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Visible Learning™
Visible Learning MetaX™
Version 1.4 – Updated February 2026

Cooperative learning

Overview

  • Influence: Cooperative learning
  • Domain: Teaching Strategies
  • Sub-Domain: Instructional strategies
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Potential to accelerate
  • Influence Definition: A pedagogical strategy through which two or more learners collaborate to achieve a common goal. Typically, cooperative learning programs seek to foster positive interdependence through face-to-face interactions, to hold individual group members accountable for the collective project, and to develop interpersonal skills among learners. Cooperative learning programs aim to enable learners to engage in more complex subject matter than students would typically be able to master, and such an approach has been recommended for both gifted and remedial learners.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 38
  • Number of studies: 1,385
  • Number of students: 46,339
  • Number of effects: 2,262
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.56
  • Robustness index: 5

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology Ayaz & Sekerci The Effects of the Constructivist Learning Approach on Student's Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis Study. 2015 Constructivist teaching 53 3,271 53 1.16
Psychological Bulletin Johnson, Maruyama, Johnson, Nelson, & Skon Effects of Cooperative, Competitive, and Individualistic Goal Structures on Achievement: A Meta-Analysis 1981 Cooperative learning 122 NA 183 0.73
Dissertation Rolhelser-Bennett Four models of teaching: a meta-analysis of student outcomes 1987 Cooperative learning 23 4,002 78 0.72
Dissertation Hall The effects of cooperative learning on achievement: a meta-analysis 1988 Cooperative learning 22 10,022 52 0.31
Journal of Educational Psychology Stevens, Slavin, & Farnish The effects of cooperative learning and direct instruction in reading comprehension strategies on main idea identification 1991 Cooperative learning 4 NA 4 0.48
Dissertation Spuler A Meta-Analysis of the Relative Effectiveness of Two Cooperative Learning Models in Increasing Mathematics Achievement 1993 Cooperative learning in math 19 6,137 19 0.54
Dissertation Othman The effects of cooperative learning and traditional mathematics instruction in grades K-12: a meta-analysis of findings 1996 Cooperative learning in math 39 NA 39 0.27
Eastern Educational Research Association Howard Meta-Analysis of Scripted Cooperative Learning 1996 Scripted cooperative learning 13 NA 42 0.37
Report Suri Comprehensive Review of Research on Cooperative Learning in Secondary Mathematics: A Pilot Study 1997 Cooperative learning in math 27 NA 27 0.63
Journal of Chemical Education Bowen A Quantitative Literature Review of Cooperative Learning Effects on High School and College Chemistry Achievement 2000 Cooperative learning in high school chemistry 37 3,000 49 0.51
High Ability Studies Neber, Finsterwald & Urban Cooperative learning with gifted and high-achieving students: a review and meta-analysis 2001 Cooperative learning with gifted 12 NA 314 0.13
Review of Educational Research Dietrichson, Bog, Filges, & Jorgensen Academic interventions for elementary and middle school students with low socioeconomic status: A systematic review and meta-analysis.  2017 Cooperative learning 10 NA 10 0.22
Journal of Human Sciences Tuncer & Dikmen The effect of cooperative learning on academic achievement: A meta-analysis on the relationship between the study group size and effect size 2017 Cooperative learning 6 NA 6 0.52
Journal of Agricultural Education and Human Resource Development Gu A meta-analysis on the effects of academic achievement in cooperative learning 2013 Cooperative learning 48 NA 54 0.44
Dissertation Stoner The Effects of Cooperative Learning Strategies on Mathematics Achievement Among Middle-Grades Students: A Meta-Analysis 2004 Cooperative learning 22 6,455 22 0.14
Dissertation Romero Cooperative learning instruction and science achievement for secondary and early post-secondary students: A systematic review 2009 Cooperative learning 32 NA 52 0.31
Dissertation Igel The effect of cooperative learning instruction on K-12 student learning: A meta-analysis of quantitative studies from 1998-2009 2010 Cooperative learning 20 2,412 20 0.44
Learning Disabilities Research & Practice McMaster & Fuchs Effects of cooperative learning on the academic achievement of students with learning disabilities: An update of Tateyama-Sniezek's review 2002 Cooperative learning 15 864 49 0.30
Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences Nunnery, Chappell & Arnold A meta-analysis of a cooperative learning models effects on student achievement in mathematics 2013 Cooperative learning in math 15 NA 15 0.16
Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness Puzio & Colby Cooperative learning and literacy: A meta-analytic review. 2013 Cooperative learning 18 NA 29 0.16
Educational Research Review Kyndt, Raes, Lismont, Timmers, Cascallar, & Dochy A meta-analysis of the effects of face-to-face cooperative learning. Do recent studies falsify or verify earlier findings? 2013 Cooperative learning 65 NA 51 0.54
Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice Capar & Tarim Efficacy of the Cooperative Learning Method on Mathematics Achievement and Attitude: A Meta-Analysis Research 2015 Cooperative learning in math 26 NA 36 0.59
International Journal of Instruction Turgut & Gülsen-Turgut The effects of cooperative learning on mathematics achievement in turkey a meta-analysis study 2018 Cooperative learning 47 NA 59 0.84
Chemical Education research practice Apugliese & Lewis Impact of instructional decisions on the effectiveness of cooperative learning in chemistry through meta-analysis 2017 Cooperative learning 26 NA 26 0.70
Journal of Educational Computing Research Susman Cooperative learning: A review of factors that increase the effectiveness of cooperative computer-based instruction. 1998 Cooperative learning via ICT 23 NA 23 0.25
Special Education Jung & Shin Effects of Cooperative Learning Studies on Students with Disability in Korea : A Meta-Analysis Using R. Special Education 2016 Cooperative learning 13 NA 13 1.07
Journal of chemical education Warfa Using cooperative learning to teach chemistry: A meta-analytic review.  2016 Cooperative learning in chemistry 25 3,985 25 0.68
Al-Jabar: Jurnal Pendidikan Matematika Setiana Relationship between Cooperative learning method and Students' Mathematics Learning Achievement: A Meta-Analysis Correlation.  2020 Cooperative learning 16 805 16 0.15
Research Education Development Research Baomin & Lingling A study on the impact of cooperative learning on student effectiveness. 2021 Cooperative learning 57 NA 57 0.59
Curriculum Assessment: The Journal of Curriculum and Evaluation Park Meta-analysis of the academic performance effects of co-op learning. 2009 Cooperative learning 272 NA 272 0.43
European Journal of Education Studies Gürdogan-Bayir & Bozkurt Effectiveness of Cooperative Learning Approaches Used in the Course of Social Studies in Turkey: A Meta-Analysis Study.  2018 Cooperative learning 22 NA 32 0.96
Study Assessment Research Li & Gong Study on the effect of cooperative learning on students' learning effectiveness. 2019 Cooperative learning 54 NA 54 0.34
Active learning in higher education Swanson, McCulley, Osman, Scammacca-Lewis, & Solis The effect of team-based learning on content knowledge: A meta-analysis 2019 Team based learning 17 NA 17 0.55
Journal of Korean Association for Learner-centered Curriculum and Instruction Shin A meta-analysis of the effects of cooperative learning program on elementary school students achievement.  2018 Cooperative learning 77 NA 376 0.77
Pillar of Physics Education Rizki, Darvina, Desnita, & Rahim Meta analysis of the effect of cooperative learning models on student learning outcomes physics in high school physics and junior high science.  2022 Cooperative learning 21 NA 21 1.08
Journal of Educational Sciences Ashrafzade, Mesrabadi, Yarigholi, & Sheikhalizade Meta-analysis of the Impact of Cooperative Learning on Academic Performance.  2023 Cooperative learning 17 NA 17 0.89
Report Eslit The Effects of Cooperative Learning on Student Achievement: A Meta - Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials 2023 Cooperative learning 28 4,137 28 0.47
Participatory Educational Research Ridwan, Hadi, & Jailani A meta-analysis study on the effectiveness of a cooperative learning model on vocational high school students' mathematics learning outcomes. 2022 Cooperative learning 22 1,249 22 0.89
TOTAL/AVERAGE 1,385 46,339 2,262 0.53
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