Antone Michael Goyak. THE EFFECTS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING
TECHNIQUES ON PERCEIVED CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT AND CRITICAL
THINKING SKILLS OF PRESERVICE TEACHERS. (Under the direction of Dr. Scott
Watson) School of Education, May 2009.
This study analyzed the effects of cooperative learning techniques versus lecture
techniques on the following aspects of a higher education classroom: (a) the perception of
a student’s learning environment and (b) a student’s critical thinking skills. Preservice
teachers at a small Midwest college completed the College and University Classroom
Environment Inventory (CUCEI) and the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal,
Form-S (WGCTA-FS). Results revealed significantly higher means in the cooperative
learning group in four of the eight constructs within the CUCEI. Results within the
WGCTA-FS disclosed no significant differences between the means of the two groups.
The outcomes of this study suggest that cooperative learning techniques have merit and
profit in the undergraduate classroom. Suggestions for further research were also
included.