Teacher and Student Evaluations of Cooperative Learning and Observed Interactive Behaviors

Abstract

Teachers' use and evaluation of cooperative group learning were examined in this study, along with students' reactions to working in groups and their verbal interactive behaviors during group activities. Teachers and students reported that cooperative learning occurs in their classrooms almost every day, with many positive academic, social, and attitude outcomes. No evidence was found to link evaluations of cooperative learning to overall effectiveness of implementation. Observations showed that the majority of student interactions were directly related to teaching and learning. Behaviors such as listening to another student or watching a student demonstrate how to complete a task occurred most frequently during group activities.