Abstract

In real life, people do not always choose who they work with and the size of the working group. However, when placed in a group or pair, they do not always function successfully as a team. This paper reveals the preferences and criteria for selecting group work partners from the perspective of 7th and 8th grade students, attempting to capture behaviours perceived as critical to the development of trust (trustworthiness). In addition, the attributes of the preferred and avoided partner were compared in a wide range of team situations in classrooms (team task, a sports game, sharing a desk, peer tutoring). It was found that while friendship commitments are a factor in the selection of peers for a joint task, the matching criteria and expectations of partners change depending on the requirements of the task itself. These findings should be relevant to researchers and educators who are looking for an optimal classroom seating arrangement or team formation method to promote learning based on a group format that students find rewarding and valuable.

Keywords: teamwork management, team formation methods, dysfunctional work groups, reliability of cooperation partner, social choices

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