RESEARCH ON COOPERATIVE LEARNING AND ACHIEVEMENT - COMMENTS ON SLAVIN

Slavin (1996) reconciles apparently conflicting theoretical perspectiv es on cooperative learning and achievement and describes areas in need of additional research. We critique Slavin's position on the underlyi ng mechanisms of cooperative learning and raise three questions: What affects motivation and learning in cooperative groups? Is there (coope rative) life after group rewards? When are teacher-imposed structures necessary? We expand on several areas for future research raised by Sl avin (1996) and ask five questions: What happens when groups fail? How should students be grouped for cooperative learning? Why do teachers use cooperative learning? How should curriculum materials be designed for cooperative learning? How widely can cooperative learning be appli ed? (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.