Date of Award
2011
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education
Advisor
Michael Griffin
Committee Member
Donald Lueder
Committee Member
Ronald P. Kern
Keywords
achievement, administrators, classroom methods, cooperative learning, evaluation, group activities, individualistic goals, learning strategies, lesson planning, mastery, monitoring, multistrategy, peer tutoring, small-group instruction, student achievement, students, teacher training, teachers, training, whole-class instruction
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to utilize learning strategies that emphasized small-group instructions where students work together cooperatively and with peers to achieve mastery. Traditionally, the classroom practices used in this school lent themselves primarily to whole-class instructions that emphasized competitive and individualistic goals rather than small groups and cooperative practices. The multistrategy used in this study sought to shift the focus of classroom instructions away from what was traditional. However, the introduction of the multistrategy that called for small group teaching required training for teachers and students.
The writer developed several solution strategies that trained students and teachers in the process. These strategies included (a) cooperative learning sessions in lesson planning and executing lessons for teachers, (b) structuring cooperative learning groups, (c) monitoring and evaluating group activities, (d) peer tutoring and cooperative learning skills sessions, and (e) training sessions for administrators. These intervention strategies involved students, teachers, and to a lesser degree administrators.
An analysis of the data revealed that the students involved in the experiment made significant improvement over those students who were not involved. The analysis of the data also suggested that the improvement seen in students’ achievement could be attributed to the use of the multistrategy of cooperative learning and peer tutoring, lending credence to the significance of the study.