Relationship between Democratic Attitudes and Attitudes Toward Implementing Cooperative Learning: A Cross-sectional Study of Pre-service Science Teachers

Implementing Cooperative Learning, Teacher Collaboration and Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy in Heterogeneous Junior High Schools

The study investigated preservice science teachers’ (PST) knowledge and beliefs about the implementation of cooperative learning for sustainable science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in Nigeria given that evidence shows that several Nigerian teachers are still unskilled in 21st-century pedagogies. The study sought to determine PSTs’ competencies for implementing cooperative learning in science classrooms, as informed by their knowledge and beliefs about the effectiveness of applying cooperative learning to teach science concepts. Four research questions guided the study. The design of the study is a descriptive survey involving the collection of quantitative data via questionnaires. This research design is appropriate for the present study as it sought to determine the knowledge and beliefs PSTs have about cooperative learning (CL). The study sample was drawn from all the PSTs in the federal tertiary institution (Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka) in Anambra State, Nigeria using the convenience sampling technique. The data for this study were collected electronically using an adapted version of Bouas (1993). The scale’s reliability was determined using the Cronbach alpha technique (α=.73). Percentage, weighted mean, and standard deviation, and one sample t-test were used to analyse the data collected in this study. The study’s findings showed that PSTs in Nigeria were both knowledgeable and held positive beliefs about cooperative learning pedagogy. Based on the study’s findings, implications for the study were discussed.

Cooperative learning is widely endorsed as a pedagogical practice that promotes student learning. Recently, the research focus has moved to the role of teachers’ discourse during cooperative learning and its effects on the quality of group discussions and the learning achieved. Although the benefits of cooperative learning are well documented, implementing this pedagogical practice in classrooms is a challenge that many teachers have difficulties accomplishing. The Teacher's Role in Implementing Cooperative Learning in the Classroom provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the challenges and issues with clear guidelines on how teachers can embed cooperative learning into their classroom curricula to obtain the benefits widely attributed to this pedagogical practice. It does so by using language that is appropriate for both novice and experienced educators. The volume provides: an overview of the major research and theoretical perspectives that underpin the development of cooperative learning pedagogy; outlines how specific small group experiences can promote thinking and learning; discusses the key role teachers play in promoting student discourse; and, demonstrates how interaction style among students and teachers is crucial in facilitating discussion and learning. The collection of chapters includes many practical illustrations, drawn from the contributors’ own research of how teachers can use cooperative learning pedagogy to facilitate thinking and learning among students across different educational settings.

The aim of this study was to investigate the attitude, awareness and practices of the different stakeholders on implementing cooperative learning in secondary schools. The study was conducted on teachers, students, school principals, and supervisors in three districts of Benishangul Gumz Region. Methodologically, Focus Group Discussion (FGD), document analysis and interviews were used to gather data from the participants. As far as sampling techniques is concerned, convenient, purposive and comprehensive sampling were employed to select samples at various levels. Accordingly, 18 teachers, 3 school principals, 3 supervisors and 36 students (totally 60 participants) were taken as samples of the study. The results indicated that the teachers hold fairly positive attitude regarding cooperative learning in the schools, yet the study indicated that the teachers’ understanding the actual application of cooperative learning calls for further attention. Conversely, the actual employment of cooperative learning was less practiced in the secondary schools. For the students to be more reflective about how they work as individuals and group, they should be encouraged to plan on academic, affective and social goals for both in and off school times. Besides, the teachers at schools, supervisors and the education offices should reassess the attention given to follow-up, support and evaluation mechanisms regarding the implementation of cooperative learning.

Study of the Relationship between Classroom Management Styles and Attitudes Toward E-learning Among Teachers

The Examination of Primary School Students’ Attitudes Toward Science Course and Experiments in Terms of Some Variables

Using the Hindi version of the Parental Attitude Research Instrument, this investigation explored the factorial structure of attitudes toward childrearing of 320 Indian women. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation revealed three factors. These are: rejection of the maternal role and hostility toward husband and children; authoritatian, suppressive, and restricting control; and democratic attitudes. Results are compared with findings for American and French-Canadian samples.

(2003). Implementing Cooperative Learning in Elementary Physical Education. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 74, No. 1, pp. 48-55.

Background: Cooperative Learning has been recently defined as a true pedagogical model. Moreover, in a recent review Casey and Goodyear reported that it can help physical education promote the four basic learning outcomes: physical, cognitive, social and affective.Purpose: The main goal was to investigate the impact of a sustained Cooperative Learning intervention on student motivation. The second goal was to assess students’ perceptions of the Cooperative Learning class climate. Finally, the third goal was to explore students’ feelings and thoughts after experiencing Cooperative Learning in physical education for an extended period of time.Participants and settings: 249 students (grades 8–11) and 4 teachers enrolled in 4 different high schools agreed to participate. Each school administration allocated several class groups to each teacher based on its necessities. Therefore, intact physical education classes played a part in this research project. They were randomly distributed into an experimental group with 137 students (mean age 13.91 ± 1.76 years), which experienced 3 consecutive cooperative learning units, and a comparison group with 112 students (mean age 13.41 ± 1.25 years), which experienced a traditional teaching approach during the same length of time.Research design: A pre-test, post-test, quasi-experimental, comparison group design was followed.Data collection: Prior to and at the end of the intervention programme, all participating students were asked to complete a questionnaire, which included the Perceived Locus of Causality Scale and the subscale ‘Cooperative Learning’ of the Perceived Motivational Climate Questionnaire. At post-test, participants in the experimental group were also asked to: ‘Describe your feelings, your thoughts and your ideas on the three Cooperative Learning units that you just experienced in physical education’.Data analysis: Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS 22.0, while MAXQDA 11 was used to assist with qualitative data management.Findings: Quantitative data showed an increase in intrinsic motivation and identified regulation only in the experimental group. This group also increased its perceptions of a Cooperative Learning class climate. Qualitative data analysis of the students’ responses after experiencing Cooperative Learning on a sustained basis produced five major themes: cooperation, relatedness, enjoyment, novelty and disappointment. All these findings are in line with Vallerand's hierarchical model of motivation, where social factors (i.e. Cooperative Learning) influence psychological mediators (i.e. relatedness), which mediate over the different types of motivation (i.e. intrinsic motivation) and finally lead to different outcomes (i.e. enjoyment).Conclusion: Cooperative Learning applied on a sustained basis can increase the most self-determined types of motivation, intrinsic motivation and identified regulation, in secondary education students. Students’ perceptions after experiencing Cooperative Learning for a long period of time reflected four positive ideas: cooperation, relatedness, enjoyment and novelty and a negative one: disappointment. Both the positive and the negative ideas should be considered when implementing Cooperative Learning in physical education, because students experience them.

The Acceptability of Suicide Among Rural Residents, Urban Residents, and College Students from Three Locations in China

A promising approach to increase students’ motivation for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is integrated STEM education (iSTEM). This is an instructional approach that emphasizes the deeper connections between the STEM disciplines by involving students in design challenges centered around real-world problems. However, the successful implementation of a new instructional approach, such as iSTEM, strongly depends on teachers’ attitudes toward the innovation. Therefore, a deeper understanding of teachers’ attitudes toward teaching iSTEM is necessary. This study uses a survey method to investigate the influence of teachers’ background characteristics and school context variables on teachers’ attitudes toward teaching iSTEM. To do so, a differential approach is used. Attitudes toward five key principles for iSTEM (integration, problem-centered, inquiry-based, design-based, and cooperative learning) are examined separately to get a more in-depth and nuanced insight into the factors influencing these attitudes. Results of the multiple regression analyses show that participation in professional development is positively linked to teachers’ attitudes toward all key principles, whereas several other teacher and school context variables are positively correlated with attitudes toward one or two principles. Moreover, experience in mathematics and total years of teaching show a negative correlation with several aspects of teachers’ attitudes toward teaching iSTEM. Findings of this study are valuable, since they not only provide insight into possible barriers to the implementation of iSTEM but also suggest opportunities for overcoming these barriers.

The aim of this research is to determine whether the application of Student Teams Achievement Divisions (STAD) cooperative learning can improve learning outcomes. This research was carried out at SMA Martia Bhakti Bekasi Jl. Jendral Sudirman Km. 32 Kayuringin Jaya Village, South Bekasi District, Bekasi City. In this research, the samples to be taken are class X.2 as an experiment with a total of 35 students, and class X.3 as a control class with a total of 35 students. So the total sample used was 70 students. The cooperative learning model requires students' skills and cooperation in their groups, training students in critical thinking so that students' ability to understand the subject matter presented can increase. Meanwhile, researchers chose STAD cooperative learning because STAD cooperative learning is the simplest cooperative learning and easiest to apply in classes that have never implemented cooperative learning. Thus, it can be concluded that providing the Student Team Achievement Division (STAD) type cooperative learning model has a positive effect on mathematics learning outcomes on the subject of Mathematical Logic. From the research results, it can be concluded that providing the Student Team Achievement Division (STAD) type cooperative learning model has a positive effect on mathematics learning outcomes on the subject of Mathematical Logic.

INTRODUCTION In the last decade there has been a growing interest among ESL/EFL teachers in using cooperative learning activities. With cooperative learning, students work together in groups whose usual size is two to four members. However, cooperative learning is more than just putting students in groups and giving them something to do. Cooperative learning principles and techniques are tools which teachers use to encourage mutual helpfulness in the groups and the active participation of all members. These principles can be seen in the cooperative learning technique Numbered Heads Together (Kagan, 1992) that can be used, for example, in an ESL/EFL reading class. There are four steps in doing Numbered Heads Together: Each student in a group of four gets a number: 1, 2, 3, or 4. The teacher or a student asks a question based on the text the class is reading. Students in each group put their heads together to come up with an answer or answers. They should also be ready to supply support for their answer(s) from the text and-or from other knowledge. The teacher calls a number from 1 to 4. The person with that number gives and explains their group's answer. Numbered Heads Together encourages successful group functioning because all members need to know and be ready to explain their group's answer(s) and because, when students help their groupmates, they help themselves and their whole group, because the response given belongs to the whole group, not just to the group member giving it.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior Toward Organ Donation and Transplantation Among Medical Students in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

This chapter aims to develop an applied theoretical framework to assist reformers to achieve better success in implementing cooperative learning in CHC classrooms. It first discusses the procedures that CHC governments often apply to carry out their learning reforms and points out weaknesses in these procedures. To better the present situation, the chapter proposes an applied theoretical framework that is central to the Activity Theory. This framework emphasises that learning should be seen as a factor that has connection with many other factors in a complexity. Therefore, to achieve success in cooperative learning reform, reformers should not simply impose the instruction on teachers and students but need to address various factors at different implementation levels. In brief, factors that have an impact on learning (e.g. teaching and assessment) need to change to enhance cooperative learning. Moreover, cooperative learning principles that are in serious conflict with unchangeable or hard-to-change CHC cultural values need to be modified. Finally, there must be techniques to fit cooperative learning activities within institutional conditions of CHC institutions. The framework especially emphasises that the teacher’s and students’ voices need to be taken into careful consideration because they play a key role in determining the reformative success.KeywordsActivity TheoryImplementation ProcessMacro LevelCooperative LearningEducational ReformThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.