Enhancing students' attitude towards Nigerian senior secondary school physics through the use of cooperative, competitive and individualistic learning strategies

Abstract

The study was conducted to find out the attitude of students towards the use of cooperative, competitive and individualistic learning strategies in Nigerian senior secondary school physics. The design selected for this study was quasi-experimental. A total of 140 students took part in the study and they were selected by a random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire titled Students' Attitude Towards Physics Questionnaire (SATPQ) on 4-point scale was used to collect the data. The Students' Attitude Towards Physics Questionnaire (SATPQ) was validated and trial-tested to establish reliability using Cronbach Alpha. The instrument had a coefficient of internal consistency of 0.86. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used in analyzing the data. The result of the findings showed that cooperative learning strategy was the most effective in facilitating students' attitude towards physics. This was then followed by competitive strategies with the individualistic learning strategies being seen to be the least facilitative. The results also showed an insignificant gender difference in the attitude of students toward physics when taught with cooperative, competitive and individualistic learning strategies. Consequently, it is recommended that cooperative learning strategy should be used in schools to facilitate students' attitude towards physics.