AN ANALYTICAL STUDY ON VIEWS OF TEACHER CANDIDATES ABOUT COOPERATIVE LEARNING APPROACH

Cooperative learning is an active learning approach, model or method based on students’ working in groups towards academic and cooperative goals, enhancing self-confidence, improving communication skills and providing active participation in class. The aim of this research is to try to determine the ideas of prospective teachers about cooperative learning approach considering some demographic variables. Participants were 382 prospective students studying at Akdeniz University Faculty of Education in 2016-2017 academic year. The validity and reliability analysis of the Cooperative Learning Scale consisted of 22 items were made and internal reliability coefficient Cronbach’s Alpha was calculated as 0.87. It was found that cooperative learning would raise students’ academic achievement, improve communication skills and feelings of cooperation, and socialize the students at the desired level, but the students will not be able to develop their leadership skills to the desired level.