A Study of Teachers' Attitudes Towards the Use of Cooperative Learning in Teaching Liberal Studies

As part of the recent education system transformation in Hong Kong, Liberal Studies has been added to the senior secondary education curriculum. In this cross-disciplinary subject students are required to adopt an issue-enquiry approach to learning and are encouraged to work in groups to investigate contemporary social issues. To prepare our student teachers for teaching this subject, we tried to explore attitudes which might affect their use of cooperative learning, a strategy appropriate for group work. In this study, in-service student teachers from a part-time Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme were invited to engage in cooperative learning activities. Data were generated through observations and interviews. The initial findings showed a mixed attitude with regard to the use of cooperative learning in teaching Liberal Studies.