Adding Constructive Competition to Enhance a Cooperative Learning Experience

Abstract

This article reviews a classroom application titled "The Quest for Kudos Challenge," which is a long-term, multitask, large group competition to attain a reward that was designed to adhere to the recommendations for creating a cooperative learning experience while maintaining the elements of a constructive competition. The application was implemented in a course mid-semester, allowing for a comparison of the results before and after the introduction of the Kudos Challenge. Furthermore, the outcomes for the classes that participated in the Kudos Challenge are compared with classes from a previous semester that did not implement the application. Results show that students in the Kudos Challenge classes received higher exam scores, increased classroom participation, and made more voluntary contributions than the Comparison classes from the previous semester. Qualitative feedback from the Kudos classes was overwhelmingly positive. Furthermore, several positive instructor outcomes resulted from the implementation of the Kudos Challenge, including positive feedback from the students, colleagues, and school administrators; higher student evaluations; and an innovative teaching award.

What Works Best: A Systematic Review of Actual Learning in Marketing and Management Education Research

“…By intention, most of the recommendations are based on the results of multiple studies. However, in some cases, we found single studies that support important recommendations although in most cases, the study's results were also supported outside the MME literature (e.g., Arndt & Wang, 2014;Rosol, 2013). When recommendations are based on a single study, the possibility of a publication bias must be carefully considered.…”

“…In this situation, all students succeed in terms of grades but not in terms of learning. Rosol (2013) provides an example of how true positive interdependence can be implemented. In her "Quest for Kudos," each student's individual and group scores on a variety of activities (including one individual exam) contributed toward an overall Kudos score for the student's team.…”

The behavioral effects of cooperative and competitive board games in preschoolers

“…The current findings could also indicate that cooperative and competitive board games are equally efficient at eliciting cooperative and prosocial behaviors in children. That competition may have positive effects (Rosol, 2012; Sheridan & Williams, 2006) and that competitive games include both cooperative and prosocial elements have been noted in previous studies. For example, Kamii and DeVries (1980) argued that competitive games promote cooperation because children have to agree with rules and obey their consequences, as well as taking others’ perspective.…”

“…As a result, it has been argued that antisocial behavior ought to be counteracted as early as possible within the school environment (e.g., Benitez et al ., 2011; Çolak, Tomrisb, Diken, Arikan, Aksoy & Çelik, 2015; Hemmeter et al ., 2006) and that a cooperative learning climate in the classroom should be encouraged in favor of an individualistic or competitive one (e.g., Johnson & Johnson, 2009). However, some researchers (Rosol, 2012; Sheridan & Williams, 2006) have also stressed the potentially positive effects of competition in the classroom.…”

Integrated Support Strategies for Promotion of Students’ Retention and Achievement During First Years of College

“…Additionally, more comprehensive supportive evidence of the educational impact of cooperative learning is provided by a large meta-analysis of its effects on college students' academic performance in science, math, engineering and technology (National Institute for Science Education, 1984) that demonstrated cooperative learning positively impact academic achievements, student retention, and "liking attitude" of specific subject matter -particularly in areas with difficult to understand concepts such as mathematics, philosophy and other abstract courses. Therefore, key features of cooperative learning can be intentionally implemented using a variety of structured cooperative-learning procedures that is useful in a variety of curricular areas and learning contexts (Esmonde, 2017), or as essentially content-free procedures for a variety of purposes (Rosol, 2012).…”