Literature Review: Effect of Cooperative Learning on Intrinsic Motivation

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VIII, Issue VII, July 2021 | ISSN 2321–2705

Literature Review: Effect of Cooperative Learning on Intrinsic Motivation

Christopher Lynn Brown
Department of Education, Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, NM, USA

Abstract
The purpose of this literature review is to understand what cooperative learning is, how it affects student intrinsic motivation, identifying some barriers to implementing it, and examine reasons for its failure in some classrooms. This literature review analyzed and critiqued nine empirical studies from around the world and discussed one foundational study, which were all located using Eastern New Mexico University’s Golden Library and professor suggestion. The findings of this literature review show that cooperative learning has a positive impact on student intrinsic motivation, but has problems being appropriately implemented and fails in certain situations. The implications that can be drawn from this author’s research are that cooperative learning is not merely group work, that cooperative learning has a positive impact on student intrinsic motivation, that student age may affect the ability to utilize cooperative learning, that teacher training is desirable in implementing cooperative learning, and that student preparation all have a direct influence on the success or failure of cooperative learning in the classroom.

Keywords: cooperative learning; intrinsic motivation; teaching techniques.

Introduction

Teaching is no longer a lecturer reciting knowledge or lecturing at students who are expected to memorize facts and information and then prove their memorization on a close ended, multiple choice question test. For nearly 200 years, a great deal of research has been conducted in the field of education (Frey, 2018) in the hopes of helping teachers teach better and learners learn more efficiently. As the years have passed, attention has shifted from being teacher-focused to student-focused pedagogy. There are many theories, techniques, and structures which have been proposed by researchers throughout the past two centuries, some with more credence and credibility than others. Of particular interest in this literature review is the research and development of cooperative learning (CL) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT), in particular, intrinsic motivation (IM).

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