Designing Group Examinations to Decrease Social Loafing and Increase Learning

Authors

Lee Revere Ph.D., University of Houston, Clear LakeFollow
Max Elden Ph.D., University of Houston - Clear LakeFollow
Robert A. Bartsch Ph.D., University of Houston - Clear LakeFollow

Abstract

This study examines a method to decrease social loafing in a group examination. Students who met in teams during the semester took an exam in groups. Rules for the exam, based on the Jeopardy game show, facilitated both group and individual accountability. Feedback from students indicated that compared to a class that did not have group exams, students taking the group exam had less social loafing and had higher perceived levels of learning. Furthermore, among students taking the group exams, higher group participation was related to higher perceived performance and more positive attitudes about the exam. We developed a model for how the environment affects group processes which, in turn, affects group and individual outcomes.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Revere, Lee Ph.D.; Elden, Max Ph.D.; and Bartsch, Robert A. Ph.D. (2008) "Designing Group Examinations to Decrease Social Loafing and Increase Learning," International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Vol. 2: No. 1, Article 17.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2008.020117