Exploring the Barriers to Effective Cooperative Learning Implementation in School Mathematics Classrooms

Abstract

Literature is replete with research confirming the benefits of cooperative learning on students’ academic achievement and attitude towards mathematics. Despite these benefits, cooperative learning implementation in most Zambian secondary school mathematics classrooms has remained a challenge. An explanatory sequential mixed methods research design was employed to determine the causes of teacher-resistance to cooperative learning implementation in selected schools. A cluster random sampling method was used to select 62 teachers (43 male and 19 female) of mathematics from six public secondary schools in Ndola district of Zambia. A questionnaire was administered to all the 62 teachers followed by lesson observations in six randomly selected grade 11 mathematics classrooms, whose teachers later attended a focus group discussion. Research findings revealed that the majority of participants prefer expository teaching to cooperative learning. More than 64% of the participants indicated that they resisted implementing cooperative learning in their classrooms due to shortcomings in; assessing learners, ensuring a disciplined class environment, completing the already bulky syllabus, handling large classes, students’ low reasoning abilities and preparation time versus high teaching loads. These results provide evidence on the need for more attention to how the identified challenges could be addressed not only in Zambian mathematics classrooms but in other educational settings elsewhere. Keywords: cooperative learning, expository teaching, mathematics classrooms, mixed methods research.

Students’ experiences with remote learning during the COVID-19 school closure: implications for mathematics education

“…While recognizing the fact that the entire education system is affected, special attention in this study has been given to mathematics. This is because students’ performance in mathematics in Zambia has been extremely low even before the COVID-19 outbreak ( Examinations Council of Zambia, 2012 ; 2015 ; 2016 ; 2018 ; Mukuka et al., 2019 ). In that regard, questions about the type of teaching practices that would be useful during and after the COVID-19 pandemic are worth exploring.…”

Assessment Strategies for Enhancing Students’ Mathematical Problem-solving Skills: A Review of Literature

“…The overall findings of the present study demonstrate that almost all of the assessment strategies discussed in the preceding section (research findings) could maximize students' potentials and skills in learning mathematics, if they are applied alongside active learning approaches such as problem-based learning, and cooperative learning among others. Mukuka et al (2019) have pointed out that the ability to cooperate and work collaboratively is one of the most desired attributes for modern workplaces and classrooms. Teachers need to assess and give students tasks where they can apply mathematical knowledge to various practical situations and vice versa (see , as well as performing tasks that they can freely explain (Kelly, 2006).…”

Mediating Effect of Self-Efficacy on the Relationship Between Instruction and Students’ Mathematical Reasoning

“…About 6 weeks from the time a survey was conducted, all the students from the selected classes took a pretest after which teachers assigned to the experimental group were subjected to a 3-day training workshop on effective implementation of STAD. Teachers in the control group were encouraged to continue using expository methods as earlier observed during a baseline survey (see Mukuka et al, 2019;Mukuka, Balimuttajjo, et al, 2020b).…”

“…A considerable body of mathematics education literature has demonstrated that both secondary school students and university students exhibit limited mathematical reasoning skills. While several reasons for this quality landscape in some Zambian school mathematics classrooms are known (Mukuka et al, 2019;Mukuka, Balimuttajjo, et al, 2020b) other contributing factors are not fully explored and understood. A commonly cited reason for students' inadequate mathematical reasoning in the existing literature is related to the instructional and assessment approaches that teachers adopt in their mathematics lessons.…”

“…Although the STAD learning model has been found beneficial to students' social interactions and learning outcomes, some studies have pointed out that it is rarely used in mathematics classrooms due to several challenges associated with its implementation (see Buchs et al, 2017;Gillies & Boyle, 2010;Mukuka et al, 2019). For instance, Baines et al (2015) pointed out that students may sit together in a group but fail to work as a group.…”