Social Loafing and Team-Based Learning: Assessing Whether Team-Based Learning

Abstract

Social loafing in group projects is a problem that affects the group’s productivity and the team’s experience (Gagne et al.,1999; Pfaff & Huddleston, 2003; Teng & Luo, 2015). A potential remedy to this problem is a research-based teaching style called Team-Based Learning (TBL; Sibley et al., 2014; Team Based Learning Collaborative, 2020). In general, it is hypothesized that TBL practices will lead to less perceived social loafing. A survey asking about a past college group project was put up on UW-Stout Sona, where 113 students completed the survey. This survey consisted of two existing measures (i.e., Perceived Social Loafing Questionnaire [PSLQ] and Social Loafing Tendency Questionnaire [SLTQ]) as well as additional questions created based off the literature on social loafing and TBL. Data was analyzed using an independent samples t-test, correlations, and one-way ANOVAs. Results showed that two hypotheses were supported: students who report the course as being important or very important will self-report less individual social loafing and students who report feeling more socially connected to their groups will self-report less individual social loafing. The other 5 hypotheses were not supported. The present study seeks to add to the current social loafing literature as well as the TBL literature by addressing the research gap that exists. Also, to gain a better understanding of how the TBL teaching method could potentially reduce the amount of social loafing in the classroom. The hope is that instructors who utilize groupwork can use this research to inform their teaching practices.