The effect of cooperative learning method on students achievements, idendifications and using ability of laboratory equipments in General physics laboratory-I course

This study has been conducted by 63 students of Department of Science Education, Faculty of Education in Kastamonu University taking the course General Physics Laboratory-I in fall semester of the 2012–2013 academic year. 1-A consisting of 32 students as an experimental group and 1-B consisting of 31 students as a control group are selected as branches for the study. Lecture presentations were made according to cooperative learning method jigsaw technique in the experimental group and traditional teaching methods in the control group. Achievement and skill tests to be used during the practise on expert control have been developed before beginning to work on this study. Achievement test to measure the theoretical data with the experiments and skill test for the material recognition and the ability to use to measure recognition and the ability to use laboratory materials were applied to both groups of students as a pre-test in the study. At the end of the study the same achievement and skill test were applied as a final test. A skill test also was applied as a quiz to observe the changes and developments of the experimental group student‟s laboratory skills with this method. After the application only to the students of the experimental jigsaw opinions scale was applied in order to get their views on the way. The SPSS package has been utilized in the evaluation of the obtained data at the end of the study. When the research analysis is evaluated, it has been concluded that the experimental group is more successful than the control group and laboratory skills are more developed in comparison experimental group based on cooperative learning method with Control group based on traditional teaching method. In addition, it has been determined that cooperative learning, jigsaw technique, creates a more effective learning environment in laboratory studies of the students according to results obtained from view scale used at the end of the application.