The Effects of Jigsaw Learning on Students’ Attitudes in A Vietnamese Higher Education Classroom

Abstract

As a part of an experimental study on the effects of jigsaw learning on Vietnamese tertiary students’ achievement and knowledge retention, students’ attitudes towards six weeks of this kind of instruction were assessed. As noted in our previous report, students in the experimental group (N = 40), who perceived their instruction as more cooperative and more student-centered, had significantly greater improvement on both achievement and retention measures than did the students in the control group (N = 40). This paper furthers that analysis by examining students’ attitudes towards learning via jigsaw grouping.The results indicate that most students in the experimental group appreciated most working with others and getting help, discussing and sharing information and teaching others, and enjoyed the jigsaw context. The qualitative findings of this study enrich understanding of how and why jigsaw learning contributed to the Vietnamese students’ higher academic achievement and knowledge retention.