Cooperative Learning Strategies Teachers Use in Facilitating the Comprehension of Geography in the North West and South Regions of Cameroon
Keywords:
Cooperative learning strategies, teachers, comprehension of geographyAbstract
Cooperative learning is a teaching approach which has gained worldwide recognition over the years for its role in facilitating teaching and learning by both teachers and students. Cooperative learning on a broader scope is just one teaching method amongst many. There exist different cooperative learning strategies which can be contextualized depending on the teacher involved, the learners and the content of what has to be taught and learned. Each of these cooperative learning strategies has a specific impact on the learning process of the learners. It is therefore relevant for teachers to have knowledge of the respective cooperative learning strategies which can be made use of, in order to facilitate learning. This study therefore, seeks to investigate the cooperative learning strategies teachers use in facilitating the comprehension of geography in secondary schools in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon. It focused on Fako and Meme Divisions in the South West Region and Mezam Division in the North West Region. The research objective was further turned to research question. The study was both a qualitative and quantitative research.The descriptive survey research design was adopted with a sample size of 138 geography teachers and 536 students. A questionnaire was the main instrument for data collection with reliability of 0.07 coefficient Cronbach alpha. The data was analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Data were entered using EpiData version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 25.0. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools while qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis approach. Findings of the study revealed that, 31.23% of teachers and 22.96% of students hardly used the cooperative learning strategies. Based on these findings, it was recommended that training seminars and workshops should be organized for in-service teachers and a training course on cooperative learning and its different strategies be introduced in teacher training colleges. Teachers should also make an effort to read about cooperative learning and constantly practice the method of teaching.
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