The Effects of Assigning Roles in Team-Based Learning on Knowledge Acquisition in an English Linguistics Class

Abstract

This study aims to examine the effects of role assignment during group-work in team-based learning (TBL) for acquiring knowledge and understanding concepts in English Linguistics (phonology and morphology) classes at the university level. Each member was assigned a role, such as moderator, first presenter, or second presenter. At the end of the course, the test scores were compared with those from a lecture method taught in 2016 and TBL without role assignment taught in 2017. The results showed that TBL had a greater influence on knowledge acquisition and conceptual understanding than the lecture method, and learners understood concepts even better when a role was assigned. Additionally, a quantitative text analysis suggested that with role assignment, learners became more purposeful about collaboration with others and recognized the importance of preparation.