Cooperative classrooms and prosocial behavior in primary education

The practice of cooperative learning (CL) in the classroom has positive effects on performance and affective and social variables. Moreover, CL can be a methodology that favors the emergence of prosocial behaviors. In this research we intend to study the connection between CL as a contextual variable and prosocial behavior in Primary Education. We analyze the degree to which the five key components of CL (Social skills, group processing, promotive interaction, positive interdependence and individual accountability) explain and predict prosocial behavior among students.

The sample was made up of 490 students between 10 and 12 years old complementing the Cooperative Learning Questionnaire (CLQ) to measure prosocial behavior using the Prosocial Behavior scale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

The results show significant associations between prosocial behavior and Global Cooperation in the classroom (β = 0.0387; p < 0.001). Our results show that social skills (β = 0.194; p < 0.01), group processing (β = 0.095; p < 0.01) and individual responsibility (β = 0.091; p < 0.01) in a cooperative classroom are associated with students' prosocial behavior.

This study has demonstrated the relationship between cooperative classrooms and prosocial behavior. A cooperative classroom is an effective tool for giving and receiving social support. Interaction and group processing in cooperative classrooms enable students to develop social skills, which are a predictor of prosocial behavior. Cooperative classrooms make students more accountable, and this accountability has a positive impact on prosocial behavior. These findings represent a new contribution to the theoretical framework of CL and derive methodological implications for teaching practice. Therefore, it will be necessary to disseminate and motivate teachers to apply this methodology in the classroom.