Our research was oriented to test the effects of a structured program of
cooperative learning in Physical Education classes with students in grades 5
and 6 of primary school, with and without previous experience with this
methodology. In a second phase we sought to determine how students
perceived the received classes for a time later. We analysed data collected
during implementation, through cooperative learning, of two teaching units to a
total of six groups of students; in addition, a number of interviews, five
individual and one collective, were carried out to a total of 1 0 former students
who had left school between one and five years earlier. The results show the
positive effects of cooperative learning on students' motor performance, and
some social achievements such as a greater autonomy of the students in the
learning process, an increasing in prosocial behaviours and the inclusion of
pupils with special educational needs. On the other hand, as time went on, the
students rated the received classes as cooperative, participatory, funny and
useful, emphasizing peer support as a key factor that enabled them to learn in
Physical Education.