Investigating the effect of social relationships on collaborative learning

Alrayes, Amal and Gadalla, Eman (2011) Investigating the effect of social relationships on collaborative learning. In: Proceedings of the IADIS International Conference e-Learning 2011, Part of the IADIS Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems 2011, MCCSIS 2011 :. Proceedings of the IADIS International Conference e-Learning 2011, Part of the IADIS Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems 2011, MCCSIS 2011 . UNSPECIFIED, ITA, pp. 101-108. ISBN 9789728939380

Abstract

Collaborative learning enhances social skills by engaging students with their colleagues and taking responsibility for their own learning. A controversy exists between those who believe that social closeness can lead to positive impact on collaborative learning and those who found a strong negative correlation between prior friendship and groupwork performance. Therefore, using an exploratory approach this paper investigates the effects of group members' relationships on collaborative learning. A mixed methodology is used to examine these effects using 11 undergraduate students collaborated in three groups. The results confirmed that higher motivation led to more participation. Due to the small sample size, there was insufficient evidence about the expectations concerning social relationships. However, interaction was more important than social relationships. Further research is required to support these findings.