The effectiveness of collaborative learning in the development of academic performance and motivation of clothing and textiles students

Abstract

The current research problem was defined as the decline in the academic performance, related to the preparation of skirt pattern, of the second year students of the clothing and textiles department, in addition to the decrease in their achievement motivation. The research aims at the recognition of the effectiveness of applying collaborative learning in teaching the skirt pattern to develop the academic performance through preparing a guidebook for teaching the skirt pattern by applying collaborative learning as an attempt to raise the academic standard in preparing the skirt pattern and to enhance the achievement motivation of the second year students of the clothing and textiles department. The research followed the Quasi-experimental method based on designing the pre-test and post-test experimental treatments through both of the research groups, the experimental group and the control group. The research sample consisted of (40) students divided into two groups, (20) students for the control group which studied by the usual method (RD) and (20) students for the experimental group which studied by the collaborative learning. The research tools included an academic performance assessment to assess the level of information and knowledge related to preparing the skirt pattern, a note card to evaluate the students’ performance in preparing the skirt pattern, in addition to a measurement for achievement motivation including the following dimensions/ aspects (ambition – persistence – workmanship – future orientation – bearing responsibility). Results: A statistically significant difference was found between the average scores of the experimental group students of the pre-test implementation and post-test implementation of the academic performance assessment in favor of the post- test implementation. Also a statistically significant difference between the average scores of the experimental group students and the control group students in the post-test implementation of the academic performance assessment in favor of the experimental group. A statistically significant difference between the average scores of the experimental group students in the pre-test implementation and post-test implementation of the note card to evaluate the students’ performance in favor of the post-test implementation. A statistically significant difference between the average scores of the experimental group students and the control group students in the post-test implementation of the note card to evaluate the students’ performance in favor of the experimental group. A direct proportional relation between the development of the academic performance and the raise of the achievement motivation of the second year students of the clothing and textile department. Based on the research results, a number of recommendations were proposed, the most important are: increasing the concern of applying the collaborative learning in teaching the clothing and textiles department curriculums as an effective strategy in developing the academic performance and raising the achievement motivation, conducting training courses for the faculty members in applying modern strategies in teaching.