Learning Cooperatively under Challenging Circumstances

Christine Schmalenbach examines the use and potential of cooperation among students at high-risk schools in El Salvador with the objective of facilitating a culture- and context-sensitive use of cooperative learning in this setting and in similar ones in other countries. At the core is an ethnography of a marginalized neighborhood in the metropolitan area of San Salvador. The author collected data throughout a school year, mostly through participant observation and interviews with teachers, students, parents, and co-workers of a local NGO. To provide context, she conducted a literature review on the history of cooperation among students in El Salvador and implemented an exploratory survey among teachers in the same municipality.