Cooperative versus competitive discussion methods in teaching introductory psychology
Abstract
Cooperative and competitive techniques of teaching discussion sections of general psychology were compared with respect to their effects on student anxiety, student achievement, and student satisfaction. The experiment involved 4 sections of introductory psychology. Students in these sections participated in class discussions conducted in a competitive manner for 2 weeks and with a cooperative method for 2 weeks. The competitive condition resulted in higher tension, poorer achievement in recitation, and less satisfaction than the cooperative condition.