“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”: can cooperative learning help raise achievement for students in secondary RE?

Young people from low-income backgrounds are less likely to succeed than their more affluent peers (Andrews et al, 2017). Educational performance has been identified as one of the main obstacles preventing people from escaping poverty, nevertheless children from low-income backgrounds still fail to achieve their potential (ESRC, 2012). This has created an ‘attainment gap’ between pupils from low-income backgrounds and their peers. Whilst it is emphasised that there is no one solution to raising the achievement of disadvantaged learners, various factors are highlighted in helping achieving these aims, including: a focus on achievement for all pupils (not just disadvantaged pupils); high expectations for all; an emphasis on a ‘keep up’ not ‘catch up’ culture; targeted intervention where there is a knowledge or skills gap; and pupils sitting on mixed tables for access to good role models for behaviour, self-esteem, organisation, independence and vocabulary. An intervention was formulated centred on Robert Slavin’s Student Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD) cooperative learning technique. The intervention focused on preparing Year 8 pupils for starting the new Religious Studies GCSE course in Year 9, by mastering the skills and questions required. This process was completed over two learning cycles, throughout a 12-week time period. The findings of this study provided mixed results. An initial period of adjustment hindered STAD pupils’ progress. During the last cycle of the intervention, pupils completing STAD were seen to achieve more highly than their control class counterparts. However, overall the control classes achieved more successfully than those completing STAD. Progress for disadvantaged pupils was also variable. Overall, the findings indicated that there was no ‘one size fits all’ approach between classes, and a variety of pedagogical methods has been recommended in order to respond to the needs of all pupils. No previous research appears to have been done regarding the use of STAD within Religious Education; this research aims to contribute to this gap in literature.