The Relationship between Group Work and Junior Secondary Science Learning in Hong Kong Schools

Abstract

Investigations into the concept of cooperation in the classroom began in the 20th century, primarily in psychological research. Although general conclusions have been drawn about the positive implications of peer collaboration in Western classrooms, little attention has been paid to the pedagogical differences between group work and traditional whole-class teaching practices in secondary school tuition in Hong Kong. To fill this research gap, this study developed a teaching intervention incorporating collaborative activities in the context of the science curriculum in Hong Kong to investigate students’ co-construction of conceptual knowledge. Building upon Piaget’s (1932) theory of constructivism with regard to children’s cognitive development, the intervention took the form of a series of 10 lessons that contextualised a set of science questions through the group work activities, such as peer-critiquing tasks and debates, in the secondary level integrated science curriculum. It enabled teachers to play a crucial role in encouraging their students to evaluate alternative conceptions and commonsense beliefs about science, and allowed students to establish regulations for expressing their opinions during collaborative tasks to facilitate the development of peer interaction. The results indicated that collaborative group work is more effective than whole-class instruction in developing students’ construction of science knowledge. In addition, teacher participation in group work activities promotes students’ discussions and further facilitates their engagement in collaborative tasks.