Engaging students in group work to maximise knowledge sharing

We investigated how students’ interpersonal trust relationships impact on their willingness to share knowledge during group work and whether there is one best method of group allocation to maximise knowledge sharing. Through focus groups with 32 undergraduate and postgraduate students, we found: i) participants had limited experience of sharing skills; ii) they were more frequently engaged in sharing their beliefs, values and ideas, a positive aspect of group work; iii) interpersonal relationships impacted upon the degree to which knowledge sharing took place, the major contributing factor being participants’ motivations and desired outcomes for their work rather than interpersonal relationships.The majority agreed that being placed in a random or engineered group allowed them to meet new people, but also contained an element of chance, reducing control of their performance in assessments. Those focussed on attainment or concerned about working with those they did not know preferred self-selection. Participants who wanted to learn from the experience of group work preferred random allocation. An unexpected finding was the substantial emotional response to negative aspects of group work. The most equitable approach to group work is to allow students to choose the allocation method most appropriate to their needs. This enhances student ownership, and provides the best possible opportunity for students to work with like-minded colleagues to pursue their own aims and fulfil their individual needs from their group work experiences. Findings can assist educators make informed decisions about group work to increase student engagement and support cognitive-based trust to enhance knowledge sharing.