CO-OPERATIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IKA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background to the Study

Co-operative learning strategy is a process in which students learn by working in small groups and helping each other’s learning for a common goal. It is an approach to organizing students to work in small groups of five to six in order to complete a specified task collectively. Students in co-operative learning environment could be of different levels of ability working together but they work co-operatively on specified tasks or projects in such a way that all members of the group benefit from the interactive experience (Klam 2011)

However, not every group working is said to be co-operative unless it provides a set of rules. A groups’ working becomes a co-operative learning one if every member of the group knows that he or she cannot be successful unless other members are successful. Co-operative learning has been sufficiently studied and accepted as an effective strategy in an instructional setting. It is one learning technique where small teams of students work together to maximize their individual and collective learning (Udo, 2012). Team members are organized in to small groups and receive instruction from their teacher. Students within the team co-operate with one another and work through the assignments until each team member successfully understand and complete the task.

Thus, co-operation is a compulsory component in a co-operative learning environment.

        Unlike individual learning, students make use of one another’s resources and skills in co-operative learning process. They ask one another for information monitor one another’s work, evaluate one another’s ideas and share knowledge and experiences.

        Furthermore, the teacher’s role changes from being a monopoly of knowledge to that of giving information to a facilitate learning. Research has shown that students who work in co-operative groups do better in test; especially with regards to reasoning and critical thinking skills than those who either learn on their own or learn by the ordinary talk from the teachers’ mouth (Johnson and Johnson, 2012). Barkley (2005) also reported that there was higher achievement, higher level of reasoning, more frequent generation of ideas and greater transfer of what is learnt when co-operative learning is utilized as a teaching-learning strategy. Cooperative learning strategy leads to improved academic gain where students become more active participants in the learning process.

1.2    Statement of the problem

        It has been observed that most schools in our educational system are agitating for high grades in their student’s performance in external examinations.

The use of lecture method has been seen to be less effective in the teaching learning setting as observed by Awotua Efeho (2007). Unfortunately, this method happens to be the one mostly used in our secondary school classrooms by most teachers, thereby rendering the students passive learners. This, in addition to other variables such as inadequate supply of instructional materials, recruitment of unqualified teachers, learners socio-economic status and inconsistent educational policies have contributed to students poor performance in integrated science especially in external examination.

There has been reports of positive impact of co-operative learning strategy on students performance in other subjects like Biology and chemistry (Koalowale, 2008) and (Johnson and Johnson, 2012).the big question is; what will be the performance of students in integrated science in Ika Local Government Area if co-operative learning strategy is adopted as a teaching learning strategy?

1.3    Purpose of the study

        The main purpose of this study was to determine the effect of co-operative learning strategy on academic performance of students in integrated science in Ika Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

Specifically, the study sought to:

     i.        Determine the effects of co-operative learning strategy on students academic performance in integrated science and,

    ii.        Assess the influence of gender on students academic performance when co-operative learning strategy is used for instructional delivery.

1.4    Research Hypotheses

        The following research hypotheses were postulated to give direction to the study:

     i.        There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students taught integrated science using co-operative learning strategy and those taught with the traditional lecture method.

    ii.        There is no significant difference in the academic performance of male and female integrated science students taught using co-operative learning strategy.

1.5    Significance of the Study

        The outcome of this study would be significant in many ways and to different people.

-      Firstly, the result would reveal to integrated science teachers another teaching-learning strategy that should be adopted to improve student’s performance.

-      Secondly, the findings of this study would create an awareness to students of the need to study in small groups, since that would create room for brain-storming and sharing of ideas. Curriculum planners will also benefit from the findings of this study in that it will serve as working instrument when revising the teaching strategies column of the curriculum.

-      Finally, the findings of this study would serve as a reference point to all researchers who may have interest in writing a research of this nature.

1.6    Delimitation of the study

The study was delimited to only the ten (10) existing public secondary schools in Ika Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Also, only students of junior secondary three (3) class who are compulsory offering integrated science were used.

1.7    Limitation of the study

        In writing a research of this nature, limitations are bound to occur which included among others, the time given for the completion of this study which was inadequate. Financial constraint also exerted pressure on the study as the researcher could hardly acquire enough financial resources to enable her expand the scope of the study.

1.8    Definition of terms

The following terms as used in this study are operationally defined:

Co-operative: this involves doing something together or working together with others.

Learning: the process of acquiring knowledge or skills in doing things.

Strategy: the process of planning something or putting a plan into operation to achieve a particular purpose.

Co-operative Learning Strategy: this is a learning approach involving students learning in small group of five (5) or six (6) toward achieving a set goal or accomplishing a specified task.

Academic Performance: the level of achievement obtained by students in integrated science as a result of learning through co-operately and translated into cognitive scores.

Gender: the fact of being male or female especially when considered with reference to social and cultural differences.

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