Faculty of Education - Theses

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End date: 1999 × Start date: 1990 × Type: Masters Research thesis × Subject: Science × Subject: Study and teaching ×

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    Classroom management of cooperative learning : a research study of two teaching strategies
    Smeh, Kathy ( 1996)
    This study sought to contribute to an understanding of the social context of instruction in science classes particularly to group organisation and dialogical processes. This study investigated how two role management strategies (Strategy 1 and Strategy 2) affected communication particularly Conceptualisation in all female, all-male and mixed gender groups in three parallel Year 8 science classes from one school. It also investigated the attitudes of the female and male students towards group work, the two role management strategies and gender. There were two treatment classes and one control class. Each treatment class was observed over an eight week period under each role management treatment. For the eight week period, the control class was managed in a way considered more typical of a traditional science class (No Role Strategy). A randomly selected all-female, all-male and mixed gender group from each class was tested after each treatment phase. The test problem was a practical problem requiring each group to devise and carry out a solution for the test problem. During the testing sessions each group was audio and video taped. The level of Conceptualisation was measured by coded transcriptions of group utterances during the problem solving task. At a time after the final testing session, students in the two treatment classes were administered a Student Group Work Questionnaire to determine their attitudes towards group work, the role management strategies and gender, and, to determine their behaviour in relation to each role management strategy. A statistically significant difference was found between Strategies (No Role Strategy, Strategy 1 and Strategy 2) for the frequency of Conceptualisation utterances. Further analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between No Role Strategy and Strategy 1, and, a significant difference between No Role Strategy and Strategy 2. No statistically significant difference was found between Strategy 1 and Strategy 2. No statistically significant difference was found between Gender groups (All-female, all-male and mixed gender groups) and Phases (Phase 1 and Phase 2) for the frequency of Conceptualisation utterances. Students who received instruction with the role management strategies tended to work better as a team than students who received instruction with only No Role Strategy.