Influence of social personalization on performance in group learning

Abstract

Though personalization has been proposed as an approach that addresses learners' individual differences, the focus of studies in this domain has mainly been on tailoring learning to individual learners' needs as compared to group learning. The few studies that have factored the aspect of learner personality in group learning have overlooked learners' sociological preferences when modeling learner personality. However, it is of essence for learners' social personalities to be considered in group formation since social presence is the basis for collaborative learning. Furthermore, sociological preferences differ among learners and this contributes to individual differences. This paper explored the effect of taking into account the social personalities of a learner in creating collaborative groups. The study was based on the use of PECALE software prototype that enhances personalization and learner engagement through context awareness. The group performance was measured based on how long a group could take to solve a given collaborative task. The results showed that groups that had similar sociological preferences spent significantly less time solving a task than the groups that were formed with no consideration of sociological preferences. Assigning learners into groups while adhering to their sociological needs may offer a platform for equity and inclusion in collaborative learning since every learner's needs are addressed. This may in turn enhance group productivity. Furthermore, the study's approach may also be useful in formation of teams that can work effectively together in the workplace.