T1__Full text Institutional Repository | Satya Wacana Christian University: Students’ Perceptions Toward the Use of Cooperative Learning Strategies Applied in English Classes of Junior High School Level T1 Full text

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARD THE USE OF
COOPERATIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES APPLIED IN ENGLISH
CLASSES OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirement for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan

Devi Setyowati
112013107
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION PROGRAM
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS
UNIVERSITAS KRISTEN SATYA WACANA
SALATIGA
2017
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COPYRIGHT STATEMENT
This thesis contains no such material as has been submitted for examination in any course
or accepted for the fulfillment of any degree or diploma in any university. To the best of
my knowledge and my belief, this contains no material previously published or written by
any other person except where due reference is made in the text.
Copyright@ 2017. Devi Setyowati and Rindang Widiningrum, M. Hum.
All rights reserved. No part of this thesis may be reproduced by any means without the
permission of at least one of the copyright owners or the English Department, Faculty of
Language and Arts, Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Salatiga.
Devi Setyowati

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Table of contents
Title ........................................................................................................ i
PERNYATAAN TIDAK PLAGIAT ...................................................... ii
PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN AKSES ........................................... iii
Approval Page ......................................................................................... iv

Copyright Statement ............................................................................... v
Table of Contents .................................................................................... vi
Abstract .................................................................................................. 1
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1
LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................... 4
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Defining Cooperative Learning ................................................. 4

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Purposes of Applying Cooperative Learning ............................ 5

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Applying Cooperative

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Learning Strategies .................................................................... 6

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Basic Elements of Cooperative Learning .................................. 7

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Students’ Perception of Cooperative learning ........................... 8

THE STUDY .......................................................................................... 9
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Context of The Study ................................................................ 9

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Participants ................................................................................ 10

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Instrument .................................................................................. 10

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Data Collection Procedure......................................................... 11

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Data Analysis Procedure ........................................................... 11

FINDING AND DISCUSSION .............................................................. 12
o Cooperative learning help students to comprehend the material
better ........................................................................................... 12
o Cooperative learning facilitates the students to interact with
other members ............................................................................. 15
o Cooperative learning increases students’ motivation to
learn English ............................................................................... 18
CONCLUSION ...................................................................................... 20

ACKNOWLEDGMENT......................................................................... 22
References ............................................................................................... 23
APPENDIX ............................................................................................. 25
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APPENDIX ........................................................................... 26

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Students’ Perceptions Toward the Use of Cooperative Learning
Strategies Applied in English Classes of Junior High School Level
Abstact
Cooperative learning is a learning mode that will be more focusing on the students’
effort rather than the teacher’s effort. In cooperative learning, the teacher is
expected to be a facilitator and guider to make the students be more active in the
learning process. The present study aims to see students’ perceptions toward
Cooperative Learning Strategies in English classes of Junior High School level.
The instrument chosen is close- ended questionnaire with Likert scale which
consists of ten statements. The participants are chosen by using purposive sampling
and ninth grader students are selected who are around 14- 17 years old. The results

of the study will be presented in tables which divided into three sections which are
cooperative learning helps to comprehend the material; facilitates to interact with
other members; and increases students’ motivation to learn English. Based on the
tables, it can be seen that the students’ perceptions are seemed to be positive toward
cooperative learning. According to the results of the study, there is a possibility to
English teachers to apply Cooperative Learning Strategies in their classrooms since
the results show that the students response positively with the application of
cooperative learning. The writer hopes that the result of the study can be an idea for
English teachers to try cooperative learning to teach EFL rather than traditional
group working to increase students’ motivation toward English subject.

Keywords: Cooperative Learning, students’ perception

INTRODUCTION
Ekanjume and Ilongo (2015) pointed out that English will become “the language
of choice in most countries of the world and is playing a very significant role in bringing
the world together” (p.1157). By considering the significance, English will likely spread
wider from time to time. In Indonesia, even though English is thought as a foreign
language, for the students of Junior and Senior High School, English is one of the primary

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requirements to pass those levels. It is definitely be a challenge for teachers to design
activities that can increase students’ interest to learn English because build students’
interest is very crucial to have good learning process between students and teachers. It is
also supported by Tsay and Brady (2010) who stated that the biggest challenge for teachers
is “determining the most effective teaching strategies for their students” (p.78).
The strategy usually used by teachers is called traditional teaching. It indicates that
“teacher’s behavior occupies a dominant position in the whole learning process, which can
not provide students with a chance to active learning and less opportunity to communicate
with other students” (Wang, 2012, p. 108). On the contrary, in teaching English as a foreign
language, group working becomes a suitable strategy chosen by teachers. Unlike in
traditional learning setting which “the majority of interactions are teacher-student” (Tran,
2012, p.9), group working facilitates students to interact with others. However, in fact,
sometimes group working does not work well because it is often found that there is only a
person who works in the team, “this can create a competitive environment and produce a
passive attitude toward learning as students vie for the teacher’s approval” (Killen, 2007,
Harman & Nguyen, 2010, as cited in Tran, 2012, p.9). In order to make the role of group
working balance, it might be better to use cooperative learning strategies since it gives
opportunities to “students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities

to improve their understanding of a subject” (Adhami & Marzban, 2014, p.14). The use of
Cooperative Learning Strategies gives some opportunities for the students to have better
understanding toward English subject through the activities during the learning process. It
is also found in cooperative learning concept by Adams and Hamm (1994) that “taking

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place through an individual’s interaction with his or her environment and peers,
cooperative learning is largely based on the idea that students learn through social contexts”
(as cited in Tsay & Brady, 2010, p.78). “Each member of team is responsible not only for
learning what is being taught but also for helping teammates learning, thus creating an
atmosphere of achievement” (Adhami & Marzban, 2014, p.14). By using cooperative
learning strategies, it is possible for each member in team to understand the certain material
without the competition pressure by the learning environment.
This study focuses on the students’ perceptions toward the use of cooperative
learning strategies in learning English in order to answer the research question: What are
students’ perceptions toward Cooperative Learning application in learning English?. The
writer wants to find out the students’ perception during the lesson when the teacher tries to
apply Cooperative Learning Strategies. As found in the research done by Tran (2012) using
cooperative learning strategies can encourage the students to have a better perception in

learning English. Hopefully, the result of the study can be an idea for English teachers to
try Cooperative Learning Strategies to teach EFL (English as a Foreign Language) rather
than traditional group working to increase students’ motivation toward English subject. It
might be seen from Johnson and Johnson (2014, as cited in Tombak & Altun) that a
cooperative learning model is ”a model that promises to increase the motivation of students
in a way that is compatible with the requirements of the 21st
century“ (p. 174).

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LITERATURE REVIEW
Defining Cooperative Learning Strategies
Johnson (2005, as cited in Adhami & Marzban, 2014, p. 13) indicates that
cooperation is not as simple as a job that refers to a group where a member of the group
complete a task and the others just put their names. Also, according to Adhami and
Marzban (2014) cooperation “is not having students do a task individually with instructions
that the ones who finish first are to help the slower students” (pp.13-14). On the contrary,
cooperative learning can be simply defined as a learning mode that will be more focusing
on the students’ effort rather than the teacher’s effort. In cooperative learning, the teacher
is expected to be a facilitator and guider to make the students be more active in the learning

process. The same thought is delivered by Coelho (1992, as cited in Tamah, 2008)
“Cooperative learning is an approach to education based on the philosophy that education
should be learner-centered and learner-directed; that learners can be teachers; and that
teachers are guides and facilitators rather than the source of all knowledge and direction”
(p.119).
Moreover, there is another thought from Nurhadi (2004, as cited in Tamah, 2008)
that defines cooperative learning as “a learning approach focusing on the use of small
groups of students who work together so that learning condition is maximized to attain
learning objectives” (p.120). According to Tamah, if teacher uses cooperative learning
strategies, “the students can teach one another to accomplish the group goals. The students
work together to learn and to be responsible for their fellow students’ learning as well as
their own” (2008, p.120). In cooperative learning application, the students who have more
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knowledge about the material are expected to help the other members if there is a member
who has lack knowledge about the material to make the objectives of the group fulfilled.
Purposes of Applying Cooperative Learning
According to (Louisell and Descamps 1992, Harlim, 1994, as cited in Tamah, 2008,
p.120) there are main purposes of applying cooperative learning. First, cooperative learning
can “increase academic achievement of the students” and “improve relations between one

student and the others (although they have different backgrounds). It can be seen that by
facilitating the students to have good interaction between the members of the group, the
use of cooperative learning will also impact the students’ result that may not be seen in
traditional teaching classroom. Then, it also “improves students’ ability in problem
solving”. One of the purposes of applying cooperative learning is to see how far students
can solve a problem which is given by the teacher in their group because usually in
traditional teaching, most of the students are reliant on the teacher. Besides that, “students
also learn how to interrupt other students politely, how to give their opinions, and how to
appreciate other students” (Tamah, 2008, p.120). Totten et al. (1991, as cited in Tsay and
Brady, 2010) provided support that “cooperative learning not only helps achieve higher
retention, but also encourages students to become more motivated to take greater
responsibility for their own learning and participate in class discussions” (p. 80). It can be
argued that if the students get enough motivation from the other group members, their
learning process will be more easy and interesting because they will be more actively
participate in the discussion and they can easily comprehend the material which is being
taught.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Applying Cooperative Learning Strategies
McGroarty (1989; Kessler, 1992, as cited in Tamah, 2008) identifies six advantages
of Cooperative Learning for students acquiring English. First, Cooperative Learning
increases frequency and variety of second language practice through different types of
interaction. Second, there is a possibility for development or use of the first language in
ways that support cognitive development and increased second language skill. Third,
Cooperative Learning gives opportunities to integrate language with content-based
instruction. Fourth, Cooperative Learning also gives opportunities to include a greater
variety of curricular materials to stimulate language as well as concept learning. Next, it
provides freedom for teachers to master new professional skills, particularly those
emphasizing communication. The last one is that it gives opportunities for students to act
as resources for each other, thus assuming a more active role in their learning (pp. 120121).
On the contrary, the use of cooperative learning does not always avoid problem
which may also occur in the traditional teaching. According to Johnson et al., Oakley et al.
and Smith et al. (nd, as cited in Felder & Brent, 2007, p.7) Cooperative learning has its
own disadvantages. As a teacher who is implementing cooperative leaarning in his or her
classroom, before he or she offer the suggestions, he or she should make clear that
implementing cooperative learning successfully does not require adopting every one of
them. In fact, trying to do so all at once might be a serious mistake: the teacher would have
to juggle many unfamiliar techniques and end by doing none of them well, and the students
would be confused with the unfamiliar techniques which are applied and many might rise

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up in rebellion. Rather, teachers who are new to cooperative learning should take a more
gradual approach, choosing mainly the methods which they feel most comfortable and
adopting additional methods only when they have time to get used to the current ones. If
the teachers have enough knowledge about cooperative learning, they will become
increasingly master cooperative learning application, and it will make the students follow
the teacher’s instruction easily.
Basic Elements of Cooperative Learning
According to Johnson and Johnson (2008, as cited in Tran, 2012) there are ‘five
basic elements’ that should be included in Cooperative Learning Strategies (p. 10).
First, the group members should have positive interdependence which occurs when
“team members are reliant on one another to achieve a common goal, and the entire group
suffers the consequences if one member fails to do his or her work” (Tsay & Brady, 2010,
p. 80). The second is promotive interaction that occurs when “individuals facilitate each
other’s efforts to accomplish the group’s shared goals” (Tran, 2012, p. 10). The third
element is individual responsibility that means “students ask for assistance, do their best
work, present their ideas, learn as much as possible, take their tasks seriously, help the
group operate well, and take care of one another” (Johnson, 2009, as cited in Tran, 2012,
p. 10).
The fourth element is interpersonal and social skills. In reality, sometimes it would
be found some participants have terrible social skills when they are asked to work together.
Therefore each participant should trust other members and build good communication to
develop their social skills. “When participants are more socially skilled, the achievement
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and productivity in cooperative groups tends to be higher” (Johnson & Johnson, 2008, as
cited in Tran, 2012, p. 10). The last element in Cooperative Learning Strategies (CLS) is
group processing. Based on Yamarik (2007, as cited in Tran, 2012) “group processing
helps improve the effectiveness of the members in contributing to the shared efforts to
achieve the group’s goals, via reflection on the learning process” (p. 10). By applying group
processing, each member of the group can reflect on themselves what aspect that need to
be improved or maximized.
Students’ Perception of Cooperative Learning
Sharan and Yaacobi (1981, as cited in Tran, 2012) stated that “the learning
atmosphere of classrooms is likely to be associated with the educational policy and values
of schools” (p. 10), but cooperative learning result in positive social relationships through
participants which are teachers and students.
According to a study which is done by Tran (2012), during the applying of
cooperative learning, students show some perceptions toward it. First, Students note that
their peers liked to help one another and they were more motivated to learn. Second, the
results of the study also indicate that students who work in cooperative learning groups
enjoyed cooperative activities and obtained more knowledge because cooperative learning
improved their relationships with their peers, minimize conflict in the group and enhance
their self-esteem. Moreover, students in the cooperative learning groups feel more
interested in learning, and less anxious, consider cooperative learning as a valuable way to
effectively increase their knowledge.

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Then, the study which is done by Johnson and Johnson (2009 as cited in Tran, 2012)
shows two factors of learning skill that are gained in cooperative learning. Firstly, students
feel that they achieve more by learning through cooperative learning method and secondly
there is an improvement in social relations among students . Hence, it may be argued that
cooperative learning appears to be an effective way to engage students in learning (p. 11).
The previous study is done by Tamah (2008) which investigated about students’ perception
about their own role and others’ role in Jigsaw class from two Junior High Schools in
Surabaya. Unfortunatelly, the previous study just focuses on Jigsaw class which gives
results about students’ perception toward Jigsaw. Hence, the writer wants to make wider
investigation about Jigsaw and others strategies which is used in cooperative learning (CL).
As the writer found in the previous study which is done by Herrmann (2013), he
investigated students’ perceptions toward CL and categorized the result to see whether the
students mostly positive or negative towards CL use.

THE STUDY
Context of the Study
This study was attempt to investigate students’ perceptions or attitudes toward the
use of Cooperative Learning Strategies (CLS) in English subject. It was conducted in junior
high school level; SMP N 1 Banyubiru, Semarang Regency, Central Java. The school used
K13 curriculum for grade 7, and KTSP for grade 8 and 9. The school was chosen because
the English teacher in the school often used CLS in delivering material, especially in

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English subject. The writer thought that by considering this reason, the school was
appropriate with the focus of the study.
Participants
The participants in this study were 117 students from grade nine in SMP N 1
Banyubiru, Semarang Regency, Central Java who were taught English subject by using
Cooperative Learning Strategies (CLS). Their age was about 14 until 17 years old. The
participants were chosen because the writer had done some observations in the classrooms
and found some students’ attitudes toward the teaching process which used one of
strategies in Cooperative Learning.
Instrument
This study used questionnaire as the only instrument to get the data. The
questionnaire was in Indonesian and the participants were required to give checklist mark
in each statements given. The language chosen was Indonesian because the questionnaire
would be more understandable for the participants because English was not their second
language. The questionnaire consist of close-ended questions. The close-ended
questionnaire consisted of ten statements with likert scale as the answer. Statements
number (1); (2); and (3) were aimed to show that CL use helped each member of the groups
comprehend the material or not. Then, statements number (4); (5); (6); and (7); were aimed
to see whether CL facilitated the students to interact with other members or the opposites.
To identify the students’ motivation during the CL use, statements number (8); (9); and
(10) were provided. The questionnaire were adapted from Herrmann (2013).
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Data Collection Procedure
The data collection procedure for the study was started from making questionnaire
that consists of close-ended statements which was adapted from Herrmann (2013). Then,
it would be continued with finding the participants by using purposive sampling to ensure
the participants had ever taught by using Cooperative Learning Strategies in English
subject. Before the writer collected the data, piloting with the participants was done to see
the questionnaire was understandable for them or it needed to be revised. After piloting
had done, the writer would see the result of the piloting and made some revision with the
questionnaire if it was needed. The last procedure after revising the questionnaire was
collecting the real data.
Data Analysis Procedure
The data was analyzed into the following procedures. To analyze the close-ended
items, likert scale was used. It was simply analized by categorizing the answer on the five
scale which was prepared by using Microsoft excel and processed the data in SPSS v. 20.
The result of close-ended items would be presented in form of tables. It might be seen what
perception(s) that students had when they worked in a group whether about the group work
itself or their experiences during the group work.

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FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
This part presents the research findings and discussion of the study. It consists of
three main sections referring to the research objective. The first section is about cooperative
learning helps students to comprehend the material better. The second section is presenting
about cooperative learning facilitates students to interact with other members. The last
section is about cooperative learning increases students’ motivation to learn English. The
instrument applies Likert scale by using these criteria: 1- strongly disagree; 2- disagree; 3neutral; 4- agree; and 5- strongly agree. The results will be presented by showing the mean
range of the data and put them based on the appropriate interval numbers. In order to
categorize students’ answer, interval numbers which is derived from Maximum Likelihood
Estimation or MLE is used. The interval numbers are:
1.0- 1.7 strongly disagree
1.8- 2.5 disagree
2.6- 3.3 neutral
3.4- 4.1 agree
4.2- 5.0 strongly agree

Cooperative learning help students to comprehend the material better
Table 4.1
Cooperative Learning Help Students to Comprehend the Material Better

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Statements

1. I get more information

Frequency

Total

Mean

1

2

3

4

5

0

5

65

38

9

402

3.44

16 54

28

18

317

3.39

13 43

44

16

412

3.52

about the material from my
friends.
2. I prefer teacher explanation 1
rather than group discussion.
3. Working in a group makes

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me understand the material
faster.
Mean

3.45

Table 4.1 shows that the mean score for the first section which is helping students
to understand the material is 3.45. It can be interpreted that the participants agree that
cooperative learning strategies which is applied in the classroom can help them to
comprehend the material. Even though the participants agree that cooperative learning
helps them to understand the material, but statement 1 shows that there are 5 out of 117
students who have an opinion that they do not get more information about the material
from their friends. Also, most students prefer to be neutral which is 65 students. It may be
because some of the students are ‘passive recipients’ of knowledge rather than being active
in the group discussion (Gillies & Boyle, 2010, p. 933), so that they do not get much

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information about the material. Hence, the students who are neutral confuse whether they
get more information from their friends or not.
The teacher has to facilitate the students to be more actively participate in the group
discussion because one of the teacher’s objectives in applying cooperative learning in the
classroom is to “design tasks that truly engage students’ participation and interaction” that
makes the students learn from the other group members and maximize their discussion
during group working (Escobar and Sánchez, 2008, p.68, as cited in Vázquez & Molina,
2014, p. 77).
Statement 2 presents that many of the students are neutral about which one they
prefer between teacher’s or friends’ explanation by showing the mean score in number
3.39. However, there is a student who strongly disagree that the teacher’s explanation is
better. This matter is caused by the student feels “encouraged to actively participate in the
resolution of tasks starting with their already existing linguistic capacities, which makes
them more confident (Poisel, 2012, p. 261, as cited in Vázquez & Molina, 2014, p. 77).
Moreover, the students “will actively assist each other to make sure that the assignment is
done and the purpose of the group achieved” (Deutsch, 1949, as cited in Hossain &
Tarmizi, 2012, p. 473). In this statement, the total number of students who are neutral also
high as well as in statement 1. The 54 students who prefer to be neutral might also because
they may confuse to choose which one is better between teacher’s or students’ explanation.
Then, the last statement in this section shows that 44 students agree that they learn
faster by doing group discussion because by “providing help and cooperation to each other,
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sharing resources, and encouraging each other’s efforts”, at the end of the lesson, the
students “who work in cooperative groups outperform students who work by themselves
or in competition with each other (as seen in competitive conventional classrooms)”
(Johnson & Johnson, 2004, as cited in Hossain & Tarmizi, 2012, p. 473). On the other
hand, there is a student who strongly disagree that working in a group make the students
learn faster. This case might arise because the ‘competitiveness’ of this student is high,
then he or she has different goals with the other group members (Johnson & Johnson, 1994,
as cited in Hossain & Tarmizi, 2012, p. 473).
Table 4.1 also presents the indicator that get the highest mean is statement 3 by
showing the mean score in 3.52. It is true that the students agree that cooperative learning
helps them to comprehend the material better and mostly the aspect that makes cooperative
learning helpful is because the students think that by doing group working, they can
comprehend the material faster.
Cooperative learning facilitates the students to interact with other members
Table 4.2
Cooperative Learning Facilitates the Students to Interact with Other Members

Statements

Frequency
1

2

Total
3

4

15

5

Mean

4. My group’s opinion

0

3

38

57

19

443

3.79

19

39

31

23

399

3.41

0

5

32

56

24

450

3.85

2

2

35

47

31

454

3.88

makes me have more
choices to answer
teacher’s questions.
5. I don’t like one of the 5
group members
dominates the
discussion.
6. I can communicate
well in group
discussion.
7. I want to do more
group discussions to
make me and my
friends to be more
comfortable to express
our thoughts.
Mean

3.73

Table 4.2 presents that the mean score of the second section is 3.73. It can be
analyzed that the participants agree that cooperative learning strategies which is applied in
the classroom can facilitate them to interact with other members. Statement 4 presents that
57 out of 117 students agree and 19 students strongly agree that group’s opinion can give
the students more choices in answering the teacher’s questions with the mean score is 3.79.
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It might be because the students have good interaction with other group members.
According to Webb and Mastergeorge et al. (2003, as cited in Gillies & Boyle, 2010),
“through interaction students learn to interrogate issues, share ideas, clarify differences,
and construct new understandings” (p. 933). On the contrary, there are 3 students who
disagree with statement 4. In this matter, the students may have bad interaction with other
members, but actually in applying cooperative learning “the use of interaction and
participation is one of the main drivers for success” (Coonan, 2012, as cited in Vázquez &
Molina, 2014, p. 77).
Then statement 5 shows that the students agree that sometimes they do not like if
there is a group member who dominate the discussion with the mean score 3,41. Even
though the result shows that they agree with statement 5, most of the students prefer to be
neutral with total number 39 out of 117. This number is just slightly different with the
students who answer agree. According to Kagan (1994, as cited in Jacobs, 2016) one of the
principles in applying cooperative learning is ‘equal participation’ (p. 3) which means that
in cooperative learning, the portion of each student should be equal.
Statement 6 represents the students’ communication, and 56 students agree and that
they can communicate well with the other members by taking the mean score in 3,85. Also,
56 students agree and 24 students strongly agree that through group working, they can have
good communication with friends. Communication matter is related to one of basic
elements in implementing cooperative learning which is ‘interpersonal and social skills’
(Tran, 2012, p. 10). According to Jacobs (1997), there are two aspects that need to be
considered in group interaction. The first aspect is “the good things about group

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functioning should be brought out” (p. 11). For example, if there is a difficult point in the
material, the particular members can help to explain the difficult point to their groupmates.
The second aspect, the group should discuss what in their interaction needs to be improved
(Jacobs, 1997, p. 11). Therefore, communication between group members is important.
Then, from the table, it also can be found that the highest mean fall into statement
7 that is 3.88. It can be argued that 47 students enjoy doing group working and they hope
that the teacher will have another opportunity for group working in the classroom.
Cooperative learning increases students’ motivation to learn English
Table 4.3
Cooperative Learning Increases Students’ Motivation to Learn English

Statements

Frequency

Total

Mean

1

2

3

4

5

8. In my opinion, working 0

2

18

57

40

486

4.15

0

5

35

50

27

450

3.85

0

8

39

40

30

443

3.79

in a group is fun.
9. I will be more
motivated by doing group
discussion.
10. I become more
enthusiastic in group
working.
Mean

3.93

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Table 4.3 shows that the mean score of the third variable is 3.93. It can be defined
that according to the students’ perception, by applying cooperative learning strategies in the
classroom can increase their motivation to learn English. Also, the indicator that get the
highest mean is statement 8 which is 4.15. It means that cooperative learning increases their
motivation because they feel fun with the group working especially in English subject. Based
on the table, it can be seen that 57 students agree and 40 students strongly agree that group
working is fun and there are only 2 students who disagree. It is argued that the students feel
cooperative learning is fun because in group working, they seem to be more helpful for their
friends and they will be ‘more motivated to learn’ (Tran, 2012, p. 11).
Then, statement 9 shows that 50 students agree and 27 students strongly agree that
through group discussion, they are more motivated to study. “Students will be motivated to
help each other and invest effort when they perceive that it will affect the way in which they
are themselves rewarded ultimately” (Kagan & Stenlev, 2006, p. 19). Hence, in this case,
group members have great impact in increasing students’ motivation. According to Jacobs et
al. (1997) students who have feeling to help the other members of the group means that they
are successful in implementing one of basic elements in cooperative learning which is called
as ‘positive interdependence’ (p. 8). He stated that “positive interdependence is the feeling
among a group of students that what helps any member of the group helps everyone in the
group, and what hurts any member of the group hurts everyone in the group” (Jacobs et al.,
1997, p. 8). On the contrary, there are 5 students who disagree with statement 9. They might
have competitive goals in learning process, it is usually called as negative interdependence.

19

Usually, those kinds of people will be motivated if the other group members ‘do worse’
(Kagan & Stenlev, 2006, p. 19).
The last statement presents that 40 students agree and 30 students strongly agree
that they will be more enthusiastic when they are working in a group. This matter may also
relate with statement 9 that group members not only affect in increasing students’ motivation,
but also in making the students more enthusiastic with the lesson. Kagan and Stenlev (2006)
also argued that “if the students’ outcomes are dependent on the behaviour of their peers,
they will be motivated to engage in behaviours that help the group to be rewarded” (p. 20).
It can be argued that the result of the group discussion depends on how far the members’
behavior affect the students’ motivation to achieve their goals.

CONCLUSION
The present study aims to examine students’ perceptions toward the use of CLS
applied in English classes of Junior High School Level. According to the tables in the
previous chapter, it can be concluded that ninth grader students in SMP N 1 Banyubiru
respond positively towards the application of cooperative learning in English subject.
Moreover, based on the tables, the students agree with the application of cooperative
learning because they think that cooperative learning has a significant role to increase their
motivation during the learning process. It might be proven from table 4.3 which shows the
highest mean that is 3.93, rather than the other tables. Then, the second aspect that is also
crucial for students is about interaction matter when they have group working. It is proven
20

in table 4.2 by showing mean number in 3.73. Through cooperative learning application
they can interact with other members better. The last aspect which is being discussed is
about cooperative learning can help the students to comprehend the material better. Even
though the result of the study shows that students agree with cooperative learning, but table
4.1 get the lowest mean score which is 3.45. It can be seen that the students like group
working, but they do not really understand the material better. They still need teacher’s
explanation to make the material clear.
Moreover, the writer hopes that the result of the study can be an idea for English
teachers in the other schools to try CL to teach EFL rather than traditional teaching to
increase students’ motivation toward English subject. By seeing the result of the study,
there is a possibility to English teachers to apply Cooperative Learning Strategies in their
classrooms since the results show that the students response positively with the application
of CL especially in the three aspects that are investigated in the present study. The writer
hopes that the result of the present study can give more knowledge to English teachers
when they want to apply CL in their classrooms. The result of the present study cannot be
generalized because each school might have different perceptions toward CL application.
Hence, the further study is needed to see many different perceptions of different schools
about CL.

21

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The writer realizes that there are many supports, prayers, motivations, and guidance
that she got during the completion of this thesis. Hence, in this occasion, she would like to
thank to:
1. The Almighty God, Allah SWT that always gives strength and spirit to complete
this study.
2. The thesis supervisor, Rindang Widiningrum, M. Hum. and the thesis examiner,
Anita Kurniawati Hadiyanto, M. Hum. who always give her time, suggestions, and
guidance to finish this thesis.
3. Bapak Supriyanto, Ibu Retno Widiasih, and my Budiman’s and Soedarjo’s family
who always support and pray for my thesis.
4. My unbiological sisters (Maria Immaculata, Klara Wening, Lugista Harliana,
Arafah Ma’rufiana, Bella Vilo, and Yulia Ratnasari) who make my college life
meaningful and unforgettable. Also, thank to always in my ups and downs.
5. My partner Sukla Aji Putra who always be my best listener and supporter.
6. SMP N 01 Banyubiru, especially 9A-9D students who are willing to be my
participants.
7. My Junior High School friend, Ulfa Sa’diyah who helps me to analyze the data.
8. My lovely batch, thirteeners that give me more motivation and experiences in
college life.
9. All of ED lecturers and staffs who share their knowledge with me.

22

References:
Adhami, M., & Marzban, A. (2014). The effect of jigsaw task on reading ability of iranian
intermediate high school efl learners. Journal of Academic and Applied Studies
(Special Issue on Applied Sciences), 4(2). 13-24.
Ekanjume, B., & Ilongo. (2015). The teaching of English as a second language:
the case of the national university of lesotho (nul). Journal of Language Teaching
and Research, 6(6). 1157-1164.
Felder, R. M., (2007). Cooperative learning. Active Learning: Models from the Analytical
Sciences. 1-13.
Gillies, R. M., & Boyle, M. (2010). Teachers' reflections on cooperative learning:
Issues of implementation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26. 933-940.
Herrmann, K. J., (2013). The impact of cooperative learning on student engagement:
Results from an intervention. Active Learning in Higher Education, 14(3). 175187.
Hossain, A. & Tarmizi, R. A. (2013). Effects of cooperative learning on students’
achievement and attitudes in secondary mathematics. Procedia - Social and
Behavioral Sciences , 93. 473-477.
Jacobs, G. (2016). Cooperative learning: theory, principles, and techniques. 1-10.

Jacobs, G. M. et al. (1997). Learning cooperative learning via cooperative learning. San
Clemente: Kagan Cooperative Learning.
Kagan, S. & Stenlev, J. (2006). A study of the influence of cooperative learning on
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Maden, S. (2010). The effect of jigsaw IV on the achievement of course of language
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770-776.
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Eurasian Journal of Educational Research. 173-196.
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Tran, V. D. (2012). The effects of jigsaw learning on students’ attitudes in a vietnamese
higher education classroom. International Journal of Higher Education, 1(2). 920.
Tsay, M., & Brady, M. (2010). A case study of cooperative learning and communication
pedagogy: Does working in teams make a difference?. Journal of the Scholarship
of Teaching and Learning, 10 (2). 78-89.
Vázquez, V. P., & Molina, M. P. (2015). Perceptions of teachers and students of the
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23. 75-91.
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APPENDIX

25

APPENDIX

KUESIONER
Kepada partisipan yang terhormat,
Nama saya Devi Setyowati dan saya sedang melakukan sebuah penelitian untuk skripsi
saya yang berjudul “Students’ Perceptions Toward the Use of Cooperative Learning
Strategies Applied in English Classes of Junior High School Level”. Saya akan sangat

berterima kasih apabila Anda bersedia untuk menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan di dalam
kuesioner ini dengan jujur. Jawaban Anda dalam kuesioner ini akan dirahasiakan dan
tidak akan berpengaruh terhadap nilai Anda. Terima kasih atas kerjasamanya.
Jenis kelamin : Laki-laki/ Perempuan ( coret pilihan yang salah)
Kelas

:

Umur

:

Jawablah pertanyaan dibawah ini dengan memberi tanda (√) pada jawaban yang Anda pilih
dengan ketentuan sebagai berikut:
STS

: Sangat tidak setuju

TS

: Tidak Setuju

N

: Netral

S

: Setuju

SS

: Sangat Setuju

26

No

Pertanyaan

Jawaban

.
1.

STS
Saya

mendapatkan

lebih

banyak

informasi

mengenai materi yang diajarkan dari teman saya.
2.

Saya lebih menyukai penjelasan dari guru daripada
berdiskusi bersama kelompok.

3.

Bekerja dalam kelompok membuat saya lebih
cepat memahami pelajaran yang sedang diajarkan.

4.

Pendapat dari teman sekelompok membuat saya
memiliki lebih banyak pilihan jawaban untuk
menjawab pertanyaan yang diberikan oleh guru.

5.

Saya tidak suka apabila ada salah satu teman saya
yang terlalu mendominasi dalam kelompok.

6.

Saya dapat berkomunikasi dengan baik saat
bekerja dalam kelompok.

7.

Saya ingin lebih sering melakukan diskusi
kelompok untuk membuat saya dan teman-teman
bebas berpendapat.

8.

Menurut saya, bekerja dalam kelompok sangat
menyenangkan.

27

TS

N

S

SS

9.

Dengan adanya diskusi kelompok membuat saya
lebih termotivasi untuk mengikuti pelajaran.

10.

Saya menjadi lebih bersemangat ketika bekerja
dalam kelompok.

Apakah Anda berkenan apabila saya menghubungi Anda untuk mendapatkan informasi
yang lebih jelas?
Apabila Anda berkenan maka saya dapat menghubungi Anda ke nomor:

28