Question
What are the advantages and disadvantages of team learning?
Answer
Team learning involves collaborative efforts to enhance knowledge and skills within a group setting. It has both advantages and disadvantages, which can impact the effectiveness of learning and performance outcomes.
Advantages of Team Learning:
Enhanced Performance and Skills Development: Team learning can significantly improve shared mental models, coordination quality, and team performance, especially in interdisciplinary research teams (Zhang and Wang, 2020). It also enhances theoretical performance and professional skills such as self-directed learning and communication in nursing education (Gao et al., 2024; Sara et al., 2020).
Increased Confidence and Knowledge Exchange: In educational settings, team learning boosts confidence, facilitates the correction of mistakes, and promotes the exchange of experiences, skills, and knowledge among peers (Ba-Udhan, 2023).
Promotion of Critical Thinking and Collaboration: Team-based learning (TBL) encourages critical thinking and fosters collaboration, which are essential skills in medical and nursing education (Gera et al., 2023).
Engagement and Satisfaction: TBL is associated with increased student engagement and satisfaction, contributing to a positive learning experience (Considine et al., 2020).
Disadvantages of Team Learning:
Disagreements and Unequal Work Distribution: Team learning can lead to disagreements among team members, reliance on others to complete tasks, and unequal work distribution, which can hinder the learning process (Ba-Udhan, 2023).
Challenges in Implementation: Teachers and students may face challenges in effectively implementing team learning methods, such as cooperative learning, due to changes in team dynamics or lack of motivation (Liebech-Lien, 2021; Gera et al., 2023).
Limited Impact on Practical Skills: While team learning improves theoretical knowledge and professional skills, it may not significantly enhance practical skills, as seen in nursing education (Gao et al., 2024).
Team learning offers numerous benefits, including improved performance, skill development, and collaboration. However, it also presents challenges such as potential conflicts and uneven workload distribution. Effective implementation and management of team dynamics are crucial to maximizing the advantages of team learning while mitigating its disadvantages.
References
Zhang, X., & Wang, X., 2020. Team learning in interdisciplinary research teams: antecedents and consequences. J. Knowl. Manag., 25, pp. 1429-1455. https://doi.org/10.1108/jkm-07-2019-0372
Liebech-Lien, B., 2021. Teacher teams – A support or a barrier to practising cooperative learning?. Teaching and Teacher Education, 106, pp. 103453. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TATE.2021.103453
Ba-Udhan, H., 2023. EFL Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions about the Advantages and Disadvantages of Peer Team Teaching Experiences. Journal of English Language and Linguistics. https://doi.org/10.62819/jel.2023.52
Gao, X., Yan, D., Zhang, Y., Ruan, X., Kang, T., Wang, R., Zheng, Q., Chen, S., & Zhai, J., 2024. Comparison of the impact of team-based learning and lecture-based learning on nursing students’ core competencies: A systematic review and meta-analysis.. Nurse education in practice, 76, pp. 103945. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2024.103945
Sara, A., Paolo, M., Paola, F., & Loris, B., 2020. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TEAM-BASED LEARNING IN NURSING EDUCATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. Nurse Education Today, pp. 104721. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.NEDT.2020.104721
Gera, M., Rathod, U., Karra-Aly, A., Aluckal, E., & Abraham, A., 2023. Team Based Learning Vs Problem Based Learning in Medical Education: A Systematic Review.. Eastern Journal of Medical Sciences. https://doi.org/10.32677/ejms.v8i1.3795
Considine, J., Berry, D., Allen, J., Hewitt, N., Oldland, E., Sprogis, S., & Currey, J., 2020. Team-based learning in nursing education: A scoping review.. Journal of clinical nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.1559
Kayes, C. (2006). ‘Team Learning in Organisations: A Review and Intergration.’ OLKC 2006 Conference, University of Warwick, Coventry: 20th-22nd March 2006. Available online.
