How Does an Assigned Leader Affect Group Work Dynamics and Students’ Motivation in Online Settings?

Abstract

This study examined the effect of the presence or absence of an assigned lead student on group work dynamics (GWD) and students’ motivation in an online English class. A total of 78 university students were divided into groups of three, either with or without a leader, to work on a picture description task. To analyze the GWD process, we used Poupore’s GWD instrument as a reference to record and quantify all verbal and nonverbal student behaviors. The results showed that: (1) the groups with a leader maintained a higher level of motivation throughout the task; (2) the groups with a leader yielded higher verbal and nonverbal GWD scores than the groups without a leader; (3) GWD scores were higher in the groups with a leader for almost all positive verbal/nonverbal characteristics; (4) these higher scores were especially pronounced for the characteristics “Asking for others’ ideas” and “Mild laughter”; and (5) groups with frequent “Mild laughter” had higher positive verbal/nonverbal GWD scores than the overall average. Based on the results, pedagogical implications for teachers are discussed concerning the use of group work in an online English classroom.