COOPERATIVE LEARNING IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION INCREASES SELF-ESTEEM IN FOURTH GRADERS

Accepting heterogeneity as an opportunity for social and knowledge learning and not just perceiving it as a burden is a major task for current school systems and consequently also for teachers. One possibility of successfully dealing with heterogeneity is cooperative learning. Due to its prosocial characteristics, physical education (PE) is particularly suitable for the use of cooperative forms of learning and teaching. Cooperative learning is able to fulfill the double task of PE by promoting the development of personality and enabling the development of current movement and sports culture. However, there are still only a few studies examining the positive effects of cooperative learning in PE classes on personality development and the psychosocial health of school children. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of cooperative learning in PE classes on the self-esteem of fourth-graders in comparison to traditional forms of learning. A total of 127 girls and boys took part in the study (66 intervention group, 61 control group, 60% male). The mean age of the total sample at the beginning of the study was 10.2 ± 1.4 years. The intervention group received PE according to the curriculum, which was carried out through cooperative forms of learning, e.g. cooperative games. The control group received no cooperative learning intervention. There were no group differences with regard to age, sex or number of participants at the beginning of the study. Statistical analysis revealed significant time-by-group differences resulting in self-reported general athleticism (p<.001), attractiveness (p=.015), agility (p=.014), strength (p<.001), coordination (p<.001) and overall self-esteem (p<.001) with a significantly greater improvement within the intervention group. Overall, this research was able to show the positive effects of cooperative learning in PE lessons on the self-esteem of fourth-graders. Cooperative learning in PE requires appropriate qualification offers for future teachers in order to expand their repertoire of methods for this learning structure. The new understanding of teaching aims to help students actively experience their own knowledge and skills during cooperation with classmates.  Article visualizations

Effects of the Jigsaw and Teams Game Tournament (TGT) Cooperative Learning on the Learning Motivation and Mathematical Skills of Junior High School Students

This study aims to: 1) describe the effectiveness of the jigsaw and TGT cooperative learning in the learning motivation and mathematical skills of junior high school (JHS) students, and 2) investigate the significant difference in the learning motivation and mathematical skills between the JHS students learning through the jigsaw cooperative learning and those learning through the TGT cooperative learning. This study was a quasi-experimental study using the non-equivalent pretest and posttest group design. This study involved two experimental classes. The research population comprised Year VII students of SMP Pembangunan Piyungan and the research sample consisted of two classes selected from all Year VII groups, with Year VII.A receiving a treatment of the jigsaw cooperative learning and Year VII.B receiving a treatment of the TGT cooperative learning. The instruments consisted of a test, i.e. a mathematical skill test, and a non-test, i.e. a questionnaire of mathematics learning motivation. To investigate the effectiveness of the jigsaw and TGT cooperative learning in the learning motivation and mathematical skills of JHS students, the data were analyzed using the one sample test. To investigate the significant difference in the learning motivation and mathematical skills between the students learning through the jigsaw cooperative learning and those learning through the TGT cooperative learning, the data were analyzed using the T2 Hotelling. To compare the effectiveness of the jigsaw and TGT cooperative learning in the learning motivation and mathematical skills of the students, the data were analyzed using the t-test. The normality was tested using the univariate approach, namely the Kolmogorov Smirnov, the homogeneity using the Box' M test, and the equivalence of the variance-covariance matrix using the Levene's test. The results of the study show that: 1) the jigsaw cooperative learning is effective for the JHS students’ mathematical skills and mathematics learning motivation; 2) the TGT cooperative learning is effective for the JHS students’ mathematical skills and mathematics learning motivation; 3) there is a difference in the effectiveness of the jigsaw and TGT cooperative learning in the JHS students’ mathematical skills and mathematics learning motivation; 4) the jigsaw cooperative learning method is more effective than the TGT cooperative learning method for the JHS students’ mathematics learning motivation; and 5) the jigsaw cooperative learning method is more effective than the TGT cooperative learning method for the JHS students’ mathematical skills. Keyword: Cooperative Learning, Jigsaw, Teams Game Turnament, Learning Motivation, Mathematics Skill

Designing for interaction

At present, the design of computer-supported group-based learning (CS)GBL) is often based on subjective decisions regarding tasks, pedagogy and technology, or concepts such as ‘cooperative learning’ and ‘collaborative learning’. Critical review reveals these concepts as insufficiently substantial to serve as a basis for (CS)GBL design. Furthermore, the relationship between outcome and group interaction is rarely specified a priori. Thus, there is a need for a more systematic approach to designing (CS)GBL that focuses on the elicitation of expected interaction processes. A framework for such a process-oriented methodology is proposed. Critical elements that affect interaction are identified: learning objectives, task-type, level of pre-structuring, group size and computer support. The proposed process-oriented method aims to stimulate designers to adopt a more systematic approach to (CS)GBL design according to the interaction expected, while paying attention to critical elements that affect interaction. This approach may bridge the gap between observed quality of interaction and learning outcomes and foster (CS)GBL design that focuses on the heart of the matter: interaction

Assessing final-year practical work through group projects; A further study

The use of a group-based approach to project working has been shown to provide significant advantage to students in terms of project outcomes, motivation and engagement. The Department of Chemistry at the University of Reading has recently explored the use of group projects for final year practical work. In this model, students are presented with a research problem that they investigate within a team of three to five students. Students are expected to divide the work and share results in a manner that closely resembles project working in industry. This paper will report the experiences and attitudes of final-year BSc students towards this group-based approach, and outline the self-identified skills development of these students

The use of learning management platforms in school context - a national study

This report results from a national study carried out under the Project “Educational application of learning management platforms”, supported and funded by the Computers, Networks, and Internet in Schools department of the Portuguese Ministry of Education- General Directorate for Innovation and Educational Development. This report has been developed by the ICT Competence Centre of the Faculty of Sciences- University of Lisbon, during the school year 2007/2008

Class tournament as an assessment method in physics courses : a pilot study

Testing knowledge is an integral part of a summative assessment at schools. It can be performed in many different ways. In this study we propose assessment of physics knowledge by using a class tournament approach. Prior to a statistical analysis of the results obtained over a tournament organized in one of Polish high schools, all its specifics are discussed at length, including the types of questions assigned, as well as additional self- and peer-evaluation questionnaires, constituting an integral part of the tournament. The impact of the tournament upon student improvement is examined by confronting the results of a post-test with pre-tournament students’ achievements reflected in scores earned in former, tests written by the students in experimental group and their colleagues from control group. We also present some of students’ and teachers’ feedback on the idea of a tournament as a tool of assessment. Both the analysis of the tournament results and the students’ and teachers’ opinions point to at least several benefits of our approach

Are work-integrated learning (WIL) students better equipped psychologically for work post-graduation than their non-work-integrated learning peers? Some initial findings from a UK university

Work-integrated learning (WIL) provides an opportunity to develop the skills, knowledge, competence, and experience, which increase employability and lead to more satisfying careers. Research indicates that WIL results in improved academic- and occupationally-related outcomes. However, there is a paucity of quantitative research examining the psychological impact of WIL. The study aimed to determine whether students who pursue WIL in the UK, differ significantly in terms of self-concept, self-efficacy, hope, study skills, motivation, and procrastination than students who have not participated in WIL. The methodology used a cross-sectional analysis of a large sample (n=716) of undergraduate students at the University of Huddersfield, UK. Results showed significant differences predominantly centred upon measures which pertain to students’ confidence in setting and attaining goals. The increased hope and confidence in goal attainment suggest that gaining work experience perhaps enhances the ability to set and achieve goals once in the work force. (Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 2013, 14(2), 117-125) Keywords: Employability; Psychological factors; Work-integrated learning; Placement; Confidence; Self estee

Helping behaviour during cooperative learning and learning gains

Is helping behaviour (i.e., solicited help and peer tutoring) during cooperative learning (CL) related to subsequent learning gains? And can teachers influence pupils’ helping behaviour? One hundred one 5th grade pupils from multiethnic schools, 10-12 years old, participated in the study. Forty two pupils (31 immigrant) worked in an experimental condition, characterized by the stimulation of solicited high quality help and 59 (24 immigrant) worked in a control condition. It was found that learning gains were predicted positively by pupils’ unsolicited helping behaviour (i.e., peer tutoring) and negatively by solicited help. Furthermore, teachers were able to affect pupils’ low quality solicited help only. Lastly, immigrant pupils used less helping behaviour than local pupils, irrespective of CL setting

A systematic review of pedagogical approaches that can effectively include children with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms with a particular focus on peer group interactive approaches

The broad background to this review is a long history of concepts of special pupils and special education, and a faith in special pedagogical approaches. The rise of inclusive schools and some important critiques of special pedagogy (e.g. Hart, 1996; Norwich and Lewis, 2001; Thomas and Loxley, 2001) have raised the profile of teaching approaches that ordinary teachers can and do use to include children with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms. Inclusive education itself is increasingly conceived as being about the quality of learning and participation that goes on in inclusive schools rather than simplistic matters of where children are place