A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO DIFFERENT TEACHING METHODS - SEMINAR & A MODIFIED FORM OF GROUP DISCUSSION (JIGSAW TECHNIQUE)

Seminar and Group discussion are the two commonly employed educational method for small groups. It was identified that no active learning occurs during Seminars as some members do not take active participation .A newer method , Jig saw Technique of Group discussion makes use of the principle of Peer teaching .

Objective : To compare the effectiveness of Seminar and Jigsaw technique of Group Discussion.

Methodology :. In this Quasi experimental study 40 students belonging to IV th semester were divided into two groups. Group I was exposed to Seminar and Group II toa modified group discussion (Jigsaw technique) . In Jigsaw technique topic is divided into subtopics, giving each to a group of students and regrouping them .In the new group, one student each knowing one subtopic teach others. Both were given Pretest &Post test. After that the groups were reversed and a feedback was taken using the questionnaire .Analysis done using SPSS -20.

Results : Difference in the pre and post test scores of Group I was 4.6 (SD 2.78) and that of Group II (GD) was 8.3 (SD 2.27).Independent t-test value was 4.608 and P value <0.001 .The test is highly significant impling Group Discussion helped Group II to obtain more marks.This method was perceived by the students as more lively , interesting ,helped for better understanding of the subject and more retention of points.

Discussion :Jigsaw technique was found to be highly effective as a teaching learning method and can be used instead of seminars where each student teaches his subtopic since to teach is to learn twice.