Page 51 - 2022 Abstract Book RUICHSS_2022_11_17 after conference

University of Ruhuna ISSN: 2706-0063
Matara, Sri Lanka

Heterogeneous or Homogeneous Groups; Student Perspective
on the Role of Gender in Teamwork Related to Higher
Education

Hewapaththuwa, H.P.M., Jayarathna, D. and Gamage, C.
Department of Marketing, Faculty of Management and Finance, University of
Ruhuna.
uni.eng.piyumi@gmail.com

Teamwork has become a popular learning and evaluating approach employed by
educators at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. A number of studies revealed
that the gender composition of teamwork makes the task effective and productive.
The problem of the present research springs from the lack of collaborative skills and
confidence in undergraduates when working in mixed-gender groups during the
sessions of learning English as a Second Language. Thus, the objective of the study
is to examine the students’ perception of the advantages and disadvantages that
students experience when they are grouped into homogenous and heterogeneous
gender groups in collaborative assignments while investigating their preferred
method of gender grouping. Hence, a random sample of 146 first-year
undergraduates; 39 males and 107 females who study at the Faculty of Management
and Finance, the University of Ruhuna participated in the study. A mixed method was
employed and the data was collected through a questionnaire and semi-structured
interviews. According to the findings, there are several advantages and disadvantages
of homogeneous and heterogeneous gender groups. Furthermore, 97.3% of
participants prefer heterogeneous gender grouping in collaborative assignments
because of the diversity of personalities and productivity associated. In conclusion,
fostering a cooperative learning environment with gender-diverse grouping is
effective and productive for collaborative assignments in higher education.

Key words: Collaborative, Assignments, Gender, Homogenous, Heterogeneous

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