This study answers the question ‘Is there a relationship between the perception of the pupils and the teachers on the cooperative skills of the pupils and the actual cooperative skills of the...Show moreThis study answers the question ‘Is there a relationship between the perception of the pupils and the teachers on the cooperative skills of the pupils and the actual cooperative skills of the pupils in elementary Montessori education?’ A mixed method cross sectional design including 330 pupils and 12 teachers from elementary Montessori education is used in order to compare the perceptions of the pupils and teachers on the cooperative skills of the pupils to the actual cooperative skills of the pupils. The findings of the study suggest that: There is a relationship between the perception of the pupils and the perception of the teachers on the cooperative skills of the pupils; There is no relationship between the perception of the pupils on their cooperative skills and their actual cooperative skills; There is no relationship between the perception of the teachers and the actual cooperative skills of the pupil; Teachers believe especially communicative skills are necessary for effective cooperative learning. The findings indicate that there is a mismatch between the perception of pupils and teachers and the actual cooperative skills. Therefore it is desirable in research and in education to draw more attention to the perception on cooperative skills. It is also found that the questionnaires used in this study to measure cooperative skills of pupils might not measure cooperative skills correctly. It is desirable to further validate the questionnaire to this subject.Show less