Reports several field experimental research studies which tested the effects of group and individual incentive structures and tasks on individual academic achievement. The positive effects of cooperative learning methods result from the use of cooperative incentives, not cooperative tasks, apparently due to change in peer norms. (CB)

Black students, other minorities and white students can show significant increases in achievement in biology by using a cooperative learning model. Concentrating on cooperating with group members toward a common goal is the ingredient that makes this cooperative learning model work. This study was designed to investigate the effects of cooperative…

In consecutive quarters, two studies were conducted at a two-year vocational/technical college to determine how different goal structures within the learning environment could influence student expectations, achievement, and perceptions of the causes of learning outcomes. The first study investigated three goal structures (i.e., cooperative,…

Reports on a study of the impact of cooperative learning techniques, compared with traditional Navy instructional methods, on Navy air traffic controller trainees. Finds that cooperative learning methods improved higher level reasoning skills and resulted in no failures among the trainees. (CFR)

Reports on a study of the impact of individual feedback on achievement, attitudes, and behavior in cooperative learning groups on 56 8th-grade students. Finds that individual feedback was more effective than group feedback and that individual feedback resulted in more positive relationships toward others. (CFR)

A study investigated how the diversity of a group of business administration students affected performance in and satisfaction about participation in a computerized business strategy game. Subjects were 129 small groups, composed of undergraduate and graduate students, in 21 class sections. Results showed diversity negatively affected group…