Effects of cooperative and competitive learning experiences on interpersonal attraction between handicapped and nonhandicapped students.

Summary The effects of cooperative and competitive learning experiences on interpersonal attraction between handicapped and nonhandicapped, fourth-grade students were compared. Fifty-one students were assigned to conditions on a stratified random basis controlling for handicap, ability, and sex. They participated in two instructional units for 45 minutes a day for 15 instructional days. Cross-handicap interaction during daily free-time periods and a number of attitudes were measured. The results indicate that cooperative learning experiences, compared with competitive ones, promote more interpersonal attraction between handicapped and nonhandicapped students.