Effects Of Cooperative Learning On Students' Skills

The purpose of this study was to document and investigate the comparison between cooperative learning and traditional teaching instruction in terms of their effects of students' interpersonal relationships in typical classroom settings. The problem was that in the context of Taiwan's educational instructions, where traditional independent learning is a rule, it is difficult for students to cultivate the excellent interpersonal relationship skills they will need. The question is: Does cooperative learning enhance the residual effects of student interpersonal relationship skills?

98 technical college students participated in this quantitative , exploratory and applied study, they were typical 2nd year technical college students who attended 2 accounting classes in Taiwan, with a mean age of 19 years. The same accounting teacher (the concurrent researcher) taught the 2 classes at this technical college.

The instruction developed and used in this research according to the following Five-Stage methodology proposed by Slavin (1995), a method that included the following characteristics:

1- Class presentations.

2- Grouping.

3- Quizzes.

4- Individual improvements.

5- Team recognition.

A Pretest Ð'- Posttest, Control group experimental design was conducted in the 2 classrooms. The participants in both the experiment and control group were pretested immediately before the 8-Week (1/2 semester) treatment. During the experimental period, each group received an equivalent amount of instructional time and was provided by the same books and similar materials. The participants in both the experimental and control group were post tested at the end of the next semester following the initial experimental semester.

A T test of students' pretest scores on the IRST was conducted, in the subscale: do you like your peers? : The students in the control group scored significantly higher than the students in the experimental group. However, in the subscale: Are you happy being part of the team? : The students in the experimental group scored significantly higher