The impact of cooperative learning strategies on professional and graduate education students at California State University, Dominguez Hills

Statement of the problem and purpose. A search of the literature concerning innovative teaching methods revealed few studies which focused on teaching graduate and/or professional level education students with even fewer involving the use of such innovative strategies as cooperative learning.;Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to ascertain if cooperative learning strategies, used with university professional and graduate education students, are effective in promoting positive attitudes, in increasing commitment to their educational program, and in promoting transfer to the learners' teaching experiences.;Procedure. The study, action research utilizing a triangulated methodology, was carried out in the Graduate School of Education at California State University, Dominguez Hills during the spring semester of 1989. The 124 participants in the study were students enrolled in teacher training, graduate degree or other education credential or certificate programs and their instructors.;Instruments were designed to obtain data regarding the participants' characteristics and narratives of their experiences with cooperative learning prior to and during the study.;Findings. The majority of students participating in the study found cooperative learning to be a positive experience personally and developed positive attitudes toward the class/section where the strategy was used. A majority also felt that cooperative learning was important in relation to their earned grade.;Findings supported the contention that characteristics of the participants had no significant influence on feelings about a class where cooperative learning was used, earned grades in such a class, overall experience in small groups, or transfer of cooperative learning to teaching. Students felt successful using cooperative learning regardless of prior exposure.;Over 80% responded positively to the potential transfer of cooperative learning from the university classroom to their classrooms.;Based on the findings from student narratives and scaled responses, cooperative learning strategies seem to promote characteristics, both environmental and achievement, which research has found to be significant in retention of university students. Further study of the impact of innovative teaching strategies on commitment at the professional and graduate level of education and on transfer of the skill to the school teaching experience is indicated.