The Perceived Efficacy of Cooperative Group Learning in a Graduate Program

Abstract

This paper addresses a gap in the literature about the study of the implementation of cooperative/collaborative group learning, and the assessment of its efficacy in facilitating transformative learning in the context of graduate studies. These topics have been widely discussed in the scholarly literature at the K-12 and post-secondary (college and undergraduate) level for many years, and cooperative group learning has generally been found to facilitate student learning. What has not been addressed is the use of this form of group learning in graduate studies. This paper reports on an intentional model of cooperative group-learning used in a Master of Education in Higher Education program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Higher Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. A brief review of the literature that grounds this praxis, the elements of the model used, and a post-hoc analysis of the perceptions of 77 graduate students (90% response rate) surveyed in a case study regarding its efficacy in facilitating their learning are presented. The findings suggest that this model of group-based learning has the potential to enhance the process for transformative learning at the graduate level of education.