Group work at the University: Solutions or Constraints for French Novice Teachers?

Abstract

Today, university lecturers are confronted with new requirements before diverse and massive audiences. Research in the field of university teaching showed that traditional educational model, especially frontal courses, was unsuitable for these audiences. So, small group learning allows students to consolidate their knowledge through playing a more active role in the conventional lectures. Our objective was to understand how this pedagogical practice was used at the university, by novice teachers belonging to different disciplines. The present research tried to analyze the challenges of using this pedagogic practice in terms of solutions and constraints among 80 French teachers surveyed through a semi-open multiple-choice questionnaire. This exploratory study made it possible to understand the reasons behind the resistance of a large number of teachers towards the use of this pedagogical practice, as well as those which motivate them to use it despite organizational and management constraints.

Keywords

• group work management, teacher practice, university teaching, socio-constructivism, novice lecturers