595-608

Abstract

Cooperative learning is a pedagogical practice widely endorsed in the literature to
enhance students’ creative writing skills. This methodology promotes the
development of originality, fosters openness to new ideas, provides opportunities
for interaction and tossing ideas around, and subsequently contributes to boosting
creative textual production. This study aims to assess the impact of incorporating
cooperative learning strategies on developing creative writing skills and enhancing
self-efficacy among 6th-grade students. Additionally, this study reflects on using
cooperative learning methods in the classroom setting, namely the roundtable and
the cooperative graffiti. The participants were 34 students from two classes of the
6th grade of the 2nd cycle of basic school: an experimental group, where
cooperative learning applies, and a control group, conducted using a traditional
lecture. The study used a quasi-experimental design, incorporating pre-test and
post-test. The non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to assess
within-group changes in pre-test and post-test scores for both the experimental and
control groups. The findings from both classes suggest that cooperative learning is
more effective than a traditional lecture in building creative writing skills and self-
efficacy in Portuguese (first language) and maths.