“Education is an act of love, an act of courage; it is a practice of liberty focused on reality without

fear; it aims to transform that reality through solidarity and a fraternal spirit”(Paulo Freire)

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COOPERATIVE LEARNING (CL) AND STUDENT FORMATION

Javiera Mena R-TPhD© in EducationThe University of QueenslandBrisbane, Australia

A study about attitudes, beliefs and intentions of Chilean early childhood (EC) teachers

International Conference On Learning And Community Enrichment

Singapore, July 2012

CHILE

• Population: 17 millions spread across 4.300 km north to south.

• 88% lives in cities• 39% lives in the

capital of Santiago.

CHILE

EDUCATIONEDUCATION

Three main types of school• Public: administered by the

country’s 341 municipal governments (public)

• Private subsidized: financed through an attendance-based, per-pupil public subsidy.

• Private paid: receive no government subsidies and operate entirely on parental contributions..

8-4 structure: 8 years of primary compulsory for pupils 6-13 years old.4 years of secondary education for pupils from 14-17 years old.

8-4 structure: 8 years of primary compulsory for pupils 6-13 years old.4 years of secondary education for pupils from 14-17 years old.

EDUCATIONEDUCATION

CHILE

Percentage of students that achieved results corresponding to advance level (above 300 points in SIMCE) by SES group (MINEDUC, 2009)(p.45).

Since 1990 investment in public sectors. Reforms one important in ECH. Not as successful

(Cox, 2004)

Since 1990 investment in public sectors. Reforms one important in ECH. Not as successful

(Cox, 2004)

Local factors are ignoredLocal factors are ignored

Challenge in matters of equity in

Education

Challenge in matters of equity in

Education

Student movements

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CHILE

EDUCATION

EDUCATIONEDUCATIONCOOPERATIVE LEARNING IN

ECH (0-8 years)

Little research in Latin America.

Little research in Latin America.

Part of the culture, alternative

education. Little in formal public

education

Part of the culture, alternative

education. Little in formal public

education

Transmission mode of learning

Transmission mode of learning

Hierarchical educational institution

Hierarchical educational institution

Few intervention. Erroneous beliefs

young children cannot cooperate.

Few intervention. Erroneous beliefs

young children cannot cooperate.

• Necessity: – Need of research about CL in Chile and in Early childhood

education.– Need of considering the point of view of the Chilean EC teachers

about their practice, in this case the use of CL in their classrooms (local factors).

• Aim of the study: – Investigate Chilean early childhood teachers beliefs, attitudes

and intentions towards the use of CL.

• Relevance:– Base line data for designing future effective interventions CL in a

Chilean early childhood educational contexts as a way of nurturing student lifewide learning.

Pedagogical practice that involves two or more students working together through a reciprocal

interaction, engaged in a voluntary way in sharing decisions for achieving a common goal.

(Cohen, 1994; Denise, 1999; Gillies,2007; Johnson, Johnson & Holubec 1990, Myers, 1991, Chrislip & Larson, 1994; Dillenbourg, Baker, Blaye & O’Malley, 1996; Panitz, 1996, Roschelle & Teasley, 1994; Friend & Cook, 1996) .  

Cooperative Learning (CL)

5 elements have to be included

• Positive interdependence

• Individual accountability

• Face to face promotive interaction

• Social skills

• Group processing(Hamm & Adams, 1996; Dillenbourg,

1999, 2002; Johnson, Johnson & Holubec1999)

Why CL in early childhood?

High quality early childhood education, strengthens

socio-affective and cognitive development. Success

in higher levels. (Peisner-Feinberg , Burchinal,

Clifford, Culkin, Howes & Kagan, 1999)

It is a critical stage where the brain is in its best

condition to instal important learning (Rutter &

Rutter, 1993)

Most research in CL has been conducted

with older children (Vernett, Harper & Di

Millo, 2004)

Young children’s academic and social behavior

improves when they are exposed to CL

experience and they are teach to. (Gillies, 2007;

Kutnick, Ota & Berdondini, 2008; Slavin, 1996;

Vernette Harper & Di Millo).“What they can do together today,

they can do it individually tomorrow”

(Vygotsky, 1979).

Role of teacher…

• No guarantee (CL) will happen just because students work together

(Dillenbourg, 2002)

• Early childhood teacher must create supportive environment,

positive relationship and model cooperative skills. (Battistich &

Watson, 2003)

• Importance of beliefs to understand teacher behavior (Brown, 2005;

Calderhead, 1996; Clark& Peterson, 1986; Ertmer, 2010; Fang, 1996;

Hegde & Cassidy, 2009; Kane, Sandretto, & Heath, 2002; Kagan, 1992,

Pajares, 1992, Zacharia, 2003; Zint, 2002).

Theory of Planned Behavior

Actual Behavioral

Control

Actual Behavioral

Control

Behavioral Beliefs

Attitude Towards Behavior

Normative Beliefs

SubjectiveNorm

Control Beliefs

Perceived Behavioral

Control

BehaviorBehaviorIntentionIntention

(Ajzen, 1987, 1988, 1991, 2005)

Research questions

• What are the beliefs, attitude and intentions of Chilean early childhood teachers regarding the use of cooperative learning?

• Are there differences between beliefs, attitude and intentions towards CL between teachers of different types of schools (Public and Private) and grade levels (Kinder and second year)?

Research design

Identify and describes beliefs, attitude and intentions of ECH teachers towards the use of

CL

Identify and describes beliefs, attitude and intentions of ECH teachers towards the use of

CL

Study 1: Qualitative, explorative• General aim: eliciting and identifying the specific beliefs

and intentions of Chilean early childhood teachers regarding the use of CL in their classroom.

– Specific aims• Describe and identify the attitudes that early childhood teachers

have towards CL.

• Describe and identify the beliefs that early childhood teachers have regarding others’ opinions about CL, and how this influences their practice in their classes.

• Identify and describe teachers’ beliefs about the factors that may facilitate or impede the use of CL in their classes.

• Describe and indentify their perceived competence in implementing CL in their classes

• Identify if there are other issues that influence the use or non-use of CL.

Study 1: Qualitative, explorative.

• Elicitation of beliefs study• 20 teachers (5 each group)

• G1: kinder-public School

• G2: kinder- private school

• G3: second year- public school

• G4: second year-private school

• 4 Focus group and 4 Interviews: Open ended questions.

• Content analysis:• Themes (behavioral beliefs) label the themes extracted.

Study 2: quantitative

• Item constructed with the beliefs elicited in the Study 1• Translation /back translation• First draft with all the Items (80i).• Pilot Test (5 teachers experts)• Construct an on-line version• Test – retest reliability, twice to the same people, interval of

2 weeks (30 teachers)• Application of final sample: 500 teachers

Some results: study 1 (qualitative)• Attitude towards CL (AB):

• Advantages: Shyness loss, peer learning is more effective, social skills, self-regulation, reinforces personality, solidarity, abilities for life, get organized, meaningful learning, motivation, and mediation skills

• Disadvantages: kid that does not work, untidiness, noise, Inhibition, more work for the teacher, negative groups (passive or not chosen by others), fighting for a role, difficulty of seeing the achievements

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Some results: study 1 (qualitative)• Perceived Behaviour control (PBC):

– Experience: some give priority for individual work, resistance for CL because they are used to traditional classroom but the majority says that they use GW.

– Competence: without the competence, teachers responsibility?, lack of knowledge, few says they have the competence, they do it instinctively, no support.

– Training: interested in training in CL, they don't have a lot of advances courses.

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Some results: study 1 (qualitative)

– Facilitates: bigger classroom, desks (for 4 children), respect within the children, number of children, adults disposition, resources, two or more teachers, clear rules.

– Make it Difficult: too many students(40, 45), small number of adults, reduced space, parents ask for individual work, little time, schooling education (preschool learning very school like), demands and evaluations, SIMCE, materials are not used, interruptions, needs at home.

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• Subjective Norm (SN): – Approves: head of technical pedagogical unit, parents, general

(not many disapprove it), advisor, colleagues.– Disapproves: parents (they don’t like their kids sits with certain

classmates), headmaster, General (when is misunderstood).

• Others:– Conformation of groups: they live the students choose their group

(most of them), little intention. – School environment: little time, few group work between teachers,

is not a culture of cooperation, is more individual initiative (in general), no special support for CL, less freedom that in other cultures, too paternalists, more competitive.

– Actual rutine: 30% to 70%, In general they do not know the CL methods (39%).

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“Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself” (John Dewey)