The effects of cooperative learning method on the achievement and the attitudes of students in primary 6th grades mathematics lesson?s geometry learning field

This study was conducted to research the effects of cooperative learning aproach with student teams achievement parts technique and traditional teaching method on the students? academic achievement and the attitudes in acquiring line, piece of line, ray, angles and polygons which were the targets of the lower learning field of geometry learning field?s primary 6th grades mathematics lesson.The study was performed on 70 students studying at a primary education school in Hatay linked to Turkish ministry of education in 2008-2009 academic (educational) years. In the study, pretest ? posttest control group experimental research model was used. One of the 6th grades was determined as experimental group; the other one was decided as control group. There were 35 students in experimental group and 35 students in control group.The lessons were carried out with active learning approach on experimental group and with traditional teaching method on control group. In the study, Mathematics Achievement Test and Mathematics Attitude Scale were used as data collection device. Achievement test was developed by the researcher, attitude scale was available. Achievement test and attitude scale were applied two times before and after tests. The data analyzed by the SPSS 16.00 statistic program.At the end of the study, it is indicated that active learning approach is more effective than the traditional teaching method. Furthermore, active learning approach changed the attitudes of students in geometry learning field towards mathematics positively. Traditional teaching method, on the other hand, didn?t change their attitudes towards mathematics.Key Words: Mathematics, Mathematics Education, Cooperative Learning Method, Traditional Teaching Method, Achievement, Attitude.