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http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tsed20 The effectiveness of student
team- achievement division (STAD) for teaching high school
chemistry in the United Arab Emirates
Nagib M. A. Balfakih
a
a
United Arab Emirates University , Al-Ain Box 17551, United Arab Emirates E-mail: Published online: 26 Nov
2010.
To cite this article: Nagib M. A. Balfakih (2003) The effectiveness of student team- achievement division (STAD)
for teaching high school chemistry in the United Arab Emirates, International Journal of Science Education, 25:5,
605-624, DOI: 10.1080/09500690110078879
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, 2003,
VOL.
25,
NO
. 5, 605624
INT. J. SCI. EDUC.
RESEARCH REPORT

The effectiveness of student team-achievement division (STAD) for teaching high

school chemistry in the United Arab Emirates
Nagib M. A. Balfakih, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain Box 17551, United Arab Emirates; e-
mail: balfakih@hotmail.com
Education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) faces major problems which may hinder its future development. These include low
achievement in science and a negative attitude toward science subjects, which have resulted in a high number of student dropouts
from the science track in high school. It is believed among UAE educators that the main reason is the way science that has been
taught in its schools. A solution to this problem depends on finding effective teaching methods, which maintain student
achievement, improve students attitude and provide opportunities to develop essential scien- tific skills. The effectiveness of
Student Team-Achievement Division (STAD) for teaching science to high school classes in the UAE was investigated. The
sample was selected randomly. A representative group of UAE high school students was chosen from the northern province,
which includes urban areas, and from the eastern province, which includes rural areas. The study involved sixteen tenth grade
classes. During the second semester of the academic year 1998/1999, three units in the chemistry curriculum were covered. This
study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of STAD in teaching high school chemistry in the UAE and to find out which
groups, gender, area, and ability benefitted most.
Introduction
Schools in the United Arab Emirates follow the national curriculum and science teaching starts in the first grade and
concentrates primarily on animal behaviour. Chemistry and physics are taught as separate subjects in grade 10.
Then, in grade 11, students have to choose either a science or arts track. The curriculum of students majoring in
science includes mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, and geology. In contrast, the arts curriculum includes
geography, history, and social science.
The common teaching practice in both divisions is the traditional method, the lecture. The teacher lectures on a
topic on the day appointed by the curriculum time-table. Most of the time the lecture is not supplemented by any
other teaching methods. The high achievers in the class are the ones who have the ability to memorize the content
material. One of the disciplines that suffers as a result of using the lecture method is science. In science, the two
strong qualities that each student must have in order to be successful are an understanding of the subject matter and
a good command of the scientific method or process. Even if the content can be covered through lecture, the process
cannot.
International Journal of Science Education ISSN 09500693 print/ISSN 14645289 online 2003 Taylor & Francis Ltd
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals DOI: 10.1080/09500690110078879
606
N. BALFAKIH

To understand science, students should experience science as scientists do. Cognitive psychologists, such as
Piaget (1964) and Bruner and Haste (1987), had explained that students understanding is based on their own
experience and that each individuals knowledge of mathematics and science is personal. Such experi- ence will
enable them to develop the skills needed to form their own appreciation of the science process. Unfortunately, the
least effective methods of teaching math- ematics and science are also the most common practices in classrooms
today (Adams and Hamm 1990).
The analysis of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data (Ward, 1979), as well as the
research of independent science educators (Goodlad 1984; Lash et al. 1984) shows that the most common teaching
practices in the science classroom are lectures, question and answer sessions, and discussions of textbook material.
Despite efforts in a number of countries towards more student- centred learning, teaching practices in the science
classroom have not changed. As with studies reported by the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE),
findings from a 1993 survey of science and maths education showed that, although hands-on activities have
increased in science classes, the largest proportion of class time is still spent in listening to lectures (ASCD 1995).
The latest report published by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) of
teachers across the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) countries showed that the two
predo- minant activities in science classes are teacher lectures and teacher-guided student practice (Martin 1999).
An emphasis on the interaction and participation of the students is a very important factor in the learning process
and has been mentioned repeatedly in the literature (Weaver 1978, Cornwell 1979, Bloom 1980, Weaver 1983,
Roueche 1984, Chism 1989, Herr 1989). Piaget (1964) believed that social trans- mission is one of the four factors
necessary for the development of mental struc- tures such as proportional reasoning. According to Piaget, learners
construct their knowledge schemes in an adaptive process where cognitive activity organizes experience with mental
structures that exist in the mind. Learning is not the copying of an object or receiving of information. What students
perceived from their teachers might not be the same thing as what the teachers were saying (Labinowicz 1980,
Piaget [1941] 1995). To achieve a meaningful learning, from the constructivist view, the new experience has to
make sense to students (von Glasersfeld 1990); and they should be active learners, discussing and exchanging
thoughts and ideas with classmates or adults (Driver and Bell 1986, Prawat, 1989). The integration of cooperative
learning within active learning activities leads to the development of critical and independent thinking skills, deeper
understand- ing of concepts, and longer-lasting learning (Donmoyer 1996, Secules et al. 1997). Several studies
(Forman 1981, Skon et al. 1981) have shown that students working together can produce problem solutions
characterized by higher cognitive levels of response better than those produced by individual children. Both thinking
skills and science process skills are improved when using cooperative learning (Kyle 1984).
One of the major problems that education in the UAE suffers from is students low achievement in grade 10.
Students in the tenth grade are assigned to take fourteen subjects, science subjects as well as art subjects. Students
who favour
607
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STAD IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

the art subjects suffer most in this grade. The science content is discussed much more deeply than in previous
grades.
Posner and Markstein (1994) investigated the effectiveness of cooperative learning on the academic
performance of minority students and also on their sub- sequent enrolment in elective courses in biochemistry and
molecular biology. The results of the study showed that students Grade Point Average (GPA) increased from 2.13
to 2.96. Okebukola (1992) compared three teaching methods for 147 senior secondary school biology students:
concept mapping alone; concept map- ping in conjunction with cooperative learning groups; and
lecture/demonstration methods. Results indicated that the groups that utilized concept mapping in con- junction with
cooperative learning scored significantly higher than the other groups. Basili (1991) conducted a study, using 62
chemistry students at a suburban community college, to test for conceptual change. In that study, the treatment
students worked in a small cooperative group on tasks aimed at eliciting their previous misconceptions in chemistry.
In groups, they discussed their misconcep- tions, in contrast to the scientific concepts that had been taught during
direct instruction. The treatment group had significantly lower numbers of misconcep- tions on four out of five
target concepts. Lonning (1993) evaluated the effective- ness of cooperative learning in secondary science on
students verbal interaction patterns and achievement using a conceptual-change instructional change model. She
found that students using cooperative learning strategies showed greater achievement gains and made greater use of
the specific verbal patterns that are believed to be related to increased learning.
Numerous studies have been conducted on classes using a cooperative learning method. In an evaluation of four
studies using different methods of cooperative learning, Slavin (1980b) found that 83% of the studies showed that
students in cooperative learning classes achieved significantly more than those who had been taught by traditional
methods. Other positive outcomes of using cooperative learn- ing are the increase of social relationship among
students (Edwards and DeVeries 1974, Gonzales 1979, Ziegler 1981) and an increase in self-esteem.
In cooperative learning classrooms, groups are formed heterogeneously, based on several factors including their
academic performance, race, sex, etc. However, academic performance is the most important factor. Most reports of
the effect on achievement for the group levels had indicated that low-ability students achieved significantly higher
than their counterparts in other group levels. Knupfer (1993) evaluated the effects of grouping by the students
ability to learn Logo and on the transfer of geometry knowledge. The study results showed that the low-ability
students benefited from heterogeneous grouping, whereas the impact on the aver- age- and high-ability students was
not clear.
Webb (1977, 1980) and Webb and Cullian (1983) conducted three studies using the same model in order to
compare students ability and achievement in group versus individual setting. The results of all three studies have
one thing in common: the higher achievement of the low-ability students in the mixed-ability groups. There is other
work that supported this finding (Johnson et al. 1985).
In addition to the positive impact, cooperative learning improves students attitude toward science. Tlusty
(1993) discussed his attempts to use cooperative learning with two sections of a college chemistry course. He
focused specifically on the attitudes and achievement of male and female students in the course. While cooperative
learning did not produce differences in achievement along gender
608
N. BALFAKIH

lines, there were discernible differences in attitudes and beliefs with regard to studying chemistry. A substantial and
growing body of research indicates that cooperative learning can result in improved learning, more positive attitudes
to science, improved thinking and social skills, and better attitudes toward peers who are members of other ethnic
and socio-economic groups (Johnson et al. 1976). These arguments have led educators to the conclusion that
science has to be taught differently to improve the attitude toward science of both boys and girls (Yager and
Penick 1986).
To investigate the overuse of lecture and develop alternatives, the Student Team-Achievement Division (STAD)
was selected by the researcher. The main purpose of utilizing this method was to test whether there was a significant
dif- ference in the achievement levels of students taught by two different methods.
STAD is a cooperative teaching method which was developed by Slavin (1978) as part of a student learning
approach programme along with other cooperative methods such as Teams-Games-Tournaments, Jigsaw II (Slavin
1980), and Team Assisted Individualization (Slavin et al. 1981). In STAD, students are assigned to four- or five-
member learning teams. The teams are composed of high, average, and low performing students, and of boys and
girls of different racial or ethnic backgrounds. Thus, each team is a microcosm of the entire class. There are five
main steps a teacher should follow when STAD is implemented. The teacher first introduces new materials to be
learned. The team members then study worksheets on the material until they master the material. Individual quizzes
are taken on the material studied. The teacher then combines the scores to create team scores. Members of the
winning team are given certificates and a weekly one-page class newsletter recognizes the teams with the highest
scores. Researchers reported that classes using cooperative learning showed an increase in achievement, attitude,
self-esteem, and social relationships (Edwards et al. 1972, Edwards and DeVries 1972, Gonzales 1979, Slavin and
Karweit 1981, Ziegler 1981, Slavin 1989). This study investigated the effectiveness of the use of STAD for
changing students achievement in chemistry in the UAE.
There are four reasons, which led to the selection of STAD as an alternative teaching method. First, it facilitates
interaction between students in class. Second, it improves attitude, self-esteem, and interpersonal relationships; all of
these con- tribute to a positive attitude towards science. Third, it adds an extra source of learning within groups,
such as the high achievers who take on the role of tutors. The end result is a higher achievement for everyone.
Fourth, it prepares students to fit into modern society by teaching them to work with their classmates efficiently and
effectively.
Significance and rational for the study
This study is significant for the following reasons:
(1) STAD has not so far been investigated as an alternative method for
teaching high school chemistry in the UAE. (2) This research will provide the foundation for other studies that
may suggest different ways to modify and improve the teaching methods used in the UAE.
609
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STAD IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

In this study, the most influential variables, which could affect students achieve- ment in the UAE, were gender,
province, and students ability. The interactions of these variables with students achievement were studied. This
study was designed to answer the following question:
Does STAD change the chemistry achievement score of the UAE students when it is used as an alternative teaching method?
Methodology
To answer the question, seven hypotheses were stated. Each one tries to investi- gate the achievement score
difference in a different setting.
H1: The change of mean achievement scores between male and female students under investigation is not affected
by the combination of the teaching method used and gender. H2: The change of mean achievement scores between
students in the two provinces under investigation is not affected by the combination of the teaching method used and
province. H3: The change of mean achievement scores among the 24 subgroups in the eight classes of students
under investigation is not affected by the com- bination of the teaching method used and ability level of the student.
H4: The change of mean achievement scores of male and female students under investigation is not affected by the
combination of the teaching method used, province, and gender. H5: The change of mean achievement scores
among the 12 subgroups in the eight classes of students under investigation is not affected by the com- bination of
the teaching method used, gender, and ability level of the student. H6: The change of mean achievement scores
between students in the two provinces under investigation is not affected by the combination of the teaching method
used, ability level of students, and province. H7: The change of mean achievement scores among the twenty-four
sub- groups in the eight classes of students under investigation is not affected by the combination of the teaching
method used, gender, province, and ability level of the student.
Subjects
In the UAE, students are segregated on the basis of gender. The difference in science performance between genders
is rarely studied and no study has been conducted that related to the student performance when STAD was used as a
teaching method. United Arab Emirates (UAE) consists mainly of three provinces: the northern, eastern, and
western provinces. Lifestyle in both western and eastern provinces is different from the northern province. Students
in the northern parts of the country spend less time on study and more time on entertainment. The northern province
is the urban part of the country. On the other hand, western and eastern provinces are the rural parts of the country.
Four schools from the north- ern and eastern provinces were selected randomly. Two schools, one male and one
female have represented each province. From each school, four tenth grade classes
610
N. BALFAKIH

were selected randomly. The researcher had in mind that all classes in schools were equivalent in their achievement
score in chemistry. This equivalence was reached by the close attention that each school principle pays at the
beginning of each school year to the distribution of students based on their previous academic per- formance. In
addition to that, the researcher chose the classes which were similar in their academic performance last semester.
The two experimental classes were selected randomly from the four. The same teacher was teaching the control and
the experimental classes in each school. The total number of students sample was 486 students, 133 male
experimental, 123 female experimental, 114 male control, and 118 female control. Before the start of the study,
students in each class were classified based on their previous academic performance, as being at high, average, and
low-ability students.
Instrument
A multiple-choice exam with 23 items was given to the students towards the end of the semester. The exam was
reviewed by experts from the UAE University in the field of chemistry and science education. Supervisors and
teachers of the subject of high school chemistry at the Ministry of Education also reviewed the exam.
Delimitation
The delimitation factors in this study are:
(1) The grade level under investigation was the tenth grade in UAE. (2) Not all the students in the classes under
study were science majors. (3) Chemistry was the subject used to measure the method and achievement. (4) The
study was conducted in the second semester of the academic year
1998/1999.
Definitions
Student team-achievement divisions: the use of heterogeneous teams for study and practice. Individual quizzes are
given on content to obtain team points. If students want their team to earn some form of team recognition, they must
help their team- mates learn the material.
High-ability students: students who scored more than 80% in chemistry in the first semester.
Average ability students: students who scored 6579% in chemistry in the first semester.
Low performing students: students who scored less than 65% in chemistry in the first semester.
Assumptions
The following assumptions were made regarding the conduct of this study:
 611 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
STAD IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
(1) The teacher understood the STAD design and implemented it as
instructed. (2) The students understood their role in this design and did what they were
supposed to do. (3) The students cooperated with each other.
Results and discussion
There were two limitations over which the researcher had no control and may have affected the results of the
study:
(1) Success of the research study is determined by the improved academic performance of all students. However
there is no assurance, for example, that the high ability student will actually help the lower ability students in the
group in order to improve the overall performance. (2) The teachers who taught using STAD had no experience with
the
method prior to this study.
The descriptive statistics for score means of all the groups under investigation have shown that classes which
used STAD scored higher than those which had used traditional teaching method (see table 1).
The first hypothesis of this study investigates the improvement of achieve- ment scores for the male and female
students. Results of the repeated measures ANOVA were presented in table 2. The data indicated that there was
significant two-way interaction between test, gender and teaching method, F = 30.396, p = 0.000.
Results of the analysis to test the first hypothesis indicated that the male experimental class achieved a
significantly higher mean score than the female experimental class. This suggested that STAD was more effective
than the tradi-
Table 1. Score means of the groups under investigation.
Groups under investigation Control Experimental
All classes 47.51 56.23 Gender differences 53.60 58.71 Province difference 46.61 65.92 Male Eastern Province 47.51 56.26
Female Eastern Province 59.10 65.88 Male Northern Province 34.08 43.05 Female Northern Province 52.78 53.13 All male
classes 38.33 53.60 All female classes 56.37 58.71 High-male Eastern Province 57.97 68.48 Low-male Eastern Province 38.31
65.48 High-female Eastern Province 66.92 76.40 Low-female Eastern Province 52.17 62.26 High-male Northern Province 33.33
60.87 Low-male Northern Province 33.56 37.17 High-female Northern Province 67.15 69.10 Low-female Northern Province
45.82 46.33
612
N. BALFAKIH
Table 2. Repeated measures ANOVA analysis.
Sum of Mean Sign Source of variation squares DF square F of F
Main effects 60867.608 5 12173.522 70.208 0.000 Method 08970.104 1 08970.104 51.733 0.000 Ability 29244.203 2 14622.101
84.330 0.000 Gender 08299.891 1 08299.891 47.868 0.000 Province 14353.410 1 14353.410 82.780 0.000
2-way interactions 11446.663 9 1271.851 7.335 0.000 Method ability 00019.865 2 009.932 0.057 0.944 Method gender
05270.454 1 5270.454 30.396 0.000 Method province 04069.361 1 4069.361 23.469 0.000 Ability gender 00246.213 2 0123.106
0.710 0.492 Ability province 01105.234 2 0552.617 3.187 0.042 Gender province 656.4 1 0656.484 3.786 0.052
3-way interactions 3227.806 7 461.115 2.659 0.011 Method ability gender 1276.444 2 638.222 3.681 0.026 Method ability
province 1089.222 2 544.611 3.141 0.044 Method gender province 191.855 1 191.855 1.106 0.293 Ability gender province
261.706 2 130.853 0.755 0.471
4-Way interactions 1034.298 2 517.149 2.983 0.052 Method ability gender province 1034.298 2 517.149 2.983 0.052 Explained
76576.376 23 3329.408 19.202 Residual 76985.861 444 173.392 Total 153562.236 467 328.827
tional-teaching method for teaching chemistry to the tenth grade male classes in the UAE. To investigate the
interaction between the variables, table 3 was com- piled and from this figure 1 was drawn.
Figure 1 indicated that both male and female in the experimental classes scored higher than their counterparts in
the control classes. The score difference between the traditional-teaching method and STAD for male students was
8.86, and for the female students was 3.56. This gave us an indication that STAD was more effective than the
traditional teaching method for both groups; however, male students benefited more than female students. The
difference in response to the teaching methods used has been reflected in the slight interaction between the teaching
methods and gender (figure 1). As a result of the discussion above, the first null hypothesis was rejected and it was
concluded that STAD was more effective than the traditional-teaching method in teaching tenth grade male
chemistry classes in the United Arab Emirates.
The second hypothesis investigated the interaction of the teaching methods used in this study and province.
Results of the ANOVA analysis are represented in table 2. The data showed that there was a significant two-way
interaction between test, province and teaching method, F = 23.469, p = 0.000. To investigate this interaction, table
4 was constructed and figure 2 was drawn from this.
Figure 2 indicated that experimental classes scored higher than the control classes. However, table 4 and figure
2 have indicated that students in the northern province benefited more than their counterpart students in the eastern
province. The score difference between the traditional-teaching method and STAD for the
 613 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
STAD IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Table 3. The interaction of teaching method and gender using repeated measures ANOVA on the test for the eight
classes studied.
Instructional method (X1)
Traditional STAD Mean
Gender (X2)
Male 40.80 49.66 45.23 Female 55.94 59.50 57.72 Mean 48.37 54.58

70
60
55.94
59.5
tnemeve
50
40
30
40.8
49.66
ihcA
20
10
0
Traditional STAD
Teaching Method
Male Female
Figure 1. Interaction of the teaching method used in the tenth grade chemistry classes and gender.
northern province was 4.66, and for the eastern province was 1.27. The difference in response to the teaching
methods used is shown in the slight interaction between the teaching method and province (figure 2). As a result of
the discussion above, the second null hypothesis was rejected and it was concluded that STAD was more effective
than the traditional-teaching method in teaching tenth grade only in northern province chemistry classes in the
United Arab Emirates.
Students high score of the control classes in the eastern province minimized the strong effectiveness of STAD
on the experimental students. It should be noted here that the students achievement score means of the eastern
experimental classes were 6.49 points higher than students achievement score means of the experi- mental students
in the north. This suggested that STAD was more effective than the traditional-teaching method for teaching
chemistry to the tenth grade northern province classes in the United Arab Emirates.
In this study, the third hypothesis included the ability level of the students. The hypothesis examined the
subgroups in every class. Results of the repeated measures ANOVA were presented in table 2. The data indicated
that there was no significant two-way interaction between test, students ability and teaching
614
N. BALFAKIH

Table 4. The interaction of teaching method and province using repeated measures ANOVA on the test for the eight
classes studied.
Instructional method (X1)
Traditional STAD Mean
Province (X2)
Northern 43.43 48.09 45.76 Eastern 53.31 61.07 57.19 Mean 48.37 54.58
56
54
53.31
48.09
Traditional STAD
Teaching Method
54.58
52 t n e m e
50
veihc
48
A
46
44
43.43 42
40
Northern Eastern
Figure 2. Interaction of the teaching method used in the tenth grade chemistry classes and province.
method, F = 0.057, p = 0.944. To investigate if there was any interaction between the three factors, table 5 was
constructed and from this figure 3 was drawn.
Figure 3 presented the achievement scores of six subgroups, low, average, and high of the students under study,
regardless of their gender or provinces. Figure 3 indicated that experimental classes in all three experimental groups
scored higher than their counterpart in the control groups. On the other hand, students scores in the control groups
have increased in the same manner as in the experimental groups. This resulted in the disappearance of an
interaction between the teaching method and students ability. As a result of the discussion above, the third null
hypothesis was accepted and it was concluded that there was not enough evidence to name one of the teaching
methods used in this study as superior to the other. Both teaching methods had similar effectiveness in teaching
tenth grade chemistry classes in the United Arab Emirates. This is true when the other factors were neglected.
The fourth hypothesis included the gender and province, in addition to the teaching methods. The hypothesis
examined the groups in every class taking into consideration their gender and province. To test the hypothesis,
ANOVA with four factors was applied. The design used was a 2x2x2x1 factorial design with
 615 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
STAD IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Table 5. The interaction of teaching method and gender using repeated measures ANOVA on the test for the eight
classes studied.
Instructional method (X1)
Traditional STAD Mean
Ability (X2)
High 56.34 68.71 62.53 Average 47.51 58.71 53.11 Low 42.47 52.81 47.64 Mean 48.77 60.08
70
68.71

tneme
65 60 55
56.34

veihc
50 45
56.23
52.81
47.51

A
40
42.47
35 30
High Average Low

Teaching Method
Traditional STAD
Figure 3. Interaction of the teaching method used in the tenth grade chemistry classes and ability.
repeated measures on the fourth factor. There were three factors or variables, with two levels for teaching method
(traditional and STAD), province (northern pro- vince and eastern province), and gender (male and female). Results
of the repeated measures ANOVA were presented in table 2. The data showed that there was no significant three-
way interaction between test, province, gender and teaching method, F = 1.106, p = 0.293. To investigate if there
was any interaction between the three factors, table 6 was constructed and figure 4 was drawn.
Figure 4 presented the achievement scores of the sixteen classes under inves- tigation which were distributed in
different geographical locations in the UAE. The research sample has four male classes in the northern province,
two experi- mental and two control classes. Another four classes in the northern province for the female students
have been selected. The same numbers and divisions of classes were applied in the eastern province.
Figure 4 indicated that experimental classes in all eight classes scored higher than their counterpart in the
control groups. On the other hand, students scores in the control groups have increased in almost the same manner
as in the experi- mental groups. However, figure 4 has shown that achievement scores for the female students in the
experimental classes in the northern province were almost
616
N. BALFAKIH

Table 6. The interaction of teaching method, gender, and province using repeated measures ANOVA on the test for
the eight classes studied.
Instructional method (X1)
Province Traditional STAD Mean
Northern Gender (X2)
Male 34.08 43.05 38.57 Female 52.78 53.13 52.96
Eastern
Male 47.51 56.26 51.86 Female 59.10 65.88 62.49 Mean 47.37 54.58

70 65
65.88 t n e m e v e
60 55 50
53.13
43.05
52.78
56.26
59.1

ihcA
45
47.51

40 35
34.08 30
Male Female Male Female
Northern Eastern

Province
Traditional STAD
Figure 4. Interaction of the teaching method used in the tenth grade chemistry classes with gender and province.
the same as in the control classes, 53.13 and 52.78 respectively. The difference of achievement scores for the female
students in the eastern province was higher, 65.88 and 59.10 respectively. Figure 4 indicated that female students in
the north- ern province benefited the least from using STAD as a teaching method. However, the overall conclusion
regarding the interaction was showing the disappearance of an interaction between the teaching method, gender, and
province.
As a result of the discussion above, the fourth null hypothesis was accepted and it was concluded that there was
not enough evidence to name one of the teaching methods used in this study as superior above the other. Both
teaching methods have similar effectiveness in teaching tenth grade chemistry classes in the United Arab Emirates.
This was true when gender and province were taken into consideration.
 617 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
STAD IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The fifth hypothesis included the gender and students ability, in addition to the teaching methods. The
hypothesis would give deeper investigation in this study. The achievement scores of the 12 subgroups in the eight
classes under investigation would be analysed. The hypothesis examined the achievement scores of the students in
subgroups, high, average and low, in every class for male and female students.
To test the hypothesis, repeated measures of ANOVA with four factors was applied. The design used was a
2x2x3x1 factorial design with repeated meas- ures on the fourth factor. The new third factor is the students ability
with three levels (high, average and low). Results of the repeated measures ANOVA were presented in table 2. The
data showed that there was a significant three-way inter- actions between test, students ability, gender and teaching
method, F = 3.681, p = 0.026. To investigate this interaction between the three factors, table 7 was constructed and
from this figure 5 was drawn.
Table 7. The interaction of teaching method, gender, and ability using repeated measures ANOVA on the test for the
eight classes studied.
Instructional method (X1)
Gender (X3) Traditional STAD Mean
Male Ability (X2)
High 45.65 64.68 55.17 Average 40.80 49.66 45.23 Low 35.94 51.33 43.64
Female
High 64.04 72.75 64.40 Average 55.94 59.51 57.73 Low 49.00 54.30 51.65 Mean 48.56 58.71
75
72.75 70
65
64.68 t n e m
60
55
45.65
40.8
35.94
64.04
59.51
ev
54.3
49.66
30
High Average Low High Average Low
Male Female
Students' Ability
55.94
eihc
50
51.33
49 A
45
40
35
Traditional STAD

Figure 5. Interaction of the teaching method used in the tenth grade chemistry classes with gender and students
ability.
618
N. BALFAKIH

Figure 5 indicated that all experimental subgroups scored higher than their counterparts in the control groups.
However, the subgroups response toward the teaching method differed from one to another. The extreme response
was from the low-ability students in the male subgroup, whose achievement scores had jumped dramatically to the
extent that they scored better than those who were classified as average students prior to the study. Low-ability
students in the female subgroups had benefited from using STAD as well, but to a limited extent compared with
male low-ability students. The difference in achievement scores of the low-ability students in the male experimental
and control subgroups was 15.39 points. The other strong noticeable influence of STAD was in the high-ability
students in the male groups. The difference in achievement scores of the high-ability students in the male
experimental and control subgroups was 19.03 points. This different response to the teaching methods had resulted
in an interaction among the factors under investigation.
As a result of the discussion above, the fifth null hypothesis was rejected and it was concluded that STAD is
more effective than traditional-teaching method in teaching tenth grade chemistry classes in the UAE. This is true
when gender and students ability were taken in consideration.
The question raised here is: Which province contributed more to the higher achievement of the high and low-
ability students in the experimental groups? The investigation of the sixth hypothesis has the answer to the
question. Hypothesis 6 investigates the interaction of students ability, province, and teaching methods used. This
hypothesis neglected the gender. In this study, the sixth hypothesis included the province and students ability, in
addition to the teaching methods. The achievement scores of the 12 subgroups in the eight classes in both provinces
under investigation would be analysed. The hypothesis examined achievement scores of the students in subgroups,
high, average and low, in every class in the two provinces.
To test the hypothesis, repeated measures ANOVA with four factors were applied. The design used was a
2x2x3x1 factorial design with repeated measures on the fourth factor. Results of the repeated measures ANOVA
were presented in table 2. The data showed that there was a significant three-way interactions between test, students
ability, gender and teaching method, F = 3.141, p = 0.044. To investigate this interaction between the three factors,
table 8 was constructed and figure 6 was drawn. Figure 6 indicates that all ex- perimental subgroups scored higher
than their counterpart in the control groups. However, groups response toward the teaching method differed from
one person to another. The extreme response at this stage has been shown from the low ability students in the eastern
province whose achievement scores jumped dramatically to the extent that they scored better than those who were
classified as average students prior to the study. The difference of students achievement score between the
experimental and the control subgroups was 18.63 for the eastern low-ability students, and 2.06 for the northern
province students.
On the other hand, the experimental subgroup of the low-ability students in the northern province benefited
almost the same as their counterparts in the con- trol subgroup. The achievement scores of the other subgroups
varied. For ex- ample, high ability students in the eastern province scored 18 points, and 14 points in the northern
province, these scores were higher than their counterparts
 619 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
STAD IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Table 8. The interaction of teaching method, province, and students ability using repeated measures ANOVA on the
test for the eight classes studied.
Instructional method (X1)
Province (X3) Traditional STAD Mean
Northern Ability (X2)
High 50.24 64.99 57.15 Average 43.43 48.09 45.76 Low 39.69 41.75 40.72
Eastern
High 62.45 72.44 67.45 Average 53.31 61.07 57.19 Low 45.24 63.87 45.56 Mean 49.06 58.70
80
75
70
72.44
tne
65
64.99
62.45
61.07
63.87 m e v e i h c A
60
50.24
48.09
41.75 55
53.31 50
45
43.43
45.24
40
39.69
35
High Average Low High Average Low
Northern Eastern
Students' Ability
Traditional STAD

Figure 6. Interaction of the teaching method used in the tenth grade chemistry classes, with province and students
ability.
in the control subgroup. This different response to the teaching methods resulted in an interaction among the factors
under investigation.
 As a result of the discussion above, the sixth null hypothesis was rejected and it was concluded that STAD was
more effective than the traditional-teaching method in teaching tenth grade science classes in the UAE. This was
true when province and students ability were taken into consideration.
The seventh hypothesis included the province, students ability, gender, and teaching methods. Hypothesis 7
was more comprehensive; it gave us more detail about the effectiveness of the teaching methods used. The
achievement scores of the 24 subgroups in the eight classes under investigation would be analysed. The hypothesis
examined achievement scores of the students in subgroups, high, aver- age and low, in every class in the two
provinces for both male and female.
620
N. BALFAKIH

The design used to test the hypothesis was a 2x2x2x3x1 factorial design with repeated measures on the fourth
factor. Results of the repeated measures ANOVA were presented in table 2. The data indicated that there was no
signifi- cant four-way interaction between test, students ability, gender, province and teaching method, F = 2.983, p
= 0.052. To investigate if there was any interaction between the four factors, table 9 was constructed and figure 7
was drawn. Figure 7 indicated that all experimental subgroups scored higher than their counterparts in
Table 9. The interaction of teaching method, province, gender and students ability using repeated measures
ANOVA on the test for the eight classes studied.
Instructional method (X1)
Province (X3) Ability (X2) Traditional STAD Mean
Northern Gender (X4)
Male High 33.33 60.87 47.10 Average 34.08 43.05 38.57 Low 33.56 37.17 35.37 Female High 67.15 69.10 68.13 Average 52.78
53.13 52.96 Low 45.82 46.33 46.08
Eastern
Male High 57.97 68.48 63.23 Average 47.51 56.26 51.89 Low 38.31 65.48 51.90 Female High 66.92 76.40 71.66 Average 59.10
65.88 62.49 Low 52.17 62.26 57.22
80 t n e m
75 70 65 60
43.05
A
76.4
65.88
62.26
33.56
67.15
69.1
68.48
65.48
66.92
evei
55 50
60.87
52.78
53.13
46.33
57.97
56.26
59.1
hcA
45 40 35
33.33
34.08 37.17
45.82
47.51
52.17
38.31
30
yti
e
(X2) Traditional STAD

Figure 7. Interaction of the teaching method used in the tenth grade chemistry classes, with gender, province and
students ability.
h
gHli
gi
woL
hgiH
eg
woL
hgiHb
arevA
eg
woLarevA
hgiHarevA
egarevA
woL
Gender (X4)
Male (N) Female (N) Male (E) Female (E)
Province (X3) Students' Ability
621
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STAD IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

the control groups. The teaching methods response that was used could be divided into three main groups based on
the points difference between the experimental and control group. This list showed those who benefited from the
most to the least as follows:
Low-ability students: male students in the eastern province (27.17)
Female students in the eastern province (10.09) Male students in the northern province (3.61)
High-ability students: male students in the northern province (27.54)
Male students in the eastern province (10.51) Female students in the eastern province (9.48)
The female students in the northern province represented the first group. Achievement scores of the students in
the experimental subgroups were similar to the students in the control subgroups. The female students in the eastern
province represented the second group. It was clear that experimental subgroups achieved higher than their
counterparts in the control group. However, figure 7 has not given any indication of an interaction between any
subgroup and the teaching methods applied. The male students in both provinces represented the last group. Figure 7
showed a clear interaction between the teaching methods used and the achievement scores of subgroups; however,
the overall result was the disappearance of a significant interaction among the factors under investigation.
As a result of the discussion above, the seventh null hypothesis was accepted and it was concluded that both
teaching methods, STAD and the traditional- teaching method, have similar effectiveness in teaching tenth grade
chemistry classes in the United Arab Emirates. This is true when province, gender, and students ability were taken
in consideration.
Summary
The findings have indicate that STAD is a more effective teaching method than the traditional-teaching method in
teaching tenth grade chemistry classes in the UAE. Male students benefited more than female students from using
STAD as an alternative teaching method. When provinces were compared, it was found that the northern province
benefited more, when all other factors were neglected. Among the four schools, it was found that male students in
the northern province bene- fited the most from STAD (8.97 points), followed by male students in the eastern
province (8.75 points), then female students in the eastern province (6.78 points). Female students achievement
scores in the northern province almost did not change (0.35 point).
This study has shown that all subgroups benefited from the use of STAD as an alternative teaching method. The
students achievement scores of all students in experimental groups increased compared to their counterpart in
control groups.
Implications
In the first semester of the academic year of 2000/2001, a survey of 44 items was distributed to 295 science teachers
nationwide. The item which described their teaching practice in science showed that the lecture was still the
dominant teaching
622
N. BALFAKIH

method. This type of practice restricts students creativity and makes students dependent, and passive learners (Page
1990).
Officials in the Ministry of Education are aware of this situation. Their desires to change the science programme
so as to make UAE students more active is reflected in the visionary plan for 2020. Two very important goals, which
related to the teaching of science, had been stated. The fourteenth and sixteenth goals of the vision emphasized the
need for science teachers to implement teaching methods which enhance students creativity. In addition, teachers
were encour- aged to move from the traditional teaching which focus on rote learning to a teaching that enhances
meaningful learning. The 2020 vision wants students to be active learners who can solve project problems, work in
teams to achieve com- mon goals, communicate, share, and exchange ideas with others. All of these goals require a
teacher to be a facilitator or coach not a transmitter of information.
The transition from the traditional teaching practice to a new one such as STAD, which could help fulfilling the
2020 vision requirements, is not an easy task. To do so, teachers need to be confident and mastery of both subject
content and basic teaching skills (de Feiter et al. 1995).
It has been found that confidence and trust in chemistry teachers had been raised when workshops about the use
of STAD were conducted. This was achieved for two reasons. First, the results of this study had shown that experi-
mental achievement scores were significantly higher than the control group, espe- cially for male students. Second,
UAE chemistry teachers felt more comfortable when STAD worked well applying the same curriculum on similar
students. These two crucial factors have been emphasized in the workshops. In addition, teachers worksheets and
students team works were presented. As a result, teachers were motivated to try the transition from the traditional
teaching practice to STAD.
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