Effects of Jigsaw cooperative approach on Year Five Pupils’ higher order thinking skills in science / Gan Hwee San

Gan , Hwee San (2020) Effects of Jigsaw cooperative approach on Year Five Pupils’ higher order thinking skills in science / Gan Hwee San. Masters thesis, Universiti Malaya.

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Abstract

Science education encourages pupils to develop 21st century skills such as higher order thinking and cooperative skills. However, in science classrooms, pupils seldom work together. They prefer to listen and work individually; thus preventing pupils from developing their higher order thinking skills. The research objectives for this study were: (1) to investigate the effects of Jigsaw Cooperative Approach on Year Five pupils’ higher order thinking skills (applying and analysing skills), (2) to describe Year Five pupils’ cooperative skills when Jigsaw Cooperative Approach is implemented in Science lessons and (3) to examine Year Five pupils’ perceptions on Jigsaw Cooperative Approach as a Science learning method. This study employed a quasi-experimental research design. A total of 70 Year Five pupils participated in this study, where 36 pupils were in the experimental group and 34 in the control group. In this study, Jigsaw Cooperative Learning was paired with Socratic Questioning to boost pupils’ applying and analysing skills. During Jigsaw Cooperative Learning, teacher carried out Socratic Questioning with pupils to get a better understanding of the pupils’ thinking perspective. Socratic Questioning had been taught as it can help pupils to promote their thinking systematically. The duration of this study was eight weeks. Data was collected using the Science Academic Achievement Test, classroom observations and a questionnaire. The pretest and post-test scores between the experimental group and control group were analysed by using Independent T-test. The pre-test and post-test scores within the experimental group and control group were analysed by using Paired-samples T-test. The observation data was transcribed and coded whereas the questionnaire data was analysed by using descriptive analysis. The Independent T-test result showed that there was no significant difference (t(68)=1.15,p>.05) between the pre-test scores of the pupils whereas there was a significant difference (t(68)=3.90, p<.05) between the post-test scores of the pupils in the experimental group and control group. The results of the Paired-samples T-test showed that there were significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores within the experimental group (t(35) = -15.05, p<.05) and within the control group (t(33) = -13.43, p<.05). The data on pupils’ cooperative skills were grouped into two themes. Pupils showed their improvement in playing their own role, involving actively in sharing information and working for a group task, respecting each other, helping each other, giving encouragement and exchanging ideas together from Cycle I to Cycle II. In terms of their perceptions, pupils felt happy to learn Science by using Jigsaw Cooperative Approach and this approach helped them to relate the knowledge that they learned with their daily life. Pupils applied their knowledge to solve the problems at the cognitive level of applying and analysing. The implication of this study is that it provides teachers with a guideline to do group activities and develop pupils’ higher order thinking skills.

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