Knowledge and competence in the function of teaching methods

Abstract

The aim of the investigation was to compare the effects of two different methods of teaching students, the traditional method and the cooperative method within small groups. For this purpose, the students (N=71) were divided into two groups who, for two months, followed the course in Developmental Psychology using these two methods. The effects of the two methods of teaching were assessed on the cognitive plane through academic success and stereotypical conceptions from psychology and on the tentative plane with the aid of subjective assessment of competence within the field of developmental psychology. The results obtained from the analysis of variance lead to the conclusion that the students within the small groups have significantly better scores on tests than the students who were taught in the traditionl manner. In addition, the methods of teaching as well as teaching in general have a significant influence on the stereotypical conceptions from the field of psychology in such a manner that the students taught in the traditional fashion indicate an increase of the number of stereotypes. This confirms the hypothesis that cooperative teaching has a positive effect on the acquisition of knowledge. Results obtained through the questionnaire of competence within the field of developmental psychology do not confirm the supposition that teaching in small cooperative groups stimulates and increases competition because no differences in the estimation of competence within the field of developmental psychology were noted between the two groups