Comparing the Effects of Jigsaw Cooperative Learning and Lecture on Health students' knowledge, performance, and satisfaction

Abstract

Abstract Background Jigsaw is a cooperative and student-centered learning method, emphasizing the constructive interactions of students and their active engagement in learning. The present research was conducted to compare the effects of two educational methods of traditional lecture and jigsaw cooperative learning (JCL) on the knowledge, performance, and satisfaction of students. Methods This quasi-experimental study was done on 50 public health students with bachelor’s degrees, who had been chosen through available sampling. Eight educational sessions related to educational technology course were chosen for implementation of the study. One group of students received the education through the JCL, and the other through the lecture. The extent of performance and satisfaction of students with the educational course was measured through two researcher-made 80 and 18-item questionnaires after receiving the training. Data were analyzed through SPSS 23.0 software and P<05 was considered statistically significant. Results The mean score of knowledge in the pre-test stage in the jigsaw and lecture groups was 11.40 and 10.56, respectively, while these values in the post-test stage significantly increased in the jigsaw group compared to their lecture counterpart (16.68 vs. 10.76) (P<0.0001). There was a significant difference between the two groups regarding the score of poster and pamphlet preparation, role-playing, and slide preparation in all subscales (P<0.0001). The mean score of satisfaction with the course was higher in the jigsaw group in all subscales except for motivation (P=0.17) and problem-solving (P=0.43), compared to the lecture group (P<0.0001). Conclusions The results obtained from this research indicated that the JCL method, by engaging students in the teaching-learning process, could cause enhanced knowledge, performance, and satisfaction of the learner, helping them deal with their courses with greater interest. Thus, trainers and teachers should get familiar with this method and be encouraged to use it, since eventually use of this method leads to enhanced efficiency and quality of education in educational centers.