Understanding peer learning participation: A multi-method study of gender roles, team interdependence, and personal attributes

Despite widespread recognition that peer learning advances skill development in teams, why individuals choose to participate remains poorly understood, as existing research typically examines individual or contextual factors in isolation. Developing an integrative framework that bridges gender social role and social interdependence theories, this multi-method study addresses this limitation by examining how gender social roles and team interdependence jointly influence peer learning participation. In Study 1, a three-year field study of NCAA student-athletes ( n = 592), we examine how gender social roles and interdependence converge to shape both the rate (probability of participation) and extent (time commitment) of peer learning. Findings indicate that female athletes, on average, show higher peer learning participation, while male athletes show increased participation under high-interdependence conditions, narrowing the gender gap. Yet these findings leave unanswered a fundamental question: what leads individuals to select high- versus low-interdependence team contexts? In Study 2, a quasi-experimental survey of NCAA student-athletes ( n = 499), we examine the attributes, characteristics, and personal preferences (ACPPs) that drive sport selection, revealing how these personal attributes determine the degree of team interdependence individuals experience and, in turn, their opportunities for peer learning. Together, these studies demonstrate that personal attributes drive selection into high- versus low-interdependence teams, and that team interdependence—combined with gender social roles—determines peer learning participation. This research advances theory and offers practical insights for understanding how individual characteristics and team structures influence peer learning participation in educational and organizational settings. • Integrates social role, role congruity, and social interdependence theories. • Gender roles and team dynamics jointly shape peer learning participation. • Females participate more; males benefit from high-interdependence teams. • Personal attributes influence sport choice and shape peer learning participation. • Advances theory and practice for peer learning participation in teams.