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Asia-Pacific Forum
on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 12, Issue 2, Article 7 (Dec., 2011) |
The instruments were administered in the following order; students attitude to chemical kinetics questionnaire, followed by the achievement test on chemical kinetics. The attitude questionnaire was administered first in order to avoid the influence of the chemistry achievement test on students’ attitude.
The treatment groups for the study
Treatment 1: (student teams- achievement divisions with inter team competition)
Treatment in this group involved the following steps:
- Teacher presented the topic in form of lecture, demonstration and discussion
- Students in five-member heterogeneous teams within the group engaged themselves in intensive cooperative study of the learnt material, by studying worksheets, performing experiments, checking and drilling each other.
- Each student in all the teams was given a worksheet to be submitted in order to asses each student contribution to the team’s effort.
- Teacher gave questions on the topic to the students in form of quiz
- Students worked in teams to provide answers to the questions.
- Students in each team provided a common answer to the questions.
- Teachers recognized and rewarded the best three teams.
- Teachers gave take home assignment.
Treatment 2: (Student Teams – Achievement Divisions without inter-team Competition)
Treatment in this group involved the following steps:
- Teacher presented the topic in form of lecture, demonstration and discussion
- Students in five member heterogeneous teams within the group engaged themselves in intensive cooperative study of the learnt material, by studying worksheets, performing experiments, checking and drilling each other.
- Teacher gave questions on the topic to the students in form of quiz
- Students answered the questions individually without assistance from their teammate.
- Teacher recognized and rewarded students that score above 50% in the quiz.
- Teachers gave take home assignment
Treatment 3: Conventional Method (control)
Here students sat individually throughout the lesson
The treatment for each lesson involved the following steps:
- The teacher presented the lesson in form of lecture and demonstrations.
- Students listened to the teacher and wrote down chalkboard summary.
- Students asked the teacher questions on areas of the topic that is not clear to them.
- Students answered the teacher’s questions individually.
- Students-students interaction is limited and not encouraged by the teacher.
- The students were given take home assignments.
