Cooperative and Individualistic Experiences among Disabled and Normal Children

Summary The effects of cooperative and individual learning experiences on friendly and hostile interaction between normal-progress and learning-disabled children in free-choice, postinstructional situations were studied. Twelve second and third grade elementary school boys participated in a study utilizing swimming classes. Three normal-progress and three learning-disabled Ss were assigned to each condition. Ss participated in a nine-day swimming course, learning swimming skills either individually or in cooperatively structured pairs. The results indicate that more friendly interactions in the postinstructional, free-swim periods occurred in the cooperative compared to the individual condition. More hostile interactions occurred in the individual condition. Learning-disabled Ss were ignored by their normal-progress peers more in the individual condition. Learning-disabled Ss in the cooperative condition learned more swimming skills than did their counterparts in the individual condition.