EFFECTS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING ON PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS' ACHIEVEMENT AND SOCIAL INTERACTIONS

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of cooperative learning on the achievement of Turkish prospective elementary school teachers' learning of the content of the Turkish language course and on their social interaction in the classroom. The theoretical question addressed was whether the positive interdependence within cooperative groups would lead students in those groups to have greater achievement and more social interaction. Eighty prospective elementary school teachers were randomly assigned to cooperative (n = 40) and individualistic (n = 40) conditions. The experimental sessions were held two hours a week for four weeks. Results indicated no effect on academic achievement. Rather, students in the cooperative condition were more involved in positive and supportive relationships with their classmates compared to students in the individualistic learning. Students in the cooperative condition initiated more conversations with their classmates and had more support than the others. The generalization of the results of this study is limited by the length of the study, types of tasks, and the skill of the instructor. The results are robust because of the random assignment of students to conditions, and the use of the same instructor to teach both of the learning contexts.