Student-Student and Student-Teacher Interactions through the Jigsaw II Method in the Teaching of the Economics Subject in Secondary Education

Abstract

Peer interactions and teacher student interactions are essential components of learning upon which
 cooperative learning (CL) is rooted. Empirical data about this type of interactions are scanty. The aim
 of this research is to compare students’ opinions about the student-student and student-teacher
 interactions in a CL method (Jigsaw II/puzzle) and the conventional teacher learning method after
 learning an economics teaching unit in a secondary education school. The study was carried out in a
 secondary education level institute in the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain) during the 20172018
 
 academic year. Twenty-eight students took part in the study. Students were taught a unit
 through the conventional teacher exposition method and later through a CL technique (Jigsaw
 II/puzzle). Peer interactions and teacher-student interaction were evaluated through a 5-point Likertscale.
 
 Students were evaluated twice, during the conventional instruction and approximately two
 weeks later after receiving the CL instruction. The total score of interactions among peers was
 significantly higher with the CL method than the conventional method (conventional method: 19.92
 ± 2.26 vs CL method: 21.54 ± 2.75, p < 0.009). There were no significant differences between the
 methods of learning in the total score of the interaction with the teacher (conventional method:
 17.17±1.61 vs CL method: 16.37±2.78, p < 0.098), but in item 9 (interchange of information with the
 teacher) the score in conventional method was significantly higher than in the CL technique (4.50 ±
 0.59 vs 4.21 ± 0.72, p < 0.016). In conclusion, the secondary education students consider that
 puzzle/jigsaw II CL technique promotes relationships among peers more than conventional learning
 while there is no difference between the puzzle/jigsaw II CL technique and the conventional learning
 in the teacher-student relationships.