EFFECTS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF INTERPERSONAL COMPETENCE AMONG STUDENTS IN CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENTS

Abstract

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine whether the evaluated student’s class activity of cooperation improves their interpersonal competency enough to see a distinguished difference as a positive factor for learning in classroom environments. For this study, sixteen university students of a problem-based learning (PBL) course were sampled and evaluated. These students were asked to answer twice the same questionnaire measuring interpersonal competence, both before and after participating in cooperative learning using PBL. A paired samples t-test was used for the statistical analysis. The results show that there are statistically significant increases in the student’s interpersonal competences after utilizing the techniques of cooperative learning of PBL, as compared to their competencies noted before the participation in PBL. A qualitative analysis of the student’s feedback from the questionnaires was added for a more extensive understanding of the student’s attitudes toward cooperative learning in the classroom environment.