The effects of cooperative learning on development of social skills among students

This quasi-experimental research aimed to determine the effects of cooperative learning on development of social skills among science students. The target population consisted of junior high school students in Hashtrood during the educational year of 2006-2007. A total number of 100 female and male students were selected through cluster random sampling. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups of experimental (n = 49) and control (n = 51). The 40-item social skills development test was used to measure the improvements. The experimental group was taught with cooperative learning method while the control group received traditional teaching. A pretest and a posttest (after six weeks) were performed to evaluate the development of social skills. Dependent and independent t-tests were used to analyze the data. Based on the findings، the social skills in the experimental group developed more than the control group. In addition، there was a significant difference between females and males in the experimental group regarding their social skills development، i. e. social skills developed more among male students.