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The impact of group cohesion on key success measures in higher education

Thornton, Claire, Miller, Phillip and Perry, Kelly (2019) The impact of group cohesion on key success measures in higher education. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 44 (4). pp. 542-553. ISSN 0309-877X

Item Type: Article

Abstract

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly being measured using key performance indicators (KPIs) such as student retention, success, achievement and attendance. There is a dearth of research focusing on group dynamics within classroom settings, with very little focusing on cohesion. There is, however, evidence, in organisational and sports settings, that cohesion can have a positive impact upon performance and adherence to group activities. More cohesive classes may therefore result in improved performance in higher education (HE) . This study aimed to examine whether group cohesion was related to markers of student success in higher education (HE) classes in three English colleges. Participants were 107 first-year sports students who completed the Perceived Cohesion Scale for Small Groups (PCS) at the end of semesters one and two. Responses were correlated with student attendance, success, achievement and retention. Results indicated that attendance was positively correlated with cohesion (r = 0.4, p = 0.01), but no other relationships emerged. The effect sizes were higher in semester two than in semester one, which suggests that cohesion may develop over time in student groups. The findings indicate that cohesion may be important to enhance attendance at colleges and that building cohesion should be a priority for classroom managers.

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More Information

Depositing User: Kelly Perry

Identifiers

Item ID: 12467
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2019.1594727
ISSN: 0309-877X
URI: http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/12467
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2019.1594727

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Catalogue record

Date Deposited: 28 Aug 2020 12:34
Last Modified: 21 Jun 2021 13:15

Contributors

Author: Claire Thornton
Author: Phillip Miller
Author: Kelly Perry

University Divisions

Faculty of Education and Society > School of Education

Subjects

Education > Further Education
Education > Higher Education
Psychology > Psychology
Education > Secondary Education
Psychology > Social Psychology
Sciences > Sport Sciences
Social Sciences > Working with Young People

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