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these particular methods of instruction with the education of the gifted.
 However, the Ramsay and Richards
study does document gifted children's lack of enthusiasm for the kind
of cooperative learning they experienced. Even if the authors of the methods
originally thought that those methods were appropriate for teaching
gifted children, we know now that such is not necessarily the case. But
this conclusion may not be generalized to cooperative learning methods
not included in the study. For example, if schools adopt an investigative
orientation toward teaching and learning a completely different kind of
atmosphere can be created in the school that could possibly intrigue
gifted students and involve them in a learning community (Sharan, Shachar
& Levine, 1999). That hypothesis remains to be tested.
Cooperative Learning Goes to Singapore: Initial Studies
Four articles report the results of an experiment on cooperative learning
carried out by a team of researchers in Singapore (IASCE Newsletter, vol.
18, no. 2, 1999). Each article focuses on a different feature of the experiment
(Hing, Lee, Ng & Chew, 1999; Lee, Chew, Ng & Hing, 1999; Lee,
Ng & Phang, 1999; Ng & Lee, 1999). Combining qualitative and quantitative
methods of research the investigators encompassed many of the possible
dependent variables in this study. Moreover, the study extended over an
entire academic year, involving four classes (n=144) of fifth grade girls
from a Catholic primary school as the experimental group, and four parallel
classes (N=143) from a similar school nearby as the control group. In
Singapore, students are streamed into ability-grouped classrooms after
the fourth grade on the basis of their language proficiency in English
and in their mother tongue. The cooperative learning methods employed
in the experiment were a mixture of procedures adopted from Jigsaw, Learning
Together and the Structural Approach.
Briefly, the findings were as follows:
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Achievement of
students in the high level experimental and control classes did not
differ. Scores of students in the middle-range classes were higher
for the cooperative learning group. Lower level classes also produced
higher scores for the cooperative learning than for the control group.
No improvement in classroom climate was obtained based on pretest-post-test
measures. In the four control classes, students' attitudes toward
the study of social studies declined over the course of the year,
while no change was noted in the experimental classes. This finding
is consistent with data reported in earlier studies of C-L effects
on attitudes toward school and towards specific subject matter. Traditional
classroom instruction frequently results in depressing students' attitudes.
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The experimental
group showed significant gains in cross-ethnic friendship choices,
but the children continued to display distinct preference for within-racial
choices (Chinese, Indian, Eurasian, Malay). Furthermore, friendship
choices of low status students and isolates remained unchanged, while
the more popular students became still more popular over the course
of the year. However, a true assessment of this dependent variable
was not really possible given the conditions of classroom ethnic composition
(e.g. in one class there were 34 Chinese children, 4 Eurasians, 1
Indian; or, in another class, 35 Chinese and 5 Indian students) in
this study.
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Analysis of tape-recorded
discussions by students revealed distinct difficulties in working
together on a decision making task. They were unable to establish
any coherent plan for proceeding with their work, or applying elementary
concepts relevant to the task
 
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