Computer-based Collaboration in Student Work: Does a Preference for Using Technology Affect Performance?

This study reports the results from an empirical study focusing on student preference for computer-based collaboration. This study involved collecting data from 144 university students who were required to do a computer-based collaborative task. The study examined perceptions of, preferences for, and performance in, computer-based collaboration. The researchers had expected that a predilection for such technologies would result in improved performance where their use was required. This did not turn out to be the case. A preference for computer-based collaboration did not necessarily result in an improved performance in a computer based collaborative task. Student characteristics examined included previous experience, gender, age, perceived performance, group history, perceptions of collaboration, and preferences for individual versus group work. These factors were not found to influence results. This suggests that such perceptions and preferences may not be important to performance