Educational Psychology

Abstract The reversed Jigsaw, one of the cooperative learning techniques, is based on group dynamics and social interactions. The aim of current study was to investigate the effect of reversed jigsaw method on university students' academic performance and statistics anxiety in statistics course. Research design was quasi experimental with pre and posttest and control group. Research participants were 43 under graduate university students. In one class students have been instructed using reversed Jigsaw method (n=20) and the students of other class have been instructed using instructional teacher-centered teaching method (n=23). The data was collected through statistics anxiety Scale (Rekabdar & Soleimani, 2008) and academic performance test. One way univariate and multivariate analysis of covariance was used for data analysis. The statistical analyses revealed that there were significant differences between the experimental and control groups in terms of their academic performance and statistics anxiety (p<0.001). The results of mean comparisons indicated that, the mean of experimental group is significantly higher than control group. Also in statistics anxiety the mean of experimental group is significantly lower than control group. In general research finding indicated that, reversed jigsaw method has positive effect on students' academic outcomes such as anxiety and performance. In the other words, by using this method, students' academic performance will increase and their statistics anxiety will decrease.

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of cooperative learning on self-efficacy and self-concept of student's mathematics. Quasi-experimental method using pre- test and post- test with control group was established in this study. High school's first grade girls in Ardabil city was considered as the population of this study in 1393-1394 academic year. Sixty seven students from two classes of the same school had been selected by accessible sampling. Cooperative learning with Student Team's Achievement Division (STAD) and traditional lecturing method was used in experimental and control group respectively. Pre-test and post tests were applied before and after intervening variable. Data were collected using Middleton and Midgley's (1997) questionnaire of self-efficiency with reliability co efficiency of 0/87 and Marsh (1983) questionnaire of self-concept with reliability co efficiency of 0/89. Data were entered in SPSS software for both descriptive and inferential statistics. Mean and standard deviation were used as descriptive statistics and multi co-variance analysis were used for inferential statistics. There was significant difference of self-efficiency and self-concept of student's mathematics. The results of the present study showed cooperative learning with STAD in comparison with traditional methods of teaching have more influence in increasing self-efficiency and self- concept of student's mathematics.

Abstract The present research aims to study the effect of using weblog on cooperative learning. The participants included 37 students of Allameh Tabataba’i University studying the second semester of educational management in the year 2010-2011 who had passed the course ‘educational technology’. This was a single case study, and the research instrument was the Cooperative Learning Implementation Questionnaire. The data was analyzed using one-sample t-test. The results showed that using weblogs as cooperative learning instruments significantly affected the rate of cooperative learning and all its components (including positive interdependence, individual accountability, group processing, social skills, and interactions). The present study makes some suggestions on how to use a weblog with the aim of cooperative learning.

Abstract The purpose of this research was to find out the relationship between cooperation of teachers by the principals in different tasks of institute and the rate of cooperation of students in different class activities by the teachers. The method of study was survey research. Pearson correlation test and T test were used in order to analysis the data. The results indicated that there is a direct and meaning/iii relationship between the cooperation of teachers in decision making by the principals and also between the deligating parts of autority lo the teachers by the principals and the rate o/jlexibility of principals and use of teachers from cooperative learning in class. Findings also indicated that there is no significant dijference between male and female managers and use of teachers from cooperative learning in classroom. Moreover, the results indicated that there is no significant difference between managerial background and use of teachers from cooperative learning in class.