‘What the student does’ Undergraduate business students in group work: A narrative study of learner experiences

Australian undergraduate business education consists of a diverse student cohort. Employers of these students, highly desire skills which are encompassed under the generic banner of teamwork. Group work is a common teaching method utilised to develop teamwork skills. When this framework is analysed through organisational behaviour theory, it reveals gaps in theory and practical reality. By eliciting the students’ stories, my narrative research sought to understand ‘what the student does’ when group work is used to develop teamwork skills. The stories of Australian domestic and Chinese international undergraduate students were investigated. My research has shown through a combined literature lens that leadership will influence group process events, and the acquisition of teamwork skills.澳大利亚商科本科教育的学生群体构成多元。此类学生的用人单位高度重视涵盖于团队合作通用范畴下的各项技能。小组作业作为常见教学方法，被用于培养学生的团队合作能力。若从组织行为学（Organisational Behaviour）理论视角对该教学框架进行分析，可发现其理论层面与实践现实之间存在显著差距。本研究采用叙事研究（narrative research）方法，通过采集学生的亲历叙事，旨在探究在以小组作业培养团队合作能力的场景中，学生的实际行为表现。本研究对澳大利亚本土本科生与中国籍国际本科留学生的叙事素材展开了分析。基于整合的文献研究视角，本研究证实：领导力会对小组互动进程及团队合作技能的习得产生影响。