Associations between early efficiency in language processing and learning outcomes in children born full term and preterm: Similarities and differences

•Associations between early language processing efficiency in toddlerhood and later standardized test performance inform the extent to which information processing skills support learning across domains.•Comparing patterns of associations in children from different clinical groups (e.g., children born full term and preterm) further informs whether neurobiological risk alters developmental pathways.•Early language processing efficiency was associated with language and pre-literacy outcomes to a similar extent for preterm and full term children, suggesting similar underlying mechanisms. •Association between processing speed and non-verbal IQ differed by group; processing speed supports learning in a broader range of domains in preterm than term children.

Cooperative Learning to Reduce Inequalities: Instructional Approaches and Dimensions

This manuscript deals with how cooperative learning in pre-school and primary education can be dimensionalized in terms of reducing gender differences and inequalities. In this study, formulated through instructional approaches delivered in four medium- to very high-complexity schools (the number of students with an immigrant background ranging from 30% to 100%), 376 pre-service teachers and 43 qualified teachers were asked to analyze the instruction that they gave to 1658 pre-school and primary students over two consecutive years. Instruction was defined in terms of contextualized physical education challenges that included cooperative psychomotor physical challenges, guided discovery activities and psychomotor problem-solving. The analysis was based on reflective narratives on both gender differences and inequalities, which evinced 792 comments regarding gender (618 by the pre-service teachers and 174 by the schoolteachers) and 627 comments for inequalities (363 by the pre-service teachers and 264 by the schoolteachers). The analysis produced categories based on critical reflection—on both individual and classroom scales—from the pre-service teachers and the schoolteachers. Each of the cooperative learning dimensions, i.e., positive interdependence, individual accountability, promotive interaction, social skills, and group processing, were investigated to produce a set of principles and competencies that best promoted education for sustainable development. The research produced 42 principles that operated under the tenet of leave-no-one-behind, with positive interdependence and promotive interaction providing the higher number of principles that are best suited to tackle, through cooperation processes, equity and inclusivity issues in pre-school and primary education classrooms.

Dynamic Changes and Individual Differences in Learners’ Perceptions of Cooperative Learning During a Project Activity

Although cooperative learning is a well-researched framework with many reports on its effective implementation in education, successful cooperative learning practice remains elusive in the classroom. The literature suggests certain elements of cooperative learning are key, but few studies have addressed their importance with respect to the dynamics of the learning activity and differences in individual learners’ attitudes. The objective of this study is to examine (1) whether learners’ perception of cooperative learning changes throughout a project, and (2) how differently individual learners perceive their activities with reference to the five elements (i.e. positive interdependence; face-to-face promotive interaction; individual accountability; social skills; group processing), and thereby to explore measures for successful implementation of cooperative learning. Analyses of a questionnaire survey and weekly journal entries revealed that there were dynamic changes in learners’ perception of cooperative learning in accordance with the shifts in phases of the project. The results also showed that there were significant differences in individual learners’ perceptions and that their engagement in cooperative learning could be affected by certain factors that were not weighed by the five elements. The results of this study can provide hints for better pedagogical interventions for teachers introducing cooperative learning into the classroom.

Cooperative language learning elements to enhance social skills in English classrooms: a case study

PurposeThe aim was to prove the efficacy of the five cooperative learning elements applied in English classrooms and to demonstrate how effective they were to develop social skills in students.Design/methodology/approachThe qualitative approach allowed to analyse the data in order to determine the benefits of using these elements which help students to create a good rapport among them and do more productive activities to retain the knowledge. The instruments were Cooperative Learning Activity Planning Template that included 20 major steps in designing and assessing a cooperative learning activity designed by Susan Johnston. Additionally, rubrics that included the cooperative learning elements: face-to-face (promotive) interaction, positive interdependence, individual accountability, group processing and collaborative skills were necessary to assess students' accomplished tasks.FindingsFurthermore, when students played different roles, they attained their goal and did cooperative tasks more productively. All mentioned above enables Ecuadorian educational institutions to include better teaching methods and provokes consciousness of students' accomplishment towards their goals.Research limitations/implicationsIn the beginning, some constraints were presented; students did not have a clear idea about the main difference between group work and cooperative work. However, once they were aware of cooperative learning elements, they did incorporate them appropriately in each assigned activity which allowed them to obtain better results. Another limitation referred to master students who did not always provide learners with constant monitoring when they were working on cooperative activities; they simply believed that strong students could help the rest in the group if there was any inconvenience with the task, taking this situation for granted.Originality/valueThe originality of this study is reflected in the results obtained in the final product students presented since they used the elements in a more effective way to build social skills and achieve higher grades.

Cooperative Classrooms and Academic Performance in Physical Education: A Multilevel Analysis

Purpose: The aim was to assess how two contextual variables, number of students per class and in-class global cooperation, affect students’ academic performance in physical education. Method: Multilevel analysis was performed given the data’s hierarchical nature (L1 = 1,185 participants and L2 = 64 classrooms), including regression analysis to assess how the contextual variables at the classroom level affected students’ grades. Results: Results showed that the differences observed between classrooms in students’ academic performance can be attributed largely to the perceived in-class global cooperation and not to the number of students per class. Group processing, promotive interaction, and individual accountability were the strongest predictors because these cooperative learning essential elements showed significant differences between classrooms. Discussion/Conclusion: Academic performance in physical education is not only determined by personal factors but also by contextual factors like perceived in-class cooperation. Group processing, promotive interaction, and individual accountability can be considered the most relevant critical features. Cooperative learning contexts are not easy to build, and depending on how successfully they are constructed, the outcomes can be very different.

Friendship Group Activities: Voices from Chinese EFL Learners

Friendship group activities, as one of the learner-centered applications of collaborative learning, promotes learners’ overall abilities and have been warmly welcomed into English as a foreign language (EFL) classes in China. However, because of the complexity of the multi-level classroom life, sometimes this application becomes problematic in the actual practice. To tackle this problem and illustrate the dynamic characteristics of collaborative language learning, further investigation into friendship groups from the students’ perspective is necessary. The present study was conducted through qualitative research with six semi-structured interviews, which aimed to elicit learners’ in-depth views on group work in the actual language classrooms and create a more suitable facilitative classroom environment for future students. The findings show that the fundamental factors, such as culture, teacher guidance and group processing have significantly impacted students’ performance and participation. This impact may have important implications for implementing collaborative language learning in future EFL contexts.

Fostering Critical Reflection in Primary Education through STEAM Approaches

This paper describes a quantitative study that explores teaching practices in primary education to sustain the hypothesis that students’ critical thinking may be activated through individual and group reflection. The study examines the quality of the reflections from primary school students during group processing when participating in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) instructional approaches. The project’s core methodology lies in scientific (physics) and artistic (dance) instructional activities which were executed in a continuous reflective and cooperative learning environment. The educational approach was refined by analyzing the reflective discussions from focus groups where descriptive, argumentative, reflective and critical reflective knowledge about acquired knowledge, competences, beliefs, attitudes and emotions were considered. While the educational intervention proved that 1st-year (K-7) students essentially reflected at the level of description, 3rd-year (K-9) and 5th-year (K-11) students, however, attained higher levels of individual critical reflection development than initially anticipated. The STEAM approaches were found to produce significant use and understanding of both science and artistic concepts and to increase a sense of competence readiness and a perception of modes of cooperation such as individual responsibility and promotive interaction.

Interdisciplinary Cooperative Educational Approaches to Foster Knowledge and Competences for Sustainable Development

The objective of this paper is to prove that interdisciplinary educational approaches foster knowledge and competences for sustainable development in primary education. The intervention methodology employed is an educational and pedagogical approach to teaching science through physical activities and is based on developing dynamic reflective and cooperative learning environments to strengthen teaching–learning relationships. The educational approach included analyzing students’ reflections from their focus groups, in which five categories of cooperative learning: positive interdependence, individual accountability, promotive interaction, the appropriate use of social skills, and group processing, were considered. The results show that, to a significant statistical degree, when the interdisciplinary approaches were adopted the primary school students reached higher levels of understanding, reflective and critical thinking development, and that cooperative learning provided them with a greater perception of sustainable development competences through systems and critical thinking, analysis, interpersonal relationships and collaboration, and strategic action.

University Students’ Perceptions of the Key Elements of Cooperative Learning

In this study I examined students’ perceptions of the way cooperative learning (CL) was used in their classroom setting. CL involves five key elements: positive interdependence (PI), face-to-face promotive interaction (FF), individual accountability (IA), interpersonal and small group skills (IS), and group processing (GP). For this study, first-year university students from three classes participated in informal CL (semistructured), formal CL (structured), and teacher-led instruction. At the end of the research period, students’ perceptions of these were rated. Analyses showed that for PI and IS, the mean score of the formal CL class was significantly higher than the teacher-led instruction class, but that there were no significant differences between FF, IA, and GP for these two groups. Student perceptions of the informal CL class did not show any significant difference when compared to the formal CL class nor the teacher-led instruction class for any of the five key elements. 本研究は、協同学習（CL）の5つの基本要素について、学生の認識を調べたものである。5つの基本要素とは、互恵的な相互依存（PI）、対面的で促進的な相互交渉（FF）、個人としての責任（IA）、社会的スキルや小グループ運営スキル（IS）、そしてグループの改善手続き（GP）である。本研究では、3つのクラスの大学1年生が、其々インフォーマルな協同学習、フォーマルな協同学習、そして、教員主導の学習を体験した後、協同学習の5つの基本要素の重要度を評価した。分析の結果、フォーマルな協同学習を経験した学生のPIとISの平均値は共に、教員主導の学習を体験した学生のものよりも、有意に高いことが示された。FF、IA、GPについては、この２つのクラス間に有意な差は見られなかった。また、協同学習の5つの基本要素は、インフォーマルな協同学習とフォーマルな協同学習、インフォーマルな協同学習と教員主導の学習のどちらを比較しても、有意差が認められなかった。

Investigation of The Attitudes of University Students at Different Departments Against Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning is a kind of teaching method, which includes students working together in projects. The teacher has to provide a cooperative situation that creates interdependence among the students. It consists of five different elements. These are positive interdependence, individual accountability, face to face interaction, interpersonal- small groups, social skills, and group processing. This study is aimed to investigate the attitudes of university students studying in different departments towards cooperative learning. Thus, the current situation is described with the analysis of the data obtained from the applied scales. The research is descriptive. The group of the research consists of students studying in different departments of Bozok University in Yozgat. For the research, the data collected and processed into the data coding form. Then, statistical analysis was applied to the data transferred to SPSS 24.0 Packet program. There is no statistically significant difference found between genders. There was a statistically significant difference in the attitude scores towards cooperative learning between the ages, the departments, and the grades. Cooperative learning is a more suitable method for students in the classes and develops learners' attitudes. Institutes are encouraged for positive collaboration involvement among students who will be connected in groups within the work environment in the long term.