International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD)

Volume 4 Issue 5, July-August 2020 Available Online: www.ijtsrd.com e-ISSN: 2456 – 6470

Inspiring Prosocial Behaviour in the Classroom

through Collaborative Learning: A Case Study
Deepthi Karunakaran1, Dr. P. B. Beulahbel Bency2
1Research
Scholar, 2Assistant Professor,
1,2Department of Education, Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India

ABSTRACT How to cite this paper: Deepthi

The mission of this case study was to analyze whether the collaborative Karunakaran | Dr. P. B. Beulahbel Bency
learning environment in the classroom inspires prosocial behavior in students. "Inspiring Prosocial Behaviour in the
Prosocial behaviours are intended to help other people, characterized by a Classroom through Collaborative
concern about the rights, feelings and welfare of others. Behaviours that can Learning: A Case
be described as prosocial include feeling empathy and concern for others and Study" Published in
behaving in ways to help or benefit other people. The sample consisted of a International Journal
single classroom with 35 students. The analysis was done using sociograms. of Trend in Scientific
The sociometric analysis has shown that the prosocial behavior of students Research and
has improved while participating in the collaborative learning activities. The Development (ijtsrd),
findings of the study indicate that the collaborative learning inspires students’ ISSN: 2456-6470, IJTSRD31858
prosocial behaviours. Volume-4 | Issue-5,
August 2020, pp.481-483, URL:
KEYWORDS: Prosocial Behavior, Collaborative Learning, Sociograms and www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd31858.pdf
Sociometry
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INTRODUCTION
Prosocial behaviour is a voluntary behaviour intended to correlated with positive social interaction skill, positive self-
benefit another. Thus, it includes behaviours such as helping, concept, positive peer relationship, peer acceptance, as well
sharing and providing comfort to another. Prosocial as a lower risk of externalizing behaviours and lower levels
behaviour is evident in young children but changes in of problem behaviours at school. These habits are the
frequency and in its expression with age. Individual keystone of development and predict academic and social
differences in prosocial behaviour are caused by a success. Social skills in early childhood are vital to the
combination of heredity and socialization, Prosocial trajectory of interpersonal development and have been
behaviours can be performed for a variety of reasons, found to be stable over time. The development of prosocial
ranging from selfish and manipulative reasons to moral and behaviour is complex as children have to balance their own
other oriented reasons. Prosocial behaviour is not needs and interest with the development of social bonds.
performed for material or social rewards, but is based on
concern for another or moral values and is usually labelled Collaborative learning is a group learning methodology that
'altruism'. transforms the traditional lecture or teacher focused
classroom into a student or learning centered class room.
Prosocial Behaviour Students work together to help each other to understand
Prosocial thoughts and feeling may be defined as a sense of contest, solve problem or creates projects. It encourages
responsibility for other individuals and a higher likelihood of trust building, communication, practical learning or
experiencing empathy both affectively (emotionally) and application, and acceptance and enhances problem solving
cognitively. Prosocial behaviour in childhood often begins skills (Gerlach, 1994).
with questions of sharing and fairness. Prosocial behaviour
is relevant to both the quality of close interpersonal According to Global Development Research Centre and a
relationships and for interaction among individuals and study ‘Benefits of Collaborative Learning’ published in the
groups without close ties. People as individuals or as Procedia Journal of Social and Behavioral Science outline
members of a group, often assist others in need or distress, some advantages as follows:
as well as others whose need are relatively trivial. Prosocial
behaviour, the ability for children to voluntarily act in a  Collaboration affects personally: increases openness
positive, accepting, helpful and cooperative manner has been conscientiousness agreeableness, trust and stability.

@ IJTSRD | Unique Paper ID – IJTSRD31858 | Volume – 4 | Issue – 5 | July-August 2020 Page 481
 International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) @ www.ijtsrd.com eISSN: 2456-6470
 Team work strengthens community bonds, socialization Method of the Study
and both written and verbal communication. The investigator used case study method for the present
 Collaboration increases measures of achievement. study. This case study method is qualitative in nature.
 Group work increases subject matter comprehension
efficiency and productivity. Population and Sampling
 Group work increases self-esteem. Population means the total individuals occupying an area or
 Collaborative leaning increases student retention. making up a whole. A sample is the small portion of the
population that is selected for observation and analysis. In
Behaviours that can be described as prosocial include feeling this study the population is the secondary school students of
empathy and concern for others and behaving in ways to Girls Vocational Higher Secondary School at Pirappancode in
help or benefit other people (Jhang & Liu, 2016). The mission Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala and the sample are an
of this case study was to analyse whether the collaborative individual classroom with 35 students from this population.
learning inspires pro social behaviour in the classroom.
Tools Used
Need and Significance of the Study The following tools were utilized by the investigator for the
Schools can foster the prosocial behaviours in students, since present study:
a school represents a miniature society. Students in a school  Observation
are actually trained for their life in the real society. They  Sociogram
learn the necessary prosocial behaviour such as helping and
sharing though the different occasions while they are in the Methodology
school. Even though there is a heredity basis of this In the present study, the investigator has utilized case study
behaviour, it is moulded and polished in a school method according to the nature of the study.
environment where the child is spending its most of the
time. Case studies are in-depth investigation of a single person,
group, event or community. Data are gathered from a variety
Educational researches have shown that collaborative of sources and by using several different methods such as
classroom leads students to an exposure to and an increase observations, interviews, etc. But in the present study
in understanding of diverse perspective and prepares the investigator has utilized observation as well as sociometry as
students for real life social situations. The present school the source of data. Since the investigator’s research is based
curriculum insists upon activity-oriented instruction. The on collaborative learning, she utilized various collaborative
investigator utilized collaborative learning method for learning methods such as Jigsaw method, Think Pair Share
ensuring the maximum participation of students in her method, Concept Mapping method, 5E method and Activity
classroom. In different classroom situations it could be seen method in her classroom. During these classes, investigator
that students show a tendency to help others while observed that students in her classroom show cooperation,
completing a project or an assignment or any other helping mentality, empathy etc. This led to the present study
demonstration. This led the investigator to conduct a case since the investigator wanted to check whether these
study to find whether the collaborative learning methods behaviours are inspired by the collaborative learning.
inspire prosocial behaviour in students. Since the
development of prosocial behaviour is a necessity in an era The investigator has utilized sociometry for the data
where antisocial behaviour of human beings is increasing at collection. At first the investigator provided her class a set of
an alarming rate where man is fighting with his fellow beings three situations and asked her students to select three of
for even the basic necessities the present study is a need of their peers whom they would approach in a situation of
the hour and is significant. need. The situations given were from the real life. By using
the set of peers selected by each student in her class,
Statement of the Problem investigator created three sociograms.
Thus, the present study is entitled as ‘Inspiring Prosocial
Behaviour in the Classroom through Collaborative Learning: Again, the investigator has provided collaborative learning
A Case Study’. strategies for further classes for a duration of one month.
The investigator again checked the prosocial behaviour
Objectives of the Study using a new set of real-life situations and based on the
1. To analyse the prosocial interaction pattern of selection of each student’s peers she prepared another set of
secondary school students. sociograms.
2. To identify the lacking of prosocial behaviour in
individuals. Both the set of sociograms were analysed and interpreted.
3. To assess whether the collaborative learning methods
inspires the prosocial behaviour in students. Analysis and Interpretation
Analysis of a qualitative data means studying the organised
Research Questions material in order to discover its inherent facts. The data are
The present case study is a result of some research questions studied from as many angles as possible either to explore the
such as: new facts or to reinterpret already existing facts. The content
1. Do all children show prosocial behaviour? analysis and logical analysis are mostly used in analysis of
2. How to find the students, who lack prosocial behaviour, qualitative material. Analysis is among the first of the
at the same time who are not anti-socials? method which a researcher will call upon in his way to
3. Do collaborative learning methods inspire prosocial reduce a field size to a manageable data from a change of
behaviour in school students? information.

@ IJTSRD | Unique Paper ID – IJTSRD31858 | Volume – 4 | Issue – 5 | July-August 2020 Page 482
 International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) @ www.ijtsrd.com eISSN: 2456-6470
Analysis of data is the heart of the research report. The mass learning: A case study’. The investigator adopted case study
of collected data through the administration of the tools method for this study. For data collection, the investigator
need to be analysed and interpreted to know what the used some tools such as sociogram and observation. The
results show, what they mean, what is the significance and investigator has utilized qualitative data analysis. The
what is the answer of the original problems. It may be analysis showed that through collaborative learning in the
considered as the wheels of the search machinery without classroom which encourages students’ interdependence,
which data and other material have no specific function to responsibility and communication, prosocial behaviours are
perform. It involves breaking down of existing complex inspired among the school students.
factors in to simple parts and putting these parts together in
a new arrangement for the purposes of data which means References
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Learning: Underlying Processes and Effective
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Technique, New Directors for Teaching and Learning
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Conclusion
Retrieved from https:// researchgate.net on
The investigator conducted a case study entitled as ‘Inspiring
18/04/2020.
prosocial behaviours in students through collaborative

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