Harmer 2007 believes that writing in groups is effective in genre- based and process approach, students found the activity motivating in
terms of writing itself. They also found the activity to be motivating when they embark on the research, discussed on the topics, had peer evaluation
and achieved the group’s goal. As cited in Syafini Rizan 2010, Legenhausen and Wolff 1990
conducted a research that shows writing in a small groups is an efficient way to promote writing abilities and it was excellent interaction activity.
This is also supported by Kagan and High 2002 in Syafini Rizan 2010 that students peformed better in writing when cooperative learning
was incorporated in the classroom. The data collected by ten limited English proficient LEP
community college students who were taught using cooperative learning approaches also showed positive outcome Jones Carrasquillo, 1998 as
cited in Syaifini Rizan 2010. The students were put in groups and asked to work in groups using brainstorming techniques and collaborative
reading and writing tasks. The results show that cooperative learning approach improved the students writing skills.
C. Conceptual framework
Writing is one of the productive skills that should be acquired by students. They should be given more opportunity to practice producing the
target language in written form through the activities in the writing
process. During the process of writing, namely planning, drafting, revision, editing, and final draft, it would be more effective if the students are set
working in groups. Cooperative learning could be implemented in each step of the process such as during branstroming, giving feedback, etc.
According to the early observation in SMAN 1 Seyegan, the researcher found some problems in the process of writing. One of the
problems is related to students’ low profieciency in English. They still lacked vocabulary and awareness of grammar so that they found it hard to
write a piece good of writing. Sometimes, their writing turned out weird in English as they used to translate it from Bahasa Indonesia into English.
Moreover, students did not know how to begin to write a paragraph because they were not familiar with the right components of the text type.
The problems even become worse as they are barely praticing writing in groups. Consequently, they find the activities boring and uninteresting at
all. Looking at the facts faced by the students that they were not
motivated to write, the researcher decided to apply the cooperative learning in the writing activities to improve students’ writing performance.
Cooperative learning has various strategies that can be implemented in the writing process that could encourage the students to work together in small
groups with mixed-ability. They are addressed to specific instructional tasks so that they are hoped to aid and support each other during the
learning process. The teacher also could effectively give feedback to
students when they are in groups rather than individually. Futhermore, cooperative learning is believed for enhancing students’ motivation in
terms of writing as they discuss the topic and have evaluation or feedback among the group members to achieve the group’s goal. In addition,
cooperative learning let the students generate ideas and construct sentences together which can lead to a better understanding of the topic when they
write. Eventually, they will be able to write a concrete, accurate, creative piece of writing.
