Kagan's PIES principles of cooperative learning¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 theoretical), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The article adopts Kagan's (1994) four basic principles of cooperative learning, captured by the acronym PIES: "Positive interdependence, Individual accountability, Equal participation, Simultaneous interaction". Positive interdependence is the feeling that the group "sinks or swims together"; individual accountability means the team's success depends on each member's learning; equal participation counters some members dominating; simultaneous interaction contrasts with one-person-at-a-time teacher-fronted talk. The article uses PIES as an analytic lens, asking a diagnostic question for each principle when analyzing post-reading ER activities.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Group activities must be structured so each principle can be checked, e.g., "Is individual public performance required?" and "What percent of students are overtly active at once?"

Constraints¶

• The article notes different cooperative learning theorists take different principles to be central; PIES is the particular set chosen here from Kagan (1994).

Target Learners¶

• second language learners in classrooms using group activities

Target Learning Objectives¶

• effective student-student interaction accompanying extensive reading

Claims¶

• Extensive reading accompanied by peer interaction produced greater reading achievement gains than ER without peer interaction, no ER, or ER with teacher conferences [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Johnson and Johnson's four basic elements of cooperative learning
• Five basic elements make cooperative learning work: positive interdependence, face-to-face interaction, individual accountability, interpersonal and small group skills, and group processing
• Cooperative learning as socially structured, mutually accountable group learning

Examples¶

• Cooperative Learning
• Kagan Cooperative Learning Strategies
• Numbered Heads Together
• Literature Circles with rotating collaborative-skill roles for small-group pleasure reading

Key Sources¶

• Jacobs, George M. (2000). Reading Alone Together: Enhancing Extensive Reading via Student-Student Cooperation in Second Language Instruction. Paper presented at the Malaysian International Conference on English Language Teaching, Malacca, Malaysia. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED444377