This study tested the theory of social interdependence by examining the impact of cooperative learning in comparison to traditional instructional methods on 12 course learning environment factors, learning outcomes, and overall excellence of instruction and courses.
This study was conducted at a small rural comprehensive community college and utilized over 3000 student ratings of instruction as the primary data. The IDEA Center student rating form was used to measure these variables. The Questionnaire on the Use of Cooperative Learning was used to identify faculty who taught courses integrating cooperative learning and those not integrating cooperative learning.