Toward a model and measure of self -perception of team learning beliefs and behaviors in a sample of undergraduate business students

Abstract

Students seek to graduate from college with transferable team skills. At the same time, higher education institutions are under increased scrutiny to provide students with team skills. This study seeks to help students understand and learn from their team experiences by testing an individual measure and model of team learning. This measure and model will be a developmental tool for use in the business classroom, especially management education where team skills are typically taught.

Kayes and Kayes’ (2007) process model of team learning was selected as the basis for the transferable team skills. A measure based on this model was modified in this study to focus on the individual team member. The resulting individual measure, the Self-Perception of Team Learning Beliefs and Behaviors Questionnaire, considered five team learning beliefs (the task beliefs of roles, goals, and team confidence and the interpersonal beliefs of trust and interpersonal understanding) and three team learning behaviors (coordinating, adapting, and continuous improvement). Relationships between the beliefs and behaviors were hypothesized. Testing of the measure and model was conducted in a population of undergraduate business school students.

Analysis of the psychometric properties of the measure included content validity, convergent validity, and reliability. Analysis resulted in three constructs with acceptable alphas: team confidence, interpersonal understanding, and continuous adaptive learning (CAL). Relationships among the resulting variables confirmed the relationship between CAL, the team learning behavior, and the team learning beliefs of team confidence and interpersonal understanding at the individual level. Results for relationships with performance were mixed. Continuous adaptive learning was significantly related to some but not all performance measures. Recommendations include the call for further research to explore team learning beliefs and behaviors at the individual and team levels considering different team contexts and characteristics; further research regarding different performance variables; and further research regarding different individual self and peer perceptions.