Teamwork and student engagement during practical sessions in laboratories

Abstract

Teamwork is an important pedagogical approach which equips students with the necessary skills required for their learning and develops their employability. This research focuses on teamwork in practical sessions, and it investigates the factors that facilitate students' engagement during practical sessions, the optimum group size and how teamwork contributes to student learning. Students were asked to complete a questionnaire after a team working activity in the laboratory. The responses were quantitatively and qualitatively analysed, and it was found that communication is the most important element which enhanced the team's performance and engagement. The collaboration, discussion and interaction between the members were also found to be important to student engagement. The optimum group size was dependent on the complexity and the nature of the activity. It was found that effective teamwork contributes significantly to the enhancement of student learning and to developing required employability skills.