Abstract
Considering the importance of group member familiarity in collaborative learning in classroom learning environments, this study examined the impact of group member familiarity on CSCL (computer-supported collaborative learning) in a networked setting. Also, the differences between CSCL in the online environments and FtF (face-to-face) collaborative learning were also compared. An analysis using structural equation modeling revealed that group member familiarity increased teamwork satisfaction, which in turn increased student engagement and perceived knowledge construction. A multi-group analysis revealed that while FtF collaborative learning exhibits higher levels of group member familiarity, teamwork satisfaction, student engagement, and perceived knowledge construction, the mediating effect of teamwork satisfaction was more pronounced in online settings. The study findings provided insights for teachers to improve collaborative learning experiences and adapt different teaching strategies.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Data Availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
References
Adams, S. J., Roch, S. G., & Ayman, R. (2005). Communication medium and member familiarity: The effects on decision time, accuracy, and satisfaction. Small Group Research, 36(3), 321–353. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496405275232.
Al-Samarraie, H., & Saeed, N. (2018). A systematic review of cloud computing tools for collaborative learning: Opportunities and challenges to the blended-learning environment. Computers & Education, 124, 77–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.05.016.
Andersen, J. F. (1979). Teacher immediacy as a predictor of teaching effectiveness. Annals of the International Communication Association, 3(1), 543–559. https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.1979.11923782.
Anderson, P., Bergman, B., Bradley, L., Gustafsson, M., & Matzke, A. (2010). Peer reviewing across the Atlantic: Patterns and trends in L1 and L2 comments made in an asynchronous online collaborative learning exchange between technical communication students in Sweden and in the United States. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 24(3), 296–322. https://doi.org/10.1177/1050651910363270.
Baturay, M. H., & Toker, S. (2019). The comparison of trust in virtual and face-to-face collaborative learning teams. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 20(3), 153–164. https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.601929.
Bolkan, S. (2015). Intellectually stimulating students’ intrinsic motivation: The mediating influence of affective learning and student engagement. Communication Reports, 28(2), 80–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/08934215.2014.962752.
Byrne, B. M. (2001). Structural equation modeling with Amos, EQS, and Lisrel: Comparative approaches to testing for the factorial validity of a measuring instrument. International Journal of Testing, 1(1), 55–86. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327574ijt0101_4.
Chapman, K. J., Meuter, M., Toy, D., & Wright, L. (2006). Can’t we pick our own groups? The influence of group selection method on group dynamics and outcomes. Journal of Management Education, 30(4), 557–569. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562905284872.
Chou, P. N., & Chen, H. H. (2008). Engagement in online collaborative learning: A case study using a web 2.0 tool. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 4(4), 574–582. https://jolt.merlot.org/vol4no4/chou_1208.pdf.
Crompton, C. J., Wolters, M. K., & MacPherson, S. E. (2022). Learning with friends and strangers: Partner familiarity does not improve collaborative learning performance in younger and older adults. Memory (Hove, England), 30(5), 636–649. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2022.2041038.
Dillenbourg, P. (1999). What do you mean by collaborative learning? Citeseer.
Ean, L. C. (2010). Face-to-face versus computer-mediated communication: Exploring employees’ preference of effective employee communication channel. International Journal for the Advancement of Science & Arts, 1(2), 38–48.
El-Sayad, G., Md Saad, N. H., & Thurasamy, R. (2021). How higher education students in Egypt perceived online learning engagement and satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Computers in Education, 8(4), 527–550. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-021-00191-y.
Farland, M. Z., Feng, X., Behar-Horenstein, L. S., & Beck, D. E. (2019). Impact of team formation method on student team performance across multiple courses incorporating team-based learning. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 83(6), 7030. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7030.
Fernandes, J. N. O. (2018). The impact of transition processes on virtual teams’ reflexivity: the role of trust and computer-mediated communication skills (Doctoral dissertation).
Flanagin, A. J., Tiyaamornwong, V., O’Connor, J., & Seibold, D. R. (2002). Computer-mediated group work: The interaction of sex and anonymity. Communication Research, 29(1), 66–93. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650202029001004.
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: Algebra and statistics. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(3), 382. https://doi.org/10.2307/3150980.
Graham, C. R., & Misanchuk, M. (2004). Computer-mediated learning groups: Benefits and challenges to using groupwork in online learning environments. Online collaborative learning: Theory and practice, 181–202. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-59140-174-2.ch008.
Gruenfeld, D. H., Mannix, E. A., Williams, K. Y., & Neale, M. A. (1996). Group composition and decision making: How member familiarity and information distribution affect process and performance. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 67(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1006/obhd.1996.0061.
Janssen, J., Erkens, G., Kirschner, P. A., & Kanselaar, G. (2009). Influence of group member familiarity on online collaborative learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(1), 161–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2008.08.010.
Janssen, J., & Kirschner, P. A. (2020). Applying collaborative cognitive load theory to computer-supported collaborative learning: Towards a research agenda. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(2), 783–805. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-019-09729-5.
Jeong, H., Hmelo-Silver, C. E., & Jo, K. (2019). Ten years of computer-supported collaborative learning: A meta-analysis of CSCL in STEM education during 2005–2014. Educational Research Review, 28, 100284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.100284.
Jiang, L. C., Bazarova, N. N., & Hancock, J. T. (2013). From perception to behavior: Disclosure reciprocity and the intensification of intimacy in computer-mediated communication. Communication Research, 40(1), 125–143. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650211405313.
Ku, H. Y., Tseng, H. W., & Akarasriworn, C. (2013). Collaboration factors, teamwork satisfaction, and student attitudes toward online collaborative learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 922–929. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.12.019.
Laal, M., & Ghodsi, S. M. (2012). Benefits of collaborative learning. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 31, 486–490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.12.091.
Mahenthiran, S., & Rouse, P. J. (2000). The impact of group selection on student performance and satisfaction. International Journal of Educational Management, 14(6), 255–265. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540010348043.
Mayes, T. (2018). Learning technology and learning relationships. Teaching & learning online, 16–26. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315042527-3.
Mennecke, B. E., Hoffer, J. A., & Valacich, J. S. (1995). An experimental examination of group history and group support system use on information sharing performance and user perceptions. Proceedings of the Twenty-Eighth Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1109/hicss.1995.375734.
Nam, C. W., & Zellner, R. D. (2011). The relative effects of positive interdependence and group processing on student achievement and attitude in online cooperative learning. Computers & Education, 56(3), 680–688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.10.010.
Nan, D., Lee, H., Kim, Y., & Kim, J. H. (2022). My video game console is so cool! A coolness theory-based model for intention to use video game consoles. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 176, 121451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121451.
Natarajan, J., & Joseph, M. A. (2022). Impact of emergency remote teaching on nursing students’ engagement, social presence, and satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nursing Forum, 57(1), 42–48. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12649.
Postmes, T., Spears, R., & Cihangir, S. (2001). Quality of decision making and group norms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(6), 918–930. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.80.6.918.
Post, M. L., Barrett, A., Williams, M., & Scharff, L. (2020). Impact of team formation method on Student Performance, Attitudes, and behaviors. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 20(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v20i1.24128.
Rhoads, M. (2010). Face-to-face and computer-mediated communication: What does theory tell us and what have we learned so far? Journal of Planning Literature, 25(2), 111–122. https://doi.org/10.1177/0885412210382984.
Richmond, V. P., Gorham, J. S., & McCroskey, J. C. (1987). The relationship between selected immediacy behaviors and cognitive learning. Annals of the International Communication Association, 10(1), 574–590. https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.1987.11678663.
Robinson, H., Kilgore, W., & Warren, S. (2017). Care, communication, support: Core for designing meaningful online collaborative learning. Online Learning Journal, 21(4), https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v21i4.1240.
Rockett, T. L., & Okhuysen, G. A. (2002). Familiarity in groups: Exploring the relationship between inter-member familiarity and group behavior. Research on Managing Groups and Teams, 173–201https://doi.org/10.1016/s1534-0856(02)04008-2
Rodríguez, J. I., Plax, T. G., & Kearney, P. (1996). Clarifying the relationship between teacher nonverbal immediacy and student cognitive learning: Affective learning as the central causal mediator. Communication Education, 45(4), 293–305. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634529609379059.
Romiszowski, A., & Mason, R. (2013). Computer-mediated communication. In Handbook of research on educational communications and technology, 103–115. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203149102-13
Sanders, J. A., & Wiseman, R. L. (1990). The effects of verbal and nonverbal teacher immediacy on perceived cognitive, affective, and behavioral learning in the multicultural classroom. Communication Education, 39(4), 341–353. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634529009378814.
Schepers, J., de Jong, A., Wetzels, M., & de Ruyter, K. (2008). Psychological safety and social support in groupware adoption: A multi-level assessment in education. Computers & Education, 51(2), 757–775. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2007.08.001.
Seifert, T., & Bar-Tal, S. (2022). Student-teachers’ sense of belonging in collaborative online learning. Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11498-3.
Sumtsova, O., Aikina, T., Bolsunovskaya, L., Phillips, C., Zubkova, O., & Mitchell, P. (2018). Collaborative learning at engineering universities: Benefits and challenges. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 13(1), 160–177. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v13i01.7811.
Surani, D., & Hamidah, H. (2020). Students perceptions in online class learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. International Journal on Advanced Science Education and Religion, 3(3), 83–95. https://doi.org/10.33648/ijoaser.v3i3.78.
Tavakol, M., & Dennick, R. (2011). Making sense of Cronbach’s alpha. International Journal of Medical Education, 2, 53–55. https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.4dfb.8dfd.
Van den Bossche, P., Gijselaers, W. H., Segers, M., & Kirschner, P. A. (2006). Social and cognitive factors driving teamwork in collaborative learning environments: Team learning beliefs and behaviors. Small Group Research, 37(5), 490–521. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496406292938.
Van Leeuwen, A., & Janssen, J. (2019). A systematic review of teacher guidance during collaborative learning in primary and secondary education. Educational Research Review, 27, 71–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.02.001.
Walther, J. B. (1992). Interpersonal effects in computer-mediated interaction: A relational perspective. Communication Research, 19(1), 52–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/009365092019001003.
Walther, J. B. (1996). Computer-mediated communication: Impersonal, interpersonal, and hyperpersonal interaction. Communication Research, 23(1), 3–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/009365096023001001.
Wang, Z., & Zou, D. (2021). Synchronous computer mediated communication in English Language classes during the pandemic: A case study of Wuhan. Emerging Technologies for Education, 325–333. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92836-0_28.
Wilson, J. M., Straus, S. G., & McEvily, B. (2006). All in due time: The development of trust in computer-mediated and face-to-face teams. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 99(1), 16–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2005.08.001.
Xiong, J., Lipsitz, O., Nasri, F., Lui, L. M., Gill, H., Phan, L., Chen-Li, D., Iacobucci, M., Ho, R., & Majeed, A. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population: A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders, 277, 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.08.001.
Yang, T., Luo, H., & Sun, D. (2022). Investigating the combined effects of group size and group composition in online discussion. Active Learning in Higher Education, 23(2), 115–128. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787420938524.
Zhang, S., Che, S. P., Nan, D., & Kim, J. H. (2022). MOOCs as a research agenda: Changes over time. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 23(4), 193–210. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v23i4.6361.
Zhang, S., Che, S. P., Nan, D., & Kim, J. H. (2023). How does online social interaction promote students’ continuous learning intentions? Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1098110.
Zheng, W., Yu, F., & Wu, Y. J. (2022). Social media on blended learning: The effect of rapport and motivation. Behaviour & Information Technology, 41(9), 1941–1951. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2021.1909140.
Zhou, T. (2023). Bibliometric analysis and visualization of online education in sports. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2167625.
Zhu, C. (2012). Student satisfaction, performance, and knowledge construction in online collaborative learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 15(1), 127–136. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/jeductechsoci.15.1.127.
Funding
This work was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (NRF-2020R1A2C1014957).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Zhang, S., Che, S., Nan, D. et al. I know my teammates: the role of Group Member Familiarity in Computer-Supported and face-to-face collaborative learning. Educ Inf Technol 28, 12615–12631 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11704-w
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11704-w