16 project or homework given by the teacher is also a strategy to foster students
’ independent learning.
Although independent learning is an individual matter, it does not merely involve
the students’ activity in working individually Meyer, et al., 2008. The process of having independent
learning can be influenced by the students’ environment. The learning process and people around such as teachers and friends
can help the students decide anything they need for their learning. When students can decide what they need for their learning process, they become more aware of their
independent learning. As stated by Kesten 1987, “Independent learning is that
learning in which the learner, in conjunction with relevant others, can make the decisions necessary to meet the learner’s own learning needs” p. 5.
Moreover, Knowles 1975 presents the theory of self-directed learning which
usually takes place in association with various kinds of helpers, such as teachers, tutors, mentors, resource people and peers as cited in O’Doherty, 2006. In this
research, independent learning is seen as a goal to be achieved by the students through doing group presentation project. In doing this project, the students learn not
only individually but also together with their friends and interact with their lecturers in class. The people around the students like their friends and lecturers in class can
encourage the students to become more responsible and independent for their learning process.
17 There are some benefits which can be achieved by having independent
learning. Meyer, et al. 2008 explain some benefits of independent learning. First, it can increase
students’ academic performance. Academic performance is students’ skill of learning something and their achievement. Second, it increases students
’ motivation, confidence and ability to engage in lifelong learning. Third, it allows the
students to become more aware of their limitations as well as learn how to manage and overcome it. Forth, it enables the teachers to provide differentiated tasks for
pupils. Those benefits are expected to be achieved by the students who are still learning in school or college because it is also important for their future life.
3. Learning Strategy
An instructional strategy is defined as the way that a teacher arranges and it is designed to establish interaction between the teacher, the students, and the subject
matter, or any combination of these three dimensions Singh, 2004. It means, learning strategy is a process that the students have in the learning process and it has
a connection with their teachers or lecturers. The learning strategy that a teacher arranges for students is to help the students achieve their goal Singh, 2004.
Learning strategy can help the students succeed in achieving their learning goals. Moreover, Jean 2011 also says that learning strategy can provide students the
opportunity to succeed in today’s schools p. 1. It means that the students can be success in their learning process by the learning strategy provided. Teacher or
18 lecturers have their own ways to facilitate the learning strategy for students to achieve
students’ goal in the learning process.
It can be done by doing some ways like giving homework, letting the students discuss the material, asking the students to take notes, and many more. Because as a
selector in instructional strategy, a teacher will do something like arranging a variety of media, including books, lecture notes, homework, visual aids, programmes,
discussions, and laboratory experience Singh, 2004. It is proven that homework can be one of the learning strategies for helping the students achieve their goal like
understanding the subjects, becoming more respinsible and independent. As, Fellen and Conti 1989 state that learning strategies are the techniques used in order to
accomplish learning task as cited in Conti and McNeil, 2011. Therefore, learning strategy is expected to be beneficial for
students’ independent learning in order to help them become responsible so that the students can be more independent of their
own learning process.
4. Group Presentation
Group presentation project becomes one of the strategies used by the teachers or lecturers
for students’ project in the learning process nowadays. Jaques 1984 defines group itself as
“a collection of people”, when it possesses the qualities, such as collective perception, needs, shared aims, interdependence, social organization,
interaction, cohesiveness, and membership p. 13. For example, it can be started by
19 assigning the students to form a small group to do a discussion and presentation for
some learning topics in class. Every group member has to be responsible for the project because although it is a group project, the contribution of each group member
is very important. In addition, Bleakley and Carrigan
1994 state their opinion that, “Cooperative learning involves students working together in groups, with group goals
bu t individual accountability” p. 15. The most essential part is that the students can
understand the learning topics and how they learn to become more independent through their learning process together
. It seeks each student’s awareness to be more independent in learning since it will be useful for the
student’s own life. Therefore, each student in group project has to be aware of their responsibility during the
process of doing group project.
a. The Use of Group Presentation Project to Foster Independent Learning
Meyer, et al. 2008 propose a consensus in literature that independent learning does not merely involve pupils working individually. The process of doing
group presentation project can be one of the choices. According to Bridges 2013, group presentation allows students to teach everyone about an interesting area of the
world where concepts discussed in class have been or are actively occurring. Through doing group presentation project, the students are allowed to combine their different
perspectives on a topic, research it and present the result which reflect the group
