The scope of cooperative work in the classroom from the viewpoint of primary school teachers

Abstract

Introduction: Different international organisms, including UNESCO, insist on the importance of collaborative teamwork to face today's challenges. This skill should be fostered from the early stages of education, and consequently, it is particularly important that Primary School teacher training institutions draw up proposals and implement new practices which include this type of work. This paper attempts to describe how a group of Primary School teachers perceive cooperative learning based on their interview responses. Method. The methodology is based on a qualitative and descriptive approach using semistructured interviews. The interview content was analysed using the content analysis procedure. The sample included 48 Primary School teachers in the Madrid area who had been interviewed previously. Results: The teachers' opinions refer to three key aspects: evaluation of the cooperative learning competence; action taken by teachers related to this competence; training received in this competence. The research findings suggest that teamwork is seldom used, and when it is used, this is basically for motivational reasons. The low importance given to this competence in initial teacher training is also mentioned. Conclusion: The results suggest that the potential of collaborative work to facilitate learning and manage diversity is not generally understood. © Education & Psychology I+D+i and Editorial EOS (Spain).