Cooperative Learning in Physical Education: A Research Overview

The aim of this scientific note was to provide a research overview about cooperative learning in physical education. A literature search was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 46 published articles from Web of Science (Social Science Citation Index and Science Citation Index Expanded) were examined. The results reported: (a) most of the articles were published in 2020 (10 articles), 2021 (9), and 2017 (7); (b) the majority of the articles described intervention studies (32); (c) most articles were published in Journal of Teaching in Physical Education (6), European Physical Education Review (5), and Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy (5), all located in quartile-1 in the latest Journal Citation Reports edition (2020); (d) most studies were conducted in Spain (15), UK (8), and USA (8); (e) the top-ten-cited articles received between 172 (1st) and 47 (10th) citations; (f) only 10 women signed as first authors (21.73%) and only one of them (10%) was among the top-ten-cited articles (10th position). In conclusion, evidence showed a growing expansion of research in this area, especially in intervention studies. However, this positive trend is not homogeneous with respect to geographical areas and the participation of women researchers.