The purpose of this study was to compare Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) with Traditional Pedagogy for the effects on third-grade students with respect to math achievement, problem solving ability, math learning motivation, learning satisfaction, and interest in math learning. The quasi-experimental design was utilized for this study. The study data were collected through questionnaire survey and interviews. The subjects of the study were 61 third-grade students from two classes of an elementary school in the Kaohsiung City. One class was chosen as the experimental group in which STAD was employed in the experimental instruction and the other was chosen as the control group in which traditional pedagogy was adopted. Data were collected during the period of experimental instruction and were analyzed afterwards. The main results are presented as follows: 1. The math achievement of students who received STAD method was significantly higher after the experimental instruction than before. As for the improvement at posttest from pretest in math achievement, students in STAD group performed better than students in traditional pedagogy group did, but the difference did not reach the significant level. 2. The problem solving ability of students who received STAD method were significantly higher after the experimental instruction than before. As for the improvement at posttest from pretest in problem solving ability, students in STAD group performed significantly better than students in traditional pedagogy group did, which meant the STAD group made much more improvement than the traditional pedagogy group did after the experimental instruction. 3. After the experimental instruction, students who received STAD method performed better in math problem solving interview than those who received traditional pedagogy did. Students who received STAD method were more capable of understanding the questions without interviewer¡¦s explanations. Compared with the control group, the STAD group gave correct solutions more frequently, and was able to provide more reasonable explanations to their solutions. Besides, the STAD group was willing to try various ways to solve the same problem. 4. After the experimental instruction, students who received STAD method had significantly higher math learning motivation than did before; as for the improvement at posttest from pretest in math learning motivation, students in STAD group also performed better than students in traditional pedagogy group. 5. After the experimental instruction, students who received STAD method had significantly higher math learning interests than did before; as for the improvement at posttest from pretest in math learning interests, students in STAD group also performed better than students in traditional pedagogy group. Finally, the researcher proposed several suggestions for the ducational application in classroom teaching and future studies.

The paradigm shift in teaching from the teacher-centred approach to the learner-centred approach in recent years has impacted on the way teachers go about their duties in the classroom. This paradigm shift necessitated this research with the aim of investigating how the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) technique can be used as a cooperative learning technique to teach EFAL in Kwazulu-Natal. The purpose of this study was to design a framework for the implementation of STAD as a cooperative teaching strategy for EFAL teachers by gleaning literature on teaching and learning, cooperative learning and STAD in chapters two to four of this study. Empirical research, by way of a survey and focus group discussions were also conducted in four out of the twelve districts in the Kwazulu-Natal Province to help solidify the framework designed in this study. In striving to get in-depth insight into this study, the post-positivist-constructivist paradigm, which calls for the mixed methods research design was employed for the collection and analysis of data. Specifically, the Likert scale survey questionnaire and focus group discussions were used to collect data, through the sequential mixed methods design for the quantitative and qualitative phases of this study respectively, from a sample of 220 respondents and twelve participants. The findings of this research indicated that the time spent in training teachers towards the implementation of the STAD technique was not adequate. That notwithstanding, it was indicative that teachers make efforts to implement the strategy in their teaching and the results proved to be very positive as the technique continues to help improve upon learners’ performances and builds in them qualities such as critical thinking skills, good discussion skills and positive collaborative learning. In the nutshell, the literature study, the findings of the empirical research and the recommendation of this study forms the basis for designing the framework for the implementation of STAD as a teaching strategy for EFAL teachers. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The paradigm shift in teaching from the teacher-centred approach to the learner-centred approach in recent years has impacted on the way teachers go about their duties in the classroom. This paradigm shift necessitated this research with the aim of investigating how the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) technique can be used as a cooperative learning technique to teach EFAL in Kwazulu-Natal. The purpose of this study was to design a framework for the implementation of STAD as a cooperative teaching strategy for EFAL teachers by gleaning literature on teaching and learning, cooperative learning and STAD in chapters two to four of this study. Empirical research, by way of a survey and focus group discussions were also conducted in four out of the twelve districts in the Kwazulu-Natal Province to help solidify the framework designed in this study. In striving to get in-depth insight into this study, the post-positivist-constructivist paradigm, which calls for the mixed methods research design was employed for the collection and analysis of data. Specifically, the Likert scale survey questionnaire and focus group discussions were used to collect data, through the sequential mixed methods design for the quantitative and qualitative phases of this study respectively, from a sample of 220 respondents and twelve participants. The findings of this research indicated that the time spent in training teachers towards the implementation of the STAD technique was not adequate. That notwithstanding, it was indicative that teachers make efforts to implement the strategy in their teaching and the results proved to be very positive as the technique continues to help improve upon learners’ performances and builds in them qualities such as critical thinking skills, good discussion skills and positive collaborative learning. In the nutshell, the literature study, the findings of the empirical research and the recommendation of this study forms the basis for designing the framework for the implementation of STAD as a teaching strategy for EFAL teachers. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)