Murayama and Elliot (2012) made a significant contribution to the literature on competition by presenting the results of 2 meta-analyses and 3 primary studies on the relation between competition and performance. Murayama and Elliot established that in general, there is no relationship between competition and performance. They then made the case…

The authors examined the nature of dominant students in Grades 3-5 in a midwestern school system in the United States. Previous research has indicated 2 ways a student may gain dominance--through bullying and prosocial behaviors. A cluster analysis for dominant children was conducted using social interdependence attitude scores, children's…

When students enter middle school, they face 2 major challenges, one involving the biological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes they are going through, and another involving the transition from elementary to middle school. Peer learning has considerable influence on how well they manage these challenges. The research that exists on peer…

Emphasizing the developmental need for positive peer relationships, in this study the authors tested a social-contextual view of the mechanisms and processes by which early adolescents' achievement and peer relationships may be promoted simultaneously. Meta-analysis was used to review 148 independent studies comparing the relative effectiveness of…

Three samples of elementary school children were interviewed to test the hypothesis that cooperativeness and affective perspective-taking are positively correlated. The results indicated that such a correlation does exist, but no evidence was found concerning the direction of the relationship. (JMB)

Argues that all students be taught how to negotiate and mediate and learn the role of the mediator. Three steps in managing conflicts are examined: establishing a cooperative context; creating intellectual conflicts; and establishing a peer-mediation program. The theory and research underlying these steps are reviewed. (GLR)

For schools and classrooms to become places of achieving goals, educators and students must cooperate to further learning. Cooperative learning in education means overcoming the competition and individualism present in traditional educational models. This book is designed to help educators understand and implement cooperative learning. It includes…

Meta-analyses indicated that cooperation is more effective than interpersonal and individual efforts in promoting achievement and productivity, that cooperation in intergroup competition is superior to interpersonal and individual efforts in promoting achievement and productivity, and that interpersonal competition and individual efforts do not…

Reports on over 600 research studies which compare learning in cooperative, competitive, and individualistic goal structures have been collected at the Cooperative Learning Center at the University of Minnesota. From these studies it has been concluded that having students work together is much more powerful than having students work alone,…

Attitudes toward cooperation and competition were virtually independent across grades 2 to 12. Cooperativeness was consistently related to a broad range of positive attitudes toward schooling experience at all grade levels. Competitiveness changed its pattern of correlates, showing relationships to several positive attitudes only in school. (BJG)

Summary findings from a meta-analysis of 133 research studies of adults comparing the relative effectiveness of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic efforts show that cooperation among adults promotes achievement, positive interpersonal relationships, social support, and self-esteem. (MLF)

Intergroup cooperation and competition were compared to determine if they promoted systematic differences in interaction between majority and minority students. Results indicated that the intergroup cooperation condition produced increased numbers of cross-ethnic relationships. (Author/DF)

Although violence prevention programs can be helpful, they are frequently poorly targeted and unrealistic about the social forces driving student behavior. Conflict-resolution training is effective when it occurs within a cooperative context, teaches students when a conflict is or isn't occurring, stresses concrete negotiation and mediation…

Elements of cooperation learning and the specific actions for implementing it are presented, including positive interdependence, individual accountability, collaborative skills, and group processing. Effects on relationships between disabled and nondisabled students are summarized. The teacher's role in implementing cooperative learning is…

Undergraduates discussed a moral issue with a confederate who had the same opinion (no controversy) or opposite opinion (controversy) within either a cooperative or a competitive context. Subjects in the controversy conditions indicated more conceptual conflict, engaged in more information seeking, and were more accurate in taking the cognitive…