Browsing by Author "Cilliers, Emmanuel A."
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- ItemAn extra set of eyes and ears: peer collaboration within a Bachelor of Education (Honours) research project(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12) Cilliers, Emmanuel A.; Robinson, Maureen; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: As part of the Bachelor of Education Honours (BEdHons) degree, students in the Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University are introduced to their first formal research project with a supervisor assigned to them. This can be a daunting situation for a student to start a process with an experienced supervisor familiar with the world of research. Adding to this is the fact that many supervisors struggle to allocate sufficient time to research supervision as they also need to focus on curriculum development, teaching, and their own research. Peer collaboration, where students in the same class support one another, is often forgotten within research pedagogy, despite it being well-recognised in higher education and education generally. Literature supports the idea of peer collaboration as broadening the research experience towards a more horizontal pedagogy. This moves away from a vertical pedagogy between one supervisor and one student towards a network of supervisors, students, peers and other experts all playing a part in the research process. This study used a case study research design to explore how BEdHons students experienced peer collaboration as part of their research project. The goal was to establish the benefits (if any) and challenges (if any) of being part of a peer collaboration process while completing one’s research project. The study found that peer collaboration led to significant academic and emotional/social benefits for students. These included expansion of knowledge for the research project, help with fears, providing a listening ear, dampening the feeling of loneliness and motivating each other to finish their research projects. A social benefit that stood out was the vital role friendship played throughout the peer collaboration process. Academic and emotional/social challenges included fears of plagiarism and managing one’s time to incorporate peer collaboration, concerns about disrupting one’s peer and having no physical contact during a period of a health pandemic. The findings contribute to the argument for a more horizontal research pedagogy of which peer collaboration can be a part. The study recommends that, although peer collaboration cannot replace the role of the supervisor, it can enhance the learning environment of research pedagogy.