Abstract: The Working Group Methodology has positive effects on students’ academic performance. The contribution of this study consists in determining the variables by means of which the Working Group Methodology influences academic performance, and in comparing the effectiveness of two different working group methodologies: cooperative learning (hereafter CL) and group work without guidelines established by the teacher, known as the Unstructured Groups Methodology (hereafter UGM). To that end, the effect of Working Group Methodology on academic performance is measured using three factors: 1) student attitudes; 2) attitude to learning and the learning approach adopted by students; and 3) student skills. The sample is made up of 110 students from a Spanish university, working on the Corporate Finance module of a degree in Business Administration and Management. Based on the analysis of Structural Equation Modeling the conclusion is reached that only the CL methodology affects academic performance, and that it does so via student skills; its influence via the attitude to learning and the learning approach of the student is also debated. In addition, it can be seen that CL influences student attitudes and skills in a more significant way than UGM. Finally, the results show that the variables in the model account for academic performance to a greater extent in the group in which CL was used (R2=0.264) than in the group in which UGM was applied (R2=0.187). These results demonstrate the greater effectiveness of group work when based on well-defined guidelines, rather than when developed without a predefined structure.Abstract: The Working Group Methodology has positive effects on students’ academic performance. The contribution of this study consists in determining the variables by means of which the Working Group Methodology influences academic performance, and in comparing the effectiveness of two different working group methodologies: cooperative learning (hereafter C...Show More
