the effectiveness of stad for teaching chemistry in uae

This article was downloaded by: [UAE University]On: 03 January 2014, At: 10:24Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

International Journal of ScienceEducationPublication details, including instructions for authors andsubscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tsed20

The effectiveness of student team-achievement division (STAD) forteaching high school chemistry inthe United Arab EmiratesNagib M. A. Balfakih aa United Arab Emirates University , Al-Ain Box 17551, UnitedArab Emirates E-mail:Published online: 26 Nov 2010.

To cite this article: Nagib M. A. Balfakih (2003) The effectiveness of student team-achievement division (STAD) for teaching high school chemistry in the United Arab Emirates,International Journal of Science Education, 25:5, 605-624, DOI: 10.1080/09500690110078879

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500690110078879

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the“Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis,our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoeveras to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Anyopinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of theauthors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracyof the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verifiedwith primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for anylosses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and otherliabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connectionwith, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Anysubstantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing,systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tsed20

http://www.tandfonline.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1080/09500690110078879

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500690110078879

http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

RESEARCH REPORT

The effectiveness of student team-achievement

division (STAD) for teaching high school chemistry

in the United Arab Emirates

Nagib M. A. Balfakih, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain Box

17551, United Arab Emirates; e-mail: [email protected]

Education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) faces major problems which may hinder its futuredevelopment. These include low achievement in science and a negative attitude toward science subjects,which have resulted in a high number of student dropouts from the science track in high school. It isbelieved among UAE educators that the main reason is the way science that has been taught in itsschools. A solution to this problem depends on finding effective teaching methods, which maintainstudent achievement, improve students’ attitude and provide opportunities to develop essential scien-tific skills. The effectiveness of Student Team-Achievement Division (STAD) for teaching science tohigh school classes in the UAE was investigated. The sample was selected randomly. A representativegroup of UAE high school students was chosen from the northern province, which includes urban areas,and from the eastern province, which includes rural areas. The study involved sixteen tenth gradeclasses. During the second semester of the academic year 1998/1999, three units in the chemistrycurriculum were covered. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of STAD in teachinghigh school chemistry in the UAE and to find out which groups, gender, area, and ability benefittedmost.

Introduction

Schools in the United Arab Emirates follow the national curriculum and science

teaching starts in the first grade and concentrates primarily on animal behaviour.

Chemistry and physics are taught as separate subjects in grade 10. Then, in grade

11, students have to choose either a science or arts track. The curriculum of

students majoring in science includes mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology,

and geology. In contrast, the arts curriculum includes geography, history, and

social science.

The common teaching practice in both divisions is the traditional method, the

lecture. The teacher lectures on a topic on the day appointed by the curriculum

time-table. Most of the time the lecture is not supplemented by any other teaching

methods. The high achievers in the class are the ones who have the ability to

memorize the content material. One of the disciplines that suffers as a result of

using the lecture method is science. In science, the two strong qualities that each

student must have in order to be successful are an understanding of the subject

matter and a good command of the scientific method or process. Even if the

content can be covered through lecture, the process cannot.

International Journal of Science Education ISSN 0950–0693 print/ISSN 1464–5289 online # 2003 Taylor & Francis Ltdhttp://www.tandf.co.uk/journals

DOI: 10.1080/09500690110078879

INT. J. SCI. EDUC., 2003, VOL. 25, NO. 5, 605–624

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

To understand science, students should experience science as scientists do.

Cognitive psychologists, such as Piaget (1964) and Bruner and Haste (1987), had

explained that students’ understanding is based on their own experience and that

each individual’s knowledge of mathematics and science is personal. Such experi-

ence will enable them to develop the skills needed to form their own appreciation

of the science process. Unfortunately, the least effective methods of teaching math-

ematics and science are also the most common practices in classrooms today

(Adams and Hamm 1990).

The analysis of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data

(Ward, 1979), as well as the research of independent science educators (Goodlad

1984; Lash et al. 1984) shows that the most common teaching practices in the

science classroom are lectures, question and answer sessions, and discussions of

textbook material. Despite efforts in a number of countries towards more student-

centred learning, teaching practices in the science classroom have not changed. As

with studies reported by the National Centre for Technology in Education

(NCTE), findings from a 1993 survey of science and maths education showed

that, although hands-on activities have increased in science classes, the largest

proportion of class time is still spent in listening to lectures (ASCD 1995). The

latest report published by the International Association for the Evaluation of

Educational Achievement (IEA) of teachers across the Third International

Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) countries showed that the two predo-

minant activities in science classes are teacher lectures and teacher-guided student

practice (Martin 1999).

An emphasis on the interaction and participation of the students is a very

important factor in the learning process and has been mentioned repeatedly in

the literature (Weaver 1978, Cornwell 1979, Bloom 1980, Weaver 1983,

Roueche 1984, Chism 1989, Herr 1989). Piaget (1964) believed that social trans-

mission is one of the four factors necessary for the development of mental struc-

tures such as proportional reasoning. According to Piaget, learners construct their

knowledge schemes in an adaptive process where cognitive activity organizes

experience with mental structures that exist in the mind. Learning is not the

copying of an object or receiving of information. What students perceived from

their teachers might not be the same thing as what the teachers were saying

(Labinowicz 1980, Piaget [1941] 1995). To achieve a meaningful learning, from

the constructivist view, the new experience has to make sense to students (von

Glasersfeld 1990); and they should be active learners, discussing and exchanging

thoughts and ideas with classmates or adults (Driver and Bell 1986, Prawat, 1989).

The integration of cooperative learning within active learning activities leads

to the development of critical and independent thinking skills, deeper understand-

ing of concepts, and longer-lasting learning (Donmoyer 1996, Secules et al. 1997).

Several studies (Forman 1981, Skon et al. 1981) have shown that students working

together can produce problem solutions characterized by higher cognitive levels of

response better than those produced by individual children. Both thinking skills

and science process skills are improved when using cooperative learning (Kyle

1984).

One of the major problems that education in the UAE suffers from is students’

low achievement in grade 10. Students in the tenth grade are assigned to take

fourteen subjects, science subjects as well as art subjects. Students who favour

606 N. BALFAKIH

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

the art subjects suffer most in this grade. The science content is discussed much

more deeply than in previous grades.

Posner and Markstein (1994) investigated the effectiveness of cooperative

learning on the academic performance of minority students and also on their sub-

sequent enrolment in elective courses in biochemistry and molecular biology. The

results of the study showed that students’ Grade Point Average (GPA) increased

from 2.13 to 2.96. Okebukola (1992) compared three teaching methods for 147

senior secondary school biology students: concept mapping alone; concept map-

ping in conjunction with cooperative learning groups; and lecture/demonstration

methods. Results indicated that the groups that utilized concept mapping in con-

junction with cooperative learning scored significantly higher than the other

groups. Basili (1991) conducted a study, using 62 chemistry students at a suburban

community college, to test for conceptual change. In that study, the treatment

students worked in a small cooperative group on tasks aimed at eliciting their

previous misconceptions in chemistry. In groups, they discussed their misconcep-

tions, in contrast to the scientific concepts that had been taught during direct

instruction. The treatment group had significantly lower numbers of misconcep-

tions on four out of five target concepts. Lonning (1993) evaluated the effective-

ness of cooperative learning in secondary science on students’ verbal interaction

patterns and achievement using a conceptual-change instructional change model.

She found that students using cooperative learning strategies showed greater

achievement gains and made greater use of the specific verbal patterns that are

believed to be related to increased learning.

Numerous studies have been conducted on classes using a cooperative learning

method. In an evaluation of four studies using different methods of cooperative

learning, Slavin (1980b) found that 83% of the studies showed that students in

cooperative learning classes achieved significantly more than those who had been

taught by traditional methods. Other positive outcomes of using cooperative learn-

ing are the increase of social relationship among students (Edwards and DeVeries

1974, Gonzales 1979, Ziegler 1981) and an increase in self-esteem.

In cooperative learning classrooms, groups are formed heterogeneously, based

on several factors including their academic performance, race, sex, etc. However,

academic performance is the most important factor. Most reports of the effect on

achievement for the group levels had indicated that low-ability students achieved

significantly higher than their counterparts in other group levels. Knupfer (1993)

evaluated the effects of grouping by the student’s ability to learn Logo and on the

transfer of geometry knowledge. The study results showed that the low-ability

students benefited from heterogeneous grouping, whereas the impact on the aver-

age- and high-ability students was not clear.

Webb (1977, 1980) and Webb and Cullian (1983) conducted three studies

using the same model in order to compare students’ ability and achievement in

group versus individual setting. The results of all three studies have one thing in

common: the higher achievement of the low-ability students in the mixed-ability

groups. There is other work that supported this finding (Johnson et al. 1985).

In addition to the positive impact, cooperative learning improves students’

attitude toward science. Tlusty (1993) discussed his attempts to use cooperative

learning with two sections of a college chemistry course. He focused specifically on

the attitudes and achievement of male and female students in the course. While

cooperative learning did not produce differences in achievement along gender

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STAD IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 607

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

lines, there were discernible differences in attitudes and beliefs with regard to

studying chemistry. A substantial and growing body of research indicates that

cooperative learning can result in improved learning, more positive attitudes to

science, improved thinking and social skills, and better attitudes toward peers who

are members of other ethnic and socio-economic groups (Johnson et al. 1976).

These arguments have led educators to the conclusion that ‘science has to be

taught differently’ to improve the attitude toward science of both boys and girls

(Yager and Penick 1986).

To investigate the overuse of lecture and develop alternatives, the Student

Team-Achievement Division (STAD) was selected by the researcher. The main

purpose of utilizing this method was to test whether there was a significant dif-

ference in the achievement levels of students taught by two different methods.

STAD is a cooperative teaching method which was developed by Slavin (1978)

as part of a student learning approach programme along with other cooperative

methods such as Teams-Games-Tournaments, Jigsaw II (Slavin 1980), and Team

Assisted Individualization (Slavin et al. 1981). In STAD, students are assigned to

four- or five-member learning teams. The teams are composed of high, average,

and low performing students, and of boys and girls of different racial or ethnic

backgrounds. Thus, each team is a microcosm of the entire class. There are five

main steps a teacher should follow when STAD is implemented. The teacher first

introduces new materials to be learned. The team members then study worksheets

on the material until they master the material. Individual quizzes are taken on the

material studied. The teacher then combines the scores to create team scores.

Members of the winning team are given certificates and a weekly one-page class

newsletter recognizes the teams with the highest scores. Researchers reported that

classes using cooperative learning showed an increase in achievement, attitude,

self-esteem, and social relationships (Edwards et al. 1972, Edwards and DeVries

1972, Gonzales 1979, Slavin and Karweit 1981, Ziegler 1981, Slavin 1989). This

study investigated the effectiveness of the use of STAD for changing students’

achievement in chemistry in the UAE.

There are four reasons, which led to the selection of STAD as an alternative

teaching method. First, it facilitates interaction between students in class. Second,

it improves attitude, self-esteem, and interpersonal relationships; all of these con-

tribute to a positive attitude towards science. Third, it adds an extra source of

learning within groups, such as the high achievers who take on the role of tutors.

The end result is a higher achievement for everyone. Fourth, it prepares students

to fit into modern society by teaching them to work with their classmates

efficiently and effectively.

Significance and rational for the study

This study is significant for the following reasons:

(1) STAD has not so far been investigated as an alternative method for

teaching high school chemistry in the UAE.

(2) This research will provide the foundation for other studies that may

suggest different ways to modify and improve the teaching methods

used in the UAE.

608 N. BALFAKIH

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

In this study, the most influential variables, which could affect students’ achieve-

ment in the UAE, were gender, province, and students’ ability. The interactions of

these variables with students’ achievement were studied. This study was designed

to answer the following question:

Does STAD change the chemistry achievement score of the UAE students when it isused as an alternative teaching method?

Methodology

To answer the question, seven hypotheses were stated. Each one tries to investi-

gate the achievement score difference in a different setting.

H1: The change of mean achievement scores between male and female

students under investigation is not affected by the combination of the

teaching method used and gender.

H2: The change of mean achievement scores between students in the two

provinces under investigation is not affected by the combination of the

teaching method used and province.

H3: The change of mean achievement scores among the 24 subgroups in the

eight classes of students under investigation is not affected by the com-

bination of the teaching method used and ability level of the student.

H4: The change of mean achievement scores of male and female students

under investigation is not affected by the combination of the teaching

method used, province, and gender.

H5: The change of mean achievement scores among the 12 subgroups in the

eight classes of students under investigation is not affected by the com-

bination of the teaching method used, gender, and ability level of the

student.

H6: The change of mean achievement scores between students in the two

provinces under investigation is not affected by the combination of the

teaching method used, ability level of students, and province.

H7: The change of mean achievement scores among the twenty-four sub-

groups in the eight classes of students under investigation is not affected

by the combination of the teaching method used, gender, province, and

ability level of the student.

Subjects

In the UAE, students are segregated on the basis of gender. The difference in

science performance between genders is rarely studied and no study has been

conducted that related to the student performance when STAD was used as a

teaching method. United Arab Emirates (UAE) consists mainly of three provinces:

the northern, eastern, and western provinces. Lifestyle in both western and eastern

provinces is different from the northern province. Students in the northern parts

of the country spend less time on study and more time on entertainment. The

northern province is the urban part of the country. On the other hand, western and

eastern provinces are the rural parts of the country. Four schools from the north-

ern and eastern provinces were selected randomly. Two schools, one male and one

female have represented each province. From each school, four tenth grade classes


Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

were selected randomly. The researcher had in mind that all classes in schools were

equivalent in their achievement score in chemistry. This equivalence was reached

by the close attention that each school principle pays at the beginning of each

school year to the distribution of students based on their previous academic per-

formance. In addition to that, the researcher chose the classes which were similar

in their academic performance last semester. The two experimental classes were

selected randomly from the four. The same teacher was teaching the control and

the experimental classes in each school. The total number of students’ sample was

486 students, 133 male experimental, 123 female experimental, 114 male control,

and 118 female control. Before the start of the study, students in each class were

classified based on their previous academic performance, as being at high, average,

and low-ability students.

Instrument

A multiple-choice exam with 23 items was given to the students towards the end of

the semester. The exam was reviewed by experts from the UAE University in the

field of chemistry and science education. Supervisors and teachers of the subject of

high school chemistry at the Ministry of Education also reviewed the exam.

Delimitation

The delimitation factors in this study are:

(1) The grade level under investigation was the tenth grade in UAE.

(2) Not all the students in the classes under study were science majors.

(3) Chemistry was the subject used to measure the method and achievement.

(4) The study was conducted in the second semester of the academic year

1998/1999.

Definitions

Student team-achievement divisions: the use of heterogeneous teams for study and

practice. Individual quizzes are given on content to obtain team points. If students

want their team to earn some form of team recognition, they must help their team-

mates learn the material.

High-ability students: students who scored more than 80% in chemistry in the first

semester.

Average ability students: students who scored 65–79% in chemistry in the first

semester.

Low performing students: students who scored less than 65% in chemistry in the

first semester.

Assumptions

The following assumptions were made regarding the conduct of this study:

610 N. BALFAKIH

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

(1) The teacher understood the STAD design and implemented it as

instructed.

(2) The students understood their role in this design and did what they were

supposed to do.

(3) The students cooperated with each other.

Results and discussion

There were two limitations over which the researcher had no control and may

have affected the results of the study:

(1) Success of the research study is determined by the improved academic

performance of all students. However there is no assurance, for example,

that the high ability student will actually help the lower ability students

in the group in order to improve the overall performance.

(2) The teachers who taught using STAD had no experience with the

method prior to this study.

The descriptive statistics for score means of all the groups under investigation

have shown that classes which used STAD scored higher than those which had

used traditional teaching method (see table 1).

The first hypothesis of this study investigates the improvement of achieve-

ment scores for the male and female students. Results of the repeated measures

ANOVA were presented in table 2. The data indicated that there was significant

two-way interaction between test, gender and teaching method, F ¼ 30:396,

p ¼ 0:000.

Results of the analysis to test the first hypothesis indicated that the male

experimental class achieved a significantly higher mean score than the female

experimental class. This suggested that STAD was more effective than the tradi-


Table 1. Score means of the groups under investigation.

Groups under investigation Control Experimental

All classes 47.51 56.23Gender differences 53.60 58.71Province difference 46.61 65.92Male Eastern Province 47.51 56.26Female Eastern Province 59.10 65.88Male Northern Province 34.08 43.05Female Northern Province 52.78 53.13All male classes 38.33 53.60All female classes 56.37 58.71High-male Eastern Province 57.97 68.48Low-male Eastern Province 38.31 65.48High-female Eastern Province 66.92 76.40Low-female Eastern Province 52.17 62.26High-male Northern Province 33.33 60.87Low-male Northern Province 33.56 37.17High-female Northern Province 67.15 69.10Low-female Northern Province 45.82 46.33

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

tional-teaching method for teaching chemistry to the tenth grade male classes in

the UAE. To investigate the interaction between the variables, table 3 was com-

piled and from this figure 1 was drawn.

Figure 1 indicated that both male and female in the experimental classes

scored higher than their counterparts in the control classes. The score difference

between the traditional-teaching method and STAD for male students was 8.86,

and for the female students was 3.56. This gave us an indication that STAD was

more effective than the traditional teaching method for both groups; however,

male students benefited more than female students. The difference in response

to the teaching methods used has been reflected in the slight interaction between

the teaching methods and gender (figure 1). As a result of the discussion above, the

first null hypothesis was rejected and it was concluded that STAD was more

effective than the traditional-teaching method in teaching tenth grade male

chemistry classes in the United Arab Emirates.

The second hypothesis investigated the interaction of the teaching methods

used in this study and province. Results of the ANOVA analysis are represented in

table 2. The data showed that there was a significant two-way interaction between

test, province and teaching method, F ¼ 23:469, p ¼ 0:000. To investigate this

interaction, table 4 was constructed and figure 2 was drawn from this.

Figure 2 indicated that experimental classes scored higher than the control

classes. However, table 4 and figure 2 have indicated that students in the northern

province benefited more than their counterpart students in the eastern province.

The score difference between the traditional-teaching method and STAD for the

612 N. BALFAKIH

Table 2. Repeated measures ANOVA analysis.

Sum of Mean SignSource of variation squares DF square F of F

Main effects 60867.608 5 12173.522 70.208 0.000Method 08970.104 1 08970.104 51.733 0.000Ability 29244.203 2 14622.101 84.330 0.000Gender 08299.891 1 08299.891 47.868 0.000Province 14353.410 1 14353.410 82.780 0.000

2-way interactions 11446.663 9 1271.851 7.335 0.000Method ability 00019.865 2 009.932 0.057 0.944Method gender 05270.454 1 5270.454 30.396 0.000Method province 04069.361 1 4069.361 23.469 0.000Ability gender 00246.213 2 0123.106 0.710 0.492Ability province 01105.234 2 0552.617 3.187 0.042Gender province 656.4 1 0656.484 3.786 0.052

3-way interactions 3227.806 7 461.115 2.659 0.011Method ability gender 1276.444 2 638.222 3.681 0.026Method ability province 1089.222 2 544.611 3.141 0.044Method gender province 191.855 1 191.855 1.106 0.293Ability gender province 261.706 2 130.853 0.755 0.471

4-Way interactions 1034.298 2 517.149 2.983 0.052Method ability gender province 1034.298 2 517.149 2.983 0.052

Explained 76576.376 23 3329.408 19.202Residual 76985.861 444 173.392Total 153562.236 467 328.827

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

northern province was 4.66, and for the eastern province was 1.27. The difference

in response to the teaching methods used is shown in the slight interaction between

the teaching method and province (figure 2). As a result of the discussion above,

the second null hypothesis was rejected and it was concluded that STAD was more

effective than the traditional-teaching method in teaching tenth grade only in

northern province chemistry classes in the United Arab Emirates.

Students’ high score of the control classes in the eastern province minimized

the strong effectiveness of STAD on the experimental students. It should be noted

here that the students’ achievement score means of the eastern experimental classes

were 6.49 points higher than students’ achievement score means of the experi-

mental students in the north. This suggested that STAD was more effective than

the traditional-teaching method for teaching chemistry to the tenth grade northern

province classes in the United Arab Emirates.

In this study, the third hypothesis included the ability level of the students.

The hypothesis examined the subgroups in every class. Results of the repeated

measures ANOVA were presented in table 2. The data indicated that there was no

significant two-way interaction between test, students’ ability and teaching


49.66

40.8

55.9459.5

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Traditional STAD

Teaching Method

Achievement

Male Female

Figure 1. Interaction of the teaching method used in the tenth gradechemistry classes and gender.

Table 3. The interaction of teaching method and gender using repeated

measures ANOVA on the test for the eight classes studied.

Instructional method (X1)

Traditional STAD Mean

Gender (X2)Male 40.80 49.66 45.23Female 55.94 59.50 57.72

Mean 48.37 54.58

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

method, F ¼ 0:057, p ¼ 0:944. To investigate if there was any interaction between

the three factors, table 5 was constructed and from this figure 3 was drawn.

Figure 3 presented the achievement scores of six subgroups, low, average, and

high of the students under study, regardless of their gender or provinces. Figure 3

indicated that experimental classes in all three experimental groups scored higher

than their counterpart in the control groups. On the other hand, students’ scores in

the control groups have increased in the same manner as in the experimental

groups. This resulted in the disappearance of an interaction between the teaching

method and students’ ability. As a result of the discussion above, the third null

hypothesis was accepted and it was concluded that there was not enough evidence

to name one of the teaching methods used in this study as superior to the other.

Both teaching methods had similar effectiveness in teaching tenth grade chemistry

classes in the United Arab Emirates. This is true when the other factors were

neglected.

The fourth hypothesis included the gender and province, in addition to the

teaching methods. The hypothesis examined the groups in every class taking into

consideration their gender and province. To test the hypothesis, ANOVA with

four factors was applied. The design used was a 2� 2� 2� 1 factorial design with

614 N. BALFAKIH

48.09

54.58

43.43

53.31

40

42

44

46

48

50

52

54

56

Traditional STAD

Teaching Method

Achievement

Northern Eastern

Figure 2. Interaction of the teaching method used in the tenth grade

chemistry classes and province.

Table 4. The interaction of teaching method and province using

repeated measures ANOVA on the test for the eight classes studied.



Province (X2)Northern 43.43 48.09 45.76Eastern 53.31 61.07 57.19

Mean 48.37 54.58

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

repeated measures on the fourth factor. There were three factors or variables, with

two levels for teaching method (traditional and STAD), province (northern pro-

vince and eastern province), and gender (male and female). Results of the repeated

measures ANOVA were presented in table 2. The data showed that there was no

significant three-way interaction between test, province, gender and teaching

method, F ¼ 1:106, p ¼ 0:293. To investigate if there was any interaction between

the three factors, table 6 was constructed and figure 4 was drawn.

Figure 4 presented the achievement scores of the sixteen classes under inves-

tigation which were distributed in different geographical locations in the UAE.

The research sample has four male classes in the northern province, two experi-

mental and two control classes. Another four classes in the northern province for

the female students have been selected. The same numbers and divisions of classes

were applied in the eastern province.

Figure 4 indicated that experimental classes in all eight classes scored higher

than their counterpart in the control groups. On the other hand, students’ scores in

the control groups have increased in almost the same manner as in the experi-

mental groups. However, figure 4 has shown that achievement scores for the

female students in the experimental classes in the northern province were almost


Table 5. The interaction of teaching method and gender using repeated

measures ANOVA on the test for the eight classes studied.



Ability (X2)High 56.34 68.71 62.53Average 47.51 58.71 53.11Low 42.47 52.81 47.64

Mean 48.77 60.08

56.34

47.51

42.47

68.71

56.2352.81

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

High Average Low

Teaching Method

Achievement

Traditional STAD


chemistry classes and ability.

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

the same as in the control classes, 53.13 and 52.78 respectively. The difference of

achievement scores for the female students in the eastern province was higher,

65.88 and 59.10 respectively. Figure 4 indicated that female students in the north-

ern province benefited the least from using STAD as a teaching method. However,

the overall conclusion regarding the interaction was showing the disappearance of

an interaction between the teaching method, gender, and province.

As a result of the discussion above, the fourth null hypothesis was accepted

and it was concluded that there was not enough evidence to name one of the

teaching methods used in this study as superior above the other. Both teaching

methods have similar effectiveness in teaching tenth grade chemistry classes in the

United Arab Emirates. This was true when gender and province were taken into

consideration.

616 N. BALFAKIH

Table 6. The interaction of teaching method, gender, and province using



Province Traditional STAD Mean

NorthernGender (X2)

Male 34.08 43.05 38.57Female 52.78 53.13 52.96

EasternMale 47.51 56.26 51.86Female 59.10 65.88 62.49Mean 47.37 54.58

34.08

47.51

59.1

43.05

65.88

52.78

53.1356.26

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

Male Female Male Female

Northern Eastern

Province

Achievement

Traditional STAD


chemistry classes with gender and province.Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

The fifth hypothesis included the gender and students’ ability, in addition to the

teaching methods. The hypothesis would give deeper investigation in this study.

The achievement scores of the 12 subgroups in the eight classes under investigation

would be analysed. The hypothesis examined the achievement scores of the students

in subgroups, high, average and low, in every class for male and female students.

To test the hypothesis, repeated measures of ANOVA with four factors was

applied. The design used was a 2� 2� 3� 1 factorial design with repeated meas-

ures on the fourth factor. The new third factor is the students’ ability with three

levels (high, average and low). Results of the repeated measures ANOVA were

presented in table 2. The data showed that there was a significant three-way inter-

actions between test, students’ ability, gender and teaching method, F ¼ 3:681,

p ¼ 0:026. To investigate this interaction between the three factors, table 7 was

constructed and from this figure 5 was drawn.


Table 7. The interaction of teaching method, gender, and ability using



Gender (X3) Traditional STAD Mean

MaleAbility (X2)

High 45.65 64.68 55.17Average 40.80 49.66 45.23Low 35.94 51.33 43.64

FemaleHigh 64.04 72.75 64.40Average 55.94 59.51 57.73Low 49.00 54.30 51.65Mean 48.56 58.71

45.65

40.8

35.94

64.04

55.94

49

64.68

49.6651.33

72.75

59.51

54.3

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

High Average Low High Average Low

Male Female

Students' Ability

Achievement

Traditional STAD


chemistry classes with gender and students’ ability.

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

Figure 5 indicated that all experimental subgroups scored higher than their

counterparts in the control groups. However, the subgroups response toward the

teaching method differed from one to another. The extreme response was from the

low-ability students in the male subgroup, whose achievement scores had jumped

dramatically to the extent that they scored better than those who were classified as

average students prior to the study. Low-ability students in the female subgroups

had benefited from using STAD as well, but to a limited extent compared with

male low-ability students. The difference in achievement scores of the low-ability

students in the male experimental and control subgroups was 15.39 points. The

other strong noticeable influence of STAD was in the high-ability students in the

male groups. The difference in achievement scores of the high-ability students in

the male experimental and control subgroups was 19.03 points. This different

response to the teaching methods had resulted in an interaction among the factors

under investigation.

As a result of the discussion above, the fifth null hypothesis was rejected and it

was concluded that STAD is more effective than traditional-teaching method in

teaching tenth grade chemistry classes in the UAE. This is true when gender and

students’ ability were taken in consideration.

The question raised here is: ‘Which province contributed more to the higher

achievement of the high and low-ability students in the experimental groups?’ The

investigation of the sixth hypothesis has the answer to the question. Hypothesis 6

investigates the interaction of students’ ability, province, and teaching methods

used. This hypothesis neglected the gender. In this study, the sixth hypothesis

included the province and students’ ability, in addition to the teaching methods.

The achievement scores of the 12 subgroups in the eight classes in both provinces

under investigation would be analysed. The hypothesis examined achievement

scores of the students in subgroups, high, average and low, in every class in the

two provinces.

To test the hypothesis, repeated measures ANOVA with four factors were

applied. The design used was a 2� 2� 3� 1 factorial design with repeated

measures on the fourth factor. Results of the repeated measures ANOVA were

presented in table 2. The data showed that there was a significant three-way

interactions between test, students’ ability, gender and teaching method,

F ¼ 3:141, p ¼ 0:044. To investigate this interaction between the three factors,

table 8 was constructed and figure 6 was drawn. Figure 6 indicates that all ex-

perimental subgroups scored higher than their counterpart in the control groups.

However, groups’ response toward the teaching method differed from one person

to another. The extreme response at this stage has been shown from the low ability

students in the eastern province whose achievement scores jumped dramatically to

the extent that they scored better than those who were classified as average

students prior to the study. The difference of students’ achievement score between

the experimental and the control subgroups was 18.63 for the eastern low-ability

students, and 2.06 for the northern province students.

On the other hand, the experimental subgroup of the low-ability students in

the northern province benefited almost the same as their counterparts in the con-

trol subgroup. The achievement scores of the other subgroups varied. For ex-

ample, high ability students in the eastern province scored 18 points, and 14

points in the northern province, these scores were higher than their counterparts

618 N. BALFAKIH

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

in the control subgroup. This different response to the teaching methods resulted

in an interaction among the factors under investigation.

As a result of the discussion above, the sixth null hypothesis was rejected and it

was concluded that STAD was more effective than the traditional-teaching

method in teaching tenth grade science classes in the UAE. This was true when

province and students’ ability were taken into consideration.

The seventh hypothesis included the province, students’ ability, gender, and

teaching methods. Hypothesis 7 was more comprehensive; it gave us more detail

about the effectiveness of the teaching methods used. The achievement scores of

the 24 subgroups in the eight classes under investigation would be analysed. The

hypothesis examined achievement scores of the students in subgroups, high, aver-

age and low, in every class in the two provinces for both male and female.


Table 8. The interaction of teaching method, province, and students’

ability using repeated measures ANOVA on the test for the eight

classes studied.


Province (X3) Traditional STAD Mean

NorthernAbility (X2)

High 50.24 64.99 57.15Average 43.43 48.09 45.76Low 39.69 41.75 40.72

EasternHigh 62.45 72.44 67.45Average 53.31 61.07 57.19Low 45.24 63.87 45.56Mean 49.06 58.70

50.24

43.43

39.69

62.45

53.31

45.24

64.99

48.09

72.44

61.0763.87

41.75

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

High Average Low High Average Low

Northern Eastern

Students' Ability

Achievement

Traditional STAD


chemistry classes, with province and students’ ability.

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

The design used to test the hypothesis was a 2� 2� 2� 3� 1 factorial design

with repeated measures on the fourth factor. Results of the repeated measures

ANOVA were presented in table 2. The data indicated that there was no signifi-

cant four-way interaction between test, students’ ability, gender, province and

teaching method, F ¼ 2:983, p ¼ 0:052. To investigate if there was any interaction

between the four factors, table 9 was constructed and figure 7 was drawn. Figure 7

indicated that all experimental subgroups scored higher than their counterparts in

620 N. BALFAKIH

Table 9. The interaction of teaching method, province, gender and

students’ ability using repeated measures ANOVA on the test for

the eight classes studied.


Province (X3) Ability (X2) Traditional STAD Mean

NorthernGender (X4)

Male High 33.33 60.87 47.10Average 34.08 43.05 38.57

Low 33.56 37.17 35.37Female High 67.15 69.10 68.13

Average 52.78 53.13 52.96Low 45.82 46.33 46.08

EasternMale High 57.97 68.48 63.23

Average 47.51 56.26 51.89Low 38.31 65.48 51.90

Female High 66.92 76.40 71.66Average 59.10 65.88 62.49

Low 52.17 62.26 57.22

43.05

69.1

46.33

68.48

56.26

65.48

76.4

65.8862.26

33.56

66.92

33.33

47.51

34.08 38.31

59.157.97

52.78

67.15

45.82

52.17

37.17

60.87

53.13

3035404550556065707580

Ability

( X 2 ) High

Average

Low

High

Average

Low

High

Average

Low

High

Average

Low

Gender

(X4)

Male (N) Female(N) Male (E) Female(E)

Province(X3)

Students' Ability

Achievement

Traditional STAD


chemistry classes, with gender, province and students’ ability.

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

the control groups. The teaching methods response that was used could be divided

into three main groups based on the point’s difference between the experimental

and control group. This list showed those who benefited from the most to the least

as follows:

. Low-ability students: male students in the eastern province (27.17)

Female students in the eastern province (10.09)

Male students in the northern province (3.61)

. High-ability students: male students in the northern province (27.54)

Male students in the eastern province (10.51)

Female students in the eastern province (9.48)

The female students in the northern province represented the first group.

Achievement scores of the students in the experimental subgroups were similar

to the students in the control subgroups. The female students in the eastern

province represented the second group. It was clear that experimental subgroups

achieved higher than their counterparts in the control group. However, figure 7

has not given any indication of an interaction between any subgroup and the

teaching methods applied. The male students in both provinces represented the

last group. Figure 7 showed a clear interaction between the teaching methods used

and the achievement scores of subgroups; however, the overall result was the

disappearance of a significant interaction among the factors under investigation.

As a result of the discussion above, the seventh null hypothesis was accepted

and it was concluded that both teaching methods, STAD and the traditional-

teaching method, have similar effectiveness in teaching tenth grade chemistry

classes in the United Arab Emirates. This is true when province, gender, and

students’ ability were taken in consideration.

Summary

The findings have indicate that STAD is a more effective teaching method than

the traditional-teaching method in teaching tenth grade chemistry classes in the

UAE. Male students benefited more than female students from using STAD as an

alternative teaching method. When provinces were compared, it was found that the

northern province benefited more, when all other factors were neglected. Among

the four schools, it was found that male students in the northern province bene-

fited the most from STAD (8.97 points), followed by male students in the eastern

province (8.75 points), then female students in the eastern province (6.78 points).

Female students’ achievement scores in the northern province almost did not

change (0.35 point).

This study has shown that all subgroups benefited from the use of STAD as

an alternative teaching method. The students’ achievement scores of all students in

experimental groups increased compared to their counterpart in control groups.

Implications

In the first semester of the academic year of 2000/2001, a survey of 44 items was

distributed to 295 science teachers nationwide. The item which described their

teaching practice in science showed that the lecture was still the dominant teaching


Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

method. This type of practice restricts students’ creativity and makes students

dependent, and passive learners (90).

Officials in the Ministry of Education are aware of this situation. Their desires

to change the science programme so as to make UAE students more active is

reflected in the visionary plan for 2020. Two very important goals, which related

to the teaching of science, had been stated. The fourteenth and sixteenth goals of

the vision emphasized the need for science teachers to implement teaching

methods which enhance students’ creativity. In addition, teachers were encour-

aged to move from the traditional teaching which focus on rote learning to a

teaching that enhances meaningful learning. The 2020 vision wants students to

be active learners who can solve project problems, work in teams to achieve com-

mon goals, communicate, share, and exchange ideas with others. All of these goals

require a teacher to be a facilitator or coach not a transmitter of information.

The transition from the traditional teaching practice to a new one such as

STAD, which could help fulfilling the 2020 vision requirements, is not an easy

task. To do so, teachers need to be confident and mastery of both subject content

and basic teaching skills (de Feiter et al. 1995).

It has been found that confidence and trust in chemistry teachers had been

raised when workshops about the use of STAD were conducted. This was

achieved for two reasons. First, the results of this study had shown that experi-

mental achievement scores’ were significantly higher than the control group, espe-

cially for male students. Second, UAE chemistry teachers felt more comfortable

when STAD worked well applying the same curriculum on similar students.

These two crucial factors have been emphasized in the workshops. In addition,

teachers’ worksheets and students’ team works were presented. As a result,

teachers were motivated to try the transition from the traditional teaching practice

to STAD.

References

Adams, M. and Hamm, M. (1990) Cooperative Learning, Critical Thinking and CollaborationAcross the Curriculum (Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas).

ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development). (1995) ReinventingScience Education. Curriculum Update, Summer, 1–8.

Basili, P. (1991) Conceptual change strategies and cooperative group work in chemistry.Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 28 (4), 293–304.

Bloom, B. S. (1980) The new direction in educational research: alterable variables. Phi DeltaKappan, 61 (6), 382–385.

Bruner, J. and Haste, H. (1987) Making Sense (New York: Routledge).Chism, N. V. (1989) Large Enrollment Classes: Necessary Evil or not Necessary Evil? Notes

in Teaching, No. 5, Occasional Paper. ERIC Service: ED 334 875.Cornwell, J. B. (1979) How to stimulate-and-manage-participation in the classroom.

Training, 16 (50), 42–44.de Feiter, L., Vonks, H. and van den Akker, J. (1995) Toward More Effective Science

Teacher Development in Southern Africa: (Amsterdam: Free University Press).Donmoyer, R. (1996) This issue: a focus on learning. Educational Research, 25 (4), 4.Driver, R. G. and Bell, B. (1986) Students’ thinking and the learning of science: a con-

structivist view. School Science Review, 67, 443–456.Edwards, K. J. and DeVries, D. L. (1972) Learning games and student teams: their effect

on student attitudes and achievement. Center of Social Organization of Schools, TheJohns Hopkins University, Report No. 174.

622 N. BALFAKIH

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

Edwards, K. J. and DeVries, D. L. (1974) Learning games and student teams: their effecton student attitudes and achievement. Center for Social Organization of Schools, The

Johns Hopkins University, Report No. 174.Edwards, K. J., DeVries, D. L. and Snyder, J. P. (1972) Games and teams: a winning

combination. Simulation and Games, 3, 247–269.Forman, E. A. (1981) The role of collaboration in problem solving in children. Unpublished

Doctoral Dissertation, Harvard University.

Gonzales, A. (1979) Classroom cooperation and ethnic balance. Paper presented at theannual convention of the American Psychological Association, September 1–5, New

York.Goodlad, J. I. (1984) A Place Called School: Prospects for The Future (New York: McGraw-

Hill).Herr, K. U. (1989) Improving teaching and learning in large classes: a practical manual.

ERIC Service: ED 312 215.

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T. and Anderson, D. (1976) The effects of cooperativelearning vs individualized instruction on student prosocial behavior, attitude toward

learning and achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 68, 446–452.Johnson, D., Johnson, R., Roy, P. and Zaidman, B. (1985) Oral interaction in cooperative

learning groups: speaking, listening, and the nature of statements made by high-

medium-, and low-achieving students. The Journal of Psychology, 119 (4), 303–321.Knupfer, N. (1993) Logo and transfer of geometry knowledge: evaluating the effects of

student ability grouping. School Science and Mathematics, 93 (7), 360–368.Kyle, W. (1984) Curriculum development of the 1960s. In D. Holdzkom and P. Lutz (eds),

Research within Research (Charleston, WV: Appalachia Educational Laboratories).Labinowicz, E. (1980) The Piaget Primer: Thinking, Learning, Teaching (Menlo Park, CA:

Addison-Wesley).

Lash, A., George, J., Baker, D., Haller, D., Lamber, V., Mergendoller, J., Mitman, A.,

Peterson, K., Piburn, M. and St. Clair, G. (1984) Portraits of Intermediate ScienceClasses (San Francisco, CA: Far West Laboratory for Educational Research andDevelopment).

Lonning, R. A. (1993) Effect of cooperative learning strategies on student verbal inter-

actions and achievement during conceptual change interaction in 10th grade generalscience. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 30 (9), 1087–1101.

Martin, M. O. (1999) Findings from IEA’s repeat of the Third International Science andScience Study at the eighth grade. TIMSS 1999 International Science, BostonCollege, MA.

Okebukola, P. (1992) Concept mapping with a cooperative learning flavour. AmericanBiology Teacher, 54 (4), 218–221.

Page, M. (1990) Active learning: historical and contemporary perspectives. Unpublishedmanuscript, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. ERIC Document Reproduction

Service, No. ED 338389.Piaget, J. (1964) Cognitive development in children: development and learning. Journal of

Research in Science Teaching, 2, 176–186.

Piaget, J. (1995) [1941] Essay on the theory of qualitative values in static sociology. InJ. Piaget (Ed.), Sociological Studies (New York: Routledge) (Original work published

1941), 97–133.Posner, H. and Markstein, J. (1994) Cooperative learning in interodectory cell molecular

biology. Journal of College Science Teaching, 23 (4), 231–233.

Prawat, R. S. (1989) Teaching for understanding: three key attributes’. Teaching andTeacher Education, 5, 315–328.

Roueche, S. D. (1984) Team learning in large classes. Innovation Abstracts. March, 6 (10),1–4.

Secules, T., Cottom, C., Bray, M. and Miller, L. (1997) Creating schools for thought.Educational Leadership, 56 (6), 56–59.

Skon, L., Johnson, D. and Johnson, R. (1981) Cooperative peer interaction versus indivi-

dualistic efforts: effects on acquisition cognitive reasoning strategies. Journal ofEducational Psychology, 73, 83–92.


Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

Slavin, R. E. (1978) Student teams and achievements divisions. Journal of Research andDevelopment Education, 12, 39–49.

Slavin, R. E. (1980a) Effects of individual learning expectation on student achievement.Journal of Educational Psychology, 72, 520–524.

Slavin, R. E. (1980b) Cooperative learning. Review of Educational Research, 50, 315–342.Slavin, R. E. (1989) Cooperative learning and achievement: six theoretical perspectives. In

C. Ames and M. L. Maehr (eds) Advances in Motivation and Achievement,(Greenwich, CT: JAI Press).

Slavin, R. E. and Karweit, N. L. (1981) Cognitive and affective outcomes of an intensivestudent team learning experience. Journal of Experimental Education, 50, 29–35.

Slavin, R. E., Leavey, M. and Madden, N. A. (1981) Effects of student teams and indivi-dualized instruction on mathematics achievement, attitudes, and behaviors. Paperpresented at the annual convention of the American Educational ResearchAssociation, New York.

Tlusty, R. (1993) Cooperative learning in college chemistry course. Paper presented atThe Annual Meeting of The American Educational Research Association. ERICDocument Reproduction Service. No. Ed 359 874.

Von Glaserfeld, E. (1990) An exposition of constructivism: why some like it radical.Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Monograph No. 4, 19–29.

Ward, B. (1979) Attitude toward science: a summary of results from the 1976–77 assess-ment of science. Report 08-S-01 (Denever, CO: Education Commission of TheStates).

Weaver, R. L., II. (1978) The challenge of quality teaching. Improving College andUniversity Teaching, 26, 146.

Weaver, R. L., II. (1983) The small group in large classes. The Educational Forum, Fall, 65–73.

Webb, N. V. (1977) Learning in individual and small group setting (Tech. Rep. No. 7).Stanford University, Aptitude Research Project, School of Education.

Webb, N. V. (1980) An analysis of group interaction and mathematics errors in hetero-geneous ability groups. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 74, 475–484.

Webb, N. V. and Cullian, L. K. (1983) Group interaction and achievement in small groups:stability over time. American Educational Research Journal, 20, 411–423.

Yager, R. E. and Penick, J. E. (1986) Perceptions of four age groups toward science classes,teachers, and the value of science. Science Education, 70, 335–363.

Ziegler, S. (1981) The effectiveness of cooperative learning teams for increasing cross-ethnic friendship: additional evidence. Human Organization, 40, 264–268.

624 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STAD IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

UA

E U

nive

rsity

] at

10:

24 0

3 Ja

nuar

y 20

14

the effectiveness of stad for teaching chemistry in uae

Documents