The STAD Cooperative Learning Technique Combined with The STAR Strategy to Promote Problem-Solving Ability in Stoichiometry of Grade 10 Students

Abstract

Background and Aims: The STAD cooperative learning technique combined with the STAR strategy is a learning arrangement that promotes students’ ability to solve problems effectively, uses the STAD technique that includes teamwork and competition to create motivation for learning to solve difficult and complex problems, and uses the STAR strategy to build systematic problem-solving skills according to appropriate steps. The purposes of this research were; 1) to compare students’ problem-solving abilities after learning using the STAD cooperative learning technique combined with STAR strategy with a 70 percent criterion and 2) to study students’ satisfaction with the STAD cooperative learning technique combined with STAR strategy.

Methodology: The participants were thirty-eight grade 10 students of a school in Maha Sarakham province who were studying Chemistry 2 in the academic year 2023. The research tools included; 1) four learning management plans using the STAD cooperative learning technique combined with STAR strategy on “Stoichiometry”, totaling 12 hours, with the highest appropriateness level, 2) the subjective problem-solving ability assessment test consisting of four questions with content validity by IOC index as 1.00, difficulty index (p) ranging from 0.50 to 0.54, discrimination index (D) ranging from 0.49 to 0.51 and reliability coefficient 0.97 and 3) the satisfaction questionnaire regarding the STAD cooperative learning technique combined with STAR strategy consists of thirteen questions, each with content validity by IOC as 1.00, discrimination index (r) ranging from 0.45 to 0.75 and reliability coefficient at 0.92. The data analysis statistics were mean, standard deviation, and one sample t-test.

Results: 1) the students who received the STAD cooperative learning technique combined with the STAR strategy had problem-solving abilities higher than the 70 percent threshold with statistical significance at the .05 level and 2) the students expressed the highest level of satisfaction with the STAD cooperative learning technique combined with STAR strategy.

Conclusion: The findings show that using the STAR strategy in conjunction with the STAD cooperative learning technique enhances students' problem-solving skills and increases their enjoyment of learning. To encourage students' problem-solving skills, it is therefore recommended to combine the STAR strategy with the STAD cooperative learning technique. Moreover, by encouraging cooperative teamwork, this method aids in the social and academic growth of students.