ABSTRACT
The study
examined the relationship between collaborative learning method and academic
performance of secondary school students in Lagos State: Implication for
counselling. A total of 200 (two hundred) sampled students were selected and
used for this study. A total of four (4) null hypotheses
were formulated and tested using the Pearson
product moment correlation
and the independent t-test tools at 0.05 level of significance.
At the end of
the data analysis, results obtained include the following:
(1) There is
a significant relationship between collaborative learning method and students'
academic performance in school.
(2) There is a significant relationship between the academic performance of
students taught by collaborative learning method and those taught by other
method of teaching in school.
(3) There is
a significant relationship between personality and academic performance of
students based on the use of collaborative learning in schools.
(4) Finally,
there is a significant gender difference in the academic performance of
students due to the application of collaborative learning method in schools.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGES
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract v
Table of Contents vi
CHAPTER
ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study 1
1.2 Statement of Problem 4
1.3 Purpose of the Study 5
1.4 Research Questions 6
1.5 Research Hypothesis 7
1.6 Significance of the Study 7
1.7 Scope and Limitation of the Study 8
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0
Introduction 9
2.1 Concepts and Nature 10
2.2 Collaborative Learning in Dyads and Groups
in 11
Classroom
2.3
Group and Individual Performance through 16
Collaborative/Cooperative Learning
2.4 Teacher Intentions in Collaborative
Learning in 19
Classroom
2.5 Presentation
and implementation in Collaborative 22
Classroom
2.6 Assessment
of Group Processes in Collaborative 26
Learning
Class
2.7 Promoting Collaborative Learning in Schools 27
2.8 Creating Favourable Conditions For
Collaborative 28
Learning
2.9 Teaching, Encouraging and Fostering Skills
Of 30
Collaborative Learning
in Classroom
2.10 Conditions Necessary for The Success Of
Collaborative 32
Learning
2.11 Collaborative Learning and Students' Academic 34
Performance in School
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODS
3.0 Introduction 39
3.1 Research Design 39
3.2 Population of the Study 39
3.3 Sample and Sampling Technique 39
3.4 Instrumentation 39
3.5 Collection of Data 40
3.6 Data Analysis 40
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION OF
RESULTS
4.0 Introduction 41
4.1 Testing
of Hypotheses 41
4.2 Summary
of Findings 44
CHAPTER FIVE:DISCUSSION, SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Introduction 46
5.2 Discussion of the Findings 46
5.3 Summary of the Study 50
5.4 Conclusions 51
5.5 Recommendations 52
REFERENCES 54
APPENDIX 58
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study
Few classrooms
are homogenous in nature. The typical classroom is made up of students from
diverse cultural, economic, ethnic, linguistic and social backgrounds. In
addition, the classrooms comprise of students with diverse motivational and
ability levels. So in the typical classroom, there are some students who
benefit from the conventional instructional processes because the processes are
consistent with their previous experiences. Still there are other students who
do not benefit from the instructional processes because, the instructional
processes tend to inhibit their learning abilities (Jones and Jones, 2001).
Furthermore, Jones
and Jones (2001), pointed out that the teacher must modify the classroom
environment so as to enable the learners to develop prosocial, cooperative
behaviour and culture of learning. Collaborative peer learning is therefore,
one classroom management strategy usually recommended for more advanced
learners such as secondary school students (Schmuck and Schmuck, 2007).
Collaborative
peer learning involves students working together to complete common tasks or
master a common challenge (Fawcett and Garton, 2005). Rochelle and Teasley
(2005) also see collaborative learning as a coordinated, synchronous activity
that is the result of a continued attempt to construct and maintain a shared
conception of a problem. Pieced together, it would be plausible to describe
collaborative learning as the voluntary coming together of students of diverse
abilities or levels of comprehension to study together for the purpose of
maximizing their own and each other’s learning (Johnson, Johnson and Holubec,
2008).
Promotive interaction
is the mutual help that members offer to one another. Members must always
engage in verbal communication, asking questions, offering explanations, and
through that, help one another to overcome their learning difficulties.
Individual accountability is the acceptance of the fact each member of the
group is accountable to the group for tasks assigned to them. As the group
monitors the contributions of individual members, free riders must be made of
their negative tendency. Passive listeners (social loafers) must also be made
to be aware of their passiveness in the class activity. But this quiet
reprimand must be made in such a way that the individuals involved would not be
hurt too much. Therefore, social skills must be deployed in peer collaborative
learning (Johnson and Johnson, 2004).
Collaborative
learning among peers in the classroom is successful when no one is perceived as
a social loafer or a free rider. Neither should some or one of the class
members perceive themselves to be doing virtually all the work while others
merely goof and listen passively. Every member must feel that everybody is an
equal participant in the group’s activities. There must be perceived shared
leadership. At any given time, and in any given situation, peers do different things.
Therefore, ideally leadership should not be seen to be fixed in only one
competent member; rather leadership must be seen to be diffused and contextual
(Leon, 2004).
Counselling is
very essential in any school system. It is an instrument that is applied for
direction of those who do not know the way to follow and for correction of
wrong direction taken by anyone (Covey, 1990). According to Amobi (2003), the
use of counselling or the activity of the counsellor is needed in helping the
students to carry out appropriate cooperative learning in the classroom. For
instance Amobi is of the opinion that the counsellor must help the teachers to
realize and appreciate the important role they have to play in adequately
motivating their students to learn, using the collaborative learning method.
Therefore, the teachers should be encouraged by the school counsellor to adopt
the following strategies in motivating their students to learn cooperatively:
Be
a competent model who is motivated to learn. This is because, the attitudes the
teachers convey about learning effort and achievement are important factors in
determining whether students will develop positive attitudes towards the same
issues.
Create
an atmosphere of challenge and high expectations to learn. Every student should
be challenged to do their best.
Communicate
the expectations that the students will achieve and provide the necessary
academic and emotional support.
Work
with students to help them set goals, plan and monitor their progress and to
select learning tasks that can stimulate interest and curiosity in the
cooperative learning and so on.
1.2 Statement
of Problem
The problem
inherent in collaborative learning method and academic achievement of students
cannot be overemphasized. This is because, in some cases, collaborative method
of teaching and learning are not effective method of teaching and learning
processes. For instance, students who are gifted and well comfortable with
individualistic learning process, may not be well disposed when they are
grouped together with some other students in the classroom. Also, some students
are shy, moody, and introverts, therefore, they do not like to be exposed to
the social activities in the school. If these students who are very inhibitive
and public-phobia are exposed in group studies, they may not be able to study
well. Rather than studying well in a group of peers, they may tend to be
towered. Most of them who cannot talk or join discussions in the classroom
would be hindered being good and effective learners.
Not only that,
group learning has its own negative effects. The following negative effects of
collaborative learning method are identified by Uzor (2004): Laziness (students
may become lazy and leave the activity to only one person to carry on); social
loafers (some group members may decide to while away their times while
intensive work is going on and in that case, may not learn anything); one-sided
leadership (the group-leader may be the only one who leads the group while
others may not understand or know how to lead). Other problems are: members may
not communicate and interact with one another; there may arise in-fighting and
bad blood within the group and this may lead to incompetence and lack of
mastery of subject-matter by some members of the group and so on.
The above
problems gave rise to the examination of the relationship between collaborative
learning method and academic performance of students in schools.
1.3 Purpose
of the Study
The following
objectives of the study are to:
(1) find out whether there is a relationship
between collaborative learning and student’s academic achievement in school.
(2) examine if collaborative learning method is
the best method of teaching/learning in school.
(3) compare the learning outcomes of students
who are taught using collaborative learning method and those who were taught
with other methods.
(4) find out whether gender difference exists
in the academic achievement of students due to the use of collaborative
learning method.
1.4 Research
Questions
The following
research questions were asked:
(1) Will there be relationship between
collaborative learning method and students’ academic achievement in school?
(2) Is collaborative learning method the best
method in teaching/learning?
(3) Is there any comparison between the
learning outcomes of students who were taught using collaborative learning
method and those taught without it?
(4) Will there be gender difference in the
academic performance of students due to application of collaborative learning
method?
1.5 Research
Hypothesis
(1) There will be no significant relationship
between collaborative learning method and students’ academic achievement in
school.
(2) There will be no significant relationship
between the academic performance of students who are taught by collaborative
method and those who are not.
(3) There will be no significant relationship
between teachers personality and academic performance of students based on
collaborative learning.
(4) There will be no significant gender
difference in the academic achievement of students due to application of
collaborative learning method.
1.6 Significance
of the Study
This
study will be beneficial to the followings:
(1) Teachers would be able to have deeper
insights through the finding and recommendations of this study.
(2) Students would equally benefit from this
study, because it will an eye-opener to them on the subject-matter.
(3) Parents who are school stakeholders will
equally derive benefit from the study because they would gather much
information from it.
(4) The society will not be left out. The
members of the public will be fully informed concerning collaborative learning
and students’ academic achievement.
1.7 Scope
and Limitation of the Study
The
study covers the relationship between collaborative learning and students’
academic performance in secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area of
Lagos State. Finance, time frame and other logistics would pose a considerable
hindrance to the completion of the study.
Login To Comment