Introducing cooperative learning: students’ attitudes towards learning and the implications for self-directed learning

Abstract

This article reports on research that aims to enhance self-directed learning by introducing cooperative learning strategies. The two-fold aim of this research was firstly to determine whether the implementation of cooperative learning in a Computer Application Technology class of first-year students contributed to positive attitudes towards learning, and secondly, whether students’ attitudes towards learning, after completion of the cooperative learning intervention, related to their self-directedness. We conclude that the implementation of cooperative learning in a Computer Application Technology first-year class positively contributes to students’ attitudes towards learning and their attitudes towards learning related to their perceived self-directed learning (SDL) readiness.