The Thorn in Our Flesh: A Comparison of Academic Group Projects Across Cultures

The mention of group projects often elicits groans from students, followed by chatter as they attempt to grab the best team members they can find among the flock of distressed classmates. In an attempt to discover whether or not the dislike toward group projects is exclusive to students in American universities, the current study explored the following question: How do students across cultures perceive group projects in the classroom? Previous research was explored to determine possible factors that influence group performance and how one’s perception of the group affects the outcome of the project. Data were collected data from university students involved in semester-long group projects in Boise, Idaho and Salatiga, Indonesia. The data were gathered via an online survey at three strategic points in the semester to measure the changing perceptions and attitudes toward the group. The research found that individualistic and collectivistic cultures perceive group projects differently, and the findings provided insights into the influence of cultural norms in the effectiveness of educational methods