Individual vs Group

(Laboratory Activity)
Carl Andrie D. Ortega
carlortega120214@gmail.com
 INDIVIDUAL GROUP
• Solo • More than one student
• Easier activity • More complex
 Advantages of Individual

• Students’ success is entirely based on themselves

• There are no concerns about conflicts among students
• Every student is responsible for his or her own learning and completion of the
laboratory experiment
• They encourage independent thinking and independent problem-solving skills
• You can concentrate easier and work faster
Disadvantages of Individual
• Less collaboration, communication, sharing of ideas, etc.
• No one will help you to prepare the materials
• Materials and tools/equipment in the laboratory might not be
enough for everyone
• You have to motivate yourself.
• Presenting individual result of the activity takes far longer than
presenting group
Advantages of Group
• They encourage teamwork and collaboration
• They can help students learn to break down certain tasks and
allocate responsibilities.
• They allow for group discussion, which often leads to innovative
ideas, challenging assumptions, and improved communication
skills
• They are able to take on more complex problems than they could
handle individually
• Presentation of result will only take short time since only a
representative is needed per group
Disadvantages of Group
• Groups can often spend too much time discussing ideas,
organizing responsibilities, or just chatting as friends without
getting much actually accomplished, especially in the beginning.
• Groups may allocate work unevenly based on students’ grades or
knowledge
• There may be members who sit back and let others do all the
work
• Poor communication skills can lead to poor performance
According to Michael Cronin and Anthony
McCabe
• The laboratory group make-up had no impact on the student
enjoyment of the laboratory class. There was also no significant
impact on the students’ ability to perform the laboratory exercise
in a time efficient manner. The analysis did however indicate that
students who work alone or with their preferred partner have a
greater understanding of the subject matter against those who
worked with an assigned partner. The results also suggest that
students who worked alone had significantly improved laboratory
technique compared to student working in a group.
Recommendations
• More group laboratory activities and lesser individual group
activities
• When giving group laboratory activities make sure that everyone
would participate and contribute on their group.
• When giving individual laboratory activity, make sure it is
manageable by one student.
References
• https://cora.ucc.ie/handle/10468/5294
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S24523011193
00033
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335567739_Individual_
Pair_and_Group_Writing_Activity_A_Case_Study_of_Undergra
duate_EFL_Student_Writing