The Effects of the Cooperative Learning Method on the Development of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Practical Geography in High School Students in Fako Division of the South West Region of Cameroon

The study was a quantitative study aimed at investigating the Effects of Cooperative Learning Method on the Development of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Practical Geography in high school students of the Fako Division (South West Region) of the Cameroon. Four specific objectives were formulated. The study made use of the cross- sectional design which comprised of a quasi-experiment of pre-test/post-test control and experimental groups and an observation checklist. The research targeted 1,993 students in 28 high schools from the Buea Subdivision of the Fako Division. An intact Lower sixth class of 100 students of Government Bilingual High School (GBHS) Soppo in Buea Sub Division was used as the sample. A General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level Standard Test comprising of HOTS questions was administered through a pilot test with reliability coefficient of 0.68. All four null hypotheses were tested using the independent T-test stated at p≤ 0.05 level of significance. Findings from the analysis of the quasi-experiment revealed a significant difference in the acquisition of HOTS between students taught practical Geography using the cooperative learning method and those taught using the traditional lecture method. Findings obtained from the observation checklist revealed that the cooperative learning method had a significant effect on the development of students’ HOTS in practical geography. Based on these findings, it was recommended that teachers should adopt the cooperative learning method as an alternative teaching strategy in enhancing HOTS development in high school students of the Fako Division.