Abstract

This study aims to explore the effects of a cooperative technique Jigsaw II (experimental group, n=42) and instructional teacher-centered teaching method (control group, n=38) on Turkish language teacher education department students’ attitudes to written expression course (a course in which writing skills were taught), their academic achievement, retention and their views, in 2009 to 2010 academic year. In this research “pre-test/post-test with control group experimental design” was used. The data was collected through Attitudes to Written Expression Scale (ATWES) and Written Expression Achievement Test (WEAT), Students’ View Form (SVF). The statistical analyses revealed that there were significant differences between the experimental and control groups in terms of their attitudes, academic achievement, and retention in favor of the experimental group. In addition, It was determined that the experimental group students had positive views on the use of Jigsaw II technique.

Key words: Written expression course, writing, cooperative learning, jigsaw II technique, instructional teacher-centered teaching.