Learning groups: the effects of group diversity on the quality of group reflection

ABSTRACT

This study explores the quality of reflection, and how group diversity affects group reflection by final-year accounting and finance undergraduates using Mezirow’s [(1991). Transformative dimensions of adult learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass] reflection model. Group work and reflective writing are now common assessment features in UK higher education. They affect students’ perception of their learning experience ([Ledwith, S., & Seymour, D. (2001). Home and away: Preparing students for multicultural management. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12(8), 1292–1312]; [Chirema, K. D. (2007). The use of reflective journals in the promotion of reflection and learning in post-registration nursing students. Nurse Education Today, 27(3), 192–202]) and enhance the acquisition of transferable skills by students. Using content analysis and independent t-test, this study reports the prevalence of process and content reflection, but limited instances of premise reflection. Gender composition seems to matter for group outcome. Group nationality diversity and whether a group has more placement (Placement is a mode of undertaking degree programme in the UK where a student voluntarily undertakes a yearlong industry work experience as part of the programme, sandwiched between the second and final year of the degree.) students do not seem to affect the quality of group reflection for the students in the sample. The study includes policy implications for the continued use of learning groups and reflection in assessments in higher education.

KEYWORDS:

• Assessment of group reflection
• learning group
• group diversity
• group work
• accounting and finance

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The study used premise reflection interchangeably with critical reflection based on the description in Mezirow (1991) and Kember (1999).

2. The arrow besides the ‘reflective action’ indicates that the quality of reflection is increasing bottom up in reflective actions. Thus, the first two rows from bottom indicate non-reflective actions. Reflective actions in the third row are considered equal because they do not lead to changed premise or critical perspective. However, the level of reflection at this stage is lower than premise reflection in the last row which indicates the highest level of reflective action.

3. This paper uses group work interchangeably with collaborative and teamwork learning based on outside class group assignment.

4. UK universities can be broadly divided into two types: the traditional and the post-1992 universities. The traditional universities are older and the post-1992 universities are former polytechnics or institute of higher educations that were granted university status in 1992.

5. Exemptions are award of merit granted by professional accountancy organisations (such as Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) in the UK and Ireland to recognise students’ previous knowledge or qualifications so that they do not have to write a professional paper if they are deemed to have acquired the required knowledge from doing an exempting module as part of their university degree. University department seeking professional body’s exemptions for a module would usually have to show that their syllabus covers the contents of the professional paper to be qualified for the exemption.

6. It is also possible to do this using software (See Akindayomi, 2015).

7. Although this study did not explicitly control for the impacts of friendship on group selection and outcome, the group selection method allowed students to make reasoned choice, following extensive guidance provided by the lecturer on the likely implications of group selection for group outcome.

8. We included ‘process and content’ reflection consistent with Kember (1999).

9. Our results were similar even when we allocated 1 mark for premise reflection. This may be because there were very few instances of premise reflection as equally observed by Kember (1999).