. Sareh Shakerian; . Leila Hassan Abadi
Volume 10, Issue 10 , October 2020, , Pages 1-6
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In Iran, community health workers (CHWs) are native and are only employed inthe health‑care system. Therefore, the training and empowerment of these staff are essential. ...
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BACKGROUND: In Iran, community health workers (CHWs) are native and are only employed inthe health‑care system. Therefore, the training and empowerment of these staff are essential. Thepresent study was aimed to develop cooperative learning techniques in CHWs to improve bothcognitive and noncognitive aspects such as accountability and other social skills in learners.METHODOLOGY: This study employed a quasi‑experimental pre‑ and post‑test design with a controlgroup that was conducted in Kangavar City, Iran, in 2019. Forty‑four CHWs were selected using atwo‑stage cluster sampling, of whom 22 were randomly assigned to the experimental group wherethe jigsaw technique was applied and the rest to the control group where the lecture method wasapplied. The aim was to identify job performance and motivation among the CHWs after instructionand compare the two groups. Pre‑ and posttests were applied to the groups before and after anin‑service training course using valid questionnaires. Data analysis was performed on both descriptiveand inferential statistics such as mean and standard deviation, paired t‑test, and covariance analysiswith the confidence level of 95%.RESULTS: The findings showed that the intervention significantly increased the mean score ofmotivation and performance in the experimental group. Covariance analysis with the removal of thepretest effect was also statistically significant (P = 0.01). Moreover, the MANCOVA test showed thejigsaw technique effect considering motivation and performance with a confidence level of 95%.CONCLUSION: Given the well‑known effect of cooperative learning techniques and since CHWshave multi roles and tasks, it is necessary to use such techniques so that they can be accountablefor developing health indicators in local areas.
