Cooperative Interventions: Strategies To Promote Positive Behaviour.

N

11

Classroom Techniques; College Students; Cooperative Learning; Educational Strategies; Foreign Countries; Group Dynamics; Higher Education; Interaction; Interpersonal Communication; Intervention; Learning Strategies; Learning Theories; Peer Influence; Primary Education; Small Group Instruction; Student Behavior; Teamwork

In cooperative learning, children are assigned to small groups to work on curriculum-based tasks while teachers move among the groups to offer assistance and to monitor progress. Despite the benefits and appeal of this learning method, it has been demonstrated that not all cooperative learning groups are equally successful in the classroom. In this 6-week study, the behaviors and interaction characteristics of 192 six-year-old children in structured and unstructured groups were investigated. Five teachers and a class of university students observed and evaluated interactions of the children in video segments. The structured group of children participated in two training sessions about interpersonal and small-group skills which facilitate cooperation. The unstructured group of children were told to cooperate and work together but were given no training. The findings demonstrate clear differences between student behavior in the two groups. Children in the structured condition exhibited more cooperative behaviors and fewer noncooperative behaviors than peers in the unstructured condition. They were also seen to be more responsive to the needs of other group members. These results are consistent with previous research which found that the structure of student work groups influences the level of interaction between group members. (LSR)

1997

ED409499