Cooperative learning versus the lecture method of instruction in an introductory statistics course

Traditionally, the teaching of introductory statistics course in many colleges around the world is through the lecture method where the emphasis is on giving students the rules and techniques to be memorized and drill set for practicing algorithms.Active learning in learning statistical activities, is rarely, if ever, being encouraged.The work done in an introductory statistics classroom can therefore become dry and technique-oriented and consequently fail to show the power and nature of statistics.This paper describes an experimental study where the relative effects of cooperative learning versus lecture method of instruction in an introductory statistics course for student teachers were examined. The experimental group was given learning materials or units using the cooperative learning method while the control group was given none of the units but received the same cognitive input through the lecture method. The study was carried out over a period of five weeks with an hour-long session per week with each group. Student teachers in both groups were given questionnaires before the study and an assessment test after the study. In both groups, neither their readiness to study statistics nor their attitudes to learning statistics differ significantly. However, in the assessment test, student teachers in the experimental group achieved higher test scores. The implications of these findings on the teaching and learning of the introductory statistics course are discussed briefly.