Identification of Dysfunctional Cooperative Learning Teams Using Taguchi Quality Indexes

Introduction The underlying principle of cooperative learning is one of interdependence (Johnson & Johnson, 1989; Smith, Sheppard, Johnson, & Johnson, 2005). Positive interdependence (i.e. cooperation) prompts an interaction effect in which the individuals within the group encourage one another and facilitate one another's efforts to learn (Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 1998; Smith et al., 2005). Many studies have shown that when implemented successfully, cooperative learning fosters a spirit of helping, encouraging, and mutual support, and results in a notable improvement in the learning performance of each team member (Felder, 1995; Felder, Felder, & Dietz, 1998; Johnson, Johnson, Roy, & Zaidman, 1986; Johnson et al., 1998; Prince, 2004; Smith et al., 2005; Springer, Stanne, & Donovan, 1999). However, when students with different genders, abilities, personalities, learning styles, and work ethics are forced to work together as a group, difficulties invariably arise. In the worst case scenario, some students with an initially positive attitude toward cooperative learning may begin to doubt its effectiveness, while others who were initially resistant to cooperative learning may become even more so (Felder & Brent, 1994). Cooperative teams having such members invariably become dysfunctional over time, leading to an inevitable loss in the benefits of cooperative learning. As a result, it is desirable for instructors to identify dysfunctional teams at their earliest stages of development such that they can implement appropriate remedial actions in a timely manner. School administrators and education researchers also have an interest in identifying dysfunctional teams. For example, school administrators may wish to analyze the degree of success (or failure) of cooperative learning within their campus in order to tailor their existing teaching strategies or to formulate new strategies for the future. Similarly, in studying the interactions and dynamics within cooperative teams, education researchers may find it useful to identify dysfunctional teams such that their effects can be excluded from the analysis. Consequently, a requirement exists for a reliable method of identifying dysfunctional cooperative teams to support the developers of educational systems in designing technology-assisted solutions for educators and academics wishing to monitor and analyze the performance of cooperative learning teams. Purpose of study Given the importance of identifying dysfunctional teams, the problem of examining how this might actually be achieved in practice has received surprisingly little attention. Some researchers (Hwong, Caswell, Johnson, & Johnson, 1993) suggested gauging the extent of goal and resource interdependence (i.e. the sharing of a common learning goal and common learning resources) among the individual team members as a means of establishing the success (or otherwise) of the cooperative learning condition. Meanwhile, other researchers (Johnson, Johnson, Stanne & Garibaldi, 1990) analyzed the interaction patterns among the students within the group in order to test for the presence of a successful cooperative learning condition. However, crucially, goal interdependence, resource interdependence, interaction patterns and all the other measures used in previous studies indicate only the success or failure of the cooperative learning condition, i.e. they provide no clues as to the effect of this cooperative learning mode on the academic performance of the individual teams. Instructors can often identify dysfunctional teams intuitively based upon their informal observations of the group dynamics within the classroom. However, formal measurement and assessment procedures are required to provide a more systematic and objective basis on which to formulate instructional decisions. Kaufman, Felder, & Fuller (2000) asserted that peer ratings are an effective means of identifying dysfunctional cooperative learning teams. …