Cooperative Learning Strategies: Implementation Challenges in Teacher Education

Abstract

The research in cooperative learning (CL) is robust. Despite the empirical research benefits of CL, its implementation faces challenges in teacher education classrooms. Teacher educators resist using CL and stick to the frontal teaching method. All this may be due to the difficulties perceived by teacher educators in implementing CL. The researchers used a concurrent triangulation mixed method research design to explore the perceived challenges of cooperative learning implementation among teacher educators from India. The researchers administered a questionnaire and obtained 300 responses from teacher educators through a survey, followed by a semi-structured interview among eight survey participants. The research findings revealed that the average perceived challenges among teacher educators are 63% due to teacher challenges, learner challenges, curriculum syllabus, and administrative challenges. Female teacher educators perceived higher challenges than males. ANOVA results revealed a difference in challenges faced across the age group. These results demonstrate the need for future researchers to conduct a more in-depth examination of the challenges in implementing CL with more extensive samples in various educational settings in other world regions to develop effective solutions. Keywords: active learning, collaborative learning, cooperative learning, mixed-method, student-centred learning