EFFECTIVENESS OF THE STUDENT TEAMS-ACHIEVEMENT DIVISIONS COOPERATIVE LEARNING METHOD ON STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION

Abstract

This study investigated the efficacy of the Student Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD) cooperative learning method in enhancing Grade VIII students’ reading comprehension of recount texts and examined their perceptions of the method. A purposive sample of 68 students was divided into experimental (n = 35) and control (n = 33) classes. Quantitative data from pre-test, post-test, and quizzes were complemented by qualitative insights from interviews and questionnaires. Statistical analysis via SPSS 22 showed that the experimental class achieved significant improvement (t = -3.855, p < 0.05), a trend further supported by repeated ANOVA results (F = 12.419) and superior post-test performance compared to the control class (p = 0.033). Additionally, perception analysis indicated that 80% of participants valued the STAD approach for fostering motivation and collaborative learning. The study concludes that STAD significantly outperforms conventional methods in developing reading comprehension, making it highly recommended as an instructional method.