The problem of large classes in science: An experiment in co‐operative learning

Abstract

The problem of large classes in science is the recurring story in most countries of the world. The intention in this study was to find out how this problem could be tackled using a co‐operative learning technique. Two hundred and twenty‐five secondary school third‐form chemistry students and two teachers were involved in a pre‐test/treatment/post‐test experiment with a control group in which students working in mixed‐ability co‐operative groups were found to perform significantly better than their control group counterparts. The implications of the findings of the experiment for the teaching of science are discussed.