The Effects of Cooperative Learning Activities Management with TAI Technique and Polya’s Problem Solving Process on Mathematics Problem Solving Ability and Collaborative Skills on Exponents of Grade 7 Students at Saard Phaderm Wittaya School in Chumphon Province

Abstract

      The purpose of this research were 1) to compare mathematics problem solving ability on exponents of grade 7 students in the group that learned under cooperative learning activities management with TAI technique and Polya’s problem solving process with students in the group that learned under conventional mathematics learning management; and 2) to study collaborative skills of grade 7 students in the group that learned under cooperative learning activities management with TAI technique and Polya’s problem solving process.
      The research sample consisted of grade 7 students at Saard Phaderm Wittaya school in Chumphon province, which containing 72 students obtained by using cluster random sampling.  The employed research instruments were 1) cooperative learning activities management plans with TAI technique and Polya’s problem solving process in the topic of exponents; 2) conventional mathematics learning management plans in the topic of exponents; 3) a mathematics problem solving ability test in the topic of exponents; and 4) a collaborative skills assessment. Statistics employed for data analysis were the mean, standard deviation and t-test.
      The research findings showed that 1) mathematics problem solving ability in the topic of exponents of the experimental group students,  who learned under cooperative learning activities management plans with TAI technique and Polya’s problem solving process, was significantly higher than the control group students who learned under conventional mathematics learning management at the .05 level; and 2) the collaborative skills of students cooperative learning activities management plans with TAI technique and Polya’s problem solving process had good skills level.