Examining the influences of learning strategies on group effectiveness

Specific learning and motivational strategies have been frequently posited as predictors of student undergraduate performance. However, few studies have examined the role of these strategies in determining group effectiveness. This study examines the influence of critical thinking, and learning and performance self-efficacy on perceptions of group effectiveness in a sample of 169 university undergraduate students who were all assigned to group projects. Discriminant validity for the study constructs was established through a confirmatory factor analysis of a four-factor independent cluster measurement model. A full structural equation model in which the latent variable of group effectiveness was regressed on the three latent variable learning and motivational strategies was found to fit the data well. While the model explained 16 percent of the variance in group effectiveness, performance self-efficacy was the only significant predictor in the model. In other words, students who expected to do well perceived their group as more effective. Further studies that include a broader range of learning and motivational strategies and examine the influence of group effectiveness on actual performance outcomes are required. Such studies should be analyzed within a multi-level modeling framework.