What were the students cooperative learning experiences like?
The study found that students in the structured groups gave each other more detailed and timely explanations of how to solve the problem than the students in the unstructured groups. Students in the unstructured groups gave more short responses that provided little information to facilitate understanding and learning. The explanations provided by students in the structured groups were given both in response to specific requests for help and when the students thought the others in the group needed help or support. For example: ‘If we place the angles like this (pointing to the shapes being manipulated), we can work out the degrees (angle size). Then if we add these ones – we should be able to get them all (meaning the total for the internal angles of the pentagon) – we get it (meaning the answer). What do you think? (Directed at other group members).’ The researcher suggested that the willingness of the students in the structured groups to help each other succeed with the task, combined
