The Empirical Base of Student Project Collaboration in Higher Education: A Mapping Review

This systematic mapping review explores the landscape of process-oriented research on student project collaboration in higher education. The map is unique in its kind as it applies a wide search to include the diversity of terms, methods, and approaches used across higher education. Based on an analysis of 475 peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and early 2023, the review maps trends in research context, design, and focus areas. While the field shows methodological and topical diversity, the review identifies three overarching patterns: (1) dominance of exploratory, single-case studies with broad or multiple foci and with limited theoretical anchoring, (2) contextual and conceptual fragmentation, and (3) dominance of learner-centered studies with limited integration of teacher, institutional, or policy perspectives. These findings suggest that although the research base is expanding, it remains diffuse and unevenly developed. The review contributes a structured overview of the field’s current state and highlights critical gaps. Notably, there is a need for research that attends to the diverse and social dimensions of student learning, while also accounting for the complex ecosystem in which project-based approaches are embedded. There is a need for research that takes a holistic approach that includes structural factors, such as institutional traditions and overall program design. This, in turn, requires the collection of data beyond the student voice, which is almost absent in extant research.