with two levels, male and female. The dependent measure will be a measure of academic achievement appropriate for use with learning disabled children 10 to 13 years of age.
The purpose of the research is to investigate the effects of cooperative learning techniques on the academic achievement of 10-to-13 year old learning disabled students. The hypotheses that will be tested are as follows: [1] The use of cooperative learning techniques will improve the academic achievement of 10-to-13 year old learning disabled students; [2] Improvements in achievement of 10-to-13 year old learning disabled students stemming from the use of cooperative learning techniques will not vary in relation to student biological sex.
The research method will include a pre-test/post-test experimental design in which students in three experimental groups will exposed to three different cooperative learning techniques, and in which students in a control group will not be exposed to a cooperative learning intervention. Pre-test and post-test academic achievement will be measured by the studentsÆ regular classroom teachers. Academic achievement data will be analyzed through the application of analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures to test the hypotheses.
Section 1: Nature of the Research Problem
In an extensive review of the literature on increasing the academic success of at-risk learners, Johnson (1998) noted that diverse strategies were associated with high success levels. These included: maintaining high expectations, administering praise, using learning technologies, teaching learning strategies, accommodating learning styles, teaching vocabulary directly, establishing an experiential base for learning, teaching self-monitoring, providing creative opportunities, facilitating parental involvement, and cooperative teaching strategies and methods. This study tests three cooperative teaching strategies for effectiveness in increasing the academ...