Attitude of Students Towards Cooperative Learning in Some Selected Secondary Schools in Nasarawa State

Abstract

This study is aimed at investigating the attitude of students toward the cooperative learning approach. A quasi- experimental design was used for the study. The sample was made of 179 SS 1 students drawn from three public secondary schools in Nasarawa state. The Jigsaw Attitude Questionnaire (JAQ) was adapted from Koprowski and Perigo (2000) and was used to collect the data.  Regular teachers served as research assistants. They were trained to be competent to teach using the jigsaw cooperative learning approach. The experimental groups was exposed to the  jigsaw cooperative learning approach. Treatment lasted for 12 weeks. Students taught with the jigsaw cooperative method responded to the 10-item JAQ, and were analysed using percentages and the chi-square, at 0.5 level of significance. Results showed that, students taught using the jigsaw cooperative method developed positive attitudes to the teaching strategy significantly. It is recommended that the use of the jigsaw cooperative method be encouraged in science teaching.

Keywords: Attitude, cooperative learning, performance.