University EFL Students’ Perceptions of Roles, Collaboration, and Learning Across a Multi-Week PBLL Group Project

The purpose of this study is to understand students’ perceptions and group satisfaction regarding collaborative learning (CL) in a project-based language learning (PBLL) group presentation project. This research examined a five-week period tracking changes perceived by students as groups worked through successive tasks culminating in a presentation. Data were collected from 49 participants through weekly surveys including five-point Likert-scale items, multiple-choice questions, and open-ended reflection prompts. A descriptive and inductive analytic approach was used to analyze trends in students’ reported satisfaction, perceived learning, collaboration, and student roles over time. Results revealed that students primarily identified as taking on collaborative supporting roles (i.e., leaders, first-followers, and group collaborators). Similarly, peer-selected roles maintained a high frequency of collaborative roles, while a higher number of less-collaborative roles (i.e., independent worker, passenger, disengaged, and absentee) were also identified. Students maintained high levels of satisfaction during the CL process, including English improvement, group learning, and collaboration within the group, yet satisfaction in English use remained significantly lower throughout the process. Finally, student insights revealed benefits of CL and the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-supported collaboration in facilitating group processes. Overall, findings emphasize group development within the PBLL framework, and pedagogical implications are discussed.