Co-operative group learning is known to be an effective instructional practice, especially for mathematics. While group work can be incorporated into the classroom in multiple ways, not every group is a co-operative learning community. In the current study, class observations and preservice teacher interviews were used to compare experiences during formal and informal group work. The findings indicate that formal co-operative learning groups, or prolonged interaction with the same group of people, develops a sense of strong community within the classroom, thereby providing a safe space and facilitating discussions. Preservice teachers involved in formal co-operative learning reported they learned better, gained confidence in the subject, and associated positively to using group work in their future classroom. However, preservice teachers involved in informal co-operative learning had neutral perceptions about group work. We suggest that prolonged interactions among the group members is required to establish effective co-operative learning groups.
Inclusive STEM high schools (ISHSs) are increasingly emerging in the research literature and have yielded promising effects on students' science and mathematics achievement [1; 2; 3]. ISHSs emphasized STEM preparation for underrepresented subpopulations and offered open enrollment.In the present study, we selected 17 ISHSs in Texas and divided those schools into two groups. Of these schools, seven (n=1,682) implemented Project Lead the Way (PLTW) curriculum and 10 (n=3,070) did not implement the PLTW curriculum. PLTW was an engineering curriculum and professional development program intended to increase K-12 students' interest in the fields of science and engineering [4]. Results from the present study showed that students who attended ISHSs increased their mathematics score regardless of the curriculum used. Results also showed that the mathematics achievement of students over time did not differ (p>.05) between STEM schools that implemented PLTW and those that did not. In fact, given the effect sizes, it is arguable that schools in which PLTW was not implemented had greater gains in mathematics.
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