Cooperative Learning Improves Social Skills and Knowledge of Science Topics in Pre-adolescent Children in Iran

Abstract

Aims: In educational and vocational settings, people are asked to work in teams. This requires social skills but also promotes time-efficient knowledge enhancement. Aiming to Original Research Article British Journal of Education, Society & Behavioural Science, 4(8): 1029-1037, 2014 1030 support the acquisition of both, many studies investigated new teaching methods for schools, emphasising cooperation and centrality of students in the learning process. However, research in non-western countries on this topic remains scarce. Therefore, the present study wants to investigate the effects of cooperative learning on (a) children’s social skills and (b) knowledge acquisition in a non-western country, Iran. Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted in an elementary school in Ilam city (Iran) between October and December 2012. Study Design: One hundred twenty male fifth graders were randomly assigned to intervention and control group. Two raters independently assessed students’ educational attainment in experimental science and social skills before and 2 month after implementation. Methods: Students in the control group learned the text material independently, whereas students in the intervention group were taught cooperatively, using the Jigsaw method. Results: Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed significantly more improvement of social skills over time (F(1,58)=29.37, P