According to Sharan and Sharan (1987), cooperative learning refers to several instructional strategies used by educators to foster learning through peer cooperation and communication. In the last two decades, cooperative learning has been the focus of much educational research. Johnson and Johnson (1989) stated that cooperative learning strategies have been found to be instrumental in producing gains in many academic, social, and personal areas, including students':
(2) ability to understand others' perspective;
(3) social and cooperative skills;
(5) emotional involvement in learning;
(6) attitudes toward school and teachers;
(7) psychological health and sense of interdependence with others; and
The role played by cooperative learning strategies in fostering students' ability to understand others' perspectives has implications for multicultural education. In this regard, MacGillivray and Hawes (1994) report that cooperative learning methods, if used appropriately, can promote racial and ethnic integration in both the classroom and the school.
The validity of the foregoing claim can be seen in a study of the effects of cooperative learning on mixed race/ethnic and mixed gender relationships conducted by Warring, Johnson, Maruyama and Johnson (1985). Subjects were 74 sixth-grade students and 51 fourth-grade students. All students participated in cooperative learning groups for 55 minutes per day across 10 instructional days.
The authors then monitored student interactions. It was found that the cooperative learning groups promoted positive cross-sex and cross-ethnic relationships. Moreover, these findings were observed to generalize to home activities.
The purpose of this paper is to examine cooperative learning techniques, concepts, and strategies currently being used in the multicultural context. Specifically, the paper reviews diverse strategies and techniques being used in classr...