Does Studying in Groups Help?
By: Hoon Jung
Introduction
Studying is a foundational aspect of student life, especially as the level of education rises. However, the task of studying can get monotonous and difficult, especially as its quantity increases, which then results in a loss of motivation and a decrease in productivity. Due to this, many students around the world struggle to study in an isolated space. Which is why around the world, students opt to utilize a “study buddy” or to study in groups. But does this tactic truly benefit students? Or is it simply an excuse to meet with friends?
Many students gravitate towards studying in groups before large exams | Image by Freepik
Impacts on Academic Achievement
The short answer to the question of whether or not study groups benefit students in terms of academics is no, it does not help.
But it does not necessarily hurt the students either. A research conducted by Miami University shows that there is no relationship found between gains in content knowledge and study group use, but also no negative impact either (Rybczynski and Schussler). In fact, this is a commonality found between many researches conducted on the subject. There seems to be no correlation between having a study group and academic performance.
There was no significant difference between the test scores of those who used a study group and those who did not | Figure 1. (Rybczynski and Schussler)
However, there does seem to be evidence of correlation between the different kinds of study groups and their impact on academic performance. An article published by CBE Life Sciences Education found that having a dominant member, one who dominates the flow of all conversation within the group, can have a negative impact on the academic success of the study group and can often cause confusion (Chang and Brickman). And contrary to how a dominant member may negatively impact the success of a study group, a highly interdependent group which had balanced conversations involving all members had significantly more success than the groups who did not hold such conversations (Chang and Brickman).
And so while not all study groups may provide a significant impact to academic success, having a group which is interdependent can serve to be an effective tool for increasing academic success.
Non-academic Impacts
However, many sources online preach the social benefits of studying with another person or in a group. One of such sources is an article from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, which explains that rather than having a direct impact on academic performance, study groups provide social benefits for students which may serve an impact much more significant than test grades. Study groups were said to be great “accountability partners,” or those who are able to keep others on track to reach their goals (Adams). This can serve as an important tool for students as staying on task is a very important aspect of not only academic success, but success in any given field. This is backed by research such as a study conducted by the American Psychological Association, which found that around 70% of students found increased motivation to study when with a study group (McCabe & Lummis).
Working in a group has been proven to increase student motivation to study | Image from Pixabay
Additionally, the article states that study groups were said to be crucial in allowing students to build priceless connections, which may serve to be extremely beneficial to students beyond academic performance (Adams). In the infamous example of Mark Zuckerberg, he was able to form connections with others at Harvard University which served crucial during the initial stages of Facebook’s development. And while the example of Mark Zuckerberg may seem far fetched, it was his connections that he formed while he was at college which served as a major contributor to Facebook’s success. Such connections may be created within study groups, and while not all connections may result in a major social media company, they may certainly benefit students even after they have finished schooling.
Student Responses
While there are many benefits to study groups, studies have found that student feedback on study groups have been resoundingly negative. According to the American Psychological Association, in a study conducted with 463 undergraduates enrolled at 38 different institutions and majoring in five different fields, it was found that only 20% of students wanted to continue utilizing study groups while the rest were either neutral or did not want to continue studying in groups (McCabe & Lummis). This was a result which was also reflected by research conducted at CBE Life Sciences Education which found that one out of seven low-scoring students found a study group useful after the experience and three out of seven high-scoring students found it useful after (Chang and Brickman). Such a negative response may have been reflective on other conditions such as the personality of the other group members or distractions which may have occurred.
Overall, study groups have been proven to be useful with the right people, and yet the negative response from students shows us that it may be best for students to continue studying on their own.
References:
Adams, Ahmad. “The Benefits of Study Groups.” Office of Professional Programs, 7 Mar. 2023, professionalprograms.umbc.edu/blog/the-benefits-of-study-groups/.
Chang, Yunjeong, and Peggy Brickman. “When group work doesn’t work: Insights from students.” CBE—Life Sciences Education, vol. 17, no. 3, Sept. 2018, https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.17-09-0199.
McCabe, Jennifer A., and Sarah N. Lummis. “Why and how do undergraduates study in groups?” Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, vol. 4, no. 1, Mar. 2018, pp. 27–42, https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000099.
Rybczynski, Stephen M., and Elisabeth E. Schussler. “Student use of out-of-class study groups in an introductory undergraduate biology course.” CBE—Life Sciences Education, vol. 10, no. 1, Mar. 2011, pp. 74–82, https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe-10-04-0060.
Stenberg, Luz, et al. “Group Work and Student Outcomes among First Year International Students.” International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, vol. 31, no. 3, 2019, pp. 452–460 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1244966.pdf.
