| Despite the common use of cooperative groups, dissatisfaction with group work is often reported. Dissatisfaction with group work may result when personalities clash, yet methods for matching personality types have not been well-studied. In this quasi-experimental quantitative study, experimental groups were formed by matching self-assessed Type A/B personalities. The instructor grouped Type A learners with other Type A learners, while Type B learners were placed in groups with other Type B students, a method that could be easily implemented in any setting. This study was conducted in an online graduate level teacher professional development course. Satisfaction levels for the experimental groups were compared with randomly formed control groups. The satisfaction survey was tested for reliability using Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was established using factor analysis. The results were analyzed using an independent t test. Students in personality matched groups were more satisfied with cooperative group work than students in randomly formed groups, t(75) = 3.11, p = .003. Satisfaction with group work is an important potential social change for any field which uses cooperative groups, such as (a) business, (b) counseling, and (c) higher education. Increased satisfaction with cooperative group work in higher education may result in increased student retention for institutions, especially online institutions which regularly report lower retention than traditional universities. |
