The Impact of Group Processing on Achievement in Cooperative Learning Groups

The impact on achievement of (a) cooperative learning, in which members discussed how well their group was functioning and how they could improve its effectiveness, (b) cooperative learning without any group processing, and (c) individualistic learning were compared on daily achievement, postinstructional achievement, and retention. Third-grade American students (N = 84) were randomly assigned to the three conditions, stratifying for sex and ability level. The results indicate that the high-, medium-, and low-achieving students in the cooperation with group processing condition achieved higher on all three measures than did the students in the other two conditions. Students in the cooperation without group processing condition achieved higher on all three measures than did the students in the individualistic condition.