Kết hợp các hoạt động tập thể vào bài giảng kĩ năng nghe hiểu để khuyến khích sinh viên không chuyên tiếng anh năm hai tại trường ĐH Khoa học tự nhiên Hà Nội

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

ĐNG TH THU THY
INCOOPORATING TEAM WORK ACTIVITIES INTO LISTENING
LESSONS TO MOTIVATE THE NON - ENGLISH MAJOR SECOND
YEAR STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE (HUS)

(Kết hợp các hoạt động tập thể vào bài giảng kĩ năng nghe hiểu để khuyến
khích sinh viên không chuyên tiếng anh năm hai tại trường
ĐH Khoa học tự nhiên Hà Nội)

M.A Minor Program Thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60.14.10

H NI – 2013


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

ĐNG TH THU THY

INCOOPORATING TEAM WORK ACTIVITIES INTO LISTENING

LESSONS TO MOTIVATE THE NON - ENGLISH MAJOR 2
ND
YEAR
STUDENTS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE (HUS)

(Kết hợp các hoạt động tập thể vào bài giảng kĩ năng nghe hiểu để khuyến
khích sinh viên không chuyên tiếng anh năm hai tại trường
ĐH Khoa học tự nhiên Hà Nội)
M.A Minor Program Thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60.14.10
Supervisor: Dr. Nguyê
̃
n Thi
̣
Ngo
̣
c Quy
̀
nh

H NI – NĂM 2013
i


STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I certify that the minor thesis entitled “Incorporating team work activities into listening
lessons to motivate the non– English major second year students at Hanoi University of

Science (HUS) is the result of my own work. It is submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirement for the degree of Master of Education. This minor thesis or any part of the
same has not been submitted for any other universities or institutions.


Author’s signature

ii


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave me the possibility to
complete this thesis.
Firstly, I would like to thank Faculty of Post Graduate – University of
Languages and International Studies for giving me permission to carry out this thesis,
and to use some precious references of Department library.
Secondly, I am deeply indebted to my supervisor Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quynh
whose help, stimulating suggestions and encouragement helped me in all the time of
carrying out the research and writing this thesis.
Thirdly, I am bound to my friends and my colleagues who supported and helped
me collect data and corrected some grammatical and spelling mistakes in my writing.
Lastly, I would like to give my special thanks to my husband who gave me
technological support.
iii


ABSTRACT

This research is an investigation on the current situation of using cooperative

teamwork activities in listening class and students’ attitude towards these activities to
find out some practical methods so as to incorporate them into listening class to
motivate the non English major second - year students at Hanoi University of Science
(HUS). A groups of 84 non - English major second year students and five teachers of
English at HUS were participated in a questionnaire, interviews and class observations.
Results indicate that cooperative teamwork activities were used regularly but
inappropriately and unequally among listening classes. Moreover; while discussion is
the most common activity used in listening class, students paid more attention to
games. In addition, although listening is an importance skill, listening practice has not
been performed regularly in class. Moreover, kinds of activities, group forming and
durations for activities are three factors which have influences on students’
participations in cooperative team work activities.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENT

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABSTRACT
TABLES OF CONTENT
LIST OF ABBREVIATION
LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS
PART 1: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
2. Objectives of the study
3. Significance of the study
4. Scope of the study
5. Method of the study
6. Organization of the study

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. Theoretical background of listening
1.1.1 The nature of listening
1.2. Theoretical background of cooperative learning
1.2.1 Definitions of cooperative learning (CL)
Cooperative learning
Cooperative leaning and competitive learning
Collaborative leaning and cooperative learning
1.2.2 Basic factors of cooperative learning
1.2.3 Effectiveness of CL
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Benefits to learners
Benefits to teachers
1.2.4 Challenges of cooperative learning
Challenges to teachers
Challenges to learners
1.2.5 Roles of teachers, learners and materials in cooperative learning
Learners’ roles:
Teachers’ roles:
Role of materials:
1.2.6 Group forming
Type of grouping
Sizes of groups:
1.2.7 Cooperative teamwork activities
1.3 Related studies on the topic
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
2.1 Setting
2.1.1 Syllabus
2.1.2 Textbooks’ description
2.1.3 Learners
2.1.4 Teachers/ Lecturers
2.1.5 Teaching practice
2.2 The participants

2.3 Data collection Instruments
2.3.1 Questionnaires
2.3.2 Interviews
2.3.3 Class observation
2.4 Data collection procedure
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CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Cooperative team work activities
3.1.1 Kind of activities
3.1.2 The frequency of using cooperative team work activities in
listening lessons
3.2 Students’ attitudes to cooperative team work activities; materials and
listening lesson
3.2.1 Students’ attitudes to cooperative team work activities
Students’ preferences for cooperative team work activities
Grouping in cooperative team work activities
Group’s size
Group forming
Students’ cooperation in groups in cooperative team work activities
Students’ preferences for materials
Duration for cooperative team work activities
3.2.2 Students’ attitudes to listening lessons
PART 3: CONCLUSION
1. Conclusion
2. Recommendations
3. Limitations
4. Suggestions for further study
REFERENCES
APPENDICES
APPENDIX I
APPENDIX II
APPENDIX III

APPENDIX IV
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LIST OF ABBREVIATION
CL: Cooperative learning
HUS: Hanoi University of Science
UlIS: University of Languages and International Studies
MCQ: multiple choice questions
CTET: College of Technology and Economics in trade
HUBT: Hanoi University of business and technology
EFL: English as a foreign language

viii


LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS
Figures
Figure 1: Bottom up and top down processing
Figure 2: Cooperative learning elements by Johnson, D. W., et al.
Figure 3: Illustration of random groups
Figure 4: Homogeneous and heterogeneous groups

Charts
Chart 1: Cooperative teamwork activities
Chart 2: Frequency of using cooperative teamwork activities in listening class
Chart 3: Students' preferences for cooperative teamwork activities
Chart 4: Group sizes
Chart 5: Grouping in cooperative team work activities
Chart 6: Students' preferences for materials
Chart 7: Duration for cooperative teamwork activities in listening class

Tables
Table 1: Group structures and associated tasks

Table 2: Students’ attitudes to grouping in listening class
Table 3: Students’ cooperation in cooperative team work activities
Table 4: Students’ attitudes to listening lessons

1

PART 1: INTRODUCTION
This chapter focuses on six main parts namely the rationale for the study, the
objectives; the scope of the study; the significance of the study; the method used to
conduct this research and the organization of the study.
1. Rationale of the study
Since English has become one of the most influential languages in the world, it
has been widely taught at many universities for such a long time. English is considered
to be a means of communication which people use to exchange information, share
experience as well as to broaden their mind. Nevertheless; the goal of acquiring it for
communication has not been emphasized. In addition, although there has been much
innovation in English Teaching Methodology, students have some difficulties in
listening comprehension in the target language (Huyen, Ng (2010:14).
With the aim of motivating students into listening classes and involving them
into cooperative practice, the teachers improved their teaching methods by applying
CL into their classes; incorporating cooperative teamwork activities in listening
classes. However, the current situation of incorporating cooperative team work
activities to motivate the second year - students has not been examined. Therefore; this
study focuses on investigating the current situation of using these activities in listening
class and students’ attitude towards them to find out some practical methods so as to
incorporate them into listening class to motivate the second year students in HUS.
2. Objectives of the study
The study aims at:
 Investigating the current situation of using cooperative teamwork
activities used in listening class for non – English major second year

students in HUS
 Exploring the students’ preferences for these activities
2

 Identifying students’ attitudes and teachers’ ones towards cooperative
teamwork activities in their listening lessons.
 Suggesting some recommendations/ methods for incorporating/
implementing cooperative teamwork activities in the listening lesson to
motivate non – English major second year students in HUS
In order to achieve these objectives, three research questions were raised:
 Which cooperative team work activities are currently used in listening
lessons for non – English major second year students at HUS?
 What is the situation of using these activities in listening lessons in
HUS?
 Which cooperative team work activities are the students’ preferences?
3. Significance of the study
The study is conducted to examine the current situation of using cooperative
teamwork activities and students’ attitude towards them in order to indentify some
practical methods to motivate non – English major second year students at HUS.
Therefore; it is expected to bring about some advantages to both the lectures and
students at HUS. The first and foremost aim; thus, is for the sake of the students. The
researcher hopes that the students will raise their awareness of the benefits of
teamwork activities in their listening lessons; hence, they will cooperate with their
partners to achieve their common goals. Besides, it is hoped that the study will help
teachers absorb, adjust their teaching methods as well as design teamwork activities
appropriately in their own teaching lessons. Furthermore, this study is also believed as
a reliable source of reference for all lecturers, teachers or those who are concerned.
4. Scope of the study
There is a variety of means and factors which play important roles in the
teaching of listening skills. Considering the objectives and research questions, the

study concentrates on the effectiveness of cooperative teamwork activities used in
3

listening lesson at HUS, not in other linguistic lessons, which interferes with students’
ability to determine the level of listening comprehension or motivate students in
listening lessons. More specifically, the researcher focuses on cooperative teamwork
activities used in listening class for non – English major second year students at HUS
find out some students’ preferences and effective methods to motivate students in
listening lessons.
In terms of participants, the study investigates 84 non – English major second
year students at HUS. In addition, 5 lecturers of English teaching in these classes will
be included in this research.
5. Method of the study
The research is conducted basing on both qualitative and quantitative methods.
First, quantitative methods were applied to investigate the participants’
performance in listening lessons. Quantitative analysis was involved in the process of
data collection and analysis via some pieces of information collected by class
observation. The checklists were carefully noted down to provide some proofs
happening in listening classes.
Additionally, questionnaires which aimed at investigating students’ attitudes
towards cooperative teamwork activities; listening lessons and their preferences for
cooperative teamwork activities which influenced on their participation in listening
lessons were utilized. Close-ended; open-ended questionnaire items and rating scale
response were used. The survey was carried out with the participation of 85 non –
English major second year students at HUS who come from some different
Departments. They were asked to complete the questionnaires.
Besides, qualitative approach was also involved in the process of data
collection, the ideas in semi – unstructured interviews with 5 lectures at HUS
contributed much to the data analysis. After that, the researcher processed the data and
drawn conclusions basing on these instruments.

4

6. Organization of the study
This minor thesis consisted of three main parts namely Introduction,
Development and Conclusion.
Part one: Introduction briefly introduced the general background information of
the study such as the rationale and statement of the problem; objective of the study
research questions; significance of the study; scope of the study, method of the study
and design of the study
Part two: Development was divided into 3 small chapters as follows:
Chapter 1: Literature reviews discussed the theoretical background knowledge
that is relevant to the study
Chapter 2: Research Methodology provided some pieces of background
information related to the participants such as the context, etc… and the methods of
collecting data
Chapter 3: Discussion and Findings provided the detailed results of the surveys
and covers an analysis of a range of data and interprets the findings of the research
Part 3: Conclusion: This part included a review of the study, recommendations;
limitations of the study and suggestions for further researches.



5

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter discusses the theoretical background knowledge that is relevant to
the study and provides some key information of current research to see how this
research contributes to the field.

1.1 Theoretical background of listening
1.1.1 The nature of listening
Referring to the nature of listening skill, there are many different concepts in
the world. When referring to listening, many researchers tend to assimilate it with
hearing. However, according to Burley- Allen (1982) “Listening involves a more
complex process than hearing”.
In addition, Anderson & Lynch (1988) divide the nature of listening into two
principal source of information “Schematic information and systematic knowledge”
(p.13-15). While schematic knowledge involves back ground knowledge and
procedural knowledge, Systematic knowledge involves knowledge of language system
as follows semantic, syntactic and phonological systems.
Also, in his book “Listening and speaking: From theory to practice” (2008),
Richard, J. generalizes the nature of listening process into 2 points of views such as:
“bottom – up processing” and the “top – down interpretation”. According to him, the
former refers to understanding the messages through using the incoming inputs. (p.4).
whereas; the latter refers to using background knowledge in understanding text’s
meaning. He claimed that while “bottom – up processing goes from language to
meaning, top – down processing goes from meaning to language” (p.7). He also
describes the background knowledge used in top – down processing, are previous
background knowledge about the topic of the discourse, situational and contextual
knowledge, etc…
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According to him, “bottom – up processing” and “top- down interpretation”
are two necessary and essential natures of listening process. Richard points out that “If
the listener is unable to make use of “top – down processing”, utterance or discourse
may be incomprehensible. “Bottom – up processing” alone often provides an
insufficient basis for comprehension.”(p.9)
Richard’s concept is described by this model:

Figure 1: Bottom up and top down processing
According to Richard, J (2008), to process text bottom- up, the learners need a
great number of vocabularies and sentence elements. Some listening activities which
help students understand the inputs are listed as dictation; close listening; multiple, gap
– fillings, jigsaws and multiple choice questions (MCQ)… Additionally, Richard
(2008: 10) indicated some activities which help develop top – down listening skills as
follows:
 Students generate a set of questions, a list of things related to the topic,
listen and compare.
 Students read some suggestions, key points, key words related to the
topic, situation or included in the listening part, guess and compare.
Background knowledge
Situational knowledge
Discourse type
Discourse structure
Discourse function
Cohesion
Sentence or utterances
Sound and words
Top – down
Bottom - up

7

 Students read news headlines, guess what happened, listen and
compare.
 Students listen to the part of the story, complete it, listen and
compare……
In real listening class, generally, both bottom-up and top-down processing are
combined together. According to Richard (2008: 10), the extent to which one
influences on the other relies on the listener’s familiarity with the topic and content; the
density of information; the text type and the listener’s purpose.
A typical lesson involves three phases such as pre-listening, while-listening
and post-listening and contains activities which combine bottom-up and top-down
listening (Field, 2000).The pre-listening phase encourages students to activate their
background knowledge, making predictions and reconstructing. The while-listening
phase provides students with exercises that focus on comprehension and the purpose of
listening. The post-listening phase normally requires students to give their opinions
about a topic.
From the discussion above, it can be concluded that there is a common belief
among these scholars in determining the nature of listening. They all emphasize the
important role of “meaningful language units” and “background knowledge and
situational background” in the process of listening comprehension. Although these
concepts have existed and have been developed since 1980s, up to now, they are still a
valuable model for some scholars and pedagogues in the world. They not only provide
the scholars with a variety of characteristics of two listening process but they also
figure out a large number of activities which enable students to develop their listening
skill in the class. They are also considered as the precious and useful references for
other researchers.
8

1.2 Theoretical background of cooperative learning

1.2.1 Definitions of cooperative learning (CL)
Cooperative learning
Currently, there are a great number of researchers which focus on the concepts
of CL in language teaching. In order to understand it, it is recommended that some
explicit definitions be presented.
In Longman Dictionary of Language and teaching and Applied Linguistics
(Richard, J.C., Plat & Platt 1997), cooperative learning is defined as “an approach to
teaching and learning in which classroom are organized so that students work together
in small cooperative teams”. This point of view is quite implicit in which it just
mentions the structure of the approach. Because of the limitation, the following
concepts may be the most understandable and recognizable ones in defining the
definitions of cooperative learning.
In a journal, a group of scholars from NSW Institute of Teachers define that
cooperative learning refers to methodologies and environment in which a small group
of students are included in a common task so that they can “maximize their learning
and that of their peer”. The above definition mentions to the structure; objective and
components of the approach. It is widely developed among the teachers and scholars
from NSW Institute of Teachers.
Also, Canh, L. V (2003) in his work indicates that “the theory and the practice
of CL are built based on the basis of principles which learners learn from both the
teachers and each other”. Therefore, he emphasizes on the role of social interaction and
teachers in building and organizing “sufficient classroom opportunities” in order to
enhance students’ cooperation and interaction in classroom.
Similarly, in their work, Johnson & Johnson and Smith, (1989) state that:
Cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups so that students work
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together to maximize their own and each other’s learning”. Frankly, this definition
indicates two main characteristics of collaborative learning: structure and objective.
In conclusion, there are a lot of different points of view on the concepts of CL.

Though they are presented differently, they all direct to group environment in which
students work together to maximize their learning and their partners’ learning.
Cooperative leaning and competitive learning
In their book, Johnson & Johnson (1989) make a comparison between
cooperative learning and competitive learning. While in cooperative learning, students
work together in small groups to maximize their own learning, in competitive classes,
students work against each other to achieve an academic goal. Although there are a lot
of researchers who argue that competitive learning rather than cooperative learning
motivates students to compete and work harder to get the best results, Good & Brophy
(1987:437 – 8) suggest different ideas about this issue: “[…] the key is not motivation
to win competitions against other teams but motivation to assist one’s team as a whole
will do well.” The fact is shown that if the teachers regard competition as motivation to
students, it also declines the collaboration as well as encouragement among their
students because the majority of students will think they have no chance to take part in
a common task. Whereas instead of competing, students can cooperate work together
and support each other in order to achieve a common goal
Collaborative leaning and cooperative learning
There are some researchers who try to differentiate collaborative learning and
cooperative by pointing out the similarities and the differences of these two terms. Orr,
J. (2010: 1-2) in a report, describes the difference between collaborative learning and
cooperative learning as follows:
“ [ ] Collaborative learning is a method in which students group together to
explore a significant question or create a meaningful project.
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Cooperative learning is a specific kind of collaborative learning. In cooperative
learning, students work together in small groups on a structured activity…
Also, there are some other researchers who conduct researches on this issue such
as (Myers (1991); Palmer, Peters & Streetman, (2008). However, in some researches,
articles or books, they are used interchangeably such as Canh, L.V. (2003); Nunan

(1992); Winter (1999); Thanh, Q. (2010); Ha, Ng. (2010); Richards, Platt, & Platt,
(1997); Smith and MacGregor, (1992). According to Smith and MacGregor, (1992),
“both favor small-group active student participation over passive, lecture-based
teaching and each require a specific task to be completed. In both situations, students
are required to possess group skills may include this as an instructional goal”.
Intrinsically, both collaborative learning and cooperative one stress on organized
groups in a common task in a specific situation. Probably, they can used
interchangeably based on teaching context; situation and the purpose of learning and
teaching.
1.2.2 Basic factors of cooperative learning
Cooperation is one of the most important factors which create a successful
class. However, Johnson & Johnson (1989) claim that “not all groups are cooperative”.
Grouping students in a room, arranging the class and requesting them to work
cooperatively, does not mean they will collaborative effectively. There are many
different ideas about the basic elements need to be taken into consideration.
In his writing, Canh, L. V (2003) discusses two key issues which create a
successful collaborative learning such as: collaborative skills and cooperative
atmosphere. According to him, the former can be achieved positively and it must be
taught explicitly as it is the language skills which are necessary for the development of
some learning’s linguistics competences and for their academic careers as well. The
latter is completely essential for learners to get them involved in a “learning
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communities, learning organizations and communities of professional learning” or
“communities of practice”
There are five basic essential elements for successful cooperative learning
such as: positive interdependence; individual and group accountability; promotive
interaction; appropriate use of social skills; and group processing (Johnson & Johnson
1989; Johnson, D. W. et al, 1990, 1998; Brandt 1987).
The first and foremost element is “positive interdependence”. It is a sense of

working together for mutual benefits in a common task and respecting each other’s
learning benefits. Moreover, according to Ha, Ng. (2010: 9), “[…] students can be
more independent of teacher when taking parting in cooperative learning. However,
she argues that it does not mean that the learners can always depend on their
teammates. For the success of a group, members have to cooperate “positively”,
“share” a common goal.
Another essential factor is “individual and group accountability”. The group
has to be clear about its goals in order to ensure that no one “hitch – hikes” on the
works of the others. In other words, everyone in the team joints together, cares for his
or her work as well as the teammates” in order to assure who need more assistance,
support and encouragement. Obviously, equally “positive” contribution and
distribution of all group members to the group is a key to the group’s success.
The third key element making collaborative learning successful is “promotive
interaction”. “Promotive interaction” occurs when members share resources and
support; encourage each other’s effort to learn. It gives students opportunities to
discuss, argue which they have known, what they have learned. Clearly, only through
“face – to – face interaction”, students have more chance to understand each other,
become personally committed to each other as well as to their mutual goals.
Furthermore, the fourth essential element is “interpersonal and small group
skills”. When students participate in a small group, they will improve social skills as
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interpersonal skills; communication and conflict –management. Therefore; procedures
and prerequisite skills for teaching students social skills constructively may be
especially important for a long term – success. Like Goodwin (2003) comments that
“[…] students who have been taught the prerequisite social skills cannot be expected to
work together effectively”.
The last component of successful cooperative learning is “group processing”
or “team reflection”. Group processing exists when group’s members assess what they
gain; how well they are achieving their common goals, etc… The continuous

assessment of learning results is helpful for the entire group and individuals as well
because it helps them recognize their strengths and weakness to be improved.
The following figure illustrates the relationship between five factors:


Figure 2: Cooperative learning elements by Johnson, D. W., et al.
In conclusion, these five elements all are very essential to successful
cooperative learning in which students can work together collaboratively to achieve
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their common goals. Mastering the basic elements and combining them successfully
and effectively not only help teachers arrange the class, diagnose the problems and
intervene to increase the effectiveness of students’ learning but it also make students
collaborative and successful in their learning.
1.2.3 Effectiveness of CL
Benefits to learners
Not until when cooperative learning become one of the most favorite subjects
in the world, have its benefits been discovered. In a report written by Orr, J (2010: 1),
the author lists over 7 benefits of cooperative learning as follows:
 Increase academy achievement
 Help students as they negotiate meaning
 Ensure active participation
 Provide natural oral communication events
 Ensure high – level thinking
 Practice procedural language
 Gain group skills for life
Also, according to Panitz, T (1999), “CL can improve learners’ attitudes by
creating a favorable disposition towards the learning experience through personal
relevance and choice”. Besides, Kagan (1995) emphasizes the importance of
cooperative learning in raising the performance level of each member. By requesting

students to work together in small groups and asking them to be responsible his or her
work as well as the teammates, students improve their “positive relationship”;
“promotive interaction”; and “interpersonal social skills” (Cohen, (1991).
In brief, there are four basic benefits of cooperative learning. First, it increases
the learners’ academic achievements. The second benefit is that it develops the positive
interpersonal relationship in which students are accountable for each other’s work and
for groups’ success. The third one of cooperative is psychological benefits. CL
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improves students’ self esteem, social confidence, social skills and communicative
competences. The last benefit is “group assessment” or “team reflection”. By using
cooperative learning, students can assess what they gain; what are the strengths or
weaknesses; what needs to be improved. Thanks to these benefits of cooperative
learning, it is becoming one of the most successful and effective tool in foreign
language learning.
Benefits to teachers:
Hamm & Adams (1992), in their work, indicates that teachers can benefit from
utilizing collaborative learning in their class. Firstly, by dividing the class into small
groups, teachers can put more attention into each group and save a lot of time and
energy. Secondly, the teacher will be more comfortable and less stressful when he/she
works as a guide, monitor and facilitator in the classroom. As a result, he/she can move
around; work and interact freely with students (Hamm & Adams, 1992). Last but not
least, the teachers can utilize a variety of collaborative activities and techniques to
motivate students and make them work and cooperate together.
1.2.4 Challenges of cooperative learning
Besides the undeniable benefits, both teachers and students have to face a lot
of challenges of collaborative learning.
Challenges to teachers
Although cooperative learning is considered a great tool in teaching English,
teachers and students have to face uncontrollable noise and individual assessments.

Uncontrollable noise is one of the challenges which the teacher has to deal
with, especially in such a large class. The best way to control the class is using a
“group leader” who is appointed by the group members or by teacher. Another way to
get the class’ attention is to use signals and “noise alarming” such as clapping hands,
ringing a bell, blowing a whistle, slapping the board, etc.
15

Another problem of using cooperative class is individual assessment. In
cooperative learning, all the students work together and share the same materials and
same ideas about a common task. It is unfair among them if all the members in the
same group get the same mark because not all the members cooperate “positively” with
the others. The fact is that some students depend too much on their peers and they even
do not have any contribution to the success of the whole group. In this case, the teacher
should be flexible and careful in assessing students’ contribution in order to assure the
equality among them.
Challenges to learners
Uncooperative working and difference about competence or level are two
main challenges caused by collaborative learning. In “Some Difficult with
Collaborative learning”, Smitt: 12) comments that when working in groups, some
members will feel very uncomfortable to work in their group. To deal with this
situation, pair work or small groups of three or four are considered as the best choices.
Besides, using pair work will force students to work fairly and independently from the
other members.
Another problem arises in cooperative class is the homogeneous level and
ability among the students. Obviously, in a group, there must be outstanding and
intelligent students or groups who can solve the problem quickly. This is a common
phenomenon which caused inequality; inconvenience and discrimination among
students in a class. Therefore; arranging the class and dividing the task and groups
clearly; suitably and equally are challenging tasks for teachers in cooperative classes.