Teamwork efficiency of students: does the university environment contribute to the development of this competence?

Abstract

Social skills are as important as basic technical skills in the academic system. Thus, the competence of working in a team helps the student to integrate not only into the student group but also in the insertion on the labor market. However, not much is known about the effectiveness of teamwork among students. In this study, we aimed to investigate the differences between students in terms of their demographic characteristics (age category, education level) depending on the perceived efficiency of their work within a team. Also, the current study aims to investigate the relationship between the efficiency of teamwork, the number of courses in which the development of these skills is encouraged and the general average of the last semester of teaching activity. The results showed statistically significant differences between the demographic characteristics of students and the level of effectiveness in teamwork, but also statistically significant relationships between academic performance and efficiency in teamwork of students. These results can be used in training programs for teaching staff in higher education to be able to develop students' social skills.