Relationship between Democratic Attitudes and Attitudes Toward Implementing Cooperative Learning - A Cross-sectional Study of Pre-service Science Teachers

Oct 15, 2026

Pedagogical approaches shape how students understand democracy, and cooperative learning can strengthen democratic values in classroom life, supporting active civic participation. This cross-sectional study examines differences in democratic attitudes and attitudes toward implementing cooperative learning among 207 pre-service science teachers across grade levels, and tests how these two sets of attitudes relate across grades. Results show consistently strong attitudes, no influence from year of training on either attitude set, and a strong positive correlation at all grade levels.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Democratic Attitudes

Relationship between Democratic Attitudes and Attitudes Toward Implementing Cooperative Learning: A Cross-sectional Study of Pre-service Science Teachers Özgecan KIRIK1 Çukurova University, Adana, Türkiye Abstract Pedagogical methods shape students' grasp of democracy. Cooperative learning, by fostering democratic values in classrooms, empowers students for active civic participation. This approach is seen as ideal, suggesting pre-service teachers using it will hold positive democratic attitudes. This study seeks to determine how attitudes towards democracy and implementing cooperative learning differ among preservice science teachers at various grade levels (n=207), and how these attitudes correlate with eachother. Additionally, the study aims to investigate how the relationship between attitudes towards democracy and implementing cooperative learning changes across grade levels. A cross-sectional design was employed. Data was collected using the Collaborative Learning Scale to measure the attitudes towards implementing cooperative learning and Democratic Perceptions and Attitudes Scale to measure democratic attitudes. The findings revealed that pre-service teachers’ year of training has no influence on their democratic attitudes and their attitudes towards implementing cooperative learning. However, participants consistently exhibited strong democratic attitudes and attitudes towards implementing cooperative learning, with a non-significant increase across grade levels. These findings suggest a widespread support for democratic principles in future classrooms and a belief in the value of cooperative learning as an instructional approach and their high expectations of success when using this method. Furthermore, there is a strong, positive correlation between democratic attitudes and attitudes towards implementing cooperative learning at all grade levels. This means that pre-service teachers who value democratic principles in the classroom are more likely to view cooperative learning strategies favorably. These findings highlight a strong link between pre-service science teachers' democratic values and their openness to using cooperative learning. The correlation coefficient increases with higher training years. As pre-service science teachers progress through their training program, the focus on democratic education practices might increase. Keywords: Democratic attitudes, Cooperative learning, Pre-service science teachers DOI: 10.29329/epasr.2024.1046.2 Submitted: 30 April 2024 Accepted: 22 June 2024 Published: 30 June 2024 1Assoc. Prof. Dr., Faculty of Education, Çukurova University, Adana, Türkiye, ORCID: 0000-0001-8262-5458 Correspondence: [ozge.deniz@gmail.com](ozge.deniz@gmail.com) Introduction Many countries have made sacrifices to establish democratic societies. However, holding elections is not enough to ensure a sustainable democracy. Equipping future generations with the necessary skills and values is crucial for democracy to thrive. Schools should prioritize teaching rights, responsibilities, and essential values for citizenship in a democratic society. A democratic and inclusive classroom encourages student involvement in decision-making, fostering responsibility and a conducive learning environment (Knight, 2001; Roberts & Owens, 2012). Equipping students with essential skills for unbiased learning is crucial for promoting diversity and civic engagement. Cooperative learning encourages active student participation through face-to-face collaboration, ensuring high levels of engagement. This approach promotes an egalitarian and compassionate democratic society by allowing students to contribute (Johnson & Johnson, 1994; Cunat, 1996) . According to Johnson and Johnson (2016), pedagogical methods in schools significantly impact students' understanding of democracy, emphasizing the importance of embodying democratic principles in classroom and school environments. When teachers employ coopera

FAQs

What is the purpose of the study on pre-service science teachers?

The study investigates how democratic attitudes and attitudes toward implementing cooperative learning differ across grade levels, and how the relationship between them changes by grade level.

How was the data collected in the study?

A cross-sectional design was used. Democratic attitudes were measured with the Democratic Perceptions and Attitudes Scale, and attitudes toward cooperative learning implementation were measured with the Collaborative Learning Scale.

What did the findings show about the effect of training year?

Pre-service teachers’ year of training showed no influence on their democratic attitudes or on their attitudes toward implementing cooperative learning.

How do democratic attitudes relate to attitudes toward cooperative learning?

A strong, positive correlation exists between democratic attitudes and attitudes toward implementing cooperative learning across all grade levels.

Oct 15, 2026

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