Impact of Extended Cooperative and Competitive Relationships on the Performance of Students in Science

Abstract

The intention of this paper is to determine the effects ofa prolonged period of cooperative and competitive relationships among students on their performance in science. Among the results obtained using 131 class one (seventh grade) students were the following. (1) No significant difference was found to exist in the performance of students in the experimental (those exposed to cooperative and competitive situations) and the control conditions before the end of the first 4 weeks of treatment. (2) After the first 4 weeks, students who carried out intragroup cooperation with intergroup competition achieved significantly better than students who engaged in "pure" cooperation and 'pure" competition. The significance of these and other results of the study for the research on peer relationships and for improved performance of students are discussed.

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