Investigation of Cooperative learning and Collaborative testing in Grades 4-8

Cooperative learning plays a paramount role in education, as it is one of the most widespread and fruitful areas of research and theory. Over the past several decades, cooperative learning has attracted growing interest due to the vast amount of research conducted in regular and special education contexts as well as in social and clinical settings. However, research is often limited in the junior/intermediate grade levels (4-8). In addition to studying cooperative learning, a new form of evaluation termed collaborative testing was also explored. Collaborative testing involves a group component in the test taking process. This allows the student’s to collaborate with their peers and engage in fruitful discussions to increase understanding of the topic. This research project was designed to uncover the perceptions and current strategies of teachers and administrators on cooperative learning and collaborative testing and how these methods are being implemented in the J/I grade levels. It was found that teacher’s engage in a form of student learning in their classroom but they do not spend the time required on developing the necessary skills to make cooperative learning an effective method. Teacher’s also expressed concern when it came to implementing collaborative testing. This was due to lack of knowledge and encouragement from their administration