Do you belong to a study group? If you are not sure that group studying is the right fit for you, you need to learn about its advantages as well as disadvantages. You can choose a study method or approach that could help you in improving your grades, but this does not necessarily imply that it is superior to another.
Although studying in groups has many benefits, it also, regrettably, has some drawbacks in some circumstances. However, understanding and managing the drawbacks are made simpler by being aware of them beforehand. Here are a few of the disadvantages of group study that may help you to manage your study effectively to ensure productive and efficient study sessions.
1. Lack of concentration
When you are with your friends, it can be challenging to maintain focus. It’s easy to get distracted by side conversations and mobile notifications. To eliminate these distractions, consider agreeing to turn off your mobile phones and refrain from engaging in any conversations unrelated to your study sessions.
2. Lack of efficiency
Everyone has their own pace of learning and ability to absorb the material. Some members might grasp concepts quickly, while others might need more time to absorb the material. In this situation, impatient students may move ahead before others on the same page.
To address this, students should break down study sessions into easily manageable parts and allocate a specific time for collective discussion.
3. Lack of learning at your own pace
In a group study environment, the pace of learning and absorbing material is often determined by the majority. If you are someone who prefers to delve deeper into a topic to thoroughly understand the concept, you may find yourself falling behind the group’s schedule. Therefore, it is advisable to enhance your learning and absorbing skills if you aspire to excel as a student.
4. Presence of disputes and conflicts
It’s quite common for disputes to arise when working with others because everyone has different points of view. Some students have distinct ways of thinking and may not readily accept criticism from their peers or consider others’ opinions.
On the other hand, Shy and introverted individuals often struggle to express themselves in groups and may feel uncomfortable with non-speakers. Such students may be less cooperative, which can lead to friction within the group. According to research, conflicts during group study sessions can make students less likely to enjoy the lesson.
This is because students perceive reaching compromises and understanding others as a challenging and demanding process. Concentration levels during group study may also decrease as students become distracted by their surroundings or study partners.
5. Unequal participation and contribution
When working in groups, you’ll notice quite disparity in how each group member contributes. Many times, one or two students handle the bulk of the work in group projects while the other members essentially support. When a student thinks that others are being praised for their hard work, it can create problems and make the group members feel upset.
According to research, this is particularly obvious in larger groups since people tend to delegate responsibilities to others because grades often don’t take individual contributions into account. Sometimes a student will simply tell their classmates the solution without describing how they arrived at it. As a result, no actual information has been acquired.
When some students stop contributing to the study and start depending on others, it might become difficult. Some students avoid tasks when working in groups, especially when the task calls for discussion. Some students might spend the time in chitchat, doing other activities, or just lazing around. As a result, the group work session is less successful and fruitful.
6. Time-consuming
As a student, working in a team might take a lot of time. All participants in a group study must commit a large amount of time, which can be challenging to schedule. Meeting times must not only be outside of the school day but also accommodate everyone’s schedule. This might be particularly challenging for students who already have hectic schedules.
Study groups can sometimes take longer to address topics compared to individual study, as discussions and explanations might slow down the pace of learning.
Studying in a group may be advantageous if some of you are strong in a certain subject while others are weak, but it might be difficult if you are all weak in the same subject. This usually makes the whole group go back a bit and makes it harder for everyone to understand the tough stuff. You should always take this into account while selecting a study approach.
For a group study to be successful, it takes extra time to review and debate the material with the participants. Group study moves more slowly as a result than individual study. Researchers have even debated whether the method was ineffective because group work takes a lot of time since everyone has their own pace of learning.
7. Different learning styles
As we all know that, every student learns new material at a different pace. Some individuals might need more time to understand a certain topic. While some students might pick up the information quite rapidly. As a result, some group-working students feel pressured to pick up information rapidly, to the point where they either learn nothing new or resort to copying.
People who work more rapidly, on the other hand, can be working too quickly and attempting to move on to the next topic before everyone is ready. As a result, students might argue when they don’t like how they’re learning.
Conclusion
In short, think about the people you are studying with, the difficulty of the material, and the amount of time you have before the deadline while evaluating practicality. Remember, what works for one person may not work for another. You are the best judge of your productivity in a group study session.
With that said, pick your study strategy wisely, and good luck with your studies!
