Educational effects of pupils' cooperatives

Cooperative type mini companies were introduced to German secondary schools in a pilot project in 2006. Their number has since grown to about 150. With a mixture of quantitative and qualitative evaluative research methods the... [ view full abstract ]

Cooperative type mini companies were introduced to German secondary schools in a pilot project in 2006. Their number has since grown to about 150. With a mixture of quantitative and qualitative evaluative research methods the author and her team first assessed the practicability and competitiveness of this type of school firm for the envisaged educational aims (2006-8). In the second phase (2010-12) the emphasis was on ascertaining data on how cooperativeness is perceived and practiced by the pupils involved. The third phase (2011-2014) explored the tandem building process between registered, real-economy-cooperatives and pupils’ coops and its influence on the pupils as well as the teachers.

The questions addressed include:
A. How are pupils’ cooperatives incorporated into secondary schools (in different school types, curriculae, gradings, teacher assignments etc.)?
B. What is the behavioural and cooperative rationality implemented in pupils co-operatives? Do pupil-members act cooperatively in any way resembling inter-nationally known cooperative ideas and principles?
C. What educational effects do pupils and teachers relate to the cooperative set-ting?
D. Which educational contributions are expected from cooperating with registered, real-economy-cooperatives?

Concepts and theories which guided our research
School firms are appropriated a great variety of educational benefits in Germany ranging from entrepreneurship education and career orientation to sustainability education. Empirical research to sustain these claims has so far been limited to capturing attitudes. It has not challenged the consequences of quality of organization or external support.
Cooperative learning is seen as a method to acquire competences necessary for sustainable economic behavior. Yet, it is usually being explored in 45 minute class-room settings only, while most social, personal and methodological competences need more time to develop.
Opening secondary school and inviting real-world input is deemed good for schools. Yet, there is little experience in how to develop helpful in contrast to overbearing relationships with relevant (for profit and not for profit) business environments.

Methodology used
Ninety teachers and about 1000 pupils were interviewed from 2007 to 2012 in six questionnaire-campaigns containing closed and open questions. Oral group inter-views were conducted with pupils’ cooperatives at special needs schools in 2007. A further 29 largely narrative group discussions were conducted in 2010 and 2011.For these we implied an economic as well as a normative understanding of cooperatives and oriented our discussion guideline much on practice. Thus narration could be provoked on basic underlying practices, such as for example

(1) possible links between voluntariness and purpose (is cooperative interesting because of the business or because of the learning arrangement?),
(2) knowledge of and participation in cooperative governance bodies,
(3) relation between awareness of liability and participation in governance.

It was thus possible to link the obtained representation of competences with their real development.

Results obtained
Pilot phase research showed practicability and high levels of motivation. The growth of competences was seen as highest in the social and pragmatic areas, yet attitudinal changes were also observed. An indication was obtained that the arrangement was supportive to the acquisition of competencies necessary for sustainability thinking and practice. The bigger sample in phase 2 and the group interviews largely confirmed these findings. We could also identify central mechanism of cooperative practice and teacher behavior for the development of group-self-reliance. In the third phase brought valuable insights into the motives, time attributions and contents of the cooperation between schools and cooperatives.

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