Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference in the perception of the degree of teamness, as measured by the Characteristics of Effective Teams Survey (Harvey & Drolet, 2004), interviews, and archival data, between adult first- and second-generation Mexican American students and adult non-first- and second-generation Mexican American students (all other students) enrolled in a cohort-based, accelerated bachelor's degree program. Methodology: Using an ethnographic case study design, the researcher administered the Characteristics of Effective Teams Survey to 115 students (29 first- and second-generation Mexican American students, and 86 "all other" students) enrolled in a cohort-based, accelerated bachelor's degree program at a private, liberal arts university in Southern California. Ten students were randomly chosen to participate in a semistructured interview and submit archival data. The data were collected, statistically analyzed, and triangulated for agreement between the three sources of data. Findings: Analysis of the survey data found a significant difference in the perceptions between first- and second-generation Mexican American students and all other students for the teamness characteristics of mutual trust, common base of information, and healthy level of stress, with first- and second-generation Mexican American students reporting lower levels of those three characteristics within their cohort than the reports of all other students. Despite this difference, the analysis of other data—including the perceptions of the other 14 characteristics of effective teams, the rankings of most important characteristics, as well as the interview and archival data—all reported similar perceptions of teamness between the two groups. Based on research related to retention, which places a high value on social and academic integration and overlapping ideas inherent in the characteristics of teamness, there is support for the claim that students enrolled in this cohort program are socially and academically integrated into the university. Conclusions: While there were statistical differences between the two groups of students in their perceptions of teamness (as measured by Harvey and Drolet's Characteristics of Effective Teams Survey) within their cohort, the other data analyses displayed a striking similarity of perceptions of teamness between first- and second-generation Mexican American students and all other students.