Analysis of a Teaching Assistant’s Process and Factors for Determining the Necessity of Intervention in Group Discussions

Abstract

This study analyzed the process and factors involved in determining the necessity of intervention in group discussions by interviewing a Teaching Assistant (TA). Interviews were conducted using videos recorded with wearable cameras as stimuli and the results were analyzed. The analysis revealed that the TA judged the progress of each group based on the behavior of students, the content of a collaborative web application, and the remaining time for the group activity, and then intervened accordingly. Additionally, factors influencing the determination of intervention necessity were identified as the TA’s practical knowledge and class information. Regarding class information, it was found that the TA utilized students’ submitted assignments to provide support. These findings suggest that having the TA review assignments submitted by students as part of pre-class tasks may aid in determining the necessity of intervention.