Cooperative learning: A review of factors that increase effectiveness of cooperative computer-based instruction

Despite great expectations in the educational community, Cooperative Computer-Based Instruction (C-CBI) has not been shown to increase students’s learning over individual CBI (I-CBI). These lack of findings may be due to the varied implementation of C-CBI. This meta-analysis con-centrates on the presence of two factors, cooperative learning training and problem-solving CBI, in studies which compare C-CBI and I-CBI. The results of twenty-three studies were coded and effect sizes were calculated. Effect sizes were analyzed to determine if a greater difference exists between the cooperative and individual conditions when students were trained and used a problem-solving CBI. Results show that studies that included these elements have greater mean effect sizes (es =,413) than the mean of all studies (es =.251). This study provides more evidence that cooperative learning and problem-solving CBIs are important factors in increasing achievement, group interaction, and elaboration in C-CBI. Many researchers ’ dreams in Cooperative Computer-Based Instruction (C-CBI) have not been fulfilled because of the lack of significant improvement in learning over that of Individual Computer-Based Instruction (I-CBI). Several reviewers in this area have not found C-CBI to increase achievement more than I-CBI [ 1-31. The theoretical base for C-CBI comes from the cooperative learning field. Research has shown that low, average, and high achievers benefit from coopera-tive learning [4]. Cooperative learning increases participants ’ elaboration on the material [4]. Elaboration can include adding details, clarifying ideas, making inferences, and explaining relationships [ 5]. It is associating new information with prior knowledge. This makes new material more meaningful and consequentl