Collaborative Learning: Its Effect to the Performance in Mathematics of Grade 9 Students

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

In the Philippines, the educational curriculum is being enhanced into an outcomes-based education which focuses on the student as the center of learning. Learners' diversity is considered and there is much emphasis on group work. To adapt to this new curriculum, several teaching practices were constructed in enhancing the teaching-learning process. Since many Filipino children show enthusiasm through hands-on activities and interactive approaches, collaborative learning is used for effective teaching. Based on the observations and experiences, the researcher decided to make a study using collaborative learning in improving the performance of Grade 9 students of Linga National High School. This study was made to determine and discuss the effects of using collaborative learning to the performance of students and to look for the significance of using this method in classroom discussion.

METHODS

The researcher administered the pre-test and post-test which was a 30-item questionnaire. The means and standard deviations were computed to get the mean level performance of the students. After the instruction, the students answered a survey checklist which determined the status of using collaborative learning. The t-test was used to determine if there was a significant difference in the 5-point Likert scale for survey results. It was also used to determine the difference between pre-test and post-test results for determining the effectiveness of collaborative learning.

RESULTS

The mean level of using collaborative learning as a method of instruction in terms of simulation games is "Very Effective" with a mean of 4.38; in terms of think-pair-share, it is "Very Effective" with the mean of 4.41; and in terms of group problem-solving, it is "Very Effective" with a mean of 4.50. The pre-test was 13.93 or 81.26 % and interpreted as "Below Average" while the post-test was 21.67 or 90.28 % and interpreted as "Above Average". The hypothesis that collaborative learning has no significant effect on the performance in Mathematics of selected grade nine students of Linga National High School was rejected.

DISCUSSIONS

Based on the results, the use of collaborative learning as a method of instruction has a significant effect on the Grade9 -Fortitude students' performance in Mathematics 9. The researcher highly recommends the use of collaborative learning to make learning more interactive and to make teaching more effective. Facilitators may be more open to new ideas and practices in teaching.