Ryhmäosaaminen lukiossa : lukiolaisten ryhmäosaamisen kehittyminen ja kehittäminen

Abstract

Group communication competence is the ability of individuals to work together effectively within different groups, and because of its increasing importance in working life it has become a formal requirement in the National Core Curriculum for General Upper Secondary Schools in Finland. So far, however, little research has been carried out into the group communication competence of Finnish upper secondary school students, so this research study aims to fill that gap. This study was conducted both qualitatively and quantitatively. The research material comprises three separate studies. Data driven qualitative content analysis was used in both the essay sample, compiled from upper secondary school students (N = 136), and the textbook sample (N = 25). The web survey questionnaire material collected from upper secondary school students (N = 204) was analyzed quantitatively. Finally, data driven qualitative content analysis was used in the open-ended questions in the web survey questionnaire. The results of the present study indicate that upper secondary school students consider group communication competence to comprise the ability to collaborate in a group, as well as to involve both conversational and listening skills. Textbook analysis, on the other hand, emphasizes the instrumental nature of group communication competence. Group communication competence is seen in textbooks as a skill that enables the realization of different types of group work in upper secondary school courses. In fact, communication competence in groups is not primarily seen as goal-directed development or the focus of evaluation. The results also indicate that classroom presentations, working with a variety of peer group members and active listening skills all support the development of group communication competence in upper secondary school students. They consider that group communication competence is intrinsically developed neither in skills that are required for real-time online discussions or negotiations, nor in skills that are necessary for group leadership or the constructive resolution of conflicts. Keywords: communication education, group communication competence, speech communication, textbook, upper secondary school