Teaching problem solving through cooperative grouping. Part 1: Group versus individual problem solving

In a large introductory physics course, structured weekly journals (weekly reports) regularly encouraged students to ask questions about the material. The resulting questions were collected for one quarter and coded based on difficulty and topic. Students also took several conceptual tests during the quarter. The reports contained more questions than typically observed in a college classroom, but the number of questions asked was not correlated to any measure of conceptual performance. Relationships among different types of questions and performance on these tests were explored. Deeper‐level questions that focus on concepts, coherence of knowledge, and limitations were related to the variance in student conceptual achievement. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 776–791, 2003

Interactive instruction make measurable gains in concept learning, but problem-solving skills and develop-ment of a scientific mindset are often missed in the large lecture environment of introductory physics courses. We describe an implementation of the Cooperative Problem Solving model (Heller & Heller 2010) for over 400 students in an Introductory Mechanics course for Life Science Majors at UC San Diego, aimed at improving problem-solving, relevance and student collaboration in learning. We describe our flipped-model approach with 25 hours of video lectures, problem-solving skill development through training worksheets and strategy scaffolds, and bi-weekly team projects combining physical and life science topics. Nine sections of this course were conducted alongside a large lecture control, all taught by the same instructor. We discuss comparisons in student performance on exams and the Force Concepts Inventory, and demonstrate clear gains in persistence in this and subsequent Physics courses. We also examine students' use of the video lectures.

We have a large introductory physics course for non-majors, comprised mainly of First Year Undergraduate students. We provide for them a number of multiple choice and formula response questions online to help them prepare for the exams. While we do have other graded components of the course online, this part is set to be ungraded and allows them to see the solutions after a single attempt. We use data collected on the online student responses to explore student study behavior. For example, we were curious to see how students used this online answer checker to help them study for exams - did they try until they got the answer themselves or did they simply put in a junk answer in order to be able to read the solution?

Through in-class observations of teaching assistants (TAs) and students in the lab sections of a large introductory physics course, we study which TA behaviors can be used to predict student engagement and, in turn, how this engagement relates to learning. For the TAs, we record data to determine how they adhere to and deliver the lesson plan and how they interact with students during the lab. For the students, we use observations to record the level of student engagement and pre- and post-tests of lab skills to measure learning. We find that the frequency of TA-student interactions, especially those initiated by the TAs, is a positive and significant predictor of student engagement. Interestingly, the length of interactions is not significantly correlated with student engagement. In addition, we find that student engagement was a better predictor of post-test performance than pre-test scores. These results shed light on the manner in which students learn how to conduct inquiry and suggest that, by proactively engaging students, TAs may have a positive effect on student engagement, and therefore learning, in the lab.

The author investigated the effects of a cooperative learning environment on the implementation of integrating music into core academic subjects. Using a quasi-experimental design, participants ( N = 59) were preservice generalist elementary and special education majors from four course sections of a required music methods course, where two course sections worked in a cooperative learning environment and two course sections worked individually. For six weeks, participants worked on a final project that integrated music into academic core subject lessons. At the conclusion of six weeks, each participant individually microtaught one lesson created from the music integration project. Additionally, participants completed an interest survey after the study was concluded. Results showed that participants in the cooperative learning group scored statistically significantly higher ( p < .05) on the music integration project, microteaching evaluations, and rated statistically significantly higher interest on their projects from the student interest survey. These results suggest that participants in the cooperative learning group produced work of a higher quality than participants in the control group and that the cooperative learning group also showed a higher level of interest in their own music integration projects.

The lack of diversity and the under-performance of underrepresented students in STEM courses have been the focus of researchers in the last decade. In particular, many hypotheses have been put forth for the reasons for the under-representation and under-performance of women in physics. Here, we present a framework for helping all students learn in science courses that takes into account four factors: (1) the characteristics of instruction and learning tools, (2) student characteristics, (3) implementation of instruction and learning tools, and (4) the students’ environments. While there has been much research on factor 1 (characteristics of instruction and learning tools), there has been less focus on factor 2 (students’ characteristics, and in particular, motivational factors). Here, we focus on the baseline characteristics of introductory physics students obtained from survey data to inform factor 2 of the framework. A longitudinal analysis of students’ motivational characteristics in two-semester introductory physics courses was performed by administering pre- and post-surveys that evaluated students’ self-efficacy, grit, fascination with physics, value associated with physics, intelligence mindset, and physics epistemology. We found that female students reported lower levels of self-efficacy, fascination, and value associated with physics, and held a more “fixed” view of intelligence in the context of physics compared to male students. Female students’ fascination and value associated with physics decreased significantly more than males’ after an introductory physics course sequence. In addition, females’ view of physics intelligence became more “fixed” compared to males’ by the end of an introductory physics course sequence. Grit was the only factor on which females reported averages that were equal to or higher than males throughout introductory physics courses. The findings inform the framework and have implications for the development and implementation of effective pedagogies and learning tools to help all students learn.

In this study we conduct an integrated assessment of first-year performance in introductory calculus and physics courses. We use well-accepted conceptual assessment instruments, initial state data such as the SAT, and our own recently developed instruments designed to measure aptitude in mathematics to develop a predictive model for student performance. The analyzed population was composed of undergraduate students at Clarkson University, cross-enrolled in the calculus-based introductory physics course and the introductory calculus course from 2004 to 2007. Both the mathematics and physics classes are large-enrollment, lecture-based courses. By analyzing the combined data sets, we found the expected strong correlation between performance (final grade) in the mathematics course and performance in the physics course. We analyze not only the predictive nature of the collected data, but also the impact of the various corrective measures on final grade. This analysis contributes to an integrated evaluation of the current programs which could lead to an assessment-based initiative to offer strategic guidance to incoming students, better placing them for academic and career success in their selected STEM disciplines.

A study of stoichiometric problem solving in chemistry was conducted in three high schools in a rural school district. Students (n = 178) in grades 10-12 solved problems individually or in a cooperative group using a prescriptive problem-solving strategy. This strategy consisted of a statement of the problem, redescription that included not only extraction of the stated and implied information but picture discription, prediction, mathematical solution, and check. The main purpose of the study was to determine empirically whether there was a difference in achievement between students solving problems individually and in cooperative groups. The cooperative groups were heterogeneously based upon proportional reasoning ability as determined by the results of the 2-item proportional reasoning subtest composing the Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT) developed by Tobin and Capie (1981). Secondary questions included: (1) the relationship of math stanines, age, sex, and proportional reasoning ability; (2) attitude differences; (3) characteristics of successful and unsuccessful students problem solving individually and in groups as determined through videotape analyses, classroom observation, and students' written work. There was no statistically significant difference in performance between regular or honor students of varying proportional reasoning ability solving stoichiometric problems individually or in cooperative groups (p $<$.05). The prescriptive method was the common factor throughout the study suggesting that it may be a strategy that will enable the gap between the performance of nonproportional reasoners and proportional reasoners to decrease on stoichiometric problems. No statistically significant attitude differences were found. It should be noted that students were undecided as to how they felt about chemistry before initiating problem solving and they did not form negative attitudes after seven weeks of problem solving. Verbal and written comments indicated that students enjoyed problem solving in groups. Successful problem solvers, both those in groups, and those who solved problems individually, were characterized by confidence and persistence and exhibited a strong conceptual base. Most successful students used the prescriptive method, organizing their problems into steps, sketching pictures, and making predictions. Successful groups interacted well, assuming responsibility for each other's learning.

Cooperative learning is one of the PAK-21 learning methods that emphasize student-centered learning. This method makes students work together in seeking knowledge which in turn makes the learning process more interesting. Thus, the Ministry of Education Malaysia has strived to improve student development by encouraging the use of cooperative learning methods during the teaching and learning process. The objectives of the study are to identify the differences in high-achieving and low-achieving students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of cooperative learning, to identify high and low-achieving students' perceptions of the effectiveness of cooperative learning and to identify high-achieving and motivated learning motivations in cooperative learning in English primary school. A total of 227 Year 5 students from 3 schools were randomly selected using the survey method. The results show that there is no significant difference in the perception of high-achieving students and low-achieving students on the effectiveness of cooperative learning. Meanwhile, the average mean for the level of perception of high-achieving and low-achieving students on the effectiveness of primary school cooperative learning is high at 4,076 and the mean for the level of learning motivation of high-achieving and low-achieving students on the effectiveness of cooperative learning in primary school English is also high at 3.998. Cooperative learning has a positive impact on the learning motivation and perception of the next high-achieving students and low-achieving students can work together and establish good relationships during the teaching and learning process.

This mixed methods study focuses on the use of instructional videos in an undergraduate physics classroom. Previous research has explored the effects of videos on student performance however, limited research exists on the effects of science instructional videos with embedded quiz questions on student achievement. This study compares students’ performance when a problem-solving physics video is presented to students with embedded quiz questions versus videos with quiz questions presented after the video. Additionally, the study explores students’ attitudes and preferences toward the positioning of questions in videos when learning independently. A total of 111 college students enrolled in the introductory physics course at the large Midwestern University were randomly assigned into two groups to participate in the intervention. Students completed pre and post surveys, watched instructional video and completed quiz that covered content discussed in the video that either was embedded or was presented post-video watching. The quantitative analysis did not result in statistical significance in students’ performance when groups were compared. However, qualitative analysis demonstrated strong student preferences toward the use of video in STEM classrooms when scientific problem-solving content is taught, stronger engagement with content when quizzes were embedded, and desire for immediate feedback. The study has implications for faculty who use videos and quizzing in their classroom or consider using videos in the future.

Purpose: The aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of cooperative learning on on the performance of Mathematics students in public day Schools in Rwanda” A case of Karongi District’. &#x0D; Methodology: Simple random sampling technique was further applied to obtain Mathematics teachers and students of senior 4, 5 and 6, making 783 target students. The study used a sample of 230 respondents from the sampled schools. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis through the statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 21. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression.&#x0D; Findings: The results of the findings indicated that the teaching of mathematics via the cooperative learning method was more correlated with the performance of students in Karongi District (r = 0.611; p= 0.000). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that cooperative learning method contributed to 71.9% of variation on the performance, hence plays a vital role in performance of Mathematics students in public secondary schools in Karongi District. Additionally, it was further inferred that cooperative learning method increases positive attitudes toward learning the subject.&#x0D; Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: Social constructivism was used. A key factor in social constructivism is that the children’s development is enhanced by participating in activities that are slightly above their level of competence with mastery occurring as a result of help from others; which is enhanced as students are given opportunities to teach each other and practice in a social context. Interactions among students are crucial to cooperative learning and it is the interactions that occur in the groups that help to inspire the learning motivation. The study recommended that to promote the implementation of cooperative learning method effectively, Mathematics teachers should attend seminars, workshops and conferences.

Students’ learning performance and its correlation with exam scores are examined using a unique factor: the day the online quiz was submitted. By collecting information on quizzes through an online learning management system for each subject in an introductory physics course for first-grade medical students, student learning performance is thoroughly analysed and compared with the final exam score. The results show a statistically significant negative correlation between the exam score and quiz submission day. Furthermore, by combining several parameters that are potentially related to the exam score, we are able to evaluate the student’s learning attitude in more detail. Based on the results, we discuss the negative effects of procrastinating behaviour and successful learning practices.

We report the results of a comparison of student understanding of physics concepts with and without online homework, as measured by the force concept inventory. We compared students in large introductory courses taught by interactive engagement and noninteractive engagement methods and with ungraded homework and with online homework. We also compared the understanding of students in different grade subgroups. The increase in the average force concept inventory normalized gain was statistically significant for all students taught with online homework, indicating that graded homework increases student understanding of physics concepts. The gain was significantly higher for those students taught with interactive engagement methods together with online homework. The C grade subgroup taught by interactive engagement methods benefited more from the implementation of online homework than the other subgroups.

Student-to-student interactions are foundational to many active learning environments, but are most often studied using qualitative methods. Network analysis tools provide a quantitative complement to this picture, allowing researchers to describe the social interactions of whole classrooms as systems. Past results from introductory physics courses have suggested a sharp division in the formation of social structure between large lecture sections and small studio classroom environments. Extending those results, this study focuses on calculus-based introductory physics courses at a large public university with a heavily commuter and nontraditional student population. Community detection network methods are used to characterize pre- and post-course collaborative structure in several sections, and differences are considered between small and large classes. These results are compared with expectations from earlier findings, and comment on implications for instruction and further study.

Taking notes during lectures is one of the required skills, among many others, that students need (i) to master the topic covered in the lecture, (ii) to actively engage in the learning process with minimal to no distractions, (iii) to retain learned knowledge and skills for a longer time, and (iv) in securing higher letter grades. To learn the role of notetaking in learning undergraduate-level introductory physics courses, we present a comparative study of students’ achievement in a mid-terminal exam at a historically black Fayetteville State University (FSU) (i) when students were taught effective notetaking strategies, motivated them to prepare notes and let them use their self-prepared notes in a terminal exam versus (ii) no notetaking scheme was implemented, keeping all other conditions the same. The no-notetaking scheme was used in 4 different sections over a few semesters, and the notetaking scheme was used at the same level of an introductory physics course in 3 different sections in other semesters. Students’ scores in one of the mid-term exams are taken as measurement tools. Grade analysis indicates that effective notetaking enhances students’ letter grades and lowers failure rates.