This study examines the cultural climate of successful groups in online undergraduate sociology courses that developed social contracts aimed at fostering positive group work experiences and academic achievement. An analysis of participants' group assessment papers investigated the most important attributes of group cultures with congenial work…

Introduction: Students in higher education courses need to practice vital groupwork skills that are increasingly relevant in today's collaborative workplace, which often occurs through small group coursework. Statement of the Problem: The process of forming small groups with students who are committed to the topic and goals is frequently…

"Quality work" is a growing area of interest in higher education research, reflecting a broader political and scientific concern with how universities and colleges work with educational quality. However, the characteristics and theoretical underpinnings of the concept are understudied, and we have scarce knowledge about how different…

In a longitudinal interview-based study of racial-minority students of low-income or working-class origin at an elite private university in the United States, we examine how class and race co-determine students' friendship-making patterns. We advance previous research in college students' friendship-making by applying a dual lens of…

Incorporating non-verbal data streams is essential to understanding the dynamics of interaction within collaborative learning environments in which a variety of verbal and non-verbal modes of communication intersect. However, the complexity of non-verbal data -- especially gathered in the wild from collaborative learning contexts -- demands…

Originally designed for first language classrooms, literature circles have been adapted for second language (L2) contexts to enhance reading proficiency and discourse skills. While traditional practice in L2 settings involves assigning roles to students for engaging with texts, critiques have highlighted potential constraints on participation and…

Student veterans are often viewed in popular culture with a deficit mindset. They are "wounded warriors" who are navigating mental health challenges, academically underprepared, and non-traditional students balancing other responsibilities beyond college. Despite potential lingering effects of military service, student veterans bring…

Higher education administrators, faculty, and staff across diverse institutional contexts grapple with college students' persisting and increasing mental health concerns. Further, recent research has discussed mental health challenges Black collegians encounter, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health issues among Black college…

Emerging theory and evidence suggest that intergroup relations may stimulate malevolent creativity, but the intergroup foundations of malevolent creativity remain unexplored. Drawing from theories of intergroup conflict, we argue that malevolent creativity can be understood through the lens of parochial altruism, one's willingness to partake in…

Background: Policy documents call for supporting STEM students in developing collaborative abilities for working in multidisciplinary teams. Courses with intra- and inter-group collaboration are therefore essential to prepare STEM students to participate in modern multidisciplinary professional environments. To analyze those courses, this paper…

This research investigates the effect of exceptionally poor team members (identified as "bad apples") on team dynamics and team performance. The negative impact of bad apples is shown to harm group dynamic factors of team effectiveness, relationships, cohesion, and increase conflict. In addition, we show that bad apples reduce team…

This study assessed whether self-perceived grit is malleable and, if so, how it evolved during the educational journey of students at a four-year military college. By design, the military learning environment tests students' perseverance and determination while teaching lessons in goal commitment and development of purpose, both empirically…

Most student performance metrics are based on quantitative assessment from traditional test and examination scores. However, there is an apparent scarcity of exploratory qualitative studies to examine the characterization of traits, attitudes, and behaviors that may influence students' performance outcomes. Moreso because such characterization…

Graduate employability is now typically conceptualised in terms of the extent to which the capacities of individual students match the available employment opportunities. As a result, higher education is increasingly seen as an investment in a project of the self for economic reward. This theoretical study draws on critical realist perspectives to…

Recent developments of higher teacher education in Tanzania have witnessed high student enrolments necessitating change of an emphasis from individual assessment to group-based assessment practices. In this context, informed by the constructivist philosophical perspective, this article reports on the pre-service teachers' voices regarding the…