Exploring the experiences of social loafing in group work among online psychology students

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dc.contributor.authorPuccini, O.
dc.contributor.authorNewell, S.
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractSocial loafing is the tendency for individuals to put in less effort when working in a group, compared to working alone. This behaviour can be amplified through challenges in online learning environments. These challenges include maintaining engagement, reduced task visibility, and the physical distance created by technology, all of which can encourage some group members to contribute less. The absence of face-to-face interaction can lead to feelings of isolation and reduced accountability, further complicating group dynamics. Through a qualitative approach, this research explores how online psychology students perceive and experience social loafing during group assessments. Semi-structured focus groups with nine participants from a Graduate Diploma in Psychology program were conducted to co-create possible solutions to social loafing in online group assessments. Using Reflexive Thematic Analysis, four themes were developed. These themes reflect students’ interest in co-creating solutions that suit an online (mostly asynchronous) context. Students recommended alternative channels to communication (such as social media), as learning technologies native to the Learning Management System can create barriers to engagement. Students prefer to reduce the weighting of any group grades and balance their grade against their individual contribution. Findings suggest that evaluative judgement training is needed to improve the peer assessment of group contributions. Online students also require more investment/facilitation in the group introduction stage, as their competing demands mean they are less able to synchronously meet
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityOlivia Puccini, Samantha J. Newell
dc.identifier.citationJournal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 2025; 22(4)
dc.identifier.doi10.53761/dqvkp589
dc.identifier.issn1449-9789
dc.identifier.issn1449-9789
dc.identifier.orcidNewell, S. [0000-0001-6415-8577]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/147412
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of Wollongong
dc.rights© by the authors, in its year of first publication. This publication is an open access publication under the Creative Commons Attribution CC BY-ND 4.0 license.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.53761/dqvkp589
dc.subjectSocial Loafing; Higher Education; Group Work; Psychology Education; Reflexive Thematic Analysis
dc.titleExploring the experiences of social loafing in group work among online psychology students
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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