A study on using jigsaw technique to enhance the students’ interaction in group work an action research at the 10th english majored class in son tay gifted high school, ha noi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIOAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES

PHẠM THỊ NGA

A STUDY ON USING JIGSAW TECHNIQUE TO ENHANCE THE
STUDENTS’ INTERACTION IN GROUP WORK – AN ACTION
RESEARCH AT THE 10TH ENGLISH-MAJORED CLASS IN SONTAY
GIFTED HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI
NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC SỬ DỤNG KỸ THUẬT RĂNG CƯA (JIGSAW) ĐỂ TĂNG
CƯỜNG SỰ TƯƠNG TÁC CỦA HỌC SINH TRONG HOẠT ĐỘNG NHÓM –
MỘT NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG TẠI LỚP 10 CHUYÊN ANH TRƯỜNG
THPT SƠN TÂY, HÀ NỘI

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD:ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 60140111

HA NOI, 2015


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIOAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES

PHẠM THỊ NGA

A STUDY ON USING JIGSAW TECHNIQUE TO ENHANCE THE
STUDENTS’ INTERACTION IN GROUP WORK – AN ACTION

RESEARCH AT THE 10TH ENGLISH-MAJORED CLASS IN SONTAY
GIFTED HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI
NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC SỬ DỤNG KỸ THUẬT RĂNG CƯA (JIGSAW) ĐỂ TĂNG
CƯỜNG SỰ TƯƠNG TÁC CỦA HỌC SINH TRONG HOẠT ĐỘNG NHÓM –
MỘT NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG TẠI LỚP 10 CHUYÊN ANH TRƯỜNG
THPT SƠN TÂY, HÀ NỘI

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD:ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 60140111
SUPERVISOR: DR. PHẠM THỊ THANH THÙY

HA NOI, 2015


DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the minor thesis entitled “A Study on using Jigsaw
Technique to Enhance the Students‟ Interaction in Groupwork – An Action
Research at the 10th English-Majored Class in SonTay Gifted High school, Hanoi”
is my own work and effort and that has not been submitted anywhere for any award.
Where other sources of information have been used, they have been acknowledged.
I cede copyright of the thesis in favor of Post-Graduate Department- Vietnam
National University.
Pham Thi Nga

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor,
Dr.Phạm Thị Thanh Thùy, for her valuable comments, critical feedback,
wholehearted guidance and enormous encouragement. Without her support this
thesis cannot be completed.
My special thanks go to all the lecturers and staff of the Faculty of PostGraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam
National University, Hanoi for their valuable teaching and assistance during my
study at the college.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to all my colleagues and students
at Son Tay gifted high chool, for their assistance during the process of data
collection.
Particularly, I find myself in debt to all members of my family for their love,
care and tolerance when I was in the process of writing this thesis.

Pham Thi Nga

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ABSTRACT
The study reported in this paper investigates the using of Jigsaw technique to
enhance the students‟ interaction in speaking lessons at the 10th English majored
class, SonTay gifted high school, HaNoi. The researcher aims to find out the causes
of students‟ weak interaction in speaking activities, the importance of using Jigsaw
technique to stimulate students to speak English, and the suggestions for teachers to
apply Jigsaw technique at SonTay high school. To find the answers to these
questions, an action research was carried out through several steps, using a
combination of 2 data collection instruments (survey questionnaire, classroom
observation). The results showed that the students‟ participation in speaking lessons
increased significantly when the intervention was implemented. Hopefully, this
study will make a small contribution to the implementation of Jigsaw technique in

improving speaking skills for students at Son Tay high school, Hanoi.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ......................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................ii
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................... iv
LIST OF CHARTS ..................................................................................................... v
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................... vi
PART ONE: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 1
1. Rationale of the study ......................................................................................... 1
2. Aims of the study................................................................................................. 1
3. Scope of the study ............................................................................................... 2
4. Method of the study ............................................................................................. 2
5. Research hypothesis ............................................................................................ 2
6. Design of the study .............................................................................................. 3
PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................. 4
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................ 4
1.Theorical background of speaking ................................................................... 4
1.1. Concepts of speaking and interaction ........................................................... 4
1.2. Teaching speaking skills under CLT Approach ........................................... 4
1.3. Problems with speaking activities ................................................................ 5
2. Group work ........................................................................................................ 6
2.1. Definition of group work .............................................................................. 7
2.2. Group size and Groupwork activities ........................................................... 8
2.3. The advantages of groupwork ...................................................................... 8

3. Jigsaw technique……………………………………………………………...9
3.1. The History of Jigsaw technique ................................................................ 10
3.2. Definition of Jigsaw technique ................................................................... 11
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3.3. Steps in Jigsaw technique ........................................................................... 13
3.4. Benefits of Jigsaw technique ...................................................................... 14
3.5. Reasons to choose Jigsaw technique .......................................................... 16
CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY……………………………………………………...17
2.1. An action research .......................................................................................... 17
2.2. The informants................................................................................................ 18
2.3. The action research procedure………………………………………………18
2.4. Description of Data Collection Instruments ................................................... 21
CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS .................................... 23
3.1. Data collected from preliminary investigation stage – Questionnaire 1 ............ 23
3.1.1. Students‟ attitude towards speaking skill ..................................................................... 23
3.1.2. Factors causing students‟ low participation in speaking activities .............................. 25

3.2. Intervention ................................................................................................... 27
3.2.1. The aims of the intervention......................................................................................... 27

3.2.2. The intervention of Jigsaw tasks ............................................................ 27
3.3. Data collected from the intervention stage................................................. 33
3.3.1. Data collected from Observation sheets ....................................................................... 33

3.3.2. Data collected from Questionnaire 2 ..................................................... 34
PART THREE: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ...................................... 37
1. Summary of the study ........................................................................................ 37
2. Suggestions for the teachers .............................................................................. 38

3. Limitations and suggestions for further research .............................................. 39
REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... 40
APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1: Questionnaire 1 ........................................................................... I
APPENDIX 2: Questionnaire 2 ......................................................................... III
APPENDIX 3: Observation sheet 1 – Overall class participation.....................IV
APPENDIX 4: Data on overall class participartion ........................................... V

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LIST OF TABLES AND CHART

Table 1: Students‟ attitude towards speaking skills………………………............ 22
Chart 1: Students‟ reasons for learning English…………………………….......... 24
Chart 2: Factors causing students‟ low participation in speaking activities…….... 25
Chart 3: Overall class observation…………………………………………........... 32

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CLT: Communicative Language Teaching
ESL: English as a Secondary Language
EFL: English as a Foreign Language
L2:

Second Language

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PART ONE: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
It is undeniable that English has been an essential means of communication
and more and more Vietnamese students are aware of the importance of English to
their study and their future. The ability to communicate in English clearly and
efficiently contributes to the success of the learners at school and success later in
every phase of life. Speaking plays an important role because without it,
communication cannot take place directly between people. However, speaking is
generally considered the most difficult to learn among the four skills in English
language learning.
In order to teach students English speaking so that they become more
interested in and maintain their interest in speaking learning. English teachers
should provide a rich environment where meaningful communication can take
place. Communication occurs when there is a lack of information between or among
a group of people. They have to exchange to share the information they have with
other people. One efficient technique to motivate students in speaking is Jigsaw
Technique which makes students more active in learning process and at the same
time makes their learning more meaningful and interesting. The benefits of this
technique to my students have aroused my interest and encouraged me to carry out
this research “A study on using Jigsaw Technique to enhance the Students’
Interaction in Group work- An action research at the 10th English majored-class
in Son Tay gifted high school, Hanoi”.
2. Aims of the study
The study is aimed at using Jigsaw Technique to motivate students in
speaking lessons for the 10th English majored-students at Son Tay Gifted High
school, Hanoi. Hopefully, this study will make a small contribution to the

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implementation of Jigsaw Technique in improving speaking skills for students at
Son Tay high school. The study tries to investigate the following research questions:
1.What are some causes of the students‟ weak interaction in English speaking
activities?
2. To what extent can Jigsaw Technique enhance Students‟ Interaction in speaking
lessons?
3.What suggestions are given for teachers to apply Jigsaw Technique at Son Tay
high school?
3. Scope of the study
Due to the limit of the thesis, the study focuses on using Jigsaw Technique to
enhance the students‟ interaction among groups in speaking lessons. The study was
conducted on the 10 English-majored students at Son Tay gifted high school, Hanoi.
4. Method of the study
The method employed in this study is an action research, with the uses of
two instruments: survey questionnaires and classroom observations. All comments,
remarks, recommendations and conclusion are based on the data analysis.
The combination of different instruments used in this research would help to
gain reliable data and a close investigation into the problems that the students were
having
5. Research hypothesis
Students‟ lack of motivation in speaking English in real communicating
situations is one of the main reasons for the students‟ inability to make a meaningful
conversation. One solution is using Jigsaw technique to motivate students. The
questions to be dealt with are:
1.What are some causes of the students‟ weak interaction in English speaking
activities?

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2. To what extent can Jigsaw Technique enhance Students‟ Interaction in speaking
lessons?
3. What suggestions are given for teachers to apply Jigsaw Technique at Son Tay
high school?
6. Design of the study
The study consists of three parts as follows:
Part one is the introduction which gives reasons for choosing the thesis,
aims and objects and scope of the study as well as the methodology and research
hypothesis of the study
Part two is the development which is divided into three chapters:
- Chapter I (LITERATURE REVIEW) provides the concept of Teaching Speaking
as well as the concepts of Group work and Jigsaw Technique.
- Chapter II (METHODOLOGY) provides the readers with the definitions of the
action research, the data collection instruments. Detailed information about the
research procedure and the participants of the study is also presented.
- Chapter III (DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS) analyzes the data
collected from the preliminary investigation stage to form the hypothesis of the
study. An intervention plan is worked out and implemented. The data from the
intervention stage are collected and analyzed to make an evaluation of the
effectiveness of the intervention.
Part three is the Conclusion which reviews the study, presents the
suggestions for the teacher, the limitations of the study and suggestions for further
study.

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PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Theoretical background of speaking
1.1. Concepts of speaking and interaction
Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves
producing and receiving and processing information (Brown, 1994b; Burns &
Joyce, 1997). Chaney and Burk (1998, p.13) also argues that speaking is "the
process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal
symbols, in a variety of contexts". Referring to speaking or communication in
language teaching and learning, Brown (1994b) affirms that interaction is the heart
of communication; it is what communication is all about, for example in the cases
of sending messages; receiving them; interpreting them in a context; negotiating
meanings; and collaborating to accomplish certain purposes. And interaction is a
collaborative exchange of thoughts, feelings, or ideas between two or more people
resulting in a reciprocal effect on each other. Bygate (1997, p.115) emphasizes that
“interaction is the use of language for maintaining communication between
participants and interaction skills are skills of deciding what to say, when to say it
and how to say it clearly”. Therefore, in speaking process, learners are required to
know not only how to use specific points of language such as grammar,
pronunciation, or vocabulary (linguistic competence), but also when, why and in
what ways language is produced (sociolinguistic competence).
1.2. Teaching Speaking skills under CLT Approach
Now many linguists and ESL teachers agree on that students learn to speak
in the L2 by interacting. Communicative language teaching (CLT) and collaborative
learning serve best for this aim. CLT is based on real-life situations that require
communication. By using this method in ESL classes, students will have the
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opportunity of communicating with each other in the target language (Kayi, 2006).

CLT has been an influential approach for the last decades with the aim of “learn to
communicate by communicating” (Larsen-Freeman, 1986, p.131). According to
Canale (1983, p.5), communicative competence - the final target of CLT - refers to
“the underlying systems of knowledge and skill required for communication”.
Moreover, “communicative competence is the aspect of our competence that
enables us to convey and interpret messages and to negotiate meanings
interpersonally within specific contexts” (Brown, 1994a, p.227). The concept of
communicative competence is also described in terms of four dimensions which are
grammatical competence (grammatical and lexical capacity), sociolinguistic
competence (the ability to understand and produce appropriate language in the
social context which the communication happens) and discourse competence (the
ability to employ communicative strategies to initiate and redirect communication).
Besides, three key pedagogical principles that developed around CLT were
the presentation of language forms in context, the importance of genuine
communication and the need for learner-centered teaching. Hadfield (1990)
suggests that a meaningful use of language over its form means that accuracy and
acquisition of the formal features of L2 are less a measure of successful language
learning than are fluency and ability to get something across comprehensibly to a
native speaker. In order to encourage meaningful language use, many
communicative activities involve elements of puzzle-solving or simulation.
1.3. Problems with speaking activities
Classroom activities that develop learners‟ ability to express themselves
through speech are an important component of a language course where CLT is
applied. However, it is more difficult to design and administer such activities than
to do so for listening, reading or writing. According to Ur (1996, p.121), teachers
often come across the following problems:

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* The first is “inhibition”. It is explained that unlike reading, writing and
listening activities, speaking skills require some degree of real-time exposure to an
audience. Learners are often inhibited about trying to say something in a foreign
language in the classroom because they are worried about making mistakes, fearful
of criticism or losing face, or simply shy of the attention that their speech attracts.
* Nothing to say is the second problem. Teachers often hear learners
complain that they can not think of anything to say. They may have no motivation
to express themselves. The problem is also mentioned by Lawtie (2004) and it is
necessary to be tackled.
* Last but not least, uneven or low participation of the students is among the
teachers‟ obstacles. Only one participant can talk at a time if he or she is to be
heard. In a large group, this means that each one has only very little time for
talking. This problem is compounded by the tendency of some learners to dominate
the group, while the others speak very little or not at all.
To deal with the problems, Lawtie (2004) believes that a teacher needs to
take a closer look at the type of speaking activities in order to make the activities
interesting enough to capture students‟ interest and create a real need for
communication.
In a word, overcoming these obstacles in speaking class to create successful
speaking activities where learners talk a lot, participation is even and motivation is
high certainly requires a lot of teachers‟ efforts in designing and carrying out
speaking activities.
2. Group work
The EFL literature indicates that to improve our students' speaking skills, we
must reduce learners‟ anxiety and ensure meaningful communicative exchanges in
the classroom. And group work is one of the valuable techniques can help achieve
the above goals for the purpose of fostering speaking ability. Group work can create
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a comfortable atmosphere and the intimate community necessary for learners to take
risks in speaking.
2.1. Definition of group work
Rod Killen (2004) indicates that “Group work occurs when you ask two or
more students to work together”. Davis (1993) sorts out three types of group work
which are called: informal learning groups, formal learning groups, and study teams
Informal learning groups are ad hoc temporary clustering of students within
a single class session. Informal learning groups can be initiated, for example, by
asking students to turn to a neighbor and spend two minutes discussing a question
you have posed. You can also form groups of three to five to solve a problem or
pose a question. You can organize informal groups at any time in a class of any size
to check on students' understanding of the material, to give students an opportunity
to apply what they are learning, or to provide a change of pace.
Formal learning groups are teams established to complete a specific task,
such as perform a lab experiment, write a report, carry out a project, or prepare a
position paper. These groups may complete their work in a single class session or
over several weeks. Typically, students work together until the task is finished, and
their project is graded.
Study teams are long-term groups (usually existing over the course of a
semester) with stable membership whose primary responsibility is to provide
members with support, encouragement, and assistance in completing course
requirements and assignments. Study teams also inform their members about
lectures and assignments when someone has missed a session. The larger the class
and the more complex the subject matter, the more valuable study teams can be.

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2.2. Group size and Group work activities
It seems prudent to keep groups as small as possible to promote positive

interdependence, yet as large as necessary to provide sufficient diversity of opinions
and backgrounds as well as resources to get the job done. The size of groups formed
is directly dependent on the activity to be pursued and the length of time the group
will stay together. Typically, for in-lecture informal activities, group size is often
kept small (in the range of two to four students) since larger groups have
insufficient time to become cohesive. In contrast, a complex semester long project
may require the resources of a larger group (four to six students) and there is
enough time for the group to become effective.
There are some activities for group work activities: Games, Question
construction, Guided practice, Dictation, Role play, Guess ahead, Speculative
question, Discussion, Project, Information gap, Jigsaw, Problem solving,
Discussion making, Opinion exchange.
2.3. The advantages of group work
The literature argues that group work creates and comfortable atmosphere
and the initiate community necessary for learners to take risk in speaking. So, how
can group work reduce anxiety, increase communication, and thus, foster greater
speaking atmosphere? Koichi (2003) points out that group work allows students to
take the initiative in controlling their communicative activities, thus, reducing
anxiety, facilitating responsibility, creating communitive, and smoothing progress
of fluency as a result. Above all, group work with fewer students than a whole class
as one large group, create an intimate atmosphere.
A second, related, benefit is that group work creates a sense of security. As
discussed, students are afraid of looking silly in front of the other students though
they have a desire to improve their English. However, once they are in a small
group, where they realize their peers feel the same, Doyon (2000) believes that
8


there is a tendency for students to use more of their target language. Nimmannit
(1998) offers another analysis of why students feel secure in group work: „they

[individual students] will not be the only ones to shoulder the blame or to lose face
if they answer incorrectly‟.
The third advantage of group work is that it allows students to participate
more and to do so more actively. Tsui (2001) and Lee (1999) find that „group work
provides more opportunities for learners to initiate and control the interaction, to
produce a much larger variety of speech acts and to engage in the negotiation to
meaning‟ and that „being responsible for their peers‟ learning in a group makes
students more active‟.
To sum up, it is clear from the literature that group work offers potential
advantages which the teacher-centered class lacks: a friendly community, a relaxed
atmosphere with a sense of security ; and a more active and responsible attitude
with more opportunities to speak out.
3. The Jigsaw Technique
The Jigsaw Technique is a research-based cooperative learning technique
invented and developed in the early 1970s by Elliot Aronson and his students at the
University of Texas. Since 1971, thousands of classrooms have used Jigsaw with
great success. The Jigsaw classroom reduces racial conflicts among school children,
promotes better learning, improves students‟ motivation and increases enjoyment of
the learning experience. Just as in a jigsaw puzzle, each piece-each student's part-is
essential for the completion and full understanding of the final product. If each
student's part is essential, then each student is essential; and that is precisely what
makes this strategy so effective. A jigsaw classroom is not a loose, “anything goes”
in situation. It is highly structured. Interdependence is required. It is the element of
"required" interdependence among students which makes this a unique learning
method, and it is this interdependence that encourages the students to take an active
part in their learning, each student becomes a valuable resource for the others.
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Learning from each other gradually diminishes the need to try to out-perform each

other because one student's learning enhances the performance of the other students
instead of inhibiting it, as is usually the case in most competitive
classrooms. Within this cooperative paradigm, the teacher learns to be a facilitating
resource person, and shares in the learning and teacher process with the students
instead of being the sole resource. Rather than lecturing to the students, the teacher
facilitates their mutual learning, in that each student is required to be an active
participant and to be responsible for what he learns.
3.1. The History of Jigsaw Technique
The Jigsaw is a teaching technique that is applied in the classroom. It was
first applied in 1971 in Austin City, Texas by Elliot Aronson. According to
Aronson the Jigsaw was implemented in the school to help teaching material. It
was used by collaborating students‟ Austin, African and American.
The Jigsaw technique continued to be developed by Elliot Aronson and his
friends

as cooperative learning method. This technique can be used to learn

reading, writing, listening, or speaking. The students cooperate with their friends
and have many opportunities to improve their communication ability.
The Jigsaw technique is a cooperative learning technique appropriate for
students between 3rd and 12th grade. This technique is an efficient way of teaching
material that also encourages listening, engagement, interaction, teaching, and
cooperation by giving each member of the group an essential part to play in the
academic activity. The technique involves breaking the classroom into small
groups; each group consists of five to six students. Each group is responsible for a
specific piece of knowledge that they will discuss with other classmates.
Jigsaw is an efficient way to facilitate learning. In this technique, students
learn material quickly, share information with other groups, minimize listening
time, and be individually accountable for their learning. Since each group needs its
members to do well in order for the whole group to do well, Jigsaw maximizes

10


interaction and establishes an atmosphere of cooperation and respect for other
students.
In Jigsaw technique, the students have the opportunity to improve their
responsibility to their learning and they can cooperate with the other students to
learn the material.
Jigsaw technique is used to improve students‟ responsibility to their learning.
The students not only study the given materials, but they also must give and teach
the materials to the other members. So the students will depend on the other
students. They must cooperate to learn the given materials.
Jigsaw technique is a specifíc cooperative learning. Each student is essential
for the completion and full understanding of the final product.
3.2. Definition of Jigsaw Technique
There are a number of definitions about Jigsaw that have been given by
experts, some of them are:
Wikipedia states Jigsaw is a teaching technique use in small group
instruction. Student of a normal sized class (26 to 33 students) are divided into
competency group of four to six students, each of which is given a list of sub topic
to research. Individual members of each group then break off to work with the
“expert” from other group, researching a part of the material being studied, after
which they return to their starting body in the role of instructor for their
subcategory.
Bennett B.,Rolheiser,C., Stevahn,L in their book “ Cooperative Learning :
Where Heart Meets Mind” write that Jigsaw is cooperative learning structure that
promotes the sharing and understanding of idea or texts. Jigsaw facilitates learning
in two area positive independence and equal participation and the academic skill of
acquiring knowledge and understanding. Expert group members share that

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information with home team members so that team puts a piece of the „jigsaw‟
together, forming the basis of holistic understanding of a topic
Kagan said that Jigsaw is an effective strategy to use when you want to
increase student‟s mastery or a topic at a hand, boost their concept development,
enhance targeted discussion among students, and foster group project participation
and learning.
Clarke J in his book” cooperative Learning: The Jigsaw Strategy
(1985)” said that Jigsaw is one method which makes the independence of group
members possible, promotes interaction and cognitive elaboration, takes into
consideration, the principle of the multiple perspective and context as well as the
construction of common knowledge.
Heather Coffey said “Jigsaw is a cooperative learning technique that was
created with the goals of reducing conflict and enhancing positive educational
outcomes. The Jigsaw technique helps students realized they are essential
components of a whole and encourages cooperation in a learning environment”
Slavin describes learning process by jigsaw technique as follow: One format
for cooperative learning jigsaw, emphasize high interdependence. Each group
member is given part of material to be learned by the whole group and become an
“expert” on that piece. Students teach each other, so, the defend on each other and
everyone‟s contribution is important. More recent versions, Jigsaw expert meeting
in which students who have the same material consult to make sure they understand
their assigned part and then plan how teach the information to their group. After the
expert meeting, students return to their group and bring their expertise to the
learning session. Finally student takes an individual test on all materials learns point
for their learning team score. Team work other for rewards or simply for
recognition ( Retrieved from http/www digilib.stainbatusangkar.ac.id)

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Hemingway in her book entitle “The use of the Jigsaw in hypothesis testing”
states that the jigsaw is a cooperative learning technique in which the class first
divided into expert groups that are assigned different but related task. New home
group consisting of one member from each expert group are formed. Each expert
instructs the other member s of this new group about what they have learned
Basing on the above opinion, we can conclude Jigsaw is model learning
technique of cooperative learning, with students learn in small group consist of four
or six persons, diverse inter gender ethnicity, race and ability, cooperative in
positive interdependence and responsible to present the task for each member.
3.3. Steps in Jigsaw Technique
According to Aronson (2005) there are ten steps considered important in the
implementation of the Jigsaw classroom.
1. Students are divided into 5 or 6 persons in a jigsaw group. The group should be
diverse in terms of ethnicity, gender, ability and race.
2. One student should be appointed as the group leader. Those persons should
initially be the most master student in the group
3. The day‟s lesson is divided into 5-6 segment (one for each member)
4. Each student is assigned one segment to learn. Student should only have direct
access to only their own segment.
5. Student should be given time to read over their segment at least twice to become
familiar with it. Students do not to memorize it.
6. Temporary experts group should been formed in which one student from each
jigsaw group join other student assigned to the same segment. Student in this expert
group should be given time to discuss the main points of their segment and rehearse
the presentation they are going to make to their jigsaw group.
7. Student comes back to their Jigsaw group.

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8. Student presents his or her segment to the group. Other members are encouraged
to ask question for clarification
9. The teacher needs to float from one group to an other in order to observe the
process. Intervene if any group is having trouble such as a member being
dominating are disruptive. There will come a point that group leader should handle
this task. Teacher can whisper to the group leader as to how to intervene until the
group leader can effectively do it themselves.
10. A quiz on the material should been given at the end so students realize that the
sessions are not just for fun and games but they really count.

3.4. Benefits of the Jigsaw Method
* Competition vs. Cooperation: One of the primary advantages of the Jigsaw
Method and most other cooperative learning strategies is that they tend to eliminate
competition in the classroom and increase the cooperation among the students.
Jacobs (1990) stated that it is necessary for students to see each other as
collaborators and not as competitors. Singh (1991) recognized the goal is not to
entirely eliminate competitiveness from students so that they will not be successful
in a competitive world, but to teach cooperation as a skill that can be called upon in
useful situations. Also, Holliday (2002) found that depending on classmates for
success places peer pressure on lower achieving students to increase the level of
their work. Peer pressure due to interdependence became an excellent source of
motivation for these students. Slavin (1987) discovered that occasionally students
working harder on class material were seen as "teacher's pets" and thus discouraged
to put forth large amounts of effort. Using cooperative learning creates a kind of
team atmosphere among the groups, which is more acceptable to peers. Academic
work is valued because it leads to the success of the group.
* Academic Benefits: Academically, the Jigsaw Method is likely to have a

positive impact on academic achievement according to Thompson and Pledger
(1998). Aronson (2005), the original developer of the Jigsaw Method, found that
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students taught using the Jigsaw Method showed a greater academic improvement
than other students. Dori, Yeroslavski, and Lazarowitz (1995) discovered that
teaching the cell topic to middle level students using the Jigsaw Method showed a
significant improvement in their scores compared to students taught the same topic
using the traditional frontal method. Students using the Jigsaw Method increased
pretest scores by 70.91% while students who were taught using the traditional
format only increased 61.28%. Similarly, Stearns (1999) reported that a middle
school in El Paso, Texas showed an improvement from 19.9% of eighth grade
students passing the math, reading, and writing assessments to 71%. The difference
was that a new principal arrived and decided to incorporate a school wide change to
increase cooperative learning in the classroom.. Lee, Ng, and Jacobs (1997) found
that cooperative learning could be an effective mode of instruction for higher level
thinking tasks. This is because positive interdependence and individual
accountability created the conditions for groups to think together. Cooperative
learning can even be used with gifted and talented students. Robinson (1991) stated
that the motivation of academically talented students could be affected by the kind
of task given to them. If a task is challenging to talented students then they are
more likely to work together to achieve their goals.
* Social Benefits: The Jigsaw Method and other cooperative learning styles
help students not just academically but socially as well. Manning and Lucking
(1991) declared that learning cooperatively could lead to social benefits for students
of heterogeneous ethnic and achievement backgrounds. The Jigsaw Method is an
effective way to create a feeling of equality among students. According to Singh
(1991), prejudice may be reduced by equal status contact between majority and
minority students in the pursuit of common goals. If competition is a variable in

racial tension, then methods such as Jigsaw, which eliminates competition, can only
decrease racial tension. Slavin (1988), discussed how cooperative learning methods
have become more common in ESL classrooms. They can be used as a way to
improve relationships among students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
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According to Ross, Seaborn, and Wilson (2002) in a research group composed
entirely of African Americans, no academic difference was shown between one
group learning with traditional lecture methods and another group using
cooperative learning methods. However, students responded that they were more
comfortable using cooperative learning methods due to the social aspect. This
confirms what Slavin (1981) stated about racial differences. He stated that African
Americans gained tremendously in achievement as a result of cooperative learning.
* Student Attitude toward the Jigsaw Method: Overall, students of all ages
and levels find the Jigsaw Method to be an enjoyable and beneficial experience.
Dori, Yeroslavski, and Lazarowitz (1995) discovered that students who were taught
using the Jigsaw Method expressed a willingness to use the strategy again in class
and even recommended using this method to their friends. These findings were
similar to those found by Fennel (1991). By surveying 208 students who were
taught using both lecture and cooperative learning formats, Fennel discovered that
students found their Jigsaw experience to be enjoyable and useful. Only .05% of
the participants indicated that they preferred the lecture format. The Jigsaw Method
can also affect a student's attitude toward school. Aronson (2005) stated that
students who were taught using the Jigsaw Method were absent less often than
other students.
3.5. Reasons to choose the Jigsaw Technique
In this research, the writer chooses Jigsaw technique in the topic because:
1. Jigsaw technique is an interesting technique of English learning to activate the
students in learning process.

2. Jigsaw technique can improve the students' responsibility in the teaching learning
process.
3.Jigsaw technique gives the opportunity for the students in cooperating with the
other students.
4. Jigsaw technique gives a chance to contribute meaningfully to a discussion for
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