Teamwork in the Balance: Exploratory Findings of Teamwork Competency Patterns in Effective Learning Teams

Abstract

Teamwork is an important life skill and competency for 21st century learners. It also contributes to effective learning teams. In this exploratory study, we examine the different levels of team effectiveness and describe the varying patterns of teamwork competency dimensions from students’ online problem-solving chatlogs. We employed two types of measures for a holistic understanding of team effectiveness, namely, task performance scores and learners’ perception of how effective they are as a team. Teams were categorized into four levels of team effectiveness based on the measures. A content analysis of teamwork competency dimensions was also performed. Our findings revealed the need for balance in teamwork competency behaviors for effective learning teams. Insights from the findings could lead to design principles for interventions to nurture teamwork competency in our 21st century learners.