21
collaboratively with the benefits of collaborative learning. The advantages of collaborative learning are often neglected in teaching-learning process; peer
assessment is one of many options of techniques and procedures in learner-centred collaborative learning which bring the advantages of collaborative learning to the
learners Brown, 2004. There are five types of peer assessment: assessment of a specific
performance, indirect assessment of general competence, meta-cognitive assessment for setting goals, socio-affective assessment, and student-generated test
Brown, 2004. The research uses assessment of a specific performance in assessing students’ writing performance. Students assess each other on written
performance by using a scoring rubric which is very suitable to use in performance assessment. Slavin 2012 states, “Performance assessments are typically scored
according to rubrics that specify in advance the type of performance that is expected for each activity” p.433. Peer editing is also conducted by students in
peer assessment to give feedback to their peers. Peer assessment gives students opportunity to practice critical and
analytical thinking to improve their critical thinking skills. Meyers 1986 states: Students will develop good critical thinking skills only by being challenged
to practice critical and analytical thinking in the context of all the different subjects they study p.5.
Students can practice analytical thinking by assessing their peers, pa
rticularly in analyzing their peers’ critical writing which help them to improve their critical thinking. Peer assessment also brings the advantages of collaborative
22
learning to the learners Brown, 2004, which helps them to improve their critical thinking skills.
3 Peer Feedback
Peer feedback is a technique in collaborative learning method where the learners are responsible in giving feedback to each other. The feedback is given to
signal the errors and provide the correct form to their peers in their learning process Gaies, 1985. Peer feedback has a practical benefit which holds a very
crucial factor in students’ learning process: students’ opportunity to receive immediate feedback. Peer feedback allows students to give and receive feedback
immediately at the “precious moment”, which is when the students’ motivation is high. Students can also get feedback simultaneously in the class, which is not
possible to be provided by one teacher in a single time. Peer feedback also helps students to learn more by giving feedback to each other. Gaies, 1985
One option of peer feedback is student-initiated correction and editing. Student-initiated correction and editing gives students opportunity to work in pairs
or small groups, exchange and compare their papers, and have discussion on their papers. Feedback is given to each other in the discussion while teacher may
circulate among the students to monitor the discussion. Gaies, 1985 There are three advantages from student-initiated correction and editing.
The first advantage is students are going to have profitable discussions which give them opportunity to have arguments and get critical feedback from it. The second
advantage is by having arguments in the discussion students will get positive reinforcement in their understanding on the topic and their understanding on the
23
errors they have made. The third advantage is students are given opportunity to sharpen their proofreading skills in correcting their peers’ papers. Gaies, 1985
Another effective way to improve students’ critical thinking skills is by employing written assignment. Written assignment, particularly the term paper
assignment, encourages critical thinking and offers potential for demonstrating critical thinking abilities by students Meyers, 1986. The writing product of the
paper assignment in this research was academic writing in form of argumentative essay. Argumentative essay was chosen because it gives students opportunity to
improve their critical thinking skills as a writer by building strong arguments and justifiable claim with valid, adequate and relevant evidences and justifications. It
also gives students opportunity as a reader to be sceptical in a positive way by assessing other students’ arguments whether the arguments are justifiable claim
with valid, adequate and relevant evidences and justifications Wallace and Wray, 2011. In this research, collaborative learning method and written assignment in
form of argumentative essay were employed to improve students’ critical thinking skills in CRW II.
The three techniques from collaborative learning method were implemented in the research to improve students’ critical thinking skills. The
indicator was behavioural indicator in form of students’ participation, which represents three general attitudes in critical thinking by Meyers 1986: raising
questions, temporary suspension of one’s judgements, and enjoyment of mysteries and complexities. These attitudes reflect a critical thinker with healthy scepticism
24
as the guidance and are represented in the intensity of the students’ participation in
the discussion during the class.
B. Theoretical Framework
There were two research questions to be answered through this research. The two research questions were answered by implementing the theories which
have been described in theoretical description. The first research question was about the implementation of collaborative learning t
o improve students’ critical thinking skills in CRW II. The theories which were implemented to answer this
research question were theories on critical thinking and collaborative learning. Bloom revised taxonomy was used in composing the lesson plan. Critical
thinking as an educational goal was used to set critical thinking skills as a goal in teaching-learning activities in the classroom. According to Bloom revised
taxonomy by Anderson et al. 2001, critical thinking skills refer to the last three levels of the cognitive process dimension: analyzing, evaluating, and creating
claims and arguments. The learning objectives for the students were on these three cognitive process dimensions.
Collaborative learning was used to structure the students learning activities in the classroom. As stated before, collaborative learning gives certain benefits for
students to improve their critical thinking skills. Meyers 1986 states: Students will develop good critical thinking skills only by being challenged
to practice critical and analytical thinking in the context of all the different subjects they study” p.5
25
The opportunity to practice critical and analytical thinking was available in collaborative learning which allows students to get involved actively through
discussions. Three techniques from collaborative learning method were implemented in
structuring students’ learning activities in the classroom: peer involvement, peer assessment, and peer feedback. In the implementation of peer involvement, two
different types of peer involvement were used in the cycles of the action research. Intra-class tutoring in small group work was used in the cycle 1. In small group
work, students work as peer tutors in small group Gaies, 1985. The advantage of small group work is students will get more perspectives, which is not available in
pair work. However, the quality of the feedback might not be as good as in pair work, since the intensiveness in small group work is lower than pair work. Intra-
class tutoring in pair work was used in cycle 2. In pair work, students work as peer tutors in pair. It gives students opportunities to have intensive work and
discussions with their pair Gaies, 1985. They also have intensive opportunity to give peer feedback with their pair, which will help them to give and receive good
quality feedback on their work. Peer assessment was implemented during the classroom. The students do
peer- assessment by assessing each other’s critical writing in form of
argumentative essay. The type of peer assessment used was assessment of a specific performance to assess students’ writing performance Brown, 2004.
Students assess each other on written performance by using a scoring rubric which is very suitable to use in performance assessment Slavin, 2012. In cycle 1,
26
students were given opportunities to do peer assessment in small group. In cycle 2, students were given opportunities to do peer assessment in pair. The scoring rubric
was made based on the criteria of critical writing summarized from the book Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing: A Brief Guide to Argument
by Barnet and Bedau 2011 and the book Critical Reading and Writing for Postgraduates
by Wallace and Wray 2011. Cycle 1 used small group schematic scoring rubric, while cycle 2 used pair work schematic scoring rubric.
Peer feedback was implemented during the process of peer assessment. The feedback is given to signal the errors and provide the correct form to their peers in
their learning process Gaies, 1985. The type of peer feedback was student- initiated correction and editing which gives students opportunity to work in pairs
or small groups, exchange and compare their papers, and have discussion on their papers. Feedback is given to each other in the discussion while teacher may
circulate among the students to monitor the discussion Gaies, 1985. In cycle 1, students were giving peer feedback to each other in small groups. In cycle 2,
students were giving peer feedback to each other in pairs. There were two main indicators to measure the improvement of the
students’ critical thinking skills: behavioural indicators and product indicators of critical thinking. The behavioural indicators of critical thinking were used to
identify the improvement of the students’ critical thinking skills during the learning process.
The behavioural indicators were determined in students’ participation during the discussion. The intensity of the students’ participation
represents three general attitudes in critical thinking Meyers, 1986: raising PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
27
questions, tempo rary suspension of one’s judgements, and enjoyment of mysteries
and complexities. The product indicators of critical thinking were used to measure the improvement of the students’ critical thinking skills in their critical writing in
form of argumentative essay as the product of their learning process. The product indicators were determined in the criteria of critical writing summarized from the
book Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing: A Brief Guide to Argument by Barnet and Bedau 2011 and the book Critical Reading and Writing for
Postgraduates by Wallace and Wray 2011: arguable arguments, relevant
evidences, particular target audience, effective logical organization, and reliable sources.
The second research question was about students’ difficulties in improving critical thinking skills in CRW II. The theories which were implemented to answer
the second research question were theories on critical thinking, particularly on critical reading and writing. The criteria of critical writing Barnet and Bedau,
2011; Wallace and Wray, 2011 were used to reflect students’ difficulties in
improving critical thinking skills in CRW II, particularly the difficulties in reaching the five criteria in writing the argumentative essay: building arguable
arguments, using relevant evidences, aiming particular target audience, structuring effective logical organization, and choosing reliable sources.
28
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter explains the research methodology. The research method, the setting, the participants, the instruments, the data gathering technique, the data
analysis technique, and the procedure of the research are deliberated in details in this chapter.
A. Research Method
This research was a Classroom Action Research. According to Burns 1999, Classroom Action Research is a research which commonly uses qualitative
research as its method to answer concrete and practical issues of immediate concern by observing and recording events and behaviour in the classroom. It is
neither categorized in qualitative research nor quantitative research. Although its status as a research methodology is often seen as fragile because of the strong
claims on it as a process to enhance reflective practice and professional development, Classroom Action Research is still considered as a research
methodology by lots of teaching and learning practitioners because it requires systematic data collection and analysis Burns, 1999.
According to Kemmis and McTaggart 1988, Classroom Action Research is a dynamic and reflective cycle which consists of four essential processes:
planning, action, observation, and reflection. Those processes are spiralling in a PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
