The Effects of Cooperative Learning on Self-Esteem: A Literature Review
Cooperative learning involves students working in small groups or teams to help each other learn academic material. Cooperative learning strategies are organized, highly structured methods that usually involve formal presentation of information, student practice and coaching in learning teams, individual assessment of mastery, and public recognition of team success. By their structure and individual assignments, cooperative learning avoids the problem of letting the smart student in the group do the work while the other students get a free ride. The purpose of this literature review is to examine if there is a difference in student self-esteem when cooperative learning approaches are used in the classroom. Research literature suggests that traditional instruction fails to meet the needs and interests of individual students. Teachers who use this method tend to look upon students as a homogeneous group with common abilities, interests, styles of learning, and motivation. Instruction is geared to a hypothetical average student, and all students are expected to learn and perform within narrow limits. Students are evaluated, instructional methods and materials are selected, and learning is paced on the basis of the group average. The uniqueness of each student is often lost in the large group.
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