Using Cooperative Learning And Academic Benefits Of Cooperative Learning

3. Benefits of using cooperative learning

The numerous outcomes of cooperative efforts may be subsumed within three broad categories: effort to achieve, positive interpersonal relationships, and psychological adjustment.

3.1 Academic benefits of using cooperative learning: Achievement

Numerous studies have been carried out over the past decade in order to give an answer to the benefits of using competitive, individualistic, and cooperative strategies to promote productivity and achievement (see Johnson & Johnson 1989, 1999, 2005). Working in groups cooperatively to reach common goals has been demonstrated to produced better results on achievement and productivity rather than working individually or in a competitive way. Greater

They were more considerate of others feelings, worked in cross-cultural situations more easily, liked their classmates and liked their teachers more than other learners (Li, M. P. & Lam, B. H. p. 11).

It is evident that cooperative experiences improve cooperative and altruistic behaviors more than competitive or individualistic experiences. Findings suggest that cooperative learning can improve the prosocial behaviors necessary for a society in which the ability to get along with others becomes increasingly important.

Finally, an important component of the ability to cooperate with others is the ability to understand another person's perspective. Bridgeman (1977) found that students who had worked with the cooperative method were more able to adopt the points of view of others than the control students; and Johnson, Johnson, Johnson and Anderson (1976) found that those who had worked cooperatively were more able to identify feelings on tapes than those who had worked individually.

3.3 Psychological

It is essential that students are convinced that they are valuable and important between their classmates so that they can tolerate disappointments, make decisions with confidence and, finally, be happy and productive.

The cooperative learning method influence two essential components for self-esteem: the fact of feeling appreciated by one's peers and the feeling of doing things well in academics. Students are usually considered friends by more colleagues, feel more successful in their academic work and, in fact, have greater achievements than in traditional classrooms. For these reasons, cooperative learning can really increase students' self-esteem.

Another important consequence is the sense of control. It that has been shown on many occasions that the degree in which students believe that their academic success depends on their own efforts is highly related to their high academic performance (Brookover, Beady, Flood, Schweitzer y Wisenbaker, 1979; Coleman y otros, 1966). Numerous studies have shown that there is evidence that cooperative learning methods make students feel a higher sense of control. Therefore, feeling that they have a chance of success, that their efforts will help them achieve it and that success is a valuable