Geography teachers'views on two cooperative teaching methods: Student-team achievement division technique and team-game-tournament

This study investigated geography teachers' views on two cooperative teaching methods [student-team achievement division (STAD) and team-game-tournament (TGT)]. The aim was to emphasize the practicality and benefits of the two methods and raise teachers' awareness. This study employed a survey method. The study population consisted of 111 geography teachers working for middle schools affiliated with the Tokat Provincial Directorate of National Education in the 2020-2021 academic year. The sample consisted of geography teachers working in different types of high schools in Tokat, Turkey. The study had two stages: quantitative and qualitative. The sample of the quantitative stage consisted of 60 participants. The sample of the qualitative stage consisted of 31 participants. The data were collected using a "Survey on Student-Team Achievement Division (STAD) and Team-Game-Tournament (TGT)" and a "semi-structured interview form." The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The quantitative data (survey) were analyzed using frequency and percentage. The qualitative data (interviews) were analyzed using descriptive analysis. The researcher informed (intervention) all participants about cooperative teaching methods and techniques (CTMTs). Before the intervention, they determined whether participants had prior knowledge of CTMTs. Participants had difficulty putting CTMTs into practice and believed that CTMTs were ill-suited to teach geography topics. The results showed that the intervention helped participants adopt more positive views on CTMTs. They thought that CTMTs helped them develop learning and affective skills and contributed to individual and group learning. They also stated that teachers should be provided with training on CTMTs, although they do not use them in their lectures all the time. In general, participants had positive views on STAD and TGT. However, they believed that the former was better than the latter. They noted that STAD and TGT were suitable for geography teaching and could help students develop high-level learning, time-management, and teamwork skills, boost their confidence, provide windows of opportunity for high performance. They also remarked that both techniques could encourage students to have fun learning and learn while having fun. They added that both techniques could be used to teach students how to comply with competition and ethical rules. In conclusion, participants demanded more training and support concerning CTMTs. They stated that the intervention raised their awareness of CTMTs and encouraged them to use CTMTs in their lectures depending on conditions. Based on the results, we can state that in-service training and activities on STAD and TGT can be useful for teachers to deliver geography lectures. Both STAD and TGT are promising techniques that could make geography classes more engaging. Keywords: Geography teachers, Cooperative learning method, Students teams achievement divisions, Team-game-tournament