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 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<.001, eta2=.34). Though, both groups increased their knowledge, the intervention group achieved a significantly broader and deeper understanding of the topics (F(1,58)=33.27, P<.001, eta2=.365) over time. Conclusions: The results suggest that cooperative learning methods enhance both, social skills and knowledge acquisition at elementary school level in non-western countries such as Iran.