Abstract:
The ability to work with others is a skill highly valued by employers. Students often work in groups for class projects, but extensive teamwork is usually limited. This research explores student attitudes toward working with peers through a �Value of Teams� survey administered in three introductory and two intermediate level economics courses between fall 2007 and spring 2009. The extent to which a semester in an intensive team-based learning environment changes student attitudes about working with peers and whether or not attitude changes persist beyond that semester are both assessed. In addition, the degree to which student attitudes vary in relation to demographic characteristics and academic ability is estimated using ordered probit models. Prior experience with teamwork in an academic setting significantly influences initial attitudes, but attitudes do not generally vary significantly across students based on gender, age, or class levels. While a negative correlation exists between grade point average and student attitudes toward teamwork, attitudes improved over the course of the semester for nearly every demographic group, some more than others.
Keywords:
student attitudes, teamwork
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