Abstract in English:
This study aimed to know the effect of using three remedy methods in a framework of the mastery learning strategy which are: reteaching, written feedback, cooperative learning on the achievement in mathematics of the primary eighth class student in Sanaa' municipality on their attitudes towards mathematics in comparison with the traditional method of teaching.
The study sample consists of 202 students from the primary eighth class, distributed to four sections randomly chosen from two schools in Sanaa' Municipality- the second region during the academic year 2001-2002. These sections are distributed to four groups. Three of them are experimental groups and the fourth is control.
The four groups are matched in the past achievement in mathematics, as well as in the past knowledge about the scientific content under experimentation, in addition to the intelligence level.
The scientific content is limited to the units of relative numbers and algebraic expressions from the textbook of the academic year 2001-2002 the first part. Then, the learning aspects involved in the level of (mathematics knowledge categories) are identified.
In the light of the relative importance of the content and the behavioral objectives, an achievement test is set up consisting of 40 items of the multiple choice type according to the first three levels of Blooms' classification of the cognitive field (remembering, comprehension, and application). The researcher has verified the standard characteristics of the test in the light of the feedback standard measurement requirements. Five formation test and other five tests corresponding to them are developed as much as two corresponding tests for each subunit. Their validity has been verified by presenting them to a group of juries. In order to measure the tendencies of the sample students towards mathematics, a tendency measure is set up for this purpose, consisted of 26 items of the Likert type and distributed to three dimensions (the content of mathematics, mathematics lessons and their activities, and the importance of mathematics). The psychometric characteristics have been verified according to the requirements of this kind of measures.
The remedial process in the four groups in conducted in the following methods:
The first experimental group (the reteaching group): The content of the first sub unit has been taught by follow the traditional method, informing the students of the behavioral goals and the nature of learning they will be exposed to, after teaching the unit, a formation test is applied to them. Then the group deals with the remedy of the teacher weaknesses (group remedy). After that, an equivalent version of the formation test is applied to the non-skilled students who are directed afterwards to correct their mistakes without the assistance of the teacher. The brilliant students are given enrichment activities. Then there is a move to the next unit and all that has been previously done is repeated.
The second experimental group (the feedback group): This group has been applied to the same procedures of the first experimental group, but the remedy here is through the written feedback.
The third experimental group (the cooperative learning): This has been exposed to the same first procedures of the first group, but the remedy here is through the cooperative discussion.
The control group: This group has studied according to the traditional method and solved additional exercises at the end of each unit, without being exposed to any remedial diagnostic procedure.
The application of the experiment has lasted for 10 weeks, and at the end of it, an achievement test is applied. The application of the tendencies measure to the four groups has been repeated, for it has been previously applied. The univariation analysis (ANOVA), the accompanying variation analysis (ANCOVA) and Duncan's test have been used for the dimensional comparison. The study has reached the following results:
1. The three experimental groups (the feedback group, the cooperative learning group, and the retouching group) have been superior to the control group in achievement at a significance level of 0.05.
2. The feedback and the cooperative learning groups have excelled the reteaching group and the control group in both the achievement and tendencies at a significance level of 0.05.
3. The equivalence of the cooperative learning and the feedback groups in the average achievement, and the same is for the tendencies.
4. The equivalence of the reteaching and control groups in the average grades of tendencies towards mathematics.
5. The mastery effectiveness of the feedback group and the cooperative learning group has exceeded the specified mastery level (70%, 70%), for the mastery effectiveness of the feedback group has reached (78.26%, 70%) and of the cooperative learning (70.21%, 70%).
6. The members of the control group and the reteaching group have not reached the specified mastery effectiveness, for the effectiveness of both groups in (16.07%, 70%) and (47.16%, 70%), respectively.
In the light of the study results, a number of recommendations and suggestions are drawn.