Small group collaboration in hybrid university learning: Comparing learners’ perceived socio-affective state in hybrid, face-to-face and remote collaboration

Hybrid collaboration, where co-located and remote learners work together using online tools, is becoming increasingly relevant to education due to its high degree of flexibility. There is extensive research contrasting face-to-face (F2F) to remote collaboration, but much less research on hybrid learning formats. The scarce available research on hybrid collaboration suggests that the remote learners in such settings often feel less related to their peers than the co-located learners. In general, research on socio-affective factors in hybrid learning is particularly lacking, even though factors such as the learners' perceived relatedness and social presence play a crucial role for learners’ interaction and the acceptance of hybrid collaborative learning. In this paper, we experimentally compare the different perceptions of learners in hybrid, F2F and remote collaboration. In a laboratory study conducted in the context of higher education, N = 180 students rated their socio-affective state after participating in one of the three participation modes (F2F, remote, hybrid). The study revealed statistically significant differences between the three conditions in terms of learners’ perceived relatedness, social presence, enjoyment as well as their willingness to collaborate again. Based on our findings, we discuss key issues of hybrid collaboration that should be addressed in future research. • The collaboration mode affects the learners' socio-affective state differently. • Learners in hybrid groups feel more related to peers than learners in remote groups. • F2F groups are more willing to collaborate again than learners in hybrid groups. • Remote learners in hybrid groups feel more related than learners in remote groups. • The level of group familiarity affects the learners' perceived level of relatedness.