Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

John Travers

Committee Member

Robert Esenberg

Committee Member

Ronald P. Kern

Keywords

Cooperative Learning, Student Attitudes, Small Group Instruction, Mathematics, Standardized Tests

Abstract

This applied dissertation was designed to determine the effect that a cooperative learning program had on students’ achievement and attitudes towards mathematics. Data from standardized tests showed that the sixth-grade students in the researcher’s school were scoring low in mathematics. Therefore, the study was conducted with two Grade 6 mathematics classrooms over a 5-month period. One of the classes served as the treatment group, and the other classroom served as the nontreatment group.

The treatment group received a cooperative learning program that was grounded in research. The program included (a) the creation of a cooperative learning environment, (b) the development of group norms, (c) assignment of students to groups, (d) assignment of group roles, (e) implementation of individual and group accountability procedures, (f) teaching students interpersonal skills, (g) providing students with conflict resolution strategies, and (h) the implementation of three student-led cooperative learning activities. The nontreatment group did not receive the cooperative learning program.

A standardized assessment was used to collect quantitative data to determine how a cooperative learning program using small-group instruction impacted the students in the treatment group achievement in mathematics. Pretest and posttest results of a paired t test showed a significant one-tailed increase for the scale-score results and the results for each gender. Quantitative data were also collected to determine how the distribution of test scores among the students in the treatment group compared to the test scores of the nontreatment group. The results revealed that the pretest-to-posttest difference was higher for the treatment group when compared to the difference for the nontreatment group.

A 12-item survey using a 5-point Likert scale was used to collect quantitative data regarding the attitudes of students in the treatment group toward mathematics before and after the treatment was given. The results of a paired t test revealed a significant one tailed increase in cognitive, motivation, and affective mean scores. In addition, the results indicated that the cooperative learning treatment had a more positive effect on the female students when compared to the male students. The presurvey and postsurvey results did not show a significant one-tailed difference in means for the male and female students.

A telephone interview was conducted to collect qualitative data to determine if parents of students in the treatment group noticed a positive difference in the students’ attitudes towards mathematics after the treatment was given. A content analysis was used to identify common patterns in the parents’ responses. The results indicated that more students had a negative attitude towards mathematics at the beginning of the study when compared to the end of the study. Implications and limitations of the study were reported.

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