Background: Collaborative learning is suggested to have a number of advantages over other learning methods; however it can be demanding in terms of self-directed learning and group cooperation. It is known that students' learning outcomes are influenced by their perceptions of their learning context. Current research findings have shown various aspects that may influence students' perceptions about collaborative learning. Therefore, to design effective collaborative learning activities, it is necessary to understand students' perceptions about collaborative learning.
Objectives: The objective of this systematic review was to synthesize the best available evidence on dental and medical students' experiences of collaborative learning.
Inclusion criteria: Types of participants
The participants of interest were dental and medical students, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity.
Phenomena of interest
Students' perceptions, beliefs, understandings, opinions and experiences of collaborative learning.
Types of studies
The qualitative component of this review considered studies that focused on various qualitative designs, e.g. phenomenology, ethnography and action research. However, the search revealed only three types of studies: action research, multiple cases and qualitative descriptive studies.
The quantitative component considered all quantitative studies that investigated students' perceptions of collaborative learning. However, only descriptive cross-sectional studies were found.
Search strategy: The search strategy included searching databases, e.g. PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, Informit, ERIC and Web of Knowledge, reference lists of all identified reports and a hand search of relevant dental and medical journals. The search was restricted to English language studies, published from 1990 to May 2012.
Methodological quality: Two reviewers independently assessed studies for methodological quality using the standardized critical appraisal instruments from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI).
Data collection: Data were extracted using the standardized JBI data extraction tools.
Data synthesis: The data synthesis of the qualitative component used the standard JBI approach where findings were synthesized into categories, then aggregated into synthesized findings.
Due to the descriptive nature of the study designs for the quantitative component of the review, statistical pooling was not possible. Therefore, the findings of this component of the systematic review are presented in a narrative summary.
Results: The review found evidence for students' perceptions of how their learning is supported in collaborative learning contexts. There was also evidence about students' perceptions of how their learning was negatively influenced in collaborative learning. In summary, it was clear that students valued collaborative learning; however, issues such as managing multiple ideas and group and individual workloads need to be addressed. Evidence regarding students' understandings of the core elements necessary for learning collaboratively was not identified. The quality of the studies' design, conduct and reporting was generally limited and some studies did not meet accepted standards, e.g. no ethical approval and poor control of confounding factors.
Conclusions: From the students' perspectives, several positive and negative factors that influenced students' learning were identified. The review identified gaps in the current evidence, which need exploration. More focused qualitative and quantitative studies are essential to develop an evidence base of students' perceptions about collaborative learning to inform the design of effective collaborative learning.
Implications for practice: The implications for practice are limited due to the varied quality of the studies included in this review. This makes it difficult to identify definite conclusions for best practice derived from students' perceptions about collaborative learning. However, from the available evidence it can be concluded that certain factors need to be addressed to facilitate students' learning in collaborative learning. More attention is needed in terms of maintaining group cohesiveness and intra-group relationships between group members who share similar motivations and aims, while respecting each other's differences. It is important to support students' motivation and have reciprocal group content-related interactions. Also to improve students' motivation and satisfaction, students' inappropriate behaviors need to be minimized. The tutor's facilitative role needs to be enhanced to guide and monitor group discussion without dominating. In addition, certain factors are necessary to facilitate students' learning of the course content such as investigating underlying processes, having focused and relevant discussion related to key principles and allowing students to have some control over the content and discussion.
Implications for research: There are gaps in the literature regarding students' understandings and perceptions about collaborative learning. Most of the published studies reported students' perceived benefits or disadvantages, or their general evaluation of their course and learning outcomes. There is a lack of information and evidence regarding students' understanding of what collaborative learning involves, what students' expectations are regarding outcomes, their goals when using this approach, the reasons behind their understanding of collaborative learning and students' understandings about the role of knowledge conflicts and their management. Therefore more research regarding students' perceptions and understanding of collaborative learning is needed. This in turn should assist in curriculum planning and design of activities with the aim of optimizing the experience and outcomes of collaborative learning approaches in dental and medical education.