The Relationships Between Cooperative,Competitive,and Individualized Learning Preferences and Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Learning Atmosphere

Learning preferences and perceptions of classroom learning atmosphere were compared for a sample of 279 Sydney secondary school students in Grades 7 and 11. Students completed both the Learning Preference Scale—Students and the Classroom Learning Atmosphere Scale—Secondary twice, once for their English classes and once for their mathematics classes. Grade 11 students prefer both more cooperative and more competitive contact than do Grade 7 students. English generally is seen as more appropriate for cooperative contact than is mathematics, though girls prefer competing in English more than boys do, and boys prefer competing in mathematics more than girls do. Personal cooperative learning preferences are clearly related to perceptions of actual classroom emphasis on interpersonal relationships and personal development in three of the four Year × Subject groups. Grade 11 mathematics differs in that both students with high cooperative learning preference and students with low cooperative learning preference perceive classroom atmosphere similarly. Discussion concentrates on the study of mathematics by girls and the efficacy of cooperative learning.