Studying in a group has never been something that I deemed to be an effective way of learning. I have always felt that I am more productive studying alone, versus in a group where I would get distracted and just non stop talk with my friends. What intrigues me, though, is that their are many people who regularly study in groups and find that they learn more, and do better in the course due to the fact that each person in the group teaches one another the material giving them a better understanding on the work. With this is mind I decided to research more on this topic and try to find out if actually studying in groups can be more beneficial than studying alone or vice versa.
A student conducted an experimental study in his classroom where “half of the class was instructed to complete their work by working in groups; the other half of the class would complete their work by themselves.” He looked at the students pre and post tests scores and compared them to see if group or individual work has an effect on the students grades. This specific study lead to a dead end conclusion, where there was no real difference in either group. This lead me to some confusion and questions, were there third variables effecting this, i.e were the people in the groups very effective workers and did not slack off or was the work easy enough that being in a group did not have a positive or negative effect? This study showed an indirect causation between group studying and individual work. This study could have been more effective if the researcher did a single-blind placebo trial so that the students would not have know that they were part of a experiment, which could have lead to more accurate results; possibly the students doing more of what they usually do in group assignments such as talking more and getting easily distracted.
There are advantages and disadvantages to group and individual studying.
Pros of group work:
1) Everyone is good at something different, so use these strengths for better understanding
2) Get help with things that you are more unsure of
Cons:
1) Lead to a socialization session.
2) Some people wont be of help and slack off in pulling his or her own weight
3) People could have a different seriousness about how they should be studying in the group
1) Individuals have less distractions
2)Only have to rely on themselves and not others to get work done
Cons:
1) Individuals will have only one idea of how to do a problem
2)If individual doesn’t know how to do a problem there are stuck
“Study groups are so effective because they provide a way for students to make the lecture notes their own,” Keith Sawyer, Ph.D., associate professor of education in Arts & Sciences at Washington University. In the first study conducted by Sawyer at the university , he and an undergraduate student “videotaped and analyzed a study group” of four students for an undergraduate psychology course at the university, who got together prior to every test they had for the course to study their notes. His conclusion after watching the video at the beginning and end of the students studying together was that at the end the students had a much more free flowing conversation about the material for the test and their words and expressions to one another showed that they understood the material on a higher level. This is still an open ended study in that Sawyer just observed the four students rather than looking at their grades prior and post the studying or using more tangible evidence for his study. He just observed if they had a better conversation about the topic or not. Also, the sample size of solely four students cannot come up with 100% accurate results. If a bigger sample size with two separate groups of students their would be less chance for third variables to have an effect on the results. With this I believe that this study needs more work to come up with an accurate result.
To conclude, I still do not know if it is better to study alone or in a group. I will continue to study alone like I normally do but maybe after studying a little bit alone I could have a group come together for review sessions a few days prior to the test date. Moe research and studies would have to be conducted in order to come up with a more accurate idea about whether or not studying alone or in a group is more effective.
I enjoyed this blog because I have recently been struggling with this problem. I find myself trying to avoid study groups and large rooms with a lot of kids studying in it. I am one that is easily distracted so it is hard to focus and concentrate when people are veering off the topic that needs to be studied. I think that study groups are effective if all the students are motivated to come and do their work, and not come to socialize. However, while studying alone I also often find myself stumped because I don’t know an answer, and have no one else to ask. This being said, I am on the same page as you. I am unsure what is better and more beneficial, but based on the studies that you mentioned, there was no real difference in either group that was tested. I liked how you mentioned if there was a third variable, that the results may have differed. In my opinion I think that a study should be conducted for students to study the same material, in the same environment, for the same amount of time, and then results could be made from it to conclude which is better. The following link is others opinions on the same issue discussed in your blog: http://getcollegecredit.com/blog/article/studying_alone_vs._group_study_which_is_better
Well done!
This post is so relatable!! One of the biggest questions I ask people before I get into a difficult class is “what are you tips to deal with a difficult class?” Most people tell me to find someone/a group of people who understand the information and study together. Not only is it easier to remember the conversations and thoughts you had during your study session, but you have additional thoughts and ideas added to yours that can expand your knowledge. I agree that working in a group is very beneficial. I know personally, I have always enjoyed studying alone better, but recently I started studying in groups and I have seen a HUGE difference. Thanks for this post, very interesting!
I have always felt more productive when studying alone. When I am in a group setting, I tend to want to talk and socialize more, which never leads to getting work done. However, when I do study alone, I do not have the benefit of getting group input and help. I liked how your blog analyzed both sides of the argument because I think study habits are definitely a personalized preference.
I found this article to be extremely interesting as I myself can relate to it 100%! Recently, at penn state I have been surrounded by so many students who share the same interests and class schedule as me. Everytime there is a test coming up my friends are always spotted in the same spot that I like to study; the east commons. You practically walk into 138394802 talking students at once. Although I am usually VERY again studying in large groups, it really depends on the situation, how many people, and WHO you are studying with. For my previous exam, I was in a group with 3 to 4 girls and we went over things that we did not know/ wanted to gain a better understanding of. I found that I actually was AHEAD of the game and knew more, and I became the explainer of the group. This honestly helped me so much because a lot of the time I find that I don’t actually know what I don’t know unless I am asked to explain it. In my case, I got lucky and ended up doing really well on the exam because I was able to do my own part and studying on my own when leaving the group as well. Bottom line is, it all depends on the environment, people, situation, and how much you put in.
Although the comment above believes firmly in group study, I, like you, see both sides of the argument. While studying in groups does help people think about the material in a new way, more often than not, it results in a social session. Additionally, if someone is convinced that the wrong way is actually right, it can lead to second guessing for many people. That is another reason not to take this class’s tests with others besides the obvious problem of it being cheating. I already second guess myself enough; I don’t need help doing it. Studying alone helps eliminate distractions of other people, but if you get stuck, you are stuck. I think that the best solution is to combine the two ways of studying, but it varies from person to person. I believe that there are definitely results for either side of the argument out there. However, I think that the professors should not be the ones conducting the experiments because their own personal beliefs might create bias. If they find something contradictory to what they believe, they may disregard the results. It’s a definitely an intriguing topic, and if there were a definite answer, it would help many students.
Well, actually studying in groups is actually better then studying alone. A lot of people are under the assumption that studying alone is better for concentration, Yes that is true if you are trying to memorize everything by heart and possibly forget it on the day of the test. When you study in groups it gives you chance to bounce ideas off each other or even apply the concepts. Someone might come up with a way to remember the material that you would not have had you studied alone. It’s always easier to be with a group because the way you took in the lecture might be way different from they way they took in the lecture and their view of the lecture may be more beneficial then your view.. so you should consider group study it really is more effective
here is the article that agrees