Effects of the Jigsaw method on students’ physical activity: the role of the habituation and the sex

Abstract

Based on the principle of cooperative learning, the Jigsaw method aims to engage all students through learning situations in order to maximize social and cognitive gains (Buchs & Butera, 2015). This method is demanding and requires time for students and teacher. Prior research on the impact of the Jigsaw method in education has yielded inconsistent results (Cochon Drouet al., 2023), and there is few studies on its effects on student engagement. In physical education (PE), differences between girls and boys are well known, notably in regards with their engagement in physical activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the Jigsaw method on students’ moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in PE lessons in light of student sex and habituation (through one sequence and during several sequences). In all, 254 students (Mage = 14.11, SD = 1.24, 51% boys) were involved in this study: 156 in the Jigsaw condition and 98 in control condition. Students’ MVPA was measured thanks to accelerometers during the 3rd and 6th lessons in three different teaching sequences. Linear mixed model analyses were performed while controlling for the type of activity taught in PE and the students’ class. The results showed that the Jigsaw approach was associated with smaller sex differences in MVPA than for the control condition. Furthermore, the differences between the two conditions decreased through one sequence in favor of Jigsaw but not during three sequences. These results imply that Jigsaw may be effective to reduce MVPA disparities between sex in PE, and it seems better to develop longer Jigsaw sequences in a specific activity than to propose successive sequences in different activities. These elements help us to better understand the inconsistency of the Jigsaw effect and to improve Jigsaw implementation in PE.