Zemira R. Mevarech

Enhancing Mathematical Reasoning in the Classroom: The Effects of Cooperative Learning and Metacognitive Training

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of four instructional methods on students’ mathematical reasoning and metacognitive knowledge. The participants were 384 eighth-grade students. The instructional methods were cooperative learning combined with metacognitive training (COOP+META), individualized learning combined with metacognitive training (IND+META), cooperative learning without metacognitive training (COOP), and individualized learning without metacognitive training (IND). Results showed that the COOP+META group significantly outperformed the IND +META group, which in turn significantly outperformed the COOP and IND groups on graph interpretation and various aspects of mathematical explanations. Furthermore, the metacognitive groups (COOP+META and IND +META) outperformed their counterparts (COOP and IND) on graph construction (transfer tasks) and metacognitive knowledge. This article presents theoretical and practical implications of the findings.

Improve: A Multidimensional Method For Teaching Mathematics in Heterogeneous Classrooms

The purpose of the present research was to design an innovative instructional method for teaching mathematics in heterogeneous classrooms (with no tracking) and to investigate its effects on students’ mathematics achievement. The method is based on current theories in social cognition and metacognition. It consists of three interdependent components: metacognitive activities, peer interaction, and systematic provision of feedback-corrective-enrichment. The method is called IMPROVE, the acronym of which represents all the teaching steps that constitute the method: Introducing the new concepts, Metacognitive questioning, Practicing, Reviewing and reducing difficulties, Obtaining mastery, Verification, and Enrichment. The research includes two studies, both implemented in seventh grades: One focused on in-depth analyses of students’ information processing under the different learning conditions (N = 247), and one investigated the development of students’ mathematical reasoning over a full academic year (N = 265). Results of both studies showed that IMPROVE students significantly outperformed the nontreatment control groups on various measures of mathematics achievement. The theoretical and practical implications of the research are discussed.

Effects of Metacognitive Training Embedded in Cooperative Settings on Mathematical Problem Solving.

Abstract Effects of 3 cooperative learning environments on mathematical problem solving were compared: (a) metacognitive training in both constructing connections and strategy application, (b) direct instruction regarding strategy application without training in constructing connections, and (c) neither metacognitive nor strategy training. One hundred and seventy-four 7th-grade Israeli students participated in the study. Those exposed to the metacognitive training significantly outperformed their counterparts who were exposed to the strategy instruction, who, in turn, significantly outperformed students who received neither kind of training (the cooperative–control group). Theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.

The effects of metacognitive instruction embedded within an asynchronous learning network on scientific inquiry skills

The study is aimed at investigating the effects of four learning methods on students’ scientific inquiry skills. The four learning methods are: (a) metacognitive‐guided inquiry within asynchronous learning networked technology (MINT); (b) an asynchronous learning network (ALN) with no metacognitive guidance; (c) metacognitive‐guided inquiry embedded within face‐to‐face (F2F) interaction; and (d) F2F interaction with no metacognitive guidance. The study examined general scientific ability and domain‐specific inquiry skills in microbiology. Participants were 407 10th‐grade students (15 years old). The MINT research group significantly outperformed all other research groups, and F2F (group d) acquired the lowest mean scores. No significant differences were found between research groups (b) and (c). MINT makes significant contributions to students’ achievements in designing experiments and drawing conclusions. The novel use of metacognitive training within an ALN environment demonstrates the advantage of enhancing the effects of ALN on students’ achievements in science.

Effects of Multilevel Versus Unilevel Metacognitive Training on Mathematical Reasoning

Abstract The effects of 3 instructional methods on mathematical reasoning were investigated. The methods are (a) cooperative learning embedded within multilevel metacognitive training (MMT), (b) cooperative learning embedded within unilevel metacognitive training (UMT), and (c) learning in the whole class with no metacognitive training. MMT was implemented in mathematics and English classrooms; UMT was used only in mathematics classrooms; and the whole class with no metacognitive training served as a control group. Results indicated that students who were exposed to MMT significantly outperformed their counterparts who were exposed to UMT who, in turn, significantly outperformed the control group. Effects of MMT were observed on students while they solved mathematical problems. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.

To Cooperate or Not to Cooperate in CAI: That Is the Question.

AbstractThis study addressed the question of whether learning with a computer in small-group settings would produce higher levels of achievement, attitudes, and prosocial orientation than learning with a computer in individualized settings. Participants were 115 junior high school students who used computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in language arts. One third of the subjects were randomly assigned to the individualized-CAI condition, and the others learned the same program for the same duration of time in homogeneous pairs. Results showed that the students who learned in pairs became more prosocially oriented toward their teammates, possessed stronger attitudes toward cooperative learning, and tended to score higher on the achievement test than those who experienced the CAI individually. The implications for CAI and cooperative-learning methods are discussed.

The Effects of Cooperative Mastery Learning Strategies on Mathematics Achievement

This study investigated the effects of student-teams using mastery learning strategies (STML) on mathematics achievement of fifth-grade children (N = 134). The experiment used a 2 x 2 (Student Team...

Who Benefits from Cooperative Computer-Assisted Instruction?

The purpose of the present study was to examine the differential effects of cooperative and individualized computer-assisted instruction (C-CAI vs. I-CAI) on mathematics achievement, amount of invested mental effort (AIME), academic recognition, and social acceptance of high and low achieving students. Participants were third grade students (N = 110) who were randomly assigned to either C-CAI or I-CAI settings. Results showed that while high achievers benefited equally well in C-CAI and I-CAI settings, low achievers tended to progress faster and to expend greater AIME in C-CAI than in I-CAI settings. In addition, the study showed that interpersonal relationships relating to both academic recognition and social acceptance were more positive in C-CAI then in I-CAI settings. The theoretical and empirical implications of the results are discussed.

Learning Mathematics in Different Mastery Environments.

AbstractThe purpose of the present study was threefold: (a) to examine the effects of cooperative-mastery learning (CML) strategies on mathematics achievement of low-socioeconomic (SES) students; (b) to investigate the relative contributions of the mastery versus the cooperative components on achievement; and (c) to explore student interactions in CML (the why of learning, not only the what). Two experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, intact classes were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: mastery learning (ML), cooperative learning (CL), cooperative-mastery learning (CML), and a control group with no mastery and no cooperative strategies. Results showed that students exposed to CML performed better than students exposed through more traditional instruction. In the second experiment, student interactions in CML were observed and linked to achievement. The data indicated significant differences between high and low achievers on giving help, receiving help, and individualized le...

The effectiveness of individualized versus cooperative computer-based integrated learning systems

Abstract The purpose of the present study was three fold: (a) to examine the effects of a Computer-Based Integrated Learning System (ILS) implemented individually vs. cooperatively upon mathematics achievement; (b) to investigate the differential effects of the two modes of implementation on lower and higher cognitive processes; and (c) to compare the effects of the two conditions on various cognitive processes for different types of students. Participants were third and sixth grade students (5 schools, 19 classrooms, N = 623 children). Within each grade level, classes were randomly assigned to work cooperatively or individually with the ILS. The duration of the study was approximately one academic year. Results showed that in both grade levels, students who used the system cooperatively outperformed their counterparts who used the system individually. The beneficial effects of the cooperative ILS were manifest on basic skills and higher cognitive processes. In addition, the analyses showed that within third grade, low achievers benefited from the cooperative ILS more than high achievers, whereas within sixth grade, the aptitude X treatment interaction on the post-treatment mean scores was not significant. The findings are discussed from both theoretical and practical perspectives.