A One-Semester Study of Emergent Leadership and Small Group Interaction in the Language Classroom

Abstract

Group dynamics are widely believed to be a key factor in the success of a group, and studies have investigated how student leaders can influence group performance (Hiromori, 2023; Leeming, 2024; Mitsugi et al., 2024). This study takes a mixed-methods approach to investigate emergent leadership in small groups, focusing on one group of four students who worked in the same fixed group for a fourteen-week semester. To understand factors that may contribute to perceptions of leadership by peers, students completed a battery of questionnaires related to personality, efficacy, and a test of English proficiency. At three points during the semester, students rated the other group members for leadership. The group was recorded weekly, and discussions were analyzed to determine the behavioral and cognitive engagement of the four members over the course of the semester.  At the end of the semester students were interviewed regarding their group and student leadership. A leader emerged in the group and perceptions of leadership seemed to be influenced by proficiency and feelings of efficacy. The leader did not dominate the interactions, but was notable for the quality of contributions made. Results also suggested that the roles students adopted and the way that they engaged with tasks within groups were established early on in the semester and remained relatively stable. Interviews with students showed that students viewed the leader as being a positive and important role in small groups.