10.1 Social or Interpersonal Aspect

24 Murtisari‟s 2015 1 experience, claiming that students basically could learn to assume responsibilities as they truly worked according to their own roles in the group. That is to say, Murtisari emphasized that leadership skills were not necessarily practiced through the role of a leader only, since all roles did matter to enable students to improve their leadership skills. For that reason, group work may be a good teaching technique to train students to commit to their own duties. The next data in Figure 2 demonstrate that a huge number of students 80.7 either „disagreed‟ 63.9 or „strongly disagreed‟ 16.8 with the statement that they often felt alienated by their friends in their group Question 4. This finding contradicts the statement of Börjesson et al. as cited in Hall Buzwell, 2012 claiming that some dominant members will usually disregard a member whose ideas are not helpful for the task assigned. In other words, it can be implied that the majority of the twelfth graders in Satya Wacana Senior High School perceived group work as more positive within this aspect. Aside from this, however, it is worth pointing out that around one-fifth of the students 19.3 also expressed their „strong agreement‟ 1.7 or „agreement‟ 17.6 that they often felt discounted in working with some dominant friends, making the claim of Börjesson et al. should not be overlooked as well. The following data in Figure 2 reveal a common problem usually faced by students in group work, explicitly about having an argument among members Question 1 Elisabet Titik Murtisari, M.TransStud., PhD, a lecturer of Satya Wacana Christian University, 25 February 2015 personal communication 25 6. With the help of Figure 2, it can be seen that more than half of the students 54.6 either „disagreed‟ 44.5 or „strongly disagreed‟ 10.1 that they often argued with other members during group work. This result indicates that slightly more positive perceptions toward group work were exposed. In other words, it should also be noted that the total percentage of disagreement 54.6 was not much different from the one of agreement 45.4, leading to a fact that there were still a number of students who „strongly agreed‟ 5.9 or „agreed‟ 39.5 that they frequently had arguments with other members due to different working styles they had. The last question under this aspect demonstrates one disadvantage of group work that a huge number of students 81.7 considered as true. This question discusses about whether too much time was wasted to talk than to finish the task Question 5. From Figure 2, it can be seen that 24.2 of the students „strongly agreed‟ and 57.5 of them „agreed‟ with this disadvantage. This finding corresponds to Greenbank‟s 2007 study, revealing his respondent‟s comment who expressed that group work was useless due to its tendency to become a companionship to associate with friends. Regardless of this, ho wever, 18.4 of students still either „disagreed‟ 16.7 or „strongly disagreed‟ 1.7 with such disadvantage. This means, there were still a few students who believed that group work could still be effective since they could concentrate more on finishing the task instead of chitchatting with friends. 26

2. Academic Aspect

This theme basically covers benefits that are commonly associated with the educational-related effects possibly gained through group work. Table 3 displays the items covered under this theme and how the twelfth graders of Satya Wacana Senior High School perceived each item presented globally. Table 3. The Average Score of Items under the Academic Aspect Question no. Item Average Question 8 I can understand the lessons more effectively while working in a group than while studying alone. 2.93 Question 9 I can solve problems better while working in a group than while studying alone. 3.19 Question 10 I can think more critically while working in a group than while studying alone. 3.04 Question 11 I can be more motivated to learn while working in a group than while studying alone. 2.94 Question 12 My memory of the lessons can last longer when I work in a group than when I study alone. 2.65 Question 13 Through group work, I feel that my English skills are more improved. 3 27

3.19 3.04

3.00 2.94

2.93 2.65

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 Question 9 Question 10 Question 13 Question 11 Question 8 Question 12 Academic Aspect Average In order to identify which benefits of group work the students agreed the most, the data will be sequenced from the highest to the lowest average score, as seen in Figure 3: Figure 3. The Average Score of Items under the Academic Aspect sorted from the highest to the lowest The data in Figure 3 demonstrate that almost all of the advantages of group work asked tended to be positively confirmed by the twelfth graders. This indicates that a bigger share of the students approved the view that through working in a group, they could solve problems better 3.19, think more critically 3.04, improve their English skills 3, be more motivated to learn 2.94, understand the lessons more easily 2.93, and also memorize the lessons longer 2.65. As stated before, with the intention of identifying the further details of the result, a chart with the frequency distribution of each item will be described as follows: 28 Figure 4. The Frequency Distribution of Students’ Perceptions toward Group Work under the Academic Aspect From Figure 4, it can be understood that Question 9, concerning about problem- solving skills, ranked first as the most favorable advantage under the academic aspect for the twelfth graders. A bigger share of the students 88.3 either „strongly agreed‟ 30.8 or „agreed‟ 57.5 that their ability in solving problems was enhanced when it came to working together with their friends. This is probably due to a chance that allows each group member to share his or her ideas, leading them to produce the best solution for the issue discussed Creswell as cited in Analoui et al., 2011 .