A few months ago, before the social studies Kanagawa project was due, one group was rushing to finish their presentation. The Kanagawa Project was a summative social studies project where each group got a topic related to the peace agreement that the US and Japan had in Kanagawa that ended Japan’s isolation by opening ports for American ships. Each group had to make a tri-fold with PEEL paragraphs and visuals explaining their topic and present it to other groups and high schoolers. While members of the group like Jihwan(’30) stayed after school to complete the PEEL paragraphs, print pictures, and finish the display board, one student in the group had written only about 50 words, even though he was supposed to write over 200. The frustrated group members felt like they were taking over his responsibility and doing way more than required. However, not all group projects end this way. During the same group project, another group member said that everyone in their group completed all their assigned tasks and worked together successfully. These two very different experiences bring up the question: Are group projects truly about teamwork, or do they create unfairness?
Group projects are mostly used by teachers in classrooms to help students build skills like collaboration, communication, and leadership. Teachers also use group projects to help students use each other’s understanding and skills to create better presentations or essays. However, students’ experiences with group projects can change depending on many different things.
One student, Jihwan(’30), tells us about a frustrating experience he had during a social studies project. According to him, one of his group members contributed very little to the assignment. He says, “My groupmate didn’t contribute enough. I had to do most of their part in the project and spent time at home completing it”. Jihwan(’30) explains that while other members worked hard to prepare the final presentation, one student only completed a small portion of the assignment. Because of this, the remaining group members had to spend extra time finishing the work.
However, Anvay(’30) shared a different experience with the same project. His group worked well together. He said, Everyone had done their part in making the PEEL. They also helped design their part of the poster”. According to Anvay(’30), work was shared fairly among the group members, which helped the group complete the project efficiently. He was satisfied with the process and result.
In the survey, which was conducted with the question Do you benefit from group projects or do you prefer working independently?” 70 people answered. Out of that, 48.6% of students preferred a mix of group projects and independent work, while 28.6% preferred group projects, and 22.9% preferred working independently. These results show that most students don’t completely support or oppose group projects. Instead they they prefer a balance or a mix of both group work and individual work. This can show us how students value teamwork while also wanting to show off their own individual abilities.
Communication is an important skill teachers want students to develop through group projects. But group projects don’t always help develop communication. Some students might have great ideas which could improve the project but feel uncomfortable speaking up, while others naturally act as leaders. This is one reason why participation in group projects is not always shared equally, even if all students want to succeed and get good grades.
The difference between Anvay(’30) and Jihwan(’30)’s experience with group projects shows how group projects work in our school. These two very different experiences highlight a bigger issue with group projects. While group projects are made to teach teamwork, communication, and leadership skills, some students believe that unequal participation can create unfairness. The survey results, where most students wanted a mix of both, also support this claim. If one student contributes more but gets the same grade as the other member who didn’t contribute as much, it can cause trouble. The experiences shared by students show that group projects can be both highly successful and highly unfair. When responsibilities are shared fairly and communication between members is strong, group projects can teach students collaboration. But if participation becomes unfair, students don’t learn anything.
