THE EFFECT OF GROUP LEARNING ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Abstract

The challenge of enhancing student academic performance at institutions of higher learning the world over has been the thorn in the flesh due to growing large classes, the passive classroom instruction and deteriorating student attendance. Group learning Group learning as a learner-centered pedagogical strategy (including cooperative learning, collaborative learning, and peer-assisted study strategies) has been subject to an extensive range of proposals as an academic achievement-enhancing learning strategy through its ability to promote active cognitive interaction, construction of peer knowledge and academic responsibility. Although it plays prominent role in pedagogical theory and educational research in other countries, the impact of structured group learning on academic success at the higher university level in Pakistan is still under-researched. The article is a quantitative, quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test control group design study that will be used to test the impact of a structured group learning strategy on the academic success of undergraduate university students. In Pakistan, a study of 180 students (n = 90 experimental, n = 90 control) is selected in a stratified random sample at one of the public universities of Punjab. The experimental condition goes through an intervention program that involves a 10-week group learning which is structured, compared to the control group that receives regular lecture-based instruction. A validated Academic Achievement Test (AAT) is used to measure academic achievement. Statistical methods involve independent-samples t-test, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), and Pearson correlation which are performed by means of the use of the IBM SPSS Statistics Version 28.0. To determine the student perceptions along five dimensions of group learning the Group Learning Perception Questionnaire (GLPQ) made of 25 items is also conducted to the experimental group on a Likert scale. The findings expected that academic achievement to be significantly improved among the experimental group as compared to the control group. The paper ends by an evidence-driven set of recommendations to faculty, curriculum designers, and university administrators to institutionalize structured group learning in the undergraduate pedagogy in Pakistan.