Enhancing Expectations of Cooperative Learning Use through Initial Teacher Training

Despite its relevance and evidence support, Cooperative Learning (CL) is a challenge for all educational systems due to the difficulties in its implementation. The objective of this study is to identify the effect of Primary Education initial teacher training in the prediction of future CL use. Two groups of 44 and 45 students were conceptually trained, with the latter also having the opportunity to experience CL in the university classroom. Opting for mixed methods research, this study tries to identify changes in a pre-and post-test Cooperative Learning Implementation Questionnaire and to explain possible changes through 4 focus groups. Quantitative results show differences in expectations of CL success and index of CL use for the group that had the CL experience. Qualitative data revealed that improvements can be explained by the increase in students’ awareness of the learning opportunities that CL offered them, giving and receiving scaffolding help, preparing activities and enhancing motivation