Cooperative Learning: A Research Design Methodology The proposed study wil

The study will utilize a two-group, pretest-posttest design.

The two groups will consist of: (1) fifth grade students exposed to the cooperative learning program; and (2) fifth grade students not exposed to the cooperative learning program but who only receive their school's traditional instructional format for reading.

Both student groups will have their reading levels assessed prior to the beginning of any reading instruction. It is likely that this pretest assessment will be given at the beginning of the academic term. After the termination of the program, which will occur at the end of the school term, both groups of students will be retested using the same reading assessment instrument utilized at pretest.

In terms of design variables, it can be noted that the study has one dependent variable which is the measure of reading. With respect to independent variables, there are two. These independent variables are: (1) the Reading Instruction strategy variable with two levels: the cooperative learning instructional strategy and the traditional instruction strategy; and (2) the Testing vari

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h frequency words from a graded word list. The KWIC consists of eight sections referred to by grade levels two through nine with each level consisting of 10 sentences for a total of 80 items. Students' score consist of the total number of correct items which can then be converted, if desired, to a grade level reading score. The KWIC was developed by Owen (1980) for the purpose of constructing a valid instrument that could be used to determine instructional reading levels for fifth and eighth grade students. Test development and construction procedures included a survey of related literature on the necessity of establishing agreement between instructional reading levels and reading materials, examination of literature regarding the availability of instruments to determine this agreement, and review of the extent to which these existing instruments measured instructional reading levels. The psychometric properties of the instrument were assessed using a sample of 370 fifth grade students and 424 eighth grade students. The sample was drawn from four elementary and four junior high schools in a major urban center of the Southeastern United States. The total sample of 794 was administered the KWIC test, the Gates-MacG
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1616
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)