1. Introduction:
Our current age had a great progress in the technological field and it was found an increasing interest in using the technological advancements in the learning process. One of these advancement is "interactive media", which had many benefits and applications in Education. One of the most important benefits is using it in the remedial education for improving student's achievement .It helped in providing interactive environment where the learner is active and effective.
Cooperative learning considered active attempt for the cognitive development for the pupils, through creating an active learning environment .All this needed cooperative relationships between learners, individual responsibility and reasons for the successful usage for both the computer and cooperative learning. Every program had a group of controls, which helped students to help each other. The computer can cause a lot excitement and anxiety between pupils .So, the cooperative learning can give pupils an easy style for the effective learning.
2. The Research Problem:
Although the numerous of the multimedia programs, or the studies related to it, these studies did not deal with students with learning difficulties although these students in need for these programs because they increased learning and motivation for these students. Those students can learn and offer a good performance if it designed for them suitable programs and given appropriate time. Therefore, the researchers in psychology and education field confirmed the necessity for developing children's abilities and treating learning difficulties in special way at the early childhood stage, because part of the child's mental and linguistic development and intelligence occurred during the few early years in his age. Therefore, the researcher confirmed that there is a lack in using and employing the interactive multimedia programs based on cooperative learning strategies in treating learning difficulties for these pupils.
3. The Research Questions:
Thus, the present study is an attempt to answer the following questions:
1. What are the aims of the suggested interactive media program based on some cooperative learning strategies in treating learning difficulties in math for primary stage pupils?
2. What is the suggested image for the suggested interactive media program based on some cooperative learning strategies in treating learning difficulties in math for primary stage pupils?
3. What is the effectiveness of the suggested interactive multimedia media program based on some cooperative learning strategies in treating learning difficulties in math for primary stage pupils?
4. The Purpose of the Research:
The present research aims at:
1. Creating an interactive multimedia media program based on some cooperative learning strategies for treating academic learning difficulties.
2. Measuring the effect of the cooperative learning strategy with interactive multimedia on treating learning difficulties in math.
5. The Significance of the Research:
The significance of the present research lies in:
1. Directing attention towards designing the interactive multimedia programs that interested in employing the instructional technology for treating learning difficulties or decreasing its difficulty.
2. Producing an interactive multimedia program based on some cooperative learning strategies in treating academic learning difficulties.
3. Helping teachers to know how to treat the academic learning difficulties.
4. Bridging the gap in the Arabic researches, this focused on treating learning difficulties in math through using both the interactive media and cooperative learning.
7. The Limitations of the Research:
The present research is limited to the following:
1. A sample of first year primary pupils who suffered from learning difficulties in math subject at schools in Qalubia governorate Benha educational administration.
2. Learning difficulties in math as one type of the academic learning difficulties.
3. Math curriculum for the first year primary pupils at the first term.
8. The Research Methodology:
The present research relies on:
1. The Descriptive Analytical Method:
In order to describe and analyze the previous studies and analyze the features and the possibilities of the interactive media programs, its designing criteria, also the cooperative learning strategies and the characteristics of the pupils with learning difficulties.
2. The Quasi -Experimental Method:
In order to identify the efficacy of the interactive program based on the cooperative learning strategy which will be created through measuring the effect of the "independent variable: The Interactive Program Based on some Cooperative Learning Strategies" on the "dependent variable: The Learning Difficulties in Math".
9. The Research Tools:
The present research used the following tools:
1. The Picture Intelligence Test: prepared by "Ahmad Zaki Saleh".
2. An achievement Test in Math: prepared by the researcher.
3. Emotional Stability Scale.
4. The tool of the experimental treatment: "The Interactive multimedia Program based on some Cooperative Learning Strategies to treat the learning difficulties in math": prepared by the researcher.
10. The Hypotheses of the Research:
1. There are no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group and that of the control group students in the achievement test in the pre assessment.
2. There are statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group and that of the control group students in the achievement test in favor of the experimental group.
3. There are statistically significant differences between the pre and the post mean scores of the experimental group students in achievement test in favor of the post assessment."
4. There are no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group students in achievement test in the post assessment."
11. The Procedures of the Research:
The following procedures will be followed to carry out the present study as follows:
1. The Theoretical Aspect of the Research :
Reviewing and analyzing literature and previous studies related to the research topic to study the interactive multimedia and its applications in education, and the characteristics of the students with learning difficulties and cooperative learning strategies. The theoretical aspect of the research included the following:
1. The Interactive Multimedia.
2. The Cooperative Learning Strategies.
3. Learning Difficulties.
2. The Application Aspect of the Research :
1. To answer the first research questions "What are the aims of the suggested interactive media program based on some cooperative learning strategies in treating learning difficulties in math for primary stage pupils? The researcher prepared a list of the aims of the suggested program after studying and analyzing the math book for the first year primary students and presenting the list to specialists in computers, learning difficulties, educational psychology and mathematical curricula and methods to benefit from their opinions and modify the list and confirmed its validity.
2. To answer the second research questions" What is the suggested image for the suggested interactive media program based on some cooperative learning strategies in treating learning difficulties in math for primary stage pupils?" The researcher suggested a model to design the suggested interactive program and she followed in its preparation the following stages;
1) The first Stage:
The Planning Stage: (Identifying the problem and lack- Identifying the general objective – Identifying the Learner's Characteristics – Identifying the Learning Environment).
2) The Second Stage:
The Educational Design Stage :( Identifying the Educational Objectives- Identifying the Content in the light of the objectives- Building the Micro Educational Units- Identifying the Learning Activities).
3) The Third Stage:
The Interactive Technical Design Stage: (Identifying the Interaction Types- Identifying the Feedback- Identifying types of program aspects- Preparing the Scenario and the Program).
4) The Fourth Stage:
The Production Stage: (Collecting Multimedia- Producing the Required Interactive Media – Selecting authorizing system and the aid programs to produce the program – Producing the Interactive Program).
5) The Fifth Stage:
The Experimentation Stage: (Submitting the Program to Jury- Micro Experimentation – Making the Modifications).
6) The Sixth Stage:
The Final Production and Usage: (Producing the Program in its Final form- The Basic Experimentation of the Program).
3. To answer the third research questions" What is the effectiveness of the suggested interactive multimedia media program based on some cooperative learning strategies in treating learning difficulties in math for primary stage pupils? The researcher followed the following:
1. Applying the Picture Intelligence Test (Prepared by Ahmad Zaki Saleh) before teaching on a sample of first year primary pupils.
2. Applying the achievement test (prepared by the researcher) before teaching on a sample of first year primary pupils.
3. Applying Emotional Stability Scale on a sample of first year primary pupils.
4. Correcting and collecting the results of the pre administration for the research tools and selecting the research sample who have learning difficulties in math and dividing them into control group and experimental one.
5. Applying the suggested interactive program on the experimental group while the control group taught with the traditional method.
6. Applying the achievement test in math ( prepared by the researcher) on the research sample after the teaching.
7. Correcting and collecting application results of the research tools.
8. Analyzing and interpreting results statistically.
12. The Research Results:
The present research revealed the following results:
1. There are no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group and that of the control group students in the achievement test in the pre assessment.
2. There are statistically significant differences at (0.01) level between the mean scores of the experimental group and that of the control group students in the achievement test in favor of the experimental group.
3. There are statistically significant differences at (0.01) level between the pre and the post mean scores of the experimental group students in achievement test in favor of the post assessment."
4. There are no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group students in achievement test in the post assessment."
Therefore, it can be concluded the effectiveness of a suggested interactive multimedia Program based on cooperative learning in teaching and treating Learning Difficulties in math for Primary Stage Pupils than the traditional method.
13. The Research Recommendations:
In the light of the results of the present research, the researcher recommends the following:
1. The necessity of the early discovery of the learning difficulties at the early classes in the primary education and making intervention through presenting the suitable solution for them.
2. Increasing the attention to produce cooperative teaching programs in different subject courses.
3. Using the cooperative learning strategies and developing the cooperative skills from the primary stage in different courses and design the varied and suitable learning situations to improve them.
4. The necessity of considering the learner's characteristics and aptitudes in general when designing the interactive computer programs to reach to the best results.
5. Benefit from the suggested educationally program and its content as an aid in treating learning difficulties in math for primary stage pupils.
6. Benefit from the experimental research tool in evaluating pupils and use it as a guide in designing similar tools for other researches.
7. Increasing the interest in preparing similar programs in other courses to increase the efficacy and proficiency of the learning process in order to help in solving the problems and difficulties that pupils face in learning and acquiring the different skills.
8. Increasing the interest of the students with learning difficulties and try to provide educational media and program suitable with their special needs.
13. Suggestions for Further Research:
In the light of the results of the present research, the researcher suggests conducting studies to investigate the following:
Designing interactive computer programs in the light of the concept and criteria of the high quality.
Preparing researches focused on academic and developmental learning difficulties for all primary stage pupils from the first class until the end of the elementary stage.
Applying other studies and researches to study the efficacy of the other educational media on treating learning difficulties like (Interactive Video).
Comparative study between efficacy of a group of multimedia like (Instructional Video – computers- Modeling – Samples in treating the different learning difficulties).
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