IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bcp/journl/v9y2025issue-3sp7661-7670.html

Understanding the Zone of Proximal Development through Online Group Work of University Students

Author

Listed:
  • Ahmad Najmie Rusli

    (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Johor, Kampus Pasir Gudang)

  • Nurul Nadiah Rasdi

    (Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Johor, Kampus Pasir Gudang)

Abstract

Group work is a common practice in educational settings, where university students collaborate to achieve shared goals. Today, group work is not limited to face-to-face interactions but can also take place in virtual environments. Online group work has become a vital aspect of modern education, offering students opportunities for collaboration and peer learning in a virtual space. When examined through the lens of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), online group work enables students to learn from their peers and instructors, facilitating higher levels of understanding and skill development through collaboration, guidance, support, and feedback. Therefore, this study aims to explore learners’ perception (1) towards interaction between knowledgeable and skilled persons, (2) towards interaction in group work online, and (3) on the use of tools and technology in group work online.  This quantitative study employs a survey with seven sections: demographic profile, social interaction, more knowledgeable others, zone of proximal development, learner-to-learner interaction, learner-to-instructor interaction, and learner-to-content interaction. Participants of this study are 103 Mechanical Engineering undergraduates from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia. Overall, the findings suggest that collaboration, interaction, preparation, and feedback are critical for enhancing both teaching and learning. These findings can help to improve students' experiences in online and group learning.

Suggested Citation

  • Ahmad Najmie Rusli & Nurul Nadiah Rasdi, 2025. "Understanding the Zone of Proximal Development through Online Group Work of University Students," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(3s), pages 7661-7670, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:9:y:2025:issue-3s:p:7661-7670
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/Digital-Library/volume-9-issue-3s/7661-7670.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/articles/understanding-the-zone-of-proximal-development-through-online-group-work-of-university-students/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Minh Hue Nguyen, 2013. "EFL Students’ Reflections on Peer Scaffolding in Making a Collaborative Oral Presentation," English Language Teaching, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 6(4), pages 1-64, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ha Nguyen, 2016. "Peer Feedback Practice in EFL Tertiary Writing Classes," English Language Teaching, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 9(6), pages 1-76, June.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:9:y:2025:issue-3s:p:7661-7670. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dr. Pawan Verma (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.