Does Explaining Study Groups as Good for You Vs. Good for Classmates Alter Student Engagement and Study Group Benefits?

TILT Program: Teaching and Learning Development Grant (TLDG)

Principal Investigator: Lara Aknin, professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Project Team: Tiara Cash, research assistant, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Timeframe: February 2020 - May 2023  

TILT Support: $4,110

Courses addressed: PSYC 260 – Introduction to Social Psychology

Final report: View Lara Aknin's final report (PDF) and Appendix (PDF)

Description: 

Existing research indicates that social relationships are an important predictor of well-being, with strong social connections linked to higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction.  Building on this evidence, this project  investigates whether informing students that study group participation benefits themselves versus their peers affects their engagement, sense of social connection, and overall well-being.

Students enrolled in a second-year Introduction to Social Psychology course were assigned to small study groups of 3–5 members at the beginning of the semester. Each group was randomly assigned to one of two framing conditions: participation was described as benefiting either the individual student (personal benefit) or their peers (prosocial benefit). At the end of the course, a survey was used to assess students’ engagement with their study group, as well as their well-being, social connection, belongingness, and loneliness.

The findings indicate that both framing conditions resulted in minimal engagement with study groupsSpecifically, measures of positive and negative emotions, social connection, and perceptions of study groups did not differ between students who were told that participation would benefit themselves versus their peers. However, a consistent finding shows that students in the personal benefit condition reported a greater sense of belonging and lower levels of loneliness compared to those in the prosocial condition.

These findings suggest that simply providing optional (opt-in) supports is insufficient to ensure student engagement. In response, study groups will be embedded as default features within the course structure, rather than offered as an additional resource. This approach shifts participation from an opt-in model to an opt-out model, where students need to willingly opt out rather than effortfully opt in.

Questions addressed:

• Does study group framing impact how many times the group members meet?
• Does study group framing impact student well-being? 
• Does study group framing impact students’ sense of social connection or friendship in the classroom?
• Does study group framing impact students’ feeling of belonging in the classroom?  
• Does study group framing impact students’ feeling of loneliness in the classroom?  
• Does study group framing impact students’ sense of intrinsic motivation for the course?  
• Does student well-being predict course achievement?  

Knowledge sharing: The findings will be shared informally with colleagues in the Psychology Department through weekly writing group meetings and/or teaching-focused discussions. In addition, there are opportunities to present these findings through TILT discussions, meetings, or seminars.

Keywords: Study groups, personal framing, prosocial framing, mental health, social connection, sense of belonging, engagement, well-being, student experience