New Zealand tertiary institution, Intercultural Education 19(3):203216.Google Scholar
Long, MH and Porter, PA (1985) Group work, interlanguage talk, and second language acquisition, TESOL Quarterly 19:207228.Google Scholar
Lynch, E (1997) Instructional strategies, in Morey, A and Kitano, M (Eds) Multicultural course transformation in higher education: a broader truth, pp. 5670Allyn and Bacon, Boston MA.Google Scholar
Mackinnon, D and Manathunga, C (2003) Going global with assessment: What to do when the dominant culture's literacy drives assessment, Higher Education Research & Development 22 (2):131144.Google Scholar
Maloof, J and White, VKB (2005) Team study training in college biology laboratory, Journal of Biological Education 39(3):120124.Google Scholar
McBurnie, G (2000) Pursuing internationalization as a means to advance the academic mission of the university: An Australian case study, Higher Education in Europe XXV (1): 6373.Google Scholar
McLoughlin, C and Luca, J (2002) A learner-centred approach to developing team skills through web-based learning and assessment, British Journal of Educational Technology 33 (5):571582.Google Scholar
Ministry of Education (2004) New Zealand's Tertiary Education Sector Report – Profile & Trends 2003, accessed at http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?layout=document&documentid=10171 on 13 September 2005.Google Scholar
Morey, A (2000) Changing higher education curricula for a global and multicultural world, Higher Education in Europe XXV(1): 2539.Google Scholar
Nordberg, D (2008) Group projects: more learning? Less fair? A conundrum in assessing postgraduate business education, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 33(5):481492.Google Scholar
Nieto, S (2000) Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education (3rd edn), Longman, New York.Google Scholar
Olsen, RE and Kagan, S (1992) About cooperative learning, in Kessler, C (Ed) Cooperative language learning: A teacher's resource book, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs NJ.Google Scholar
Pearson, C and Chatterjee, S (2004) Expectations and values of university students in transition: evidence from an Australian classroom, Journal of Management Education 24 (4):427446.Google Scholar
Pica, T, Young, R and Doughty, C (1987) The impact of interaction on comprehension, TESOL Quarterly 21 (4):737758.Google Scholar
Pio, E (2004) Karmic assessment: Evidence from business students, Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice 12: 7489.Google Scholar
Porter, JY (2006) Using learning communities to enhance counselling curriculum, accessed at http://counselingoutfitters.com/Porter.htm. on 6 July 2007.Google Scholar
Ross, M, Heaney, J-G and Cooper, M (2007) Institutional and managerial factors affecting international student recruitment management, The International Journal of Educational Management 21(7):593605.Google Scholar
Ryan, J and Louie, K (2007) False dichotomy? ‘Western’ and ‘Confucian’ concepts of scholarship and learning’ Educational Philosophy and Theory, 39(4): 432448.Google Scholar
Ryan, RW, Raffel, JA and Lovell, C (1987) International students in US public administration programs: profile, needs and program response, International Journal of Public Administration 10(1):5176.Google Scholar
Ryland, EK (1992a) International students in management: From silence to synergy, Journal of Management Education 16: 116128.Google Scholar
Ryland, EK (1992b) International students at CSU San Bernardino - Obstacles and opportunities, in Sutter, RL (Eds) Internationalising the California State University, CSU Institute for Teaching and Learning, Long Beach CA.Google Scholar
Selvarajah, C (1998) Expatriate acculturation: A comparative study of recent chinese business migrants in New Zealand, International Journal of Management 15 (1):103112.Google Scholar
Selvarajah, C (2006) Cross-cultural study of Asian and European student perception: the need to understand the changing educational environment in New Zealand, Journal of Cross Cultural Management 13 (2):142155.Google Scholar
Sen Gupta, A (2003) Changing the focus: A discussion of the dynamics of the intercultural experience, in Alred, G, Byram, M and Fleming, M (Eds) Intercultural experience and education, Multilingual Matters Ltd, Sydney.Google Scholar
Sherman, LW (2000) Postmodern constructivist pedagogy for teaching and learning cooperatively on the web, Cyber Psychology and Behavior 3(1):5157.Google Scholar
Slavin, RE (1980) Cooperative learning, Review of Educational Research 50:315342.Google Scholar
Slavin, RE (1986) Using student team learning, Johns Hopkins University, Centre for Research on Elementary and Middle Schools, Baltimore MD.Google Scholar
Slavin, RE (1995a) Cooperative learning: Theory, research, and practice Allyn and Bacon, Needham Heights MA.Google Scholar
Slavin, RE (1995b) Research on cooperative learning and achievement: What we know, what we need to know, accessed at http//www.successforall.net/resource/research/cooplern.htm on 20 September 2005.Google Scholar
Staff, T (1995) No longer just an academic question: Educational alternatives come to Taiwan, Chinese-English Bilingual Monthly 20 (3):18.Google Scholar
Statistics New Zealand (2001) 2001 Population census, Statistics New Zealand Office, Auckland.Google Scholar
The Economist (2005) Special report: Higher education. 26 02: 6365.Google Scholar
Tsai, CC (1998) An analysis of scientific epistemol-ogical beliefs and learning orientations of Taiwanese eighth graders, Science Education, 82: 473489.Google Scholar
Ward, C (2001) The impact of international students on domestic students and host institution, accessed at http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?layout+document&documentid=5643 on 13 September 2005.Google Scholar
Ward, C (2001) The impact of international students on domestic students and host institutions: A literature review, Export Education, Wellington.Google Scholar
Ward, C and Masgoret, A (2004) The experiences of international students in New Zealand:, Ministry of Education, Wellington.Google Scholar
Webb, NM (1989) Peer interaction and learning in small groups, International Journal of Educational Research 13:2139.Google Scholar
Wong, S (2001) Managing diversity: Institutions and politics of educational change, Rowman & Littlefield, New York.Google Scholar
World Economic Forum and IMD (1995) The World Competitiveness Report 1995, World Economic Forum, Geneva.Google Scholar