Enhancing Expectations of Cooperative Learning Use through Initial Teacher Training

Abstract

Despite of its relevance and evidence support, Cooperative Learning (CL) is a challenge for all the educational systems because of the difficulties for its implementation. This study has the objective to identify the effect of Primary Education initial teacher training in the prediction of future CL use. Two groups, of 44 and 45 students, were conceptually trained, with the latter also having the opportunity to experience CL in the university classroom. Opting for a mixed methods research, this study tries to identify changes in a pre- and post-test Cooperative Learning Implementation Questionnaire and to explain possible changes through 4 focus groups. Quantitative results show differences in expectations of CL success and index of CL use for the group who had the CL experience. Qualitative data revealed that improvements can be explained by the increase in students’ awareness of the learning opportunities that CL offered them, giving and receiving scaffold help, preparing activities and enhancing motivation.