Putting the pieces together: comparing the effect of jigsaw cooperative learning and lecture on public health students' knowledge, performance, and satisfaction

The present research was conducted to compare the effects of two methods of traditional lecture and Jigsaw Cooperative Learning on the students' knowledge, performance, and satisfaction. This quasi-experimental study was done on 50 public health students, who had been chosen through available sampling. The performance and satisfaction of students was measured through two researcher-made 80 and 18-item questionnaires after receiving the training. Data were analyzed through SPSS 2423.0 software. The mean score of knowledge in the pre-test stage in the jigsaw and lecture groups was 11.40 and 10.56, respectively, while these values in the post-test stage significantly increased in the jigsaw group compared to their lecture counterpart (16.68 vs. 10.76) (P < 0.001). There was a significant difference between the two groups regarding the score of poster and pamphlet preparation, role-playing, and slide preparation in all subscales (P < 0.001). The mean score of satisfaction was higher in the jigsaw group in all subscales except for motivation (P = 0.17) and problem-solving (P = 0.43), compared to the lecture group (P < 0.001). The results indicated that the JCL method, by engaging students in the teaching-learning process, could cause enhanced knowledge, performance, and satisfaction of the learner, helping them deal with their courses with greater interest. .