Effects of cooperative learning plus inquiry method on student learning and attitudes: a comparative study for engineering economic classrooms

Abstract

In the Iranian higher education system, including engineering education, effective implementation of cooperative learning is difficult because classrooms are usually crowded and the students never had a formal group working background in their previous education. In order to achieve the benefits of cooperative learning in this condition, this paper proposes a combination of cooperative learning and inquiry method. The method is implemented by grouping students in a way that the learning procedure is done in non-official class sessions by each group, while the inquiry method is done in the regular programmed class sessions. The study is performed in Islamic Azad University and the methods are implemented in two engineering economic classes with different numbers of students in each working group. The results are compared with a control class in which traditional teaching style is implemented. The results of analysis show simultaneous improvement of learning and behavioural attitudes of the students with cooperative learning plus inquiry method in the classroom with a fewer number of students in each working group.

Keywords:

• active learning
• cooperative strategy
• inquiry method
• grouping
• attitudes
• engineering economic course

Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely thank the Editor and anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions and comments on improving the paper.

Funding

This work has been supported by a research grant from Islamic Azad University, Fars Science and Research Branch.

Mohammad Reza Salehizadeh is a PhD student in Electrical Engineering and a Lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Fars Science and Research Branch, Iran. He teaches engineering economics, operation research, power system analysis and electrical machinery in Electrical Engineering area. He has served as a reviewer for some IEEE Educational Conferences. His main research focus is power system operation, control and planning, integration of renewable resources, multi-criteria decision-making and cooperative learning.

Noureddin Behin-Aein is a PhD in Science Education from Oklahoma University, USA and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematical Education, Islamic Azad University, Fars Science and Research Branch, Iran. He teaches Research method, theories in Maths education and other courses in Maths Education area at the graduate level. His main research interests are cooperative learning and behavioural education.