Improving Primary School Children\’s Learning Experiences: The Significance of Cooperative Learning in teacher Training at University

Enfoque

Cooperative learning has been shown not only to enhance students’ academic performance but also to foster essential skills such as communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork. Its considerable benefits made it a valuable tool in primary school classrooms and thus it also became a focal point in university teacher training programmes in order to equip educators with the necessary skills to create enriched learning experiences for primary school children. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to analyse the opinions of university students on cooperative learning practice which was implemented during their teacher training programme. The study comprised a sample of 62 students who were enrolled in the Primary Education Degree. Throughout the entire semester, the students were engaged in collaborative group work as an essential part of their coursework in the subject of Theoretical and Practical Foundations of Foreign Language Teaching. The data were collected through an ad-hoc questionnaire comprising two distinct sections: the initial segment encompassed nine-closed ended questions exploring students’ overall perceptions and prior experience with cooperative learning. The latter section encompassed 30 questions, specifically focused on their learning experiences within the particular subject of interest, and the second part was further subdivided into the following categories: a) skills development, b) subject matter acquisition, c) task and responsibility management, d) time management, e) problem management, f) overall assessment. Responses were recorded using a 6-point Likert scale, ranging from I strongly disagree to I strongly agree. For the present study, the analysis primarily concentrated on the findings derived from the second part of the questionnaire. As regards the results, the study substantiated the advantages of incorporating cooperative learning in the education setting. As the mean result indicated, the majority of students affirmed that cooperative learning has improved their teamwork skills, enhanced their oral and written communication proficiency and fostered the development of their autonomous learning, helping them take responsibility for their own educational progress. Moreover, it improved the interaction and helped them become more open-minded towards diverse perspectives. Numerous students also stated that they acquired greater knowledge through collaborative group work compared to the conventional approach and felt more motivated towards their learning process. According to the respondents, all members actively participated in the completion of tasks and assisted one another to solve doubts. The mean is also relatively high for equal participation and clear establishment of roles. It has also been argued that there were not many conflicts when working in teams and the students had always been able to reach agreements and resolve conflicts effectively despite divergent viewpoints. In conclusion, the current research corroborates that cooperative learning is a highly effective approach in educational settings. Therefore, teaching future teachers how to collaborate and cooperate is essential for improving their teaching practices, which consequently leads to improved students’ outcomes. Teamwork allows teachers to pool their expertise and resources and develop more efficient teaching strategies. Furthermore, those teachers who realize the value of cooperation are more likely to implement cooperative practices in their classrooms.