COOPERATIVE LEARNING ENHANCES STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN LEARNING MATHEMATICS
ABSTRACT
This is an article that tells how do I find an appropriate method to teach Mathematics in the Class 2C - a
class which has low performance at most Mathematics assessments. Most of them could not have the
strength to ask me when they were not really understood about my lesson. They preferred to keep quiet
rather than speak out their problems. So, I have to take the initiative to overcome this problem and the best
initiative was the cooperative learning. Due to this, the objectives of this research were to enhance
students’ interest in learning Mathematics using cooperative learning strategy as well as to improve the
teaching strategy. The data was collected and had been analyzed, and the result shows there was an
improvement on students’ interest in learning Mathematics using this strategy.
Background
I taught in year 2C which has 41 students. Most of them came from …….
Most students in this class are not interested in learning Mathematics as revealed by low performances of
students at any level of assessments.
Literature review
As teachers, we are constantly questioning and evaluating if our students learn effectively and if
what they are learning has meaning to them. Our ultimate goal is to guide students so that what
they are learning can be related and applied to their everyday lives. Collaborative/cooperative
group work, Web-based learning, project-based learning and the inclusion of technology in the
curriculum are ways in which teachers can involve their students in the learning process.
Small-group cooperative learning is defined as a classroom environment where students
interact with one another in small groups while working together on academic tasks to attain a
common goal (King, Taylor, & Maloney, 1991.1). Class members are organized into small
groups after receiving instruction from the teacher. They then work through the assignment until
all group members successfully understand and can complete it. Because students have some
control over their learning, they take a more active role in the process. A cooperative effort
means that the success of the project is dependent on all the individuals in the group. Each
member is vital to the completion of the project and, as such, each member benefits from the
other members’ contributions. The fact that no one member comes to the group possessing all
the knowledge or talent necessary to complete the task drives the interdependence of the group
(Johnson & Johnson, 1989).
Historically, research into children’s behavior began in the late 1930s with investigations
into how children worked together in groups. One study divided students into three groups: one
group had an autocratic adult leader, one had a democratic adult leader, and the third group
had no adult leader. Researchers found that the group which was allowed to organize its own
agenda under the democratic adult leader (a cooperative learning approach) was far more
productive and independent in their work than the other two groups (Mueller & Fleming, 2001).
Piaget discussed the success of cooperative groups in attaining their objectives with
regard to the child’s inner need to work with others. Piaget stated "Instead of taking into account
the child’s deeper psychological tendencies which urge him to work with others---our schools
condemn the pupil to work in isolation and only make use of emulation to set one individual
against another" (Piaget, 1932, p.286). This inner need to approach tasks or projects as a group
seems to be a natural inclination of most humans. Affirmation, acknowledgement, guidance and
the sharing of resources are all benefits resulting from cooperation.
In one research study, three groups were observed in a fifth grade classroom. Data were
collected using a category system that analyzed student behavior in small cooperative learning
groups. The categories that were developed included whole class introduction, group task,
group dynamics, and whole class wrap-up. The researchers observed variations across the
groups and how this related to their interactions with the teacher (King, Taylor, & Maloney,
1991).
Outcomes of this study have been threefold. Primarily the development and
refinement of a category system which may be used to describe the processes
involved when students work in small groups. Secondly, a means of dealing with
data generated from small groups. Finally, this kind of research may assist in
highlighting behaviors that increase learning during cooperative group tasks
(King, Taylor, & Maloney, 1991, p. 7).
