CHAPTER 1

The Problem and It’s Background

Background of the Study

Nowadays, learning individually or in traditional way of learning aren’t as powerful

and efficient compare to learning in collaboration through discourse or teamwork.

Collaboration shows an exchange of new ideas and sharing of knowledge that can mediate

student learning and enhance critical thinking as they work through in different collaborative

learning environment.

Research has shown us that collaborative learning can be effective if facilitated

appropriately in the classroom. A collaborative classroom environment often promotes a

higher level of learning and achievement however, not all groups reach the level of cohesion

at which there is positive interdependence.

Collaboration has become a twenty-first-century trend, it is umbrella term for a

variety of approaches in education that joint intellectual effort by students and teachers.

Group of students work together in searching for understanding, meaning or solutions, or in

creating a product. The approach is closely related to cooperative learning but is considered

to be more radical because of its reliance on youth voice. It is formerly called student-team

learning which it is the term used to describe instructional-procedure. Similarly, Wiersema

(2000) stated that collaborative learning is philosophy of building together, working together,

changing together and improving together. It is important to first evaluate what is desired

outcome of the collaborative classroom.

Collaborative learning goes beyond working together and it requires team-work with

roles defined to ensure the success of the group. (Lizzio and Wilson (2006) pointed out that

factors contributing to the effectiveness of collaboration include team-building activities,

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frequency of meetings and the value that individuals place on the process of learning (goal

orientation).

Wiersema (2000) considered that collaborative learning is a philosophy of teaching,

working together, learning together, changing together and improving together. It is the

philosophy that fit’s today’s globalized world. If different people have to work together in the

classroom, he believes that they will become better citizen of the world. In addition,

Thomson et.al (2007) stated that collaborative can promote academic and social education

outcomes.

A New Zealand-based study by Shoval and Shulruf (2011) identify learners who are

mostly likely to benefit from small group cooperative learning strategy, which include task

involving movement activities. The study comprised 158 learners from five second and third

grade classes learning about angles. The research tools included structured observation of

each learner and pre-and post-test. The analysis identified three behavioral clusters: active,

social, and passive. The results suggest that students who are physically active while seeking

knowledge and solutions are more successful than their peers who are more socially active,

even if initially they were lower achievers. Passive students demonstrated the lowest

academic achievements. This study points t a possible solution for the problems that

cooperative group learning, based mainly on verbal interaction.

In an experimental model of collaborative teaching and learning at a New Zealand

intermediate school, 156 students worked in ability groups with different teachers depending

on the school subject. A study using observation, questionnaires and interviews was

conducted to explore the perceptions of staff, parents and students of the model (Martin &

Williams, 2012). It was found that students became more confident, more independent and

2
more involved with their learning. They felt positive about collaborative structure, as it

allowed them to work with students at a similar pace.

On the study of Estimo, et.al (2012) investigated the impact of collaborative learning

in small group discussion on the development of the eight components of Resilience Quotient

(RQ) and the Academic Performance (AP) of students in Maritime English Classes. The

study revealed that students who have higher academic performance tend also have higher

RQ. Evidences also showed that a high level of RQ could enhance academic performance and

that RQ could be developed through constant exposure to small group discussions at a certain

period of time. And also showed that too much dependence on the teacher as the main source

of learning in the traditional approach could lead to some regression or decline on the

student’s personal vision thereby lowering their level of Resilience. Moreover, it was notice

that working in small groups could give students the opportunity to affirm their personal

beliefs and individual capabilities in accomplishing their task in the teaching and learning

process.

However, on the study of Baker and Clark (2010) the implementation of collaborative

learning is not always adequate on the daily classroom practices. Also, the teacher does not

always structure the group interaction to foster effective collaboration. While Freeman

(2010), founds out that student experience such unequal individual participation or group task

and students are lack of communicative and collaborative skills. The teacher also encounters

challenges while organizing collaborative activities such as designing, appropriate group task,

composing groups, managing class time and enhance monitoring productive collaborative.

Moreover, Hargreaves (2003) notes that collaborative efforts can become a distraction

if the collaborators are not focused on students learning and achievement. It is important for

education-oriented collaborators to understand that successful collaboration is grounded in

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a well-constructed on-going agenda that maintains a clear and persistent focus on data

about student learning.

In connection, Hargreaves and Shirley (2009) stated that maintain that effective

collaborative partnerships and professional learning are committed to:

a). transforming their instruction such that it leads to student achievement;

b). valuing each other as people in relationship of care, respect and challenge; and

c). using quantifiable evidence and shared experiences to inquire into teaching and

learning issues while making judgements about how they can improve them.

Love (2009) stipulates that improved teaching comes about when teachers come about

when teachers implement sound teaching practices that are grounded in cultural proficiency-

an understanding and respect for their student’s cultures-and through an understanding of

subject material and how they teach it.

On the other hand, Bunker (2008), in her doctoral dissertation, she delineates six key

characteristics of successful collaboration. These are the following: 1). A shared vision

whereby a schools’ culture is based on mutual support, joint work and broad agreement of

educational values; 2). A focus on clear and common goals; 3). Attention to results; 4).

Structured and on-going inquiry and 5). Time for reflective dialogue about learning and

teaching.

Bunker specifies that all of these characteristics are interrelated and regardless of the

terms used to describe teacher collaboration, these characteristics are essential to

collaborative success.

However, Hourcade and Bauwens (2002) argued that when teachers collaborate they

have an opportunity to capitalized upon the unique and specialized knowledge and skills

4
of their colleagues, while Sawyer (2007) maintains that collaboration acts as a catalyst for

instructional creativity and innovation.

Hence, our research study aims to know and discovered the effectiveness of

collaborative learning towards the Grade 12 student

Significance of the Study

This part of the research-study discusses about who will be the beneficiaries of the

study. What are the significant of the research study to the following individuals or

institution, etc.

This study aimed to know the effectiveness of collaborative learning to the Grade 12

Students in Echague National High School. The following individuals and groups will be

benefited from the study

Administration. This study helps them to know the effectiveness of collaborative learning

used by the teachers for the enhancement of student’s ability and knowledge.

Institution. This study helps the institution to become aware and enlighten about on how

collaborative learning contributes to the development of their student’s academic process.

Teachers. For the part of the teacher, this study would serve as an inspiration to them and to

appreciate the importance of using collaboration as teaching strategy. Also, help them to be

aware of what and how collaborative can give and contributes to the student’s.

Students. This study would help the students to gain development of thinking skills and

deeper level of understanding.

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Parents. This study can help parents to improve their holistic view about collaborative

learning, they may think that collaborative can be a more effective learning tool to their

children. They can also be aware of the advantage and disadvantage of collaborative.

Future Researcher. It provides as a basis to other researcher in conducting similar studies

which will contribute another meaningful insight about effectiveness of collaboration.

Statement of the Problem

1. What is/are the types of collaborative usually being use?

2. What is/are the advantages and disadvantages of collaborative learning?

3. What is/are the effectiveness of collaborative learning to the Grade 12 students?

Null Hypothesis

1. There is/are no types of collaborative usually being used in their subjects?

2. There is/are no advantages and disadvantages of collaborative learning to the Grade 12

students?

3. There is/are no effectiveness of collaborative learning to the Grade 12 students.

Definition of Terms

For better understanding of the study, the following terms are hereby defining

operationally:

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Collaborative Learning. One of the teaching approaches where students work in groups so

as to understand a concept, create a product or solve a problem.

Advantages. A condition or circumstances that puts one in favorable or superior position

Disadvantages. Unfavorable circumstance or condition that reduces the chances of success

or effectiveness.

Effectiveness. The degree to which something is successful in producing a desired result

School Year. The time spent in an academic year.

Students. A person or group of people who come to school or university to study a certain

subject, academic and other lessons

SPSS (statistical packages for social science). Software package used in statistical analysis

of data.

Hyperlink- a term used as an example of technology, typically for a document, file, etc

CHAPTER II

The Review of Related Literature

This chapter contains related literature that will support the facts about the study.

7
Literature Review

Collaborative or cooperative learning can be defined as learning tasks or activities

where students work together in a group small enough for everyone to participate on a

collective task that has been clearly assigned. This can be either a joint task where group

members do different aspects of the task but contribute to a common overall outcome, or a

shared task where group members work together throughout the activity.

Foreign Studies

Collaborative learning goes beyond working together and it requires team-work with

roles defined to ensure the success of the group. Lizzio and Wilson (2006) pointed out that

factors contributing to the effectiveness of collaboration include team-building activities,

frequency of meetings and the value that individuals place on the process of learning (goal

orientation).

Research has shown us that collaborative learning can be effective if facilitated

appropriately in the classroom. A collaborative classroom environment often promotes a

higher level of learning and achievement however, not all groups reach the level of cohesion

at which there is positive interdependence. According to Wiersema (2000) collaborative

learning is philosophy of building together, working together, changing together and

improving together. It is important to first evaluate what is desired outcome of the

collaborative classroom.

According to Johnsons and Johnsons (n.d), there are five elements of cooperative

learning such: 1). Individual accountability; 2). Positive interdependence; 3). Face-to-face

promote interaction, 4). Group processing and 5). Social skills. Positive interdependence

refers to the feel of each other. Student feel that they cannot work without the absence or one

more group members. Individual accountability refers to specific and group assessment that

8
results in the skills and outcomes of each student and whole group. Face to face promotive

interaction encourages the students of a group by sharing and helping each other specific

topics. Social skills are necessary in order to have true and long-term success of the group.

Group processing refers to the assessment and remarking of the capabilities and actions of

each group.

Al-kaabi (2016) conducted a case study that examine and investigated other learning

style to show the importance of collaborative learning on student’s achievement and skills at

Qatar University. The research was conducted to 81 students age between 19 and 22. The

students who were on research methods course, were divided into three different branches

where each branch contained the same number of students: the control group, the first

experimental group and second experimental group. In the control group, each student

worked separately. The first experimental group was divided into small groups of students

who each had different learning style. The second experimental group was also divided into

four group with the students in each group having the same learning style. The two

experimental groups followed the course through collaborative learning, as well as traditional

learning. The findings revealed that collaborative learning had no beneficial effect on the

student’s exercise and poster skills or in their scores for the midterm exam. However,

collaborative had a significant effect on the student’s proposal writing scores. Other than that,

collaborative learning had no effect on exam results including pre-test, post-test, midterm or

final exam. Also, results of study confirmed that in the control group, there was a significant

difference in the student’s pre-test, post-test, midterm or final exam scores in blended

learning environment due to learning style where collaborative learning did not occur.

Regarding the first experimental group, learning style had no significant difference on the

student’s skills and achievements in a blended learning environment where collaborative

occurred.

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 A New Zealand-based study by Shoval and Shulruf (2011) identify learners who are

mostly likely to benefit from small group cooperative learning strategy, which include task

involving movement activities. The study comprised 158 learners from five second and third

grade classes learning about angles. The research tools included structured observation of

each learner and pre-and post-test. The analysis identified three behavioral clusters: active,

social, and passive. The results suggest that students who are physically active while seeking

knowledge and solutions ar more successful than their peers who are more socially active,

even if initially they were lower achievers. Passive students demonstrated the lowest

academic achievements. This study points t a possible solution for the problems that

cooperative group learning, based mainly on verbal interaction.

Similarly, an experimental model of collaborative teaching and learning at a New

Zealand intermediate school, 156 students worked in ability groups with different teachers

depending on the school subject. A study using observation, questionnaires and interviews

was conducted to explore the perceptions of staff, parents and students of the model (Martin

& Williams, 2012). It was found that students became more confident, more independent and

more involved with their learning. They felt positive about the collaborative structure, as it

allowed them to work with students at a similar pace.

On the study of Hidayanto and Setyady (2014) entitled, “Impact of Collaborative

Tools Utilization on Group Performance in University Students” analyzed factors from

technology characteristics that drive the students to use collaborative tools and the

implications of using collaborative in group collaboration to the group performance \. The

research used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique with LISREL 8.8 tool on 196

respondents from undergraduate and postgraduate students of faculty of Computer Science,

University Indonesia. The findings showed that ease of use and perceived usefulness of the

10
collaborative learning is also a driving factor for the students to use collaborative tools. In

addition, the used of collaborative tools showed a positive influence to the team performance.

Furthermore, Tabatabee, et.al (2013) aimed to compare the individual and

collaborative learning of worked out examples in terms of impact on cognitive load and

transference of problem-solving. The study used an experimental design with pre-test-post-

test and control group wherein the participants were 40 students in third from a guidance

school. They were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (each group included 20

students). One group studied the worked individually and another group is collaboratively.

Statistical analyses indicated that mean of transference scores of collaborative groups was

significantly higher than individual group. Results of the study were consistent with cognitive

load theorem.

Lafifi and Touil (2010) aimed to study the effects of collaboration construction of

learning objects created by the teachers on the knowledge levels of learners. However, it

focused on the impact of collaboration among teachers on both teachers and learners. After

the rigorous analysis of results, they observed that collaboration among teachers has good

effects on the cognitive profile of learners.

However, Gokhale (2000) examined the effectiveness of individual learning versus

collaborative learning in enhancing drill-and-practice skills and critical-thinking skills. After

conducting a statistical analysis on the test scores, wherein the study found out that students

who participated in collaborative learning had performed significantly better on the critical-

thinking test than students who studied individually. It was also found out that both did

equally well on the drill-and-practice test.

In connection, the article entitled “Group Work as an incentive for learning-student’s

experiences of group work” study by Chiriac, Eva (n.d), aimed to add to current level of

11
knowledge and understanding regarding the essence behind successful groupwork in higher

education. The study focused on the student’s experiences of group work and learning group

work which is an almost non-existing aspect of research on group work prior to the beginning

of the 21st Century. A primary of the study is to give university a voice in the matter by

elucidation the student’s positive and negative points of view and how the students assess

learning when working in groups. Furthermore, the student’s explanation of why some group

work ends up being a positive experience resulting in successful learning, while other cases,

the result is the reverse, are of interest. The questionnaires were distributed to the student’s in

different study programs at two universities in Sweden. The results indicate that most of the

students’ experiences involved group work that facilitated learning especially in the area of

academic knowledge.

Dickinson (2009) explore how teachers participate in collaborative teams describe the

learning process. The teachers responded to interview questions about learning together. The

findings revealed what teachers perceive about the students learning. The study implies or

suggest processes and procedures to guide and enhance teaching learning in collaborative

groups.

Local Studies

On the other hand, to the study of Altamira, B (2013) entitled, “Impact of Cooperative

Learning on Grade 7 Mathematics Class” done on Grade 7 class of Sto. Angel National High

School in Caluag, Quezon, Philippines, conducted an action research that investigated

whether cooperative learning would lead a better understanding to the mathematical concepts.

The implementation of cooperative learning groups included the purpose of improving

student’s attitudes toward the subject and their academic competencies. Treatment involved

requiring students to work in purposefully structured groups over the course of several weeks.

12
The teacher and peer made observations and together with their student’s information, data

was analyzed to established any changes in the student’s attitudes about course content and

classroom environment. The data analysis revealed that cooperative learning increases

students’ confidence level as well as their involvement in the learning process. Similarly, the

study of Russo (2014) entitled “The effects of a Cooperative Learning Strategy on Post-

Secondary Students’ Mathematics Achievement” compared the effects of cooperative

learning strategy, “send-a-problem” on pre-service teachers’ achievement in a college math

education course at a small arts state college in western New York state. Through use of

quantitative design, over a 1-week period in the spring semester of 2014, one group of

students taught by the same teacher participated in three classes, two being the experimental

and one being the control. The results showed that post-test scores were higher in the

experimental group over the control group. Additional findings suggest that pre-service

teachers would use this cooperative learning strategy in their future classrooms that the

enjoyed participating in the groups and found it to be engaging strategy.

Moreover, Antolin et.al (2017) focused on the cooperative learning as method to

enhance level of performance of grade 10 mathematics students in Talavera National High

School in the Philippines. By using a quasi-experimental research method, the following

results are generated:1). The method positively improved the performance in mathematics of

the control and experimental groups;2) while effectiveness assessment showed a highly

effective result and lastly 3). The application of the method showed a positive impact on the

participants by their positive perception of the subject mathematics.

In addition, Valencerina (2014) provide an empirical fact about the effects of

cooperative learning method supported by multiple intelligence theory on the students’

achievement in mathematics. This research study used the nonequivalent control group

design. The instrument used were the 90-item adopted Multiple Intelligence test and 40- item

13
teacher-made test for the topics. The gathered were summarized, translated and analyzed

using the mean scores for both pre-test and post-test mean scores of experimental and control

groups is statistically significant, which means that students’ achievement in mathematics is

greatly affected when cooperative learning methods were used as teaching strategies

compared to the traditional method.

Furthermore, Wilkinson et.al (2015) conducted a study entitled, “Filipino ESL

Learners’ Attitudes Toward Cooperative Learning and their Relationship to Reading

Comprehension”. The researcher used a quantitative-quasi-experimental study to know how

cooperative learning effective on Grade-8 students in a private school in Manila. The study

attempts to uncover possible findings in an affective dimension through 25-items survey

questionnaires that quantitative gauges the Grade 8 Filipino ESL learners’ attitudes towards

Cooperative Learning. Adopting both quantitative and qualitative approaches, it was

discovered that that learners of Grade 8 had positive attitudes towards CL. In addition,

findings indicate a very weak positive relationship between learner CL attitudes and reading

comprehension.

Synthesis

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 Based on recent research studies, there are many research shows that the types of

collaborative usually being used by the students are pair, brainstorming and groupings.

Moreover, some research shows how collaborative teaching strategy is an effective

way on the learning style of students not only to their academic, it also to their social skills.

Some of the researcher examined the impact of collaboration in the classroom wherein they

found out that it is an effective and helpful to the learning of the students such as they are

being active/ attentive in class, improves their academic performance and many more.

However, some researcher stated that collaborative is not totally helpful to the students, there

study found out that some portion of the class answered, during the collaborative they didn’t

participate because of the environments (attitudes and behaviors) of their groupmates. The

teachers are not properly designed and organized the class into groupings.

The present researcher believe that their studies were more relevant or meaningful

because of the new findings about the effectiveness of collaborative learning to the Grade 12

students.

Conceptual Framework

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Figure 1.1 Conceptual Paradigm

Effectiveness of Collaborative Learning towards the Grade 12

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Grade 12 students Collaborative learning

As shown to the Figure 1.1 Conceptual Paradigm shows that the independent

variable is Grade 12 students and the dependent variable is Collaborative learning. The

effectiveness of collaborative learning depends upon the students.

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