Birds of a Feather Undermine Equity: A Strategy to Align Intent and Outcome in Team-Based Learning in Higher Education

Abstract: Efforts to promote equity in higher education often rely on shared intent among instructors and students. Yet, as demonstrated in this study, when students form their own teams for Team-Based Learning (TBL) tasks, they unintentionally cluster with peers of similar socio-economic backgrounds, ultimately undermining equity. This study introduces a simple strategy to facilitate equitable team formation through a quantitative reflection of students' socio-economic backgrounds and their self-perceived preparedness. When applied, the strategy yielded balanced teams and improved performance. In its absence, team compositions became skewed and class performance declined. These findings highlight a behavioural gap between intent and outcome and underscore the need for structural supports to translate equity goals into practice.