Factors that Hamper Communication among Student-Teachers Working as a Team in the Framework of the Application of the Project Method - Research

Abstract

The current research studies the hampering of communication among members of a working team in the framework of the application of the project method in training future teachers, through recording the views of students of the Department of Primary Education of Democritus University of Thrace. The anonymous written questionnaire, completed by future teachers that worked in teams during ten programmed weekly meetings, served as a research tool. The results show clearly that the students -during the implementation of the project that they undertook -mentioned that the negative communicational behaviors which took place in the framework of the team member meetings, as well as the conversations among them, disorientated the members from the team goals and disorganized them, without, however, causing problems in team coherence and without negatively influencing their interpersonal relationships. The factors that hampered communication among cooperating members were reported to be the disposition of members as well as the lack of information, while it was stressed that irony, ridiculing and criticism of the other can also lead to hampering of the communication process. ResultsThe results of the present research come from 265 students of the Department of Primary Education of Democritus University of Thrace, out of whom 48 (18.1%) were men and 217 (81.9%) were women. 128 (48.3%) were studying at the 5 th semester, 126 (47.5%) were studying at the 7 th semester and 10 (3.8%) were "out-of-circle" participants. 197 (74.2%) were from 20 to 21 years old, while 68 (25.8%) were above 21 years old. Twelve of the participants were already graduates of another Higher Education Institution and five (5) held a Master's Degree. The research outcomes that emerged from the fields mentioned in the future educator views regarding the hampering of communication that develops among them in the framework of project implementation and more specifically its impact on the smooth team operation and interpersonal relations of its members, as well as the factors that influence communication among cooperating team members, can be outlined as follows: