Group Work and Classroom Interaction in Communication and Study Skills Classes (CSS) of the University of Botswana
This study addresses the role of group work and how it assists the students to interact in the University of Botswana classrooms. The purpose of the study was to establish whether or not the students display quality classroom interaction when working in groups. Four (4) CSS lecturers teaching a total of 162 students were observed. The four lecturers observed did not only teach CSS but they also used group work in their teaching. The same number of lecturers and twelve students were from the various faculties that are offered CSS. Looking at the observation data, it was found out that students interact better when they are working in groups as compared to when they work individually. The main contributing factor was that when the students are asked to individually participate in classroom talk, they seem to be reluctant. On the other hand, when they are asked to work in smaller groups and later report their findings, they are eager to participate. The aforementioned participation makes the students’ classroom interaction to be at a ‘higher level’. The main conclusion drawn from this study was that the CSS lecturers should engage the students more in group work in an endeavour to develop and maintain dialogic classrooms. The dialogic classrooms provide the students with the motivation to help them interact within the classrooms, university, the world of work and socially.