Cultural Diversity, Leadership, Group Size and Collaborative Learning Systems: An Experimental Study

Collaborative learning systems (CLS) have received increasing research attention owing to advances in computer-mediated technology and paradigmatic shifts in the educational arena. To understand the circumstances under which the use of CLS would enhance learning efficiency, a laboratory experiment with a 2X2X2 factorial design was conducted to investigate the interaction and main effects of cultural diversity, leadership, and group size on learners’´ performance, satisfaction with process, and attitude toward CLS usage. Cultural diversity was found to have a more significant positive effect on performance in groups with leadership than those without leadership. Leadership lowered learners´ satisfaction with the process in homogeneous groups (as compared to heterogeneous groups) and smaller groups (as compared to larger groups). Moreover, learners´ attitude toward CLS usage was influenced positively with greater cultural diversity, but negatively with presence of leadership and a larger group size.