The Effects of Two Cooperative Learning Strategies on the Teaching and Learning of the Topics of Chemical Kinetics

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of group investigation and jigsaw techniques on students’ academic achievement in the chemical kinetics unit of a general chemistry course. This study included a total of 106 students studying chemistry in three different classes during the 2008-2009 academic year. One of these classes served as the investigation group, using group investigation, while the second served as the jigsaw group, using the jigsaw technique, and the third served as the control group, using the traditional teaching method. The main instruments for obtaining data were the Chemical Kinetics Achievement Test (ckAT) and Graphics Skills Test (GST), which were applied to the treatments groups. The questions in the ckAT are related to the rate of a chemical reaction, measuring reaction rates, the effect factors on rates of reaction, the order of reactions, and reaction mechanisms. The GST is designed to evaluate the reading and understanding of graphics in chemistry. This is an instrument requiring the students to make drawings and give explanations. Based on the results of this research, it was concluded that the teaching of chemical kinetics via the jigsaw and group investigation techniques was more effective in increasing academic achievement compared to the traditional teaching method.