This research compares and contrasts the views of differ ent authorities on the benefits of cooperative learning. The concept of cooperative learning is described, and the benefits of its application are reviewed. No consideration is given to the opinions of those professionals who hold negative opinions of the concept.
Cooperative learning is an alternative procedure to con ventional modes of learning, and is a practical application of collaborative learning theory (Reagan, 1989). Under the cooperative learning concept, students are assigned to groups which are composed of average, low achieving, and gifted learners, and mainstreamed students, if any of the latter hap pen to be in the class (Kagan, 1989 1990b).
Different cooperative learning groups are typically assigned for the different topics of instruction presented to a class (Edwards, & Stout, 1989 1990). Within each group, the students cooperate in the learning process, with the students who grasp the material providing assistance to those students experiencing more difficulty in comprehending that which is being taught (Ellis, 1989 1990).
1 2 Most studies reported in the literature indicate that cooperative learning produces superior results with respect to learning outcomes (Shanker, 1990). The benefits attributed to the cooperative learning concept range from acquiring specific skills, such as reading and mathematical, to the development of social skills to improved race relations (Slavin, 1989 1990b). Under the cooperative learning concept, both the reward structure, and the concept of student accountability are dif ferent from those in more conventional or traditional learning concepts (Slavin, 1989 1990b). Under the cooperative learning concept, individual student accountability is replaced by group accountability (Schultz, 1989 1990), and students are rewarded not on the basis of their own performance alone, but, rather, on the basis of the...