| Summary |
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using learning styles as a basis for forming cooperative learning groups. Two dependent variables, academic achievement and attitude towards cooperative group work, were analyzed. Five classes of high school biology students were arranged into cooperative learning groups. The three treatment groups were academic heterogeneous, learning styles heterogeneous, and learning styles homogeneous. Learning styles were determined by using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and based on the Keirsey and Bates Temperament Scale. Two forms of the National Association of Biology Teachers/National Science Teachers Association (NABT/NSTA) Examination were used in a pretest/posttest design and the results were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The Cooperative Attitude Survey (CAS) was developed for this study and the results were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine differences in attitudes of the subjects after a semester of using cooperative learning strategies. The four learning styles used, NF, NT, SP, and SJ, were analyzed for differences in attitude and academic gains, and no significant differences were found. When the NABT/NSTA exam pretest and posttest scores of the three cooperative learning treatment groups were analyzed, no significant differences were found in achievement. The Cooperative Attitude Survey also showed no significant differences among the three treatment groups. The significant gains in achievement and positive attitude towards cooperative learning measured during this study indicate that the cooperative learning is an effective strategy regardless of how the groups are formed. |
