Effects of Cooperative Learning on Grade Eleven Students’ Paragraph Contents: Fitche Preparatory School in Focus

Abstract

The target of this research was to examine whether or not the effects of implementing cooperative learning (CL) on grade eleven students’ paragraph writing in contents. The quasi-experimental research design was employed and the sample was taken from two sections of eleventh grade. CL method was implemented in the experimental group after the students had been made aware of the method whereas, in the control group, the students were taught their lessons through the conventional method in which the elements and theoretical perspectives of the method were not implemented. Data were collected through tests. Dependent samples t-tests were employed to test whether or not there were significant intra-group differences in paragraph writing at 0.05 risk levels whereas independent samples t-tests were used to check if there were significant inter-group differences in paragraph writing at 0.05 alpha levels. The analyses of paragraph writing pre-tests of the inter-groups showed that both groups had similar backgrounds of contents in writing paragraphs at the initial stage of this research. Nevertheless, after the treatments had been given to the experimental research participants, the analyses of the data indicated that the experimental group outscored significantly (p<0.05) the control group on contents in paragraph writing post-test. This indicates that the implementation of the CL method based on social interdependence, motivational and cognitive perspectives, and the elements of the method, i.e. positive interdependence, face-to-face interaction, individual and group accountability, collaborative skills, and group processing brought about changes in the experimental group. Therefore, the major findings of this study reveal that the method enabled the participants in the experimental group to show improvements in content in paragraph writing skills.