Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Student Perception of Social Loafing in University Teamwork
This study investigated perceptions of social loafing in undergraduate student teams at a South African university. Student participants, randomly assigned to teams, received coursework instruction about team dynamics (including social loafing) and worked together for 12 weeks on a team assignment t...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Organisational Psychology
2020
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613939623264256 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Singer, Carey |
| author2 | Bagraim, Jeffrey |
| author_browse | Bagraim, Jeffrey Singer, Carey |
| author_facet | Bagraim, Jeffrey Singer, Carey |
| author_sort | Singer, Carey |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | This study investigated perceptions of social loafing in undergraduate student teams at a South African university. Student participants, randomly assigned to teams, received coursework instruction about team dynamics (including social loafing) and worked together for 12 weeks on a team assignment that was graded at the end of the semester. Students (n = 243) wrote individual reflections on the reasons for social loafing in student teams. Some (n = 24) also participated in an experiential social loafing exercise. These two sources of qualitative data were used in the development of a survey questionnaire, which was completed by 229 students. Fifty-four percent of the student participants (n = 229) perceived social loafing to have occurred in their teams. Four components of perceived social loafing behaviour were identified using factor analysis: unavailability, poor work quality, tech loafing and discussion non-contribution. Loafer apathy (a general lack of care or interest) predicted significant variance in each of the four loafing behaviours and social compensation. Team performance (assignment grades) was not related to the perceived presence social loafing in a team. Rather than reducing effort in response to perceived social loafing (the sucker effect), a social compensation effect occurred in the perceived presence of poor work quality. Effective leadership moderated the relationship between loafer apathy and tech loafing as well as loafer apathy and social compensation. Practical implications and recommendations for future research are presented. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/31263 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:07.181Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publishDateRange | 2020 |
| publishDateSort | 2020 |
| publisher | Organisational Psychology |
| publisherStr | Organisational Psychology |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/31263 Student Perception of Social Loafing in University Teamwork Singer, Carey Bagraim, Jeffrey social loafing social compensation sucker effect student teams team performance This study investigated perceptions of social loafing in undergraduate student teams at a South African university. Student participants, randomly assigned to teams, received coursework instruction about team dynamics (including social loafing) and worked together for 12 weeks on a team assignment that was graded at the end of the semester. Students (n = 243) wrote individual reflections on the reasons for social loafing in student teams. Some (n = 24) also participated in an experiential social loafing exercise. These two sources of qualitative data were used in the development of a survey questionnaire, which was completed by 229 students. Fifty-four percent of the student participants (n = 229) perceived social loafing to have occurred in their teams. Four components of perceived social loafing behaviour were identified using factor analysis: unavailability, poor work quality, tech loafing and discussion non-contribution. Loafer apathy (a general lack of care or interest) predicted significant variance in each of the four loafing behaviours and social compensation. Team performance (assignment grades) was not related to the perceived presence social loafing in a team. Rather than reducing effort in response to perceived social loafing (the sucker effect), a social compensation effect occurred in the perceived presence of poor work quality. Effective leadership moderated the relationship between loafer apathy and tech loafing as well as loafer apathy and social compensation. Practical implications and recommendations for future research are presented. 2020-02-24T11:36:34Z 2020-02-24T11:36:34Z 2019 2020-02-24T08:22:03Z Master Thesis Masters MCom http://hdl.handle.net/11427/31263 eng application/pdf Organisational Psychology Faculty of Commerce |
| spellingShingle | social loafing social compensation sucker effect student teams team performance Singer, Carey Student Perception of Social Loafing in University Teamwork |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Student Perception of Social Loafing in University Teamwork |
| title_full | Student Perception of Social Loafing in University Teamwork |
| title_fullStr | Student Perception of Social Loafing in University Teamwork |
| title_full_unstemmed | Student Perception of Social Loafing in University Teamwork |
| title_short | Student Perception of Social Loafing in University Teamwork |
| title_sort | student perception of social loafing in university teamwork |
| topic | social loafing social compensation sucker effect student teams team performance |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/31263 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT singercarey studentperceptionofsocialloafinginuniversityteamwork |