The purpose of this study was to determine whether
or not using cooperative learning teaching methods in a high school chemistry
class would significantly increase students' academic self-concept and
academic achievement. The study compared cooperative learning and traditional
learning methods and their effect on academic self-concept and achievement
of students.
Significance
Research has suggested that student achievement
levels may be related to students' self-concept.It has been suggested that
cooperative learning can increase student achievement and it may possibly
increase student self-esteem/self-concept. This association between self-esteem/self-concept,
academic achievement, and cooperative learning may be interdependent. Cooperative
learning may increase student academic achievement because of the effect
that cooperative learning has on self-esteem/self-concept. Further understanding
of the association between cooperative learning and self-esteem/self-concept
is needed.
Theoretical Underpinnings
There appears to be a positive correlation between
self-concept and academic achievement. The research also indicates a positive
correlation between cooperative learning and academic achievement. Several
studies suggest that there is an association between social interdependence,
promoted by cooperative learning, and self-concept. Research has indicated
that there is an association between the type of learning environment in
respect to social interdependence, and levels of self-concept. Some researchers
have postulated that working together with peers to achieve common goals
has significant and considerable impact on self-esteem or self-concept
compared to competitive or individualistic experiences. However, the number
of studies that measure the effects of cooperative learning on self-concept
are limited. There appears to be a relationship, but more empirical research
is needed.
Design and Procedures
A total of forty-nine (N=49) secondary students
participated in the study, twenty-five students in the comparison group
and twenty-four students in the experimental group. The duration of the
study was one report card period (ten weeks) and the cooperative learning
model used was developed by Johnson and Johnson.
The instrument used to test the research hypotheses
was the School Attitude Measure (SAM). This instrument was developed by
American Testronics, and it employs a testing model that measures the two
types of academic self-concept:
1) Academic Self-Concept - Performance Based
2) Academic Self-Concept - Reference Based
The SAM instrument was administered as pretest and
posttest to the students in the comparison and experimental groups. During
the time between the pre and post tests, the experimental group received
the experimental treatment. Students in the experimental group were given
cooperative learning lessons that were centered around the subject matter
to be tested. On an average, the students worked in their cooperative groups
about 60% of the class time.
Students in the comparison group studied the same
subject matter during the same time span. However, they did not use any
cooperative learning activities. They were taught by the same teacher who
used a "traditional" approach to instruction, consisting of teacher controlled
class discussion, followed by individual worksheets with no student to
student interaction.
In this study, the cooperative learning teams worked
in small groups of three or four students. The lessons were designed so
that in order to achieve a particular goal, students had to work as a team.
They were not competing against each other and their seats were arranged
so that they were working together in close proximity. The students in
the experimental group were randomly assigned to groups and to roles within
their groups. The groups remained intact for one chapter or unit of instruction,
approximately two weeks. After the unit test, new groups were again randomly
assigned. There were five different group assignments during the duration
of the study. In short, students worked with other students in a structured
environment to learn the given material.
For this study, a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental
design was used. The reason for this was the lack of true randomization
of the subjects since intact classes were assigned.
Design of this pretest-posttest study.
O O (Comparison Group)
O X O (Experimental Group)
An Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) model was used
to analyze the test results from before and after experimental treatments.
The pretest scores and Shipley-Institute of Living Scale IQ were used as
the covariant to equate differences between groups on the dependent variable.
This statistical method was performed on the academic self-concept performance
based and academic self-concept reference based of posttest scores of the
comparison and experimental groups.
Findings
The results of this study indicate that both types
of self-concept (performance based and reference based) increased at significant
levels (levels p<0.05 and p<0.01 respectively) for students who were
exposed to cooperative learning as compared to students in a traditional
classroom. In addition to the differences in academic self-concept, students'
test scores were also examined. Tests, that are routinely used by the teacher
to measure academic achievement of subject area, were given to both the
comparison and experimental groups. A statistical analysis of these test
scores showed a significant (p<0.001) increase for the cooperative learning
group. This significant increase in test scores reinforces the notion that
cooperative learning teaching strategies improve academic achievement.
By comparing a cooperative learning teaching strategy
with a traditional teaching strategy, this study demonstrated that a cooperative
learning teaching strategy promotes a greater sense of academic self-concept
while improving academic achievement.