PEER-ASSISTED LEARNING AS A STRATEGY FOR BUILDING TEAMWORK IN PHYSICS CLASSROOMS
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Abstract
This paper reports a focused analysis of one component of a broader mixed-methods study on the teaching of Turning Effect of a Force (TEOF) in selected secondary schools in Kabwe District, Zambia. Specifically, it examines how Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) influenced learners’ teamwork during physics lessons. Guided by Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory and Topping and Ehly’s PAL framework, the study adopted a concurrent mixed-methods quasi-experimental design with Solomon four-group features. The broader study involved 131 Grade 10 learners from four secondary schools, while this paper draws on questionnaire responses from 65 learners in the experimental classes and focus-group data from 16 participants. Qualitative findings showed that PAL strengthened teamwork mainly through improved communication and coordination during tutorials on TEOF. Learners reported that they explained ideas to one another, divided roles, and worked toward common solutions. Quantitative findings supported this pattern: 93.9% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that PAL promoted teamwork, and there was no statistically significant difference in perceptions by gender (χ² = 3.581, p = .310; Cramér’s V = .235). The study positions teamwork not merely as a social outcome, but as a pedagogical resource for conceptual learning in physics. The findings suggest that carefully structured PAL can help physics teachers address both subject learning and 21st-century collaborative competencies, with implications for classroom practice, teacher professional development, and curriculum implementation in Zambia.
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