IMPACT OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING

ON GRADE 7 MATHEMATICS CLASS

(Strand: Pedagogy, Strategies)

Bernardo Cristino P. Altamira

Department of Education
Region IV-A
Division of Quezon

A report on an action research

August 2013
 ABSTRACT

The Department of Education points to K to 12 Enhanced Basic Education program to

address one of the main weaknesses of the Philippine educational system—the congested

curriculum. Students are hardpressed to learn in 10 years a curriculum that is actually designed

for 12 years in other countries. Hence, Filipino students are not able to achieve comprehension

and mastery, particularly of core subjects. With K to 12, students will develop competencies and

higher order thinking skills through one of the key features of the program which is the provision

of time for independent/cooperative learning. It has the purpose to develop student capacity for

self-directed learning, teamwork, goal-orientation, sense of responsibility and accountability for

results. (DepEd Order 31, s. 2012)

Cooperative learning is a teaching arrangement that refers to small, heterogenous groups

of students working together to achieve a common goal (Dotson, 2001). Students work together

to learn and are responsible for their teammates’ learning as well as their own.

This action research was done to a Grade 7 class of Sto. Angel National High School in

Calauag, Quezon, Philippines. The research investigated whether cooperative learning would

lead to a better understanding of the mathematical concepts. The implementation of cooperative

learning groups included the purpose of improving students’ attitudes toward the subject and

their academic competencies. Participants included high school students in Grade 7 mathematics.

Treatment involved requiring students to work in purposefully structured groups over the course

of several weeks. Students completed attitude surveys and interviews. The teacher and peer made

observations, and together with students’ information, data was analyzed to establish any change
in the students’ attitudes about the course content and classroom environment. The data analysis

reveals that cooperative learning increases students’ confidence level as well as their

involvement in the learning process. The provision of support structures by the teacher is

necessary to create successful teams within the class.

Keywords: cooperative learning, structured groups, student attitude, academic competencies

INTRODUCTION

Many students who have worked in a team in project-based course do not have fond

memories of the experience. Some recall one or two team members doing all the work and the

others simply going along for the ride but getting the same grade. Others remember dominant

students, whose intense desire for a good grade led them to stifle their teammates’ efforts to

contribute. Still others recall arrangements in which the work was divided up and completed

parts were stapled together and turned in, with each team member knowing little or nothing

about what any of the others did. Whatever else these students learned from their team

experiences, they learned to avoid team projects whenever possible.

Cooperative learning is an approach to groupwork that minimizes the occurrences of

those unpleasant situations and maximizes the learning and satisfaction that result from working

on a high-performance team. A large and rapidly growing body of research confirms the

effectiveness of cooperative learning (Johnson, et. al., 2000). Relative to students taught

traditionally—i.e., with teacher-centered lectures, individual assignments, and competitive

grading—cooperatively taught students tend to exhibit higher academic achievement, greater

persistence through graduation, better high-level reasoning and critical thinking skills, deeper

understanding of learned material, greater time on task and less disruptive behavior in class,

lower levels of anxiety and stress, greater intrinsic motivation to learn and achieve, greater

ability to view situations from others’ perspectives, more positive and supportive relationship

with peers, more positive attitudes toward subject areas, and higher self-esteem.

There are several reasons why cooperative learning works well. The idea that students

learn more by doing something active than by simply watching and listening has long been

known to both cognitive psychologists and effective teachers (Bransford, et. al., 2000) and

cooperative learning is by its nature an active method. Beyond that, cooperation enhances

learning in several ways. Weak students working individually are likely to give up when they get

stuck; working cooperatively, they keep going. Strong students faced with the task of explaining

and clarifying material to weaker students often find gaps in their own understanding and fill

them in. Students working alone may tend to delay completing assignments or skip them

altogether, but when they know that others are counting on them, they are motivated to do the

work in a timely manner.

This study is an opportunity to enhance the researcher’s knowledge of cooperative

learning and examine the effect of cooperative learning groups in promoting a deeper

understanding of the Grade 7 mathematics curriculum. The students will be gradually switched

from a direct instruction approach to a cooperative learning environment. Groups will be formed

based on past grades of students from different ability levels working together. Many teachers,

including those who teach mathematics, are sure to benefit from this research.

Specifically, this study shall answer the following research questions:

1. Will the effective use of cooperative learning groups improve achievement in math ?
 2. How will the use of cooperative learning groups impact individual participation in

math ?

3. Will students’ attitudes toward math change when cooperative learning groups are

used ?

These questions have enabled the researcher to explore the complexities and benefits of

teaming on students’ self-confidence and participation in the mathematics classroom. This has

allowed the researcher to understand how to better organize support structures and supporting

students in transferring cooperative skills to new problem solving situations.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A review of literature surrounding the topic of cooperative learning uncovers how crucial

this education reform can be to our schools. The research provides readers with the following

themes of cooperative learning: benefits of cooperative learning and grouping students in a

cooperative learning setting. This review of literature provides convincing evidence for the need

to implement cooperative learning, as well as structures to promote a successful cooperative

learning classroom.

Benefits of Cooperative Learning

Researchers on cooperative learning list numerous positive outcomes associated with this

innovative style of teaching. The most popular and anticipated benefit of cooperative learning is

higher academic achievement and social skills development (Johnson & Johnson, 1999; Kagan,

1994; Siegel, 2005; Slavin, 1996). Tied to increased academic achievement is the development
and growth of higher level thinking skills, more frequent transfer of learned concepts to new

situations, and more time-on-task (Johnson & Johnson, 1999).

Grouping in a Cooperative Learning Setting

Creating a cooperative learning classroom begins with the formation of groups or teams

of students. The majority of research suggests cooperative groups be heterogenous, including

high, middle, and low achievers, boys and girls, and an ethnic and linguistically diverse

representation of the class (Johnson & Johnson, 1999; Kagan,1994; Dotson, 2001). The

distribution of ability levels in a group is specified as including a high-ability, medium-high

ability, medium-low ability, and low ability student (Kagan, 1994) with the favored number of

students in a group being four (Kagan, 1994).

Synthesis of the State-of-the Art

The main theme from the review of literature is the positive impact cooperative learning

can have on student learning. Mounds of research support this educational reform. Scholars have

created cooperative learning models and significant strides have been taken to implement

cooperative learning. “Given the situation (of our students’ futures), we need to emphasize

thinking skills as well as content, and we must prepare our students to act adaptively in a very

broad range of social situations” (Kagan, 1994). Research suggests strongly that cooperative

learning can increase academic achievement and develop students’ social skills. The next step is

for educators find ways to implement the valuable classroom strategy of cooperative learning.

The research supporting cooperative learning is practically self-evident. The researcher is

deeply interested in knowing more about the effects of teaming on student confidence in their
own math abilities and willingness to become actively involved in mathematics learning tasks.

Teachers are keenly aware of the importance of keeping students involved in the content and

they understand the value of cultivating students’ self-confidence in their learning abilities.

Conceptual Framework

Cooperative learning is often misinterpreted as a group of students working together on a

common task. How is cooperative learning different from group work? Dr. Kagan, founder of

Kagan Cooperative Learning Program, and one of the world’s foremost providers of professional

training of the topic, states a clear definition of cooperative learning. Dr. Kagan began

researching cooperative learning in 1968 and has become an international expert on the topic.

Kagan (1994) defines cooperative learning through four basic principles: Positive

Interdependence, Individual Accountability, Equal Participation, and Simultaneous Interaction.

Kagan explains, “established and effective cooperative learning structures incorporate all four of

the PIES (Positive Interaction, Individual Accountability, Equal Participation, and Simultaneous

Interaction) principles” (Dotson, 2001). Group work alone does not include the four principles.

Kagan suggests that the sole difference between group work and cooperative learning is the

presence of the four previously listed principles in cooperative grouping. Positive Interaction are

essential components of cooperative learning and elevate classroom activities from group work

to cooperative learning status.

Theoretical Framework

When implementing cooperative learning groups, appropriate social skills and personal

interactions must be taught. The whole idea of successfully working in a group depends on the

actions of each individual within the group. The base group serves many purposes. It will give
the support and encouragement each member needs to make academic progress and develop

cognitively and socially. The social skills that will need to be learned include what the role of

each member should look/sound like, rules and expectations (Bernero, 2000).

Research has shown that cooperative learning groups have a positive impact on

developing social skills, academic achievement, self-esteem and self-confidence among all

students. When efforts are structured cooperatively, there is considerable evidence that students

will achieve more (learn more, use higher level reasoning strategies more frequently, build more

complete and complex conceptual structures, and retain information learned more accurately),

build more positive and supportive relationships (including relationships with diverse

individuals), and develop in more healthy ways (psychological health, self-esteem, ability to

manage stress and adversity) (Johnson, 1999).

METHODOLOGY

The subjects of this study are forty-seven Grade 7 students in mathematics. The

population included in the study is a heterogenous class in terms of academic status. The study

was conducted during the fourth quarter of School Year 2012-2013. To begin the research, the

researcher formed heterogenous teams based upon Kagan’s suggested structure. Each team was

composed of a high, medium-high, medium-low, and low achiever. The students worked with

their team for six weeks (12 sessions).

The methods and instruments used for this research study varied depending on what the

researcher was looking to prove or disprove. The researcher was first looking to see if the

effective use of cooperative learning groups would improve achievement in math. For this, the

researcher kept all homework assignments (word problems) the students took throughout the
fourth quarter. The researcher then looked at the individual scores of the students for the fourth

quarter test and compared those scores with their scores in the previous three quarters. The

researcher also had to look at the class’ mean percentage score in math for the previous three

quarters.

The researcher was also looking to see how the use of cooperative learning groups would

impact individual participation in math. The researcher kept a journal to record observations of

instances of lack of participation.

The students had to answer surveys at the beginning of the treatment and again at the end

of the treatment. These surveys were used to answer the question: Will students’ attitudes toward

math change when cooperative learning groups are used?

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The results of the unit tests showed that the grade averages did climb to a higher level

than they had started at. The students were working well with each other. Not only were the

grades higher, but very little explanation was needed in going over the test. The students had a

real grasp of the concepts and basically were able to explain to the teacher what they had missed

and how they could fix the error. This was astonishing to the teacher that even the low-achieving

students could look at the problems they missed and know exactly why they had missed it. So

many times the teacher have seen students totally baffled by a missed problem and not able to

see the mistake. Not this time, for this group of students had a real handle on the concepts.

The researcher saw certain individuals thrive in this environment. By being in a smaller

group they were more comfortable in asking for help when needed. At the beginning of the
fourth quarter, the researcher noticed that some students were reluctant to participate for fear of

what others may think of them. Not so anymore as the whole class got involved in class

discussions; they will even argue with each other and take sides. Some students came in the

mornings for extra help for they did not want to let their groups down and did not want to be

perceived as the slow members. These students have made the decision to get better at math,

where if they were not assigned to a group they may not care and just fall behind. Overall, the

researcher saw more individual participation which may have something to do with the increased

grade averages.

The researcher now feel that the cooperative groups worked well. It took a while for the

students to catch on to the idea but now we all see the benefits. If done correctly, using

appropriate groupings, incorporating it into the class every day, letting the students discuss math

problems openly, and group competitions, the use of cooperative learning groups will bear the

best results.

CONCLUSIONS

By using cooperative learning groups for one quarter, the students did better in the fourth

quarter than they had done the previous three quarters not using the groups. The students, for the

most part, seemed to enjoy the opportunity to work with each other to try to solve some of the

more complicated problems. But what about independent thinking skills? With the cooperative

groups, some of the students relied on the other students in their group to think of solutions and

they never had to think of, or come up with, a solution on their own.

In general, the class bonded together. It did not make a difference of ability levels as they

quickly found out that they had to work together and help each other improve if they stood a
chance of winning the competition prizes. Having group competitions on tests, with the highest

group average being declared the winners, was probably the best idea the researcher had. The

students really tried hard to improve so that the entire group would do well.

There were some students who just did not like to work with others. They felt that they

could accomplish more and do it better than the group could. And for the most part at this grade

level they could. As seventh graders, these students will see very diversified teaching styles as

they continue with their education. Some of their future teachers will use cooperative groups and

others will not. Now that they have had a taste of cooperative learning groups, the researcher

feels they will be better able to handle group situations in the classroom.

The researcher found that using cooperative learning groups took some of the pressure

off the teacher. Instead of the teacher having to try to help everybody, the teacher only had to

help each group that was having difficulties. That meant that the teacher might be helping two or

three students at once instead of one at a time. There were even some days that the teacher taught

new concept and that was all that was needed of him. The students helped each other and took

care of business. It was not nearly as stressful for the teacher as he did not have to answer a

hundred questions each class period.

 REFERENCES

Bernero, J. Motivating students in math using cooperative learning.

http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED446999.pdf

Bransford, J.; Brown, A.L.; Cocking, R.R. How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and
School. National Academy: Washington, D. C. 2000;
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309070368/html

Dotson, J. Cooperative Learning Structures Can Increase Student Achievement. Kagan Online
Magazine, Winter 2001.
http://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/research_and_rationale/increase_achievement.php

Johnson, D. W.; Johnson, R. T. What Makes Cooperative Learning Work. JALT Applied
Materials. 1999; http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED437841.pdf

Johnson, D. W.; Johnson R. T.; Stanne, M. E. Cooperative Learning Methods: A Meta-analysis.

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis: Cooperative Learning Center. 2000;
http://tablelearning.com/uploads/File/EXHIBIT-B.pdf

Kagan, S. Structures Optimize Engagement. San Clemente, CA: Kagan Publishing. Kagan online
Magazine. Spring/Summer 2005.
http://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/dr_spencer_kagan/277/ASK28.php

Siegel, C. Implementing a Research-based Model of Cooperative Learning. 2005 Education

Faculty Publications. Paper 52; http://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/education-facultypubs/52

Slavin, R. Research on Cooperative Learning and Achievement: What We Know, What We Need
to Know. Contemporary Educational Psychology. 1996;
www.konferenslund.se/pp/TAPPS_Slavin.pdf