Abstract:

If cooperative learning is a core capacity in the University curricula: Is cooperative learning an element that enhances contextual effects in the teams? The aim of this paper is to test the consequences of cooperative learning on individual learning of the subject for a cooperative learning technique namely Group Investigation (GI) by means of a marketing plan, looking for contextual effects.

Effectiveness is a key performance for teams (Katzenbach y Smith, 1993). To measure team effectiveness in class environment, the more representative results are (Deeter-Schmelz et al 1991) the individual goals of the student and the activity results of the team. Among the first, the reason to use cooperative learning in business schools was to improve individual learning (Herman, Kelsen y Miller ,2001), and among the latter, the results of cooperative learning more used is the assessment of the team outputs by the teacher.

Many students have negative reactions to team learning experiences (Colbeck, Campbell & Bjorklund, 2000). In fact, they think that it is better to work alone because there are not synergies and the team they are assigned is a lottery. Students compare their own academic ability with the academic abilities of their peers and use this social comparison impression as one basis for forming their own academic self-concept. Some evidences show us the existence of contextual effects from the groups to individuals. Firstly the “big fish in a little pond effect” (BFLPE) (Marsh et al., 2009) hypothesizes that the self-concept of students is negatively correlated with the ability of their peers in school, and secondly, “bask in reflected glory effect” (BIRGE) or assimilation effect (Cialdini et al., 1976), hypothesizes the opposite effect. Both contextual effects have been studied in big groups (schools, classrooms) but not in little teams. The aim of this paper is to test the consequences of cooperative learning on individual learning of the subject and team achievement for a cooperative learning techniques namely Group Investigation (GI) by means of a marketing plan, looking for contextual effects.

The sample has made up of 51 teams comprising 258 undergraduate business students enrolled at a marketing subject at Spanish public university. The existence the 1-1-2 data structure conditions the analysis methodology and consequently SEM and MSEM (Multilevel Structural Equation Modelling) will be used. Results provide evidence the positive relationship between students’ cooperative learning and their learning of the subject in the elaboration of the marketing plan; but, non-contextual effect is observed for GI, being not significant the relations between individual and group measures.

Keywords:

Cooperative learning, Individual Learning, Marketing, Higher education, Contextual effects, SEM and MSEM techniques.