Interaction dynamics of cooperative learning groups in Trinidad's secondary schools

This study investigated adolescent students' changes in choice of workmates before and after cooperative learning in order to identify relationships between these changes and existing friendship and clique patterns, socioeconomic status, race, and achievement perceptions. Also investigated were students' perceptions of specific preferred or nonpreferred others. From these, four cases were identified and are described. The pattern that emerged was that while actual choices changed, the principle upon which these choices were made remained the same. Therefore males continued to select others using achievement as their criterion, while females used socioeconomic status. Choices based on same race decreased, and the number of friendship groups increased. Additionally, in spite of a general lessening of negative attitudes toward others, specific students remained very popular or very unpopular for reasons that seemed context based. In all cases, however, the unpopular students did not perceive themselves as of equal status to others in the group, a situation that may well affect the interaction dynamics of the group.