Effects of two cooperative learning strategies on achievement in chemistry in undergraduate classes

This study investigated the effect of reading-writing-presenting and group investigation cooperative learning strategies versus traditional teaching methods on students' understanding of chemical bonding in an undergraduate chemistry course. This study was carried out in three different classes at the department of primary science education during the fall semester of the 2009-10 academic year. The first class was assigned as the Reading-Writing-Presenting Group (RWPG), the second as the Group Investigation Group (GIG), and the third as the Non-Cooperative Group (NCG). The main data collection tools were a Background Information Test (BIT), chemical bonding Achievement Test (cbAT), and Module Test (MT). The data obtained in this study indicated that there were no significant differences among RWPG, GIG, and NCG in terms of BIT and MC scores. However, significant differences were observed among the treatment groups in terms of cbAT, MA, MB, MD, and ME scores in favor of the RWPG and GIG.