Use of the Jigsaw Method in Interdisciplinary Continuing Education
Keywords:
Jigsaw, interdisciplinary learning, didactics, professional education, SoTLAbstract
Interdisciplinary collaboration is a key objective in professional education but is often challenged by the separation kept between subjects in academic teaching and research. This article explores how the Jigsaw method can be used to promote interdisciplinary learning in higher education. The analysis shows that the method enhanced student ownership and engagement through responsibility by teaching each other in groups. However, learning from other student’s contributions and interdisciplinary integration was limited. Didactic factors such as time, structure, and teacher involvement were crucial in realizing the method’s potential. The article highlights the need for clearer design for learning, for active teacher involvement and integrated activities to strengthen interdisciplinary learning.
References
Aronson, E., Blaney, N., Stephin, C., Sikes, J., & Snapp, M. (1978). The Jigsaw Classroom. Beverly Hills. In: California: Sage Publications.
Aronson, E., & Patnoe, S. (2011). Cooperation in the Classroom: The Jigsaw Method. Montag & Martin Limited
Baltzersen, R. K. (2024). Effective use of collective peer teaching in teacher education: Maximizing student learning. Taylor & Francis.
Bernstein, J. H. (2015). Transdisciplinarity: A review of its origins, development, and current issues. Journal of Research Practice, 11 (1).
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for qualitiy learning at university. McGraw-Hill Education.
Bruner, J. (1978). The role of dialogue in language acquisition. The child’s conception of language, 2(3), 241–256.
Choi, B. C., & Pak, A. W. (2006). Multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity in health research, services, education and policy: 1. Definitions, objectives, and evidence of effectiveness. Clinical & Investigative Medicine, 29(6), 351– 364.
Cochon Drouet, O., Lentillon-Kaestner, V., & Margas, N. (2023). Effects of the Jigsaw method on student educational outcomes: systematic review and meta-analyses [Systematic Review]. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1216437
Demir, K. (2012). An evaluation of the combined use of creative drama and Jigsaw II techniques according to the student views: case of a measurement and evaluation course. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 47, 455–459.
Duran, D. (2017). Learning-by-teaching. Evidence and implications as a pedagogical mechanism. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 54(5), 476–484. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2016.1156011
Dysthe, O. (2001). Dialog, samspel og læring. Abstrakt.
Felten, P. (2013). Principles of Good Practice in SoTL. Teaching & Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal, 1(1), 121–125. https://doi.org/10.2979/teachlearninqu.1.1.121
Giddens, A. (1984). The constitution of society: Outline of the theory of structuration. Univ of California Press.
Giddens, A. (2023). Modernity and self-identity. In W. Longhofer & D. Winchester (Eds.), Social theory re-wired (pp. 477–484). Routledge.
Gillies, R. (2016). Cooperative Learning: Review of Research and Practice. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41(3), 39–54. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2016v41n3.3
Hansen, I. L. S., Jensen, R. S., & Fløtten, T. (2020). Trøbbel i grenseflatene. Samordnet innsats for barn og unge. Fafo.
Hedeen, T. (2003). The reverse jigsaw: A process of cooperative learning and discussion. Teaching Sociology, 31(3), 325–332. https://doi.org/10.2307/3211330
Helsedirektoratet. (2022). Veileder om samarbeid om tjenester til barn, unge og deres familier [nettdokument]. https://www.helsedirektoratet.no/veiledere/samarbeid-om-tjenester-til-barn-unge-og-deres-familier
Illeris, K. (2012). Kompetence–hvad, hvorfor. hvordan?[Competence–what, why, how?]. Frederiksberg, Denmark: Samfundslitteratur.
Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2014). Cooperative Learning in 21st Century. [Aprendizaje cooperativo en el siglo XXI]. Anales de Psicología / Annals of Psychology, 30(3), 841–851. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.30.3.201241
Khodadadeh, A., Rivaz, M., & Torabizadeh, C. (2025). The effects of flipped classroom and jigsaw teaching strategies on learning, retention of course content, and satisfaction among nursing students: a quasi-experimental study. BMC Medical Education, 25(1), 1118. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07662-1
Laurillard, D. (2013). Teaching as a design science: Building pedagogical patterns for learning and technology. Routledge.
Malterud, K. (2012). Systematic text condensation: a strategy for qualitative analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 40(8), 795–805. https://doi.org/10.1177/1403494812465030
Moin, H., Majeed, S., Zahra, T., Zafar, S., Nadeem, A., & Majeed, S. (2024). Assessing the impact of jigsaw technique for cooperative learning in undergraduate medical education: merits, challenges, and forward prospects. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), 853. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05831-2
Møgelvang, A., Vandvik, V., Ellingsen, S., Strømme, C. B., & Cotner, S. (2023). Cooperative learning goes online: teaching and learning intervention in a digital environment impacts psychosocial outcomes in biology students. International Journal of Educational Research, 117, 102114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.102114
Ozkan, S., & Uslusoy, E. C. N. (2024). Outcomes of jigsaw technique in nurse education: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nurse Education in Practice, 75, 103902. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2024.103902
Perkins, D. V., & Saris, R. N. (2001). A "jigsaw classroom" technique for undergraduate statistics courses. Teaching of Psychology, 28(2), 111–113. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328023TOP2802_09
Prop. 1 21S. (2019). Opptrappingsplan for barn og unges psykiske helse (2019–2024). Oslo Helse- og omsorgsdepartementet, Retrieved from https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/prop.-121-s-20182019/id2652917/
Trigwell, K., & Shale, S. (2004). Student learning and the scholarship of university teaching. Studies in Higher Education, 29(4), 523–536. https://doi.org/10.1080/0307507042000236407
Ulvik, M., & Riese, H. (2016). Å forske på egen praksis: aksjonsforskning og andre tilnærminger til profesjonell utvikling i utdanningsfeltet. Fagbokforlaget.
Vives, E., Poletti, C., Robert, A., Butera, F., Huguet, P., Régner, I., & Consortium, P. (2024). Learning With Jigsaw: A Systematic Review Gathering All the Pieces of the Puzzle More Than 40 Years Later. Review of Educational Research, 0(0), 00346543241230064. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543241230064
Vygotsky, L. S., & Cole, M. (1978). Mind in society: Development of higher psychological processes. Harvard university press.
Wegerif, R. (2007). Dialogic education and technology: Expanding the space of learning (Vol. 7). Springer Science & Business Media.
Wegerif, R. (2011). Towards a dialogic theory of how children learn to think. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 6(3), 179–190.
Willumsen, E., & Ødegaård, A. (2023). Tverrprofesjonelt samarbeid. Universitetsforlaget.
Yang, X. (2023). A Historical Review of Collaborative Learning and Cooperative Learning. TechTrends, 67(4), 718–728. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00823-9
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Heine Tønnesen Vestvik
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
