An Empirical Assessment of Cooperative Groups in Large, Time-compressed, Introductory Courses

We measured student knowledge and motivation at the beginning and end of a three-week general psychology course. Two large lecture sections (N = 215 and N = 154) were compared; one used a cooperative learning process, and one did not. Student knowledge significantly improved in both sections, but there was no additional benefit derived from using cooperative learning. Interestingly, student motivation significantly decreased in the cooperative learning section. With recognition of the study’s limitations, we conclude that cooperative learning has limited efficacy in large enrollment, compressed courses. Dawn Vreven is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She received her Ph.D. from Brown University. Her research interests include visual perception and cognition. Susan McFadden is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She received her Ph.D. from Drew University. She co-edits the “Teaching Tips” column for the Association for Psychological Science’s Observer and has published a number of articles on teaching and learning. This work was supported by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Program.