TOEFL Speaking Task 3

Social loafing is a phenomenon in which individuals exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone. This reduction in motivation often occurs because people feel their individual contributions are less noticeable or less critical to the overall outcome. Social loafing can lead to decreased group productivity and lower quality of work. Researchers have identified that the effect is stronger in larger groups and when tasks are simple or repetitive, making individual input seem dispensable.

Professor: Now, let me give you an example from a real classroom. I once assigned my students a group project to clean up a local park. Each group had five members. I told them that the whole group would get a single grade, so they wouldn't be evaluated individually. Interestingly, I observed that two students did most of the work, while the other three barely contributed. They chatted, checked their phones, and only picked up a few pieces of trash. When I asked one of those three why he wasn't helping much, he said, 'Well, the others are doing a good job, so my effort won't make a big difference anyway.' This clearly shows how the lack of individual accountability led to reduced effort. Had I graded each member separately, they would have worked much harder.