Social loafing behaviour in collaborative group work among university students in Malaysia: Self-efficacy, group cohesion and task interdependence.

Dheenosheeni, Maganthrin Kumar and Khoo, Jing Wen and Kishuvan, Marimuthu (2022) Social loafing behaviour in collaborative group work among university students in Malaysia: Self-efficacy, group cohesion and task interdependence. Final Year Project, UTAR.

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Abstract

The propensity to put in less effort when working in a collaborative group is known as "social loafing". These would have detrimental effects, such as having an adverse effect on group productivity, lowering performance, and stress. Studies on social loafing predictors are relatively limited. Therefore, the objective of this quantitative and cross-sectional study is to examine the role of self-efficacy, group cohesion, and task interdependence in predicting social loafing behaviour among university students in Malaysia in collaborative group work. Data was gathered using the Qualtrics online survey platform. In this study, 350 university students (aged 18 to 41 years old; M = 22.71 years; SD = 2.24) were recruited using the purposive sampling method. It was determined whether there was any correlation between the predictors and social loafing behaviour using both Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation (PPMC). According to MLR findings, none of the three independent variables—self-efficacy, group cohesion, and task interdependence— individually predicted social loafing, but collectively they were significant predictors. However, in contrast to the PPMC findings, social loafing behaviour was negatively correlated with all three independent variables. In the context of Malaysia’s higher institutions, the current study has addressed a knowledge and research gap on the factors that influence social loafing behaviour in collaborative groups among university students in Malaysia. Moreover, this study aims at providing a positive learning experience through collaborative groups and also contributes to raising awareness of the social loafing tendency among university students across higher education educators and institutional bodies. Keywords: Social loafing, self-efficacy, group cohesion, task interdependence, Malaysia university students

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