Education DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A TOOL FOR ASSIGNING STUDENTS TO GROUPS FOR CLASS PROJECTS*
开发并验证了一种工具，用于将不同背景的学生均衡地分配到项目小组，并通过路径分析检验因果模型，为教师提供公平分组方案。
ABSTRACT Group project work is an integral part of many university courses. Assigning students to project groups can be difficult because of the students' diverse backgrounds. Many instructors therefore decide not to assign group projects. This paper develops and validates an instrument that assigns both experienced and inexperienced students to different project groups, thereby creating a balanced, fair environment. The instrument is checked for reliability and validity and then is used to assign students to different project groups. Based on group performance, the end‐of‐the‐semester results also are provided. Path analysis is used to test a causal model. Conclusions and implications for future research are presented.