Enhancing University Students' Performance Tests, Motivational Strategies for Learning, and Social Skills through Cooperative Learning: A Study on Chinese Traditional Culture Education in China

Background: Cooperative learning provides an opportunity for the development and improvement of social skills by emphasizing the importance of social interaction in fostering both academic and social intelligence. This study examined the application of cooperative learning in teaching traditional Chinese culture at Chinese universities using a mixed methods approach.

Methods: This study adopted a mixed methods approach inclusive quantitative phase involved a true experimental design with pre- and post-tests. The study focused on Chinese university students, and a cluster sampling approach was utilized to select 60 participants. Quantitative assessments were conducted using performance tests, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) by Paul Pintrich, and the Social Skills Inventory (SSI) by Riggio, while qualitative insights were gathered through post-experiment interviews with 10 participants. The qualitative data in this study were collated and analyzed using NVivo, integrating interviews, group discussions, questionnaires, and more. Quantitative data were analyzed by mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) method. Data were analyzed with SPSS software.

Results: Mixed analysis revealed that main effect of time in performance score was found to be statistically significant [F(1) = 19.25, P < 0.001]. This indicates a significant change in scores from the pre-test to the post-test across both groups. Additionally, the main effect of the group was also found to be significant [F(1) = 5.81, P = 0.019], suggesting a notable difference in scores between the control and experimental groups. Regarding motivation, it is evident that the main effect of time had a significant impact [F(1) = 59.60, P < 0.001], signifying a substantial change in motivation levels from pre-test to post-test across both groups. In social skills, it is evident that the main effect of time had a significant impact [F(1) = 25.67, P < 0.001], indicating a considerable change in skill levels from pre-test to
post-test across both groups.

Conclusion: These findings underscore the potential of cooperative learning to mobilize students' enthusiasm for learning and enhance their independent learning ability, cooperative participation, and competitive consciousness, thus effectively improving the teaching quality of Chinese traditional culture in universities.