Abstract
The goal of this study is to identify learners who are most likely to benefit from a small group cooperative learning strategy, which includes tasks involving movement activities. The study comprised 158 learners from five second and third grade classes learning about angles. The research tools included structured observation of each learner and pre- and post-tests. The analysis identified three behavioural clusters: ‘active’, ‘social’ and ‘passive’. The results suggest that students who are physically active while seeking knowledge and/or solutions are more successful than their peers who are more socially active, even if initially they were lower achievers. Passive students demonstrated the lowest academic achievements. This study points to a possible solution for the problems that cooperative group learning, based mainly on verbal interaction, often encounter at the primary education level.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
