Attitudes about classroom group work: How are they impacted by students’ past experiences and major?

Students at two universities were surveyed in order to determine if past experiences with classroom group work impacted attitudes about this pedagogical technique. Questions related to equitable distribution of effort (personal and of other group members), impact on learning and life skills, group structure, and fairness in grading. Business and nonbusiness students did not have the same attitudes. Business students wanted more freedom over group functions and were more concerned with the equitable distribution of work, whereas nonbusiness students wanted greater external structure. In general, students who felt that group work led to life or workplace skills had more favorable attitudes.