The influence of cooperative groups in a high school chemistry course

Abstract

High school students tend to have difficulty in chemistry classes. Instructors are always searching for strategies to help students perform better. One such strategy is cooperative learning groups. In this classroom research project, cooperative groups were employed to determine what effect they would have upon student understanding of chemistry concepts, and thus student confidence, student attitude towards science, and individual achievement. Students were assigned to heterogeneous groups based on their algebra grades. Surveys, teacher observations and test scores were used to determine the effect the cooperative groups had during a stoichiometry unit. Students self-reported an increase in understanding; test scores showed a significant increase from pretest to posttest; but, student attitude towards science remained unchanged after the unit was completed.