Social Adjustment and Cooperative Work in Primary Education: Teacher and Parent Perceptions

Abstract

Cooperative work is useful in education, as it has a positive impact on the social, emotional and academic environment of the student. This study aims to assess whether working in cooperative groups (CG) in the classroom promotes pro-social and adaptive behaviour, and decreases maladaptation in primary education (PE) children. A total of 78 3rd and 4th year of PE schoolchildren were included in the study. The effectiveness of the intervention – from the perception of teachers and family – was assessed by using a pre-test/post-test design with a non-intervened group (NIG). Results were analysed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results were more significant from a teachers’ perception than from a family's perception in the variables: pro-social, adaptive, and maladaptive behaviour. The intervention was shown to be effective in improving pro-social and adaptive behaviour in primary school children. However, differences are observed between the perception of teachers and family when assessing the behaviour of the children.

Resumen

El trabajo cooperativo es útil en educación ya que obtiene resultados positivos en el ámbito social, afectivo y académico. El objetivo del presente trabajo es evaluar si trabajar en grupo cooperativo (GC) en el aula fomenta las conductas prosociales y adaptativas, y disminuye las inadaptativas del alumnado en Educación Primaria (EP). Han participado en el estudio 78 estudiantes de tercero y cuarto de EP. Para determinar la eficacia de la intervención —desde la perspectiva del profesorado y la familia—, se ha llevado a cabo un diseño pretest-postest con grupo no intervenido (GNI) analizándose los datos mediante análisis de la covarianza (ANCOVA). La intervención arroja más resultados significativos desde la percepción del profesorado que desde la familia en las variables de conducta prosocial, adaptativa e inadaptativa. La intervención llevada a cabo muestra su eficacia en la mejora de la conducta prosocial y adaptativa del alumnado aunque se observan discrepancias entre la percepción del profesorado y de la familia en la valoración de la conducta infantil.