Affinity Groups: Fostering Community and Interdependence in a College Reading Class
Keywords:
cooperative learning, affinity groups, developmental reading, interdependence, case studyAbstract
The findings from this multiple case study research project on the use of cooperative learning (specifically affinity groups) among developmental college students demonstrate that students benefited from from building community and becoming interdependent. Four themes that emerged from this study, a) accountability, b) building community/interdependence, c) perspectives on group work, and d) challenges, demonstrated that though there were difficulties in implementation, overall students and instructor-researchers found grouping students into affinity groups to be an effective tool that helped student performance and success.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
