This study examined the effects of two cooperative conditions on group discussions and metacognitive awareness. The reward condition used rewards to encourage group interdependence, whereas the strategic condition more directly emphasized the connection between strategy use and learning. Four 4th- and four 5th-grade classrooms participated. Cooperative discussions were observed over a 2-week period, and awareness was assessed through interviews that followed observations. The form of peer-group talk (e.g., frequency of explanations & questions) in both conditions remained relatively constant during the intervention. However, discussions in the strategic condition were more focused toward substantive task content. Talk from Week 1 to Week 2 was quite stable, although stability appears partially attributable to interaction patterns developed prior to the intervention. Finally, metacognitive awareness improved in both conditions, although between-condition differences favored the strategic condition.

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This study used ethnographic methods to examine cultural norms regarding inclusion and cooperation at Banner Middle School, in a western U.S. metropolitan area. Banner's students were predominantly working-class Caucasians and Chicanos. Much middle-school and multicultural educational literature calls for the inclusion of students of diverse abilities and race or ethnicity in school and classroom contexts, and for cooperative rather than competitive norms. There was generally powerful and consistent support at Banner for inclusive and cooperative norms at the sociocultural levels of the school as an institution, peer groups, and parents. Two factors stand out in explaining the high degree of inclusion and cooperation: the strong, effective leadership provided by the principal and the cultural congruity of these norms. This study supports the theoretical compatibility of middle-school and multicultural educational philosophy.