Teachers’ Beliefs And Practices Of Cooperative Group Work Assessment: Selected Secondary School Teachers In Focus

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy

Study investigates secondary school teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding cooperative group work assessment. Random selection involved 213 teachers for a questionnaire survey, complemented by interviews and focus group discussions with two teachers and five students at each site. A one-sample t-test analyzed questionnaire data, while Pearson correlation examined the relationship between beliefs and practices. Interview and FGD findings were described thematically. Results indicate favorable teacher beliefs, but assessment practices were partial, emphasizing group product over process and individual contribution.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Cooperative learning background and teacher roles

Prior research on assessment practices

Method and data analysis

Questionnaire survey and sampling

Interviews and focus group discussions

Statistical and thematic analysis

Findings and implications

Teachers’ beliefs

Assessment practices and recommendations

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 45 Issue 11 | Article 1 | | --- | --- | | 2020
Teachers’Beliefs And Practices Of Cooperative Group Work Assessment: Selected Secondary School Teachers In Focus
Abate Demissie Gedamu
Arba Minch University, Ethiopia, [abachad22@gmail.com](abachad22@gmail.com)
Getu Lemma Shewangezaw
Arbaminch University, Ethiopia, [shewangezawgetu@gmail.com](shewangezawgetu@gmail.com)
Follow this and additional works at: [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte) | | Recommended Citation Gedamu, A. D., & Shewangezaw, G. L. (2020) . Teachers’ Beliefs And Practices Of Cooperative Group Work Assessment: Selected Secondary School Teachers In Focus. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45(11) . Retrieved from [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss11/1](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss11/1) [This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[ ](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss11/1](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss11/1) Teachers’ Beliefs And Practices Of Cooperative Group Work Assessment: Selected Secondary School Teachers In Focus Abate Demissie Gedamu Getu Lemma Shewangizaw Arbaminch University, Ethiopia Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the beliefs and practices of group work assessment of secondary school teachers. For this reason, 213 teachers were selected randomly for a questionnaire survey. In addition, two teachers and five students were selected for interviewsand focus group discussions at each site, respectively. A one-sample ttest was applied to analyze the data acquired through the questionnaire while the Pearson product-moment correlation was used to examine the relationship between the beliefs and practices of group work assessment. The data obtained through interviews and focus group discussion (FGD), were analyzed through thematic verbal descriptions. The findings showed favorable teachers’ beliefs towards group work assessment. On the contrary, teachers’ assessment practices were partial with focus on group product, with diminutive or no assessment of group process and individual contribution. Hence, Ethiopian Bureaus should conduct on-job training for teachers on the assessment of group work. Keywords: belief, practice, assessment, group work, assessment belief, assessment practice Introduction Cooperative learning is a student-centered pedagogical practice in which students work together in small groups at all levels of education across different subject areas (Johnson & Johnson, 2002; Gillies, 2014; 2016) . Related literature highlights that learners can obtain multiple benefits from cooperative learning. Accordingly, cooperative learning enhances the achievement of students, interaction, higher self-esteem, problem-solving skills, and socialization (Johnson & Johnson, 2002; Gillies, 2014). Besides, it provides a non-threatening, more comfortable, and supportive learning environment learning (Gupta, 2004) . Moreover, cooperative learning was found more effective than competitive and individual learning on several academic, personal, and social variables (Johnson & Johnson, 2002; Gillies, 2016) . To this effect, teachers' roles in the undertaking of cooperative group work are essential (Gillies, 2014; 2016) . Among the assorted roles teachers are supposed to play, the assessment of cooperative learning is central since it can influence quality learning (Casal, 2016; Gillies & Boyle, 2010), learning contents, and methods of learning (Biggs, 2002). Concerning cooperative learning assessment practices, the available empirical works have been consulted. To begin with, Le, Janssen, and Wubbels (2018) conducted a study on students’ and teachers’ perceived obstacles to effective collaboration. It was a case study that involved twenty-three students and nineteen teachers from different disciplines. The

FAQs

How were teachers selected and what data were collected?

213 teachers were randomly selected for a questionnaire survey. Two teachers and five students were selected at each site for interviews and focus group discussions.

Which statistical methods were used for the questionnaire data?

A one-sample t-test analyzed questionnaire results, and Pearson product-moment correlation examined the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and practices.

What did the study find about teachers’ beliefs versus assessment practices?

Teachers showed favorable beliefs toward group work assessment. However, assessment practices were partial, focusing more on group product with diminished or no assessment of group process and individual contribution.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy