Learning together : an implementation study on the Johnson and Johnson model of cooperative learning

Includes bibliographical references (pages [93]-96)The effects of external support systems on the implementation of cooperative learning were studied among teachers who had completed the Foundation level training program in the Johnson and Johnson model of cooperative learning. The impact of both peer and administrative support on frequency of implementation and fidelity to the Johnson model was examined. Seventy-three teachers from 62 public and private schools in Illinois completed a questionnaire which sought their responses about then- perception of peer and administrative encouragement for their efforts to implement cooperative learning. Eighteen subjects taught in primary grades (K-2), 18 in intermediate grades (3-5), 21 in junior high school (6- 8), and 16 in high school (9-12). All subjects attended a Foundation course instructed by the same Johnson-certified trainer within the last four years. The results indicated that teachers who perceived that they had collegial support and engaged in professional dialogue, whether through a loosely-coupled collegial network or through formally structured support group meetings, implemented the Johnsons' "Learning Together" model of cooperative learning more frequently and accurately than those who did not perceive that they had such support. Also, teachers who perceived that their administrators demonstrated active support for their cooperative learning implementation efforts by providing such encouragements as giving them recognition, obtaining cooperative learning materials, holding in-service workshops, and/or acting as models by using cooperative groups at faculty meetings, exhibited a higher rate of successful implementation than teachers who felt that they received little or no administrative support.M.S. Ed. (Master of Education