FUTURE CLASS-TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD DIDACTIC VALUES OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING IN CLASS TEACHING

Abstract

Starting from theoretical perspectives, existing conceptualizations and empirical studies on effects of cooperative learning, we analyse didactic values of cooperative learning in terms of class teaching. It is obvious that didactic values of cooperative learning are almost always analysed from the perspective of the teaching practice, neglecting the attitudes of students – future agents of teaching. With this study, we attempted to find out how future class-teachers’ perceive didactic values of cooperative teaching in achieving socio-affective and cognitive objectives of class teaching, and to what extent their gender and year of study influence their perception of the didicatic values of cooperative learning. The study included 394 students of faculties of education in Serbia (Užice, Jagodina and Vranje). The results show that students, future class-teachers have positive attitudes toward didactic values of cooperative learning in terms of achieving socio-affective and cognitive objectives of teaching. We established significant differences in future class-teachers’ attitudes, in relation to their gender and the year of study. In the context of the results obtained, we derived pedagogical implications and implications for future studies.