=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-1910/paper0212
|storemode=property
|title=Does the Perception of Team Collaboration Changes with Time? Study with Computer Science Students
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1910/paper0212.pdf
|volume=Vol-1910
|authors=Dulce Pacheco,Luìsa Soares
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/chitaly/PachecoS17
}}
==Does the Perception of Team Collaboration Changes with Time? Study with Computer Science Students==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1910/paper0212.pdf
Does the Perception of Team
Collaboration Changes with Time?
Study with Computer Science Students
Dulce Pacheco Abstract using the Team Collaborator Evaluator (TCE). Results
M-ITI – Madeira Interactive In this paper, we discuss indicate that the perception of team collaboration changes
Technologies Institute the need for teamwork pending on the moment of the evaluation. The outcomes of
Caminho da Penteada, Polo skills in the workplace and this study could potentially be used to build more effective
Cientifico e Tecnologico da the training of Computer teams and might be extended to interdisciplinary teams.
Madeira, 9020-105 Funchal Science Bachelor students
dulce.pacheco@m-iti.org to perform in teams. Author Keywords
Researchers claim that Collaborative learning; TEAM; Team collaboration; Team
Luísa Soares collaborative learning can effectiveness; Teamwork skills.
M-ITI – Madeira Interactive positively influence
Technologies Institute teamwork competencies. ACM Classification Keywords
Caminho da Penteada, Polo We argue that time can H.5.3 Group and Organization Interfaces: Computer-
Cientifico e Tecnologico da change participants’ supported cooperative work
Madeira, 9020-105 Funchal perception of the
lsoares@uma.pt effectiveness of the team Introduction
collaboration. The group The goal of this study is to explore the differences, if
development model TEAM any, on the perception of team effectiveness in teams of
(Team Evolution and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and
Maturation) offers a Mathematics) students, considering the moment when
framework for discussing the variables mediating learning- that evaluation is made. Teams are becoming critical in
team effectiveness. An exploratory study with Pre- and the way work is organized [1] and, consequently,
Post-test was conducted with a sample of 49 students of teamwork skills have become essential in staff [2].
Computer Science. Team collaboration was measured Teams were found to be more flexible and responsive to
Copyright is held by the author/owner(s). shifting events than the traditional departmental
CHItaly ’17, September 18-20, 2017, Cagliari, Italy. configuration, as teams have the capability to rapidly
assemble, deploy, refocus, and disband [3].
Nevertheless, massive problems can still be found in assumes that the impact of these variables may differ
individuals working in teams [4]. according to the stage of development in the learning
team and may have a specific influence on learning
A team includes two or more individuals, with certain team evolution and maturation [11]. Accordingly, this
roles, who perform co-dependent tasks, are flexible, and paradigm is the theoretical guide of this study.
share a common goal [5]. To function as a collective, a
team needs to have some key attributes like common Learning collaboratively is considered a critical
perception, shared aims, interdependence, social pedagogical approach [12] that arises in so-called
organization, interaction, cohesiveness, and communities of inquiry that facilitate the construction of
membership [1, 6]. Businesses, especially those related personally meaningful and socially valid knowledge [12].
to technology, increasingly rely on teams to enhance This is based on the constructivist paradigm that
productivity. Therefore, they expect colleges to prepare students must be involved in the process of knowledge
graduates to effectively operate in teams [7, 8, 9]. construction through discussion, debate or argument if
Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and employers both they are to establish deep learning and understanding
agree that academia plays a major role in improving the [13]. Although, some authors report a reluctance in
personal proficiency competence cluster [9]. There are students to work in teams’ due to negative experiences
reports on the lack of support from the HEI in preparing in past collaborative team experiences [1, 14). Team
their students to build effective teamwork skills effectiveness includes the quality of the team’s
throughout their studies [2, 9]. Students agree that performance and the perceived satisfaction of individual
teamwork is a highly desirable skill [7, 8, 9]. Personal team members’ needs [10].
proficiency competence cluster includes teamwork, not
only concerning its extensive features, but also Shimazoe and Aldrich [15] have found several benefits
leadership, time management, and the ability to work of teamwork such as advancement of deep learning,
effectively with others [9]. earning higher grades, campaign of social skills/civic
values, increasing level of thinking skills, encouraging
According to Fransen [10], the Team Evolution and personal growth, and positive attitudes toward
Maturation (TEAM) model is appropriate for application independent learning. Furthermore, it facilitates active
in the educational context, as it acknowledges that ad- exchange of thoughts, rises motivation among
hoc learning-teams have to develop by proceeding participants, and develops a better understanding of
through stages. Moreover, it also recognizes the effect plain cultural backgrounds [6]. This might be
of deadlines on learning team development, the remarkably important in economic sectors that are
emergence of a transition phase (i.e. the re-norming highly competitive and diverse, like the technology, for
stage), and the influence of past experiences with instance. Despite the significant number of benefits,
teamwork on the pattern of team development [11]. Davies [1] has also shown that some problems that may
The TEAM model offers a framework for discussing the arise with teamwork, such as motivational issues, the
variables mediating learning-team effectiveness. It ethnic mixes, the complexity of the task, the recognition
of individual effort, the group size, encouragements, and with the same team and complete a team project, where
penalties, or even the free-rider effect. they had to design, program, and build a robot that
would perform a specific task.
Most researchers agree that teams must cultivate
shared mental models to set team goals, define The Team Collaboration Evaluator (TCE; [10]) was
strategies, allocate subtasks to team members, monitor selected to weigh team collaboration. It allows to collect
team processes and effectively communicate [10, 16]. data about the perceived quality of team collaboration at
Furthermore, to be called teamwork, individuals should various stages and has the potential to be a team tester
possess specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes, such as to predict the emergence of learning team effectiveness
the ability to monitor each other’s performance and a during early collaboration stages [10]. Scores in the
positive approach toward teamwork [10, 16]. This factors Shared Mental Models, Mutual Trust, Mutual
suggests that the team develops over time, and this Performance Monitoring, and Perceived Team
might influence team dynamics and the interaction Effectiveness (each one with three items) were rated
among all members. Some scientists argue that using a 1 to 10 scale (1=Low/Almost Never True to
teamwork is influenced by the social skills of its 10=High/Almost Always True). All the elements
members [17]. Still, there is little consensus about its consisted of statements covering aspects of team
effects [17]. Teams, especially ad-hoc learning teams, collaboration. Internal consistency of this instrument
are often initially ineffective because team members was high (Cronbach α=.90).
lack necessary information about each other’s
competencies and do not exhibit mutual trust, having This study involved a total of 59 students enrolled in the
not experienced each other’s behavior in a team Computer Science program (CS). However, just 49
situation [18]. students replied to the questionnaire, as the remaining
students (n=10) dropped out of the course for reasons
We hypothesize that there is no difference in the not connected to the experiment. Students were
perception of the team effectiveness considering the informed previously about the goals of this experiment
moment when the evaluation takes place. and agreed to take part. Of the 49 respondents, 7 were
female students (14.3%) and 42 males (85.7%).
Method
In this exploratory study, with a Pre- (deployed in week Findings and Discussion
4) and Post-test (deployed in week 9), a convenience A paired-samples t-test was conducted to explore the
sample was chosen, comprised of a class of the third difference in the students’ perception of their team
year of the Computer Science bachelor program (CS), collaboration according to the moment it was assessed
from a University in Southern Europe. The experiment (Pre- or Post-test). The subscale shared mental models
was done as part of a team project in class, to keep the showed significant differences [Pre-test: M=7.81,
subjects as close as possible to the natural context of SD=1.16, Post-test: M=8.54, SD=1.05, t(34)=-3.89,
team collaboration. Students had ten weeks to work p=.00, η2=.31]. Previous studies show that shared
mental models facilitate the processes of setting goals, considered in future research, so correlations between
establishing strategies, monitoring team processes, and past performances and teamwork result can be
communicating effectively [1, 16], leading to stronger conducted. Our research is only a first step towards
team collaboration scores [1, 10, 16]. This goes in line understanding team collaboration mechanisms in groups
with the fact that the perceived shared mental models of CS students. Additional research is necessary to
have grown over the semester. The results in this increase our understanding of the mechanisms through
subscale confirm that these teams can assemble and which teams collaborate, and more specifically the
deploy in less than eight weeks, confirming previous reciprocal causation of team collaboration with team
findings [3]. CS teams present no significant differences performance in teams of STEAM students and
to research done in other areas. interdisciplinary teams.
Findings also show that students changed their Acknowledgements
perception over the mutual performance monitoring This work is supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e
[Pre-test: M=7.67, SD=1.44, Post-test: M=8.27, Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and
SD=1.32, t(38)=-3.35, p=.00, η2=.23] and the Technology) through the Projeto Estratégico – LA 9-
perceived team effectiveness [Pre-test: M=8.13, 2013-2014, and by the Governo Regional da Madeira
SD=1.41, Post-test: M=8.68, SD=1.06, t(38)=-2.73, (Regional Government of Madeira) through the Project
p=.01, η2=.16]. As participants tend to consider their MITI/MITIEXCELL/2016/012.
teams more effective at the end of the semester, it
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