Creating Cooperative Learning Groups that Work

Despite the common use of cooperative groups, dissatisfaction with group work is often reported. Dissatisfaction with group work may result when personalities clash, yet methods for matching personality types have not been well-studied. In this study, experimental groups were formed by matching self-assessed Type A/B personalities. The instructors grouped Type A learners with other Type A's, while Type B learners were placed with other Type B's. Satisfaction levels for the experimental groups were compared with randomly formed control groups. Positive results were found, especially for Type A groups. Satisfaction with group work is an important potential social change for any field which uses cooperative groups, such as business, counseling, K-12 or higher education. Increased satisfaction with group work could lead to improved learning and higher student retention for universities, especially online institutions which often report lower student retention than their traditional counterparts. This study was conducted in an online graduate level education course; however the method could easily be implemented in any setting with learners, workers, or patients of any age.