EQUAL COMPETENCE, DIVERGENT MEANINGS: REFRAMING COMMUNICATION IN TEAM-BASED LEARNING

Abstract

This study investigates how university students with different learning preferences—team-based versus individual—interpret and enact communication within a collaborative learning environment. Adopting a mixed-methods design, the research integrates quantitative comparison and qualitative content analysis to examine both equivalence and divergence in students’ communicative experiences. Thirty undergraduates participated in a semester-long team-based learning (TBL) course at a research university in Seoul, Korea. Quantitative analysis revealed no significant difference in measured communication competence between the two preference groups, indicating comparable self-perceived skill levels. However, qualitative findings uncovered contrasting patterns of meaning and engagement. Team-preferred learners tended to describe communication as a relational and co-constructive process grounded in empathy, openness, and shared understanding, while individual-preferred learners viewed it as a more instrumental and self-regulated activity emphasizing clarity, control, and efficiency. The results suggest that equal competence does not necessarily imply uniform understanding. Rather, identical experiences can produce divergent interpretations of communication and collaboration. This study offers pedagogical implications for higher education practices that balance relational and autonomous modes of learning.