Home⇛Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives⇛vol. 4 no. 7 (2026)

Group Rotation Frequency as Predictor of Effectiveness and Functionality of Collaborative Learning in Elementary Science

Teresita Niduaza

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

Collaborative learning is widely endorsed as an effective instructional strategy in science education, yet the assumption that how teachers implement it, specifically, how often they rotate student groups, meaningfully affects outcomes, remains largely untested. Most existing research treats collaboration as a binary condition (present or absent) rather than examining specific design features that may shape teacher perceptions of success. This predictive correlational study examined whether group rotation frequency predicts two distinct teacher-perceived outcomes: effectiveness and functionality, among 100 public elementary science teachers in Tubao District, La Union, Philippines. Results showed that teachers practiced moderate rotation frequency, with 45% rotating every 3-4 weeks. Perceived effectiveness was high (M = 3.84), while perceived functionality was only moderate (M = 2.98), revealing a critical gap of 0.86. Classroom space was the lowest-rated item (M = 2.65). Group rotation frequency correlated significantly with effectiveness (r = 0.38, p < 0.01) but not with functionality (r = 0.12, p > 0.05). Simple linear regression confirmed that rotation frequency significantly predicted effectiveness (β = 0.38, p < 0.001, R² = 0.14) but not functionality (β = 0.12, p = 0.214, R² = 0.01). This study provides evidence that effectiveness and functionality are distinct constructs with different antecedents: rotation frequency enhances perceptions of effectiveness but not necessarily of functionality. Functionality is constrained by resource feasibility and equitable participation, which are problems that rotating groups cannot solve. The findings challenge the assumption that implementation design features, such as rotation frequency, affect all outcomes uniformly and reveal that improving collaborative learning requires a two-pronged approach: encouraging an appropriate rotation frequency while separately addressing resource and training gaps.



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