Qualifying small group activities in university contexts: the case of students with Additional Educational Obligations in distance learning

Abstract

The peer group is a strategic resource for university students to help improve their learning path. In the university context, making use of peer confrontation is important especially for freshmen with Additional Educational Obligations (OFA), i.e. for students who showed learning gap in their entry test. In this context, the present empirical and exploratory research, made use of mixed methods (Baldacci, 2001; Lucisano & Salerni, 2002; Domenici, 2014). The analysis unit is made up of 271 students with OFA, from the Department of Educational Sciences, University Roma Tre, who, during the period of health emergency, participated in the activities planned remotely by the Service of the Department dedicated to activities related to the fulfillment of Additional Educational Obligations (Servizio S.Tu.Di). The hypothesis is to verify if and how participation in the activities carried out in a small group affects students’ learning processes and their individual results in terms of the development of skills, knowledge and transversal competences. Data analysis shows that OFA students who actively and consciously participated in the proposed activities and made use of the resources made available in the online environments achieved a better result in the final test of completion of the OFA.