BECE. Newsletter 

Vol.15, No.2, 2023, BECE 1807 

 

 

 

 

How Cooperation and Competition Affect Student 

Academic Performance and Wellbeing 

By Wang, Y. & Xu, Z. 
Correspondence to: Zhixing Xu, Beijing Normal University, China. E-mail: 

xuzhixing@bnu.edu.cn 

UE to the emergence of positive psychology and education, increasing 

attention has been paid to student physical and mental development and 

character building in addition to their academic performance. Schools have 

made efforts to encourage cooperative learning behavior in students. Re-

search also shows that students display better academic performance, more 

positive peer relationships, and stronger senses of belonging to the school in 

a cooperative learning environment. On the other hand, there are intense 

competitions among students in a school setting. A reasonable amount of 

competition is seen as a motivational factor in student learning, with positive 

effects on student academic achievements. Also, competitions with explicit, 

proper goals may bring excitements and enjoyment to individuals. 

A scientific view of the relation between cooperation and competition 

contributes to students’ positive attitudes towards them and the healthy de-

velopment of their character. This study utilizes data from the PISA to con-

duct systematic research into the impact of cooperative and competitive be-

haviors on student academic performance and wellbeing, with the purpose of 

providing guidelines for fostering appropriate spirit of cooperation and com-

petition in students. Research findings reveal that: 

 In terms of gender differences, boy students perceived more cooperation 

and competition than girl students, achieving lower in reading but high-

er in mathematics and science and with higher levels of life satisfaction 

and self-efficacy as well as stronger senses of purpose in life. 

 By dividing cooperative and competitive behavior into high- and low-

ranks by their respective mean values, students were classified into four 

groups lableled: (A) high cooperation/high competition; (B) low coop-

eration/high competition; (C) high cooperation/low competition; (D) 

low cooperation/low competition. Group A had good academic results, 

a high level of life satisfaction and self-efficacy, and a strong sense of 

purpose in life. Group B had the highest academic achievement but the 

lowest level of life satisfaction, along with a weak sense of purpose in 

life and low self-efficacy. Group C had low academic results but a high 

level of life satisfaction, high self-efficacy, and explicit life purpose. 

Group D achieved the lowest academic performance with a low level of 

D 

mailto:xuzhixing@bnu.edu.cn


 

Vol.15, No.2, 2023, BECE 1808 

life satisfaction, a weak sense of purpose in life, and the lowest self-

efficacy. 

 The more competitive behavior a student perceived at school, the better 

their reading, mathematics, and science achievements. The more coop-

erative behavior a student perceived at the school, the higher level of 

life satisfaction, stronger sense of purpose in life, and higher self-

efficacy they had. 

 The positive effects of competitive behavior on student reading, mathe-

matics, and science literacy would weaken with the increase in coopera-

tive behavior. The positive impacts of cooperative behavior on student 

life satisfaction, life purpose, and self-efficacy would strengthen with 

the boost in competitive behavior. 

Hence, the article proposes suggestions as follows.  

i. Recognize the importance of cooperative behavior to student healthy 

development. The school should encourage teachers to integrate coop-

eration education into instruction and class management to create more 

opportunities for interpersonal communication and collaboration for 

students to foster solidarity and cooperative behaviors in them. 

ii. Properly evaluate the motivational role of competitive behavior. Direc-

tion and education targeted at specific competitive behavior should be 

provided to students for cultivating a correct view of competition, to 

avoid the adverse effect of peer comparison. 

iii. Pay attention to the interaction between cooperative and competitive 

behavior. Both cooperation and benign competition should be encour-

aged to keep students motivated in learning and to afford them more 

opportunities for self-development and social and emotional growth. 

 
Source: Educational Science Research, 2023; 2023(07):68-76.