The Influence of Social Facilitation on Test Performance

Aims: This study explores social facilitation's influence on first-year undergraduate students' test performances.

Place and Duration of Study: University of Mindanao Digos College, Department of Arts and Sciences, BS in Psychology Program

Methodology: The study utilized a true experimental design with between-subject approach in allocating the participants. The participants were selected through a short survey, and receiving an academic distinction award with honors upon their senior high school graduation was the primary qualification regardless of gender and age. They were randomly assigned to either solo study or group study conditions. Twenty students (17 females; 3 males) undergo the solo study condition, and another twenty students (18 females; 2 male) undergo the peer group study condition. Both groups received identical posttest and pretest questionnaires to ensure the validity of the result.

Results: Results showed no statistically significant difference in test performance between the two study methods (p <.05), as indicated by the Mann-Whitney U test. Solo study participants demonstrated a slightly higher mean improvement (M = 6.00) compared to group study participants (M = 5.50), but the effect size (i = 0.212) indicated minimal difference.

Conclusion: Both study methods are equally essential to improving college students' test performance. Results stated no statistically significant difference between the peer study group and solo study condition. However, the study's limitations include a small sample size (N = 40) and a homogeneous group of participants (first-year psychology students who excelled academically in senior high school), restricting the generalizability of the findings.​​