The Effect of Using the Didactic Contract Strategy on the Comprehensive Thinking of Fifth-grade/ Scientific Students in Mathematics

Abstract

This research aims to study the effect of using the didactic contract strategy on comprehensive thinking among fifth-grade/ scientific students in mathematics. The research population was defined as including all middle and secondary schools for boys in the General Directorate of Education in Babylon/Center. A sample of (70) male and female students from the fifth-grade science students at Yahya bin Zaid A Secondary School was selected. The sample was divided into two groups: an experimental group comprising (34) male and female students who studied using the didactic contract strategy, and a control group comprising (36) male and female students who studied using the traditional method. Equivalences were established between the two groups in terms of previous achievement and comprehensive thinking to collect data. A comprehensive thinking test consisting of (36) multiple-choice items was then constructed.

After implementation, the test's validity was verified and the reliability coefficient was calculated, and the results were acceptable. Difficulty, distinctiveness, and effectiveness of false alternatives coefficients were also calculated for the test items, all of which were within acceptable limits. The results showed that students in the experimental group outperformed students in the control group on the comprehensive thinking test.