Effects of jigsaw and animation techniques on students’ understanding of concepts and subjects in electrochemistry

This study investigated the effect of jigsaw cooperative learning and animation versus traditional teaching methods on students’ understanding of electrochemistry in a first-year general chemistry course. This study was carried out in three different classes in the department of primary science education during the 2007–2008 academic year. The first class was randomly assigned as the jigsaw group, the second as the animation group, and the third as the control group. Students participating in the jigsaw group were divided into five “home groups” since the topic electrochemistry is divided into five subtopics. Each of these home groups contained four students. The groups were as follows: (1) Home Group A (HGA), representing the fundamental concepts of electrochemistry, (2) Home Group B (HGB), representing the electrochemical cell and energy source, (3) Home Group C (HGC), representing electrolysis, (4) Home Group D (HGD), representing Faraday’s laws, and (5) Home Group E (HGE), representing corrosion. The home groups broke apart, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and the students moved into jigsaw groups consisting of members from the other home groups, who were each assigned a subtopic. For students in the animation group, their lesson focused on explaining the step-by-step process of electrochemistry through a computer-animated presentation. The main data collection tools were the Test of Scientific Reasoning and the Particulate Nature of Matter Evaluation Test. The results indicated that the jigsaw and animation groups achieved better results than the control group.     

Teaching chemical bonding through jigsaw cooperative learning

This study examined the effectiveness of jigsaw cooperative learning in teaching chemical bonding at tertiary level. This study was carried out in two different classes in the Department of Primary Science Education of Atatürk University during the 2005–2006 academic year. One of the classes was the non‐jigsaw group (control) and the other was the jigsaw group (experimental). Students in the jigsaw group were divided into four ‘home groups’ since chemical bonding is divided into four subtopics (Modules A, B, C and D). Each of these home groups consisted of four students. The subjects covered were ionic bonding (Module A), covalent bonding (Module B), hydrogen bonding and van der Waals (Module C) and basic concepts about bonds (Module D). The main instrument for obtaining data was the Chemical Bonding Achievement Test (CBAT), which was applied to both groups. The CBAT was divided into four modules (A, B, C and D), in which each module consisted of five questions (four multiple‐choice and one open‐ended). The data obtained indicated that the students in the jigsaw group were more successful than those in the non‐jigsaw group.     

Using the Jigsaw Method to Teach Abdominal Anatomy

This study evaluates a cooperative learning approach for teaching anatomy to health science students incorporating small group and peer instruction based on the jigsaw method first described in the 1970's. Fifty-three volunteers participated in abdominal anatomy workshops. Students were given time to become an “expert” in one of four segments of the topic (sub-topics) by allocating groups to work-stations with learning resources: axial computerized tomography (CT) of abdominal structures, axial CT of abdominal blood vessels, angiograms and venograms of abdominal blood vessels and structures located within abdominal quadrants. In the second part of workshop, students were redistributed into “jigsaw” learning groups with at least one “expert” at each workstation. The “jigsaw” learning groups then circulated between workstations learning all sub-topics with the “expert” teaching others in their group. To assess abdominal anatomy knowledge, students completed a quiz pre- and post- workshop. Students increased their knowledge with significant improvements in quiz scores irrespective of prior exposure to lectures or practical classes related to the workshop topic. The evidence for long-term retention of knowledge, assessed by comparing end-semester examination performance of workshop participants with workshop nonparticipants, was less convincing. Workshop participants rated the jigsaw workshop highly for both educational value and enjoyment and felt the teaching approach would improve their course performance. The jigsaw method improved anatomy knowledge in the short-term by engaging students in group work and peer-led learning, with minimal supervision required. Reported outcomes suggest that cooperative learning approaches can lead to gains in student performance and motivation to learn. Anat Sci Educ 00: 000–000. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.     

Constructing knowledge with an agent-based instructional program: A comparison of cooperative and individual meaning making

Participants in the present study were 87 college students who learned about botany using an agent-based instructional program with three different learning approaches: individual, jigsaw, or cooperative learning. Results showed no differences among learning approaches on retention. Students in jigsaw groups reported higher cognitive load during learning than students who learned individually; scored lower on a problem-solving transfer test than students in individual and cooperative learning groups; and were less likely to produce elaborated explanations and co-construct knowledge with their peers than students in cooperative groups. Students in cooperative groups reported higher situational interest than their counterparts. Implications for cooperative and individual meaning making in agent-based instructional programs are discussed and future research directions are suggested.     

The jigsaw technique and self-efficacy of vocational training students: a practice report

Can teenagers’ self-efficacy be improved in a short time? Previous research has shown the positive effect of cooperative learning methods, including “jigsaw classrooms” (Aronson and Patnoe, 1997), on various outcomes (e.g., the liking of school, self-esteem, and reduction of prejudices). The present practice report investigated the effects of jigsaw technique in boosting the self-efficacy of students enrolled in a vocational curriculum. Over a period of four sessions, 33 male participants studied school materials either in jigsaw groups or in a traditional class (individual work). Their academic self-efficacy in math and French was measured before and after treatment. Results indicated that students’ self-efficacy increased after the four sessions, but only in the jigsaw group. This report provides additional evidence supporting the benefit of jigsaw classrooms based on a different outcome than the one used in previous research—namely, self-efficacy—and among a particular population—namely, vocational trainees. Implications for classroom practice are discussed. In particular, the present practice report demonstrates that implementing the jigsaw approach in classrooms might be an effective tool for enhancing the quality of vocational students’ school experience.     

A jigsaw cooperative learning application in elementary science and technology lessons: physical and chemical changes

Cooperative learning is an active learning approach in which students work together in small groups to complete an assigned task. Students commonly find the subject of ‘physical and chemical changes’ difficult and abstract, and thus they generally have many misconceptions about it.

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the effects of jigsaw cooperative learning activities developed by the researchers on sixth grade students’ understanding of physical and chemical changes.

Sample

Participants in the study were 61 sixth grade students in a public elementary school in Izmir, Turkey.

Design and methods

A pre-test and post-test experimental design with a control group was used, and students were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Instruction of the subject was conducted via jigsaw cooperative learning in the experimental group and via teacher-centered instruction in the control group. During the jigsaw process, experimental group students studied the subjects of changes of state, changes in shape and molecular solubility from physical changes, and acid–base reactions, combustion reactions and changes depending on heating from chemical changes in their jigsaw groups.

Results

The concept test results showed that jigsaw cooperative learning instruction yielded significantly better acquisition of scientific concepts related to physical and chemical changes, compared to traditional learning. Students in the experimental group had a lower proportion of misconceptions than those in the control group, and some misconceptions in the control group were identified for the first time in this study.

Conclusions

Jigsaw cooperative learning is an effective teaching technique for challenging sixth grade students’ misconceptions in the context of physical and chemical changes, and enhancing their motivation, learning achievements, self-confidence and willingness in the science and technology lesson. This technique could be applied to other chemistry subjects and other grade levels.     

The effects of cooperative learning on enhancing Hong Kong fifth graders' achievement goals,autonomous motivation and reading proficiency

Research indicates that cooperative learning with teacher‐guided instruction is more effective in helping young children to learn than cooperative learning with minimal guidance. In the present study, two different cooperative learning activities (jigsaw and drama) and a control condition (a traditional teacher‐led approach) were compared. The participants were 279 Grade 5 Hong Kong students located in nine classrooms. The two experimental conditions emphasised teachers' cognitive support in helping students to understand a text through both teacher‐led and student‐led activities. Post‐test data included a reading comprehension test and three questionnaires that investigated students' goal orientations, initial level of relative autonomy and perceptions of instructional practices. Findings indicate that students in the jigsaw group outperformed students in both the drama group and the control group in the reading comprehension test. The implications of conducting cooperative learning activities with well‐planned teacher guidance are discussed.     

Effectiveness of cooperative learning (jigsaw II) method in teaching English as a foreign language to engineering students (Case of Firat University,Turkey)

The present study compares the effects of the cooperative jigsaw II method and traditional teacher-centred teaching method on improving vocabulary knowledge and active–passive voice in English as a foreign language for engineering students and the students' attitudes towards learning English. Jigsaw is a cooperative learning model that involves small groups of 5–6 students teaching each other subject matter with success dependent upon student cooperation. Sixty-six engineering students participated in the study and a pre-test–post-test control group experimental design was employed. The students were randomly assigned into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group used cooperative Jigsaw II as an instruction method while the control group used traditional teacher-centred instruction. The groups were administered an achievement test, as a pre-, post- and delayed post-test. The results revealed statistically significant differences in favour of the experimental group on the dependent variables of improving vocabulary knowledge and learning active–passive voice in English. The attitude scale results showed that the cooperative learning experience had a significant positive effect on engineering students' attitudes towards learning English and promoted better interactions among students as well.     

The Effect of Cooperative Learning Approach Based on Conceptual Change Condition on Students' Understanding of Chemical Equilibrium Concepts

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the cooperative learning approach based on conceptual change conditions over traditional instruction on 10th grade students' conceptual understanding and achievement of computational problems related to chemical equilibrium concepts. The subjects of this study consisted of 87 tenth grade students from two intact classes of a Chemistry Course instructed by the same teacher. One of the classes was randomly assigned as the experimental group, which was instructed with cooperative learning approach based on conceptual change conditions and the other class was assigned as the control group, which was instructed with traditional instruction. Chemical Equilibrium Concept Test (CECT) was administered to the experimental and the control groups as pre- and post-tests to measure the students' conceptual understanding, and Chemical Equilibrium Achievement Test (CEAT) was administered to the experimental and the control groups as a post-test to measure the students' achievements related to computational problems. Science Process Skills Test was used at the beginning of the study to determine the students' science process skills. Multivariate Analysis of Covariate (MANCOVA) was used to analyze the data. The results showed that students in the experimental group had better conceptual understanding, and achievement of computational problems related to the chemical equilibrium concepts. Furthermore, students' science process skills were accounted for a significant portion of variations in conceptual understanding and achievements related to the computational problems.     

Effects of cooperative versus individualistic learning on cognitive, affective, metacognitive and social processes in students

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of individual versus cooperative learning on different components of students’ functioning. As a theoretical framework to analyse these processes we used CAMS model (Dansereau, 1986; O’Donnell & Dansereau, 1992), which includes four levels of students’ functioning: cognitive (C), affective (A), metacognitive (M) and social (S). 373 fifth grade students (170 in experimental group and 203 in control group) from nine different primary schools participated in the research. In the experimental group cooperative learning was introduced for one in four lessons in two subjects: mathematics and Slovene language. The control group received the traditional way of teaching. Statistical analysis showed strong positive effects of cooperative learning on achievement in both subjects. No other variable showed differential change.     

高职院校英语口语教学合作学习模式的实践及反思

目前,高职院校英语口语教学的现状不容乐观。合作学习模式作为适合高职学生的有效教学模式之一,能在一定程度上提高英语口语教学质量。教师通过"三步式""拼图式""复述式""头脑风暴式"合作学习模式,可以提高高职学生学习英语的积极性。但是,在实施合作学习模式时教师要合理分组,要围绕教学内容设计任务,任务要从易到难,要关注个人及小组的学习情况,调动学生的学习积极性,培养学生的能力,从而提高高职院校学生英语口语的表达能力。     

The influence of a peer-tutoring training model for implementing cooperative groupings with elementary students

This study examined the effects of peer-tutoring training on elementary school student communication and collaboration skills when used in conjunction with cooperative learning. Within six classes (grades 2–6) in an inner-city school, cooperative learning pairs were randomly assigned to two groups (control and training). Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) of quantitative data from a systematic observation instrument used over an entire year showed that, in general, the training group surpassed the control group in both communication and collaborative skills. Students in grades 2–3 showed substantially more improvement than students in grades 4–6; also, students with average or below-average reading levels required more time to acquire these skills than did above-average students. The qualitative data further substantiated these findings while revealing a large variation among teachers in implementing cooperative learning. and is Editor of the Research section of this journal.     

Impact of Expert Teaching Quality on Novice Academic Performance in the Jigsaw Cooperative Learning Method

We assessed the impact of expert students' instructional quality on the academic performance of novice students in 12th-grade physics classes organized in an expert model of cooperative learning (‘jigsaw classroom’). The instructional quality of 129 expert students was measured by a newly developed rating system. As expected, when aggregating across all four subtopics taught, regression analysis revealed that academic performance of novice students increases with the quality of expert students' instruction. The difficulty of subtopics, however, moderates this effect: higher instructional quality of more difficult subtopics did not lead to better academic performance of novice students. We interpret this finding in the light of Cognitive Load Theory. Demanding tasks cause high intrinsic cognitive load and hindered the novice students' learning.     

Cooperative learning and group educational modules: Effects on cognitive achievement of high school biology students

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of cooperative learning and Group Educational Modules (GEM) on the achievement of high school biology students. GEM materials are self-instructional packets designed for use with groups of biology students. Cooperative learning is a classroom learning environment in which students work in small, mixed-ability groups toward a common goal. A 2 × 2 factorial design was used in this study. The independent variables considered included (1) participation of students in the GEM project, and (2) use of cooperative learning techniques including heterogeneous grouping and group incentives. The dependent variables for all treatment groups were scores on the instrument developed for this study. A total of 11 teachers with 36 classes and 715 students were included in this study. All teachers involved covered the same general subject matter during the study period. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used as the data analysis procedure. Significant differences were found in the achievement of students using GEM materials and those using traditional instructional approaches. The use of cooperative learning also produced significant differences when compared to traditional classroom structures.     

基于新课改的英语小组合作学习刍论

小组合作学习模式符合新课程改革下的教学理念,能够凸显学生的主体地位,有效提升英语教学质量。教师要立足于小组合作学习存在的问题,对学生进行科学合理的分组,明确学习目标、科学布置合作学习任务;要正确定位自身在合作学习中的角色,营造良好的合作学习氛围,优化小组合作教学评价。     

The effectiveness of conceptual change texts in remediating high school students’ alternative conceptions concerning chemical equilibrium

This study investigated the effectiveness of conceptual change texts in remediating high school students’ alternative conceptions concerning chemical equilibrium. A quasi-experimental design was used in this study. The subjects for this study consisted of a total 78 tenth-grade students, 38 of them in the experimental group and 40 of them in the control group. A questionnaire, the Alternative Conceptions about Chemical Equilibrium Test (ACCET), was developed and administered to students as a pretest and posttest. While the experimental group received a conceptual change text instruction, the control group received a traditional style instruction. The results of the study indicated that the students in the experimental group showed significantly greater levels of achievement than the students in the control group. Moreover, in both groups the percentages of students’ alternative conceptions decreased in the however the experimental group did better than the control group.     

基于合作学习的对分课堂对自主学习能力的影响

目的:探讨基于合作学习的对分课堂在中医内科学教学中对学生自主学习能力的影响.方法:选择2017级中医学专业两个班级,以脾胃肝胆病证作为试验内容.试验组采用合作学习的对分课堂,对照组采用传统讲授法.以《医学生自主学习能力测评量表》《对分课堂课后问卷》进行评价.结果:试验组在量表总分及自我动机(W1)、学习信念(W2)、自我监测及调节(W4)、交流合作能力(W6)等4个维度均提高(P<0.05),对照组仅获取及处理信息维度(W5)提高(P<0.05);W1、W4的提高分数在试验组更高(P<0.05);大部分学生对《对分课堂课后问卷》作出了正面评价.结论:基于合作学习的对分课堂有助于提升学生的自主学习能力,受到学生高度认同,值得进一步推广.     

Collegiality in the classroom: The use of Peer Learning Assistants in cooperative learning in introductory biology

Experienced undergraduate students served as Peer Learning Assistants (PLAs) to facilitate group process and dynamics in cooperative learning groups. The use of this model in large classes (150 students) resulted in statistically significant improvements in group performance and satisfaction with the group experience. PLAs defused conflict in groups which were, by their cognitively diverse nature, conflict-prone. Student attitudes about their PLAs and PLA attitudes about the experience were positive. Faculty productivity was substantially enhanced because group dynamics problems rarely landed in the faculty office.James E. Groccia is the Director of the Program for Excellence in Teaching at the University of Missouri, Columbia. He received the Ed.D. in Educational and Counseling Psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the Ms.Ed. in Social Science Education from Hofstra University, and the B.A. in Psychology from Hartwick College. Judith E. Miller is Associate Professor of Biology and Biotechnology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts. She received the Ph.D. in Microbiology from Case Western Reserve University and the B.S. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University. Her special interests include the restructuring of technical courses to include cooperative learning and educational productivity.     

How Partner Gender Influences Female Students’ Problem Solving in Physics Education

Research has shown that female students cannot profit as much as male students can from cooperative learning in physics, especially in mixed-gender dyads. This study has explored the influence of partner gender on female students’ learning achievement, interaction and the problem-solving process during cooperative learning. In Shanghai, a total of 50 students (26 females and 24 males), drawn from two classes of a high school, took part in the study. Students were randomly paired, and there were three research groups: mixed-gender dyads (MG), female–female dyads (FF) and male–male dyads (MM). Analysis of students’ pre- and post-test performances revealed that female students in the single-gender condition solved physics problems more effectively than did those in the mixed-gender condition, while the same was not the case for male students. We further explored the differences between female and male communication styles, and content among the three research groups. It showed that the females’ interaction content and problem-solving processes were more sensitive to partner gender than were those for males. This might explain why mixed-gender cooperation in physics disadvantages females in high schools.