Applying kagan cooperative learning structures to improve 11th grade students’ speaking skills at a high school in thai binh

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

PHAM THI NHUNG

APPLYING KAGAN COOPERATIVE LEARNING STRUCTURES
TO IMPROVE 11TH GRADE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS
AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN THAI BINH
(Áp dụng các cấu trúc học hợp tác của Kagan nhằm cải thiện kĩ năng nói cho học sinh
lớp 11 tại một trường trung học phổ thơng ở Thái Bình)

M.A MINOR THESIS (Type I)

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 8140231.01

Hanoi - 2020


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

PHAM THI NHUNG

APPLYING KAGAN COOPERATIVE LEARNING STRUCTURES
TO IMPROVE 11TH GRADE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS
AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN THAI BINH

(Áp dụng các cấu trúc học hợp tác của Kagan nhằm cải thiện kĩ năng nói cho học sinh
lớp 11 tại một trường trung học phổ thơng ở Thái Bình)

M.A MINOR THESIS (Type I)

Field: English teaching methodology
Code: 8140231.01
Supervisor: Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa, Ph.D.

Hanoi – 2020


DECLARATION
I, Pham Thi Nhung, hereby certify that the thesis entitled “Applying Kagan
cooperative learning structures to improve 11th grade students’ speaking skills at a
high school in Thai Binh” is submitted for the partial fulfillment of the Degree of
Master of Arts at the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies, University of Languages
and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. I also declare that
this thesis is my own research and efforts and it has not been submitted for any
other purposes.

Ha Noi, 2020

Pham Thi Nhung

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The study would not been completed without the invaluable assistance and
encouragement of many people for whom I am grateful.
I especially would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor Dr.
Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa, whose useful instructions and advice, as well as detail critical
comments and encouragement have helped me a great deal from the beginning to
the end of the thesis writing process.
I also would like to thank to the teachers and the staff of the Faculty of PostGraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies who have
given me useful advice and favorable conditions for the completion of the thesis.
My sincere thanks go to all teachers of English and students in Me Linh high
school who have wholeheartedly helped me much with enthusiastic contribution
and cooperation.
I am really in debt to my beloved family, my friends who always support me
and show great patience all the time in my life. They all are my precious persons
who make me keep moving forward.
At last, I realize that although I made my best effort, this thesis is still far
from perfection. Therefore, any constructive criticism and suggestions for the
improvement of this thesis are highly appreciated. Then, I really hope that this
thesis is able to give contribution to the readers and useful for the teaching and
learning process.

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ABSTRACT

The main objective of learning English is using English as a means of
communication. To achieve that objective, teachers can use appropriate techniques
which match with the learners’ characteristics in teaching speaking. Kagan
cooperative learning structures (KCLS), a student-centered instructional approach,
is believed to have the potential to encourage more interactions among students and

maximize the improvement of each student’s learning process, thus have good
effect on teaching in classroom. That is the reason why in this action research
project, KCLS was applied in the speaking lessons of a grade 11 class at a high
school in Thai Binh with a view to improving the students’ speaking skills.
The findings from the data collected via questionnaire, teacher’ journals and
speaking test scores showed great improvement in students’ speaking skills both in
linguistic and paralinguistic features. The students also have positive attitudes
toward the use of KCLS in class. This project provides recommendations to English
teachers for implementing a cooperative learning approach when teaching of
English speaking skills in the context of high school in Vietnam.

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

KCLS:

Kagan cooperative learning structures

CL:

Cooperative learning

MLHS:

Me Linh high school

T:

Teacher

Ss:

Students

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LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES

Table 1: Kagan Structure Functions ......................................................................... 10
Table 2: The results of the pre-questionnaire........................................................... 28
Table 3: The application of KCLS in speaking lessons ........................................... 32
Chart 1: The Comparison between the Average Scores of Students’ Pre-test and
Post-test in Terms of Fluency, Accuracy, Pronunciation, and Vocabulary ............. 37
Table 4: The results of the post questionnaire ......................................................... 38

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ....................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................. iv
LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES ........................................................................ v
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 1
1.1. Rationale for the research ............................................................................. 1
1.2. Research objectives ...................................................................................... 2

1.3. Research questions ....................................................................................... 3
1.4. Scope of the research .................................................................................... 3
1.5. Significance of the research .......................................................................... 3
1.6. Structure of the research ............................................................................... 3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................... 5
2.1. Speaking ....................................................................................................... 5
2.2. Teaching speaking ........................................................................................ 7
2.3. Kagan cooperative learning structures ......................................................... 9
2.4. Principles of Kagan cooperative learning structures .................................. 13
2.5. Advantages of Kagan cooperative learning structures ............................... 14
2.6. Role of the teacher in cooperative learning ................................................ 15
2.7. Roles of students in cooperative learning ................................................... 16
2.8. How is cooperative learning applied in Vietnam? ..................................... 17
2.9. Summary..................................................................................................... 19
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................ 20
3.1. The context of the study ............................................................................. 20
3.1.1 The 11th grade English program............................................................ 20
3.1.2. The students at MLHS ......................................................................... 21
3.1.3. The teachers at MLHS ......................................................................... 21
3.2. Research method: Action research ............................................................. 22
3.3. Participants ................................................................................................. 24
3.4. Data collection techniques and instruments ............................................... 25
3.4.1. Teacher’s journal ................................................................................. 25
3.4.2. Questionnaire ....................................................................................... 25

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3.4.3. Tests ..................................................................................................... 26
3.5. Data analysis ............................................................................................... 27

3.6. Research procedure..................................................................................... 27
3.6.1. Planning ............................................................................................... 28
3.6.2. Action ................................................................................................... 32
3.6.3. Observation .......................................................................................... 33
3.6.4. Reflection ............................................................................................. 33
3.7. Summary..................................................................................................... 34
CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ............... 35
4.1. Data analysis ............................................................................................... 35
4.1.1 Analysis of the teacher’s journal .......................................................... 35
4.1.2. Analysis of speaking tests .................................................................... 36
4.1.3. Analysis of students’ post- questionnaire ............................................. 38
4.2. Discussion of the findings .......................................................................... 40
4.2.1. How can the use of Kagan cooperative learning structures in teaching
English speaking enhance Me Linh 11th grade students’ speaking skills? ............ 41
4.2.2. What are the students’ opinions of Kagan cooperative learning
structures? .......................................................................................................... 41
4.3. Difficulties in KCLS application in speaking classes ................................ 42
4.4. Some cautions concerning KCLS application in speaking classes ............ 45
4.5. Summary..................................................................................................... 47
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION .............................................................................. 48
5.1. Summary of the major findings .................................................................. 48
5.2. Implications ................................................................................................ 49
5.3. Limitations .................................................................................................. 50
5.4. Suggestions ................................................................................................. 51
REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 52
ANNEXES ............................................................................................................... 56

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale for the research
In order to be able to use any language, learners have to master language
skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Although all four skills are
equally important, the speaking skill could be seen as the leading skill during the
language learning process. As Nunan argues, to most people, mastering the art of
speaking is the single most important aspect of learning a second language, and
success is measured in terms of the ability to carry out a conversation in the
language (Nunan, 1991: 39). Therefore, developing learners’ speaking skill is of
vital importance in language programs in general, and EFL/ESL programs in
particular.
As a matter of fact, learning to speak a foreign language is often considered one
of the most difficult for students to learn (Brown and Lee, 2015). When learning
speaking, learners are expected to master several important elements, such as
pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. These elements are
very important in the communication because if they do not master all the elements of
speaking, the communication will not run very smoothly. In addition, there are many
factors that may affect students’ performance, for instance, the lack of opportunities for
purposeful communication in meaningful situation. Besides, class size and mixed
ability class also reduce general learners’ motivation in acquiring EFL speaking skills.
Drawing on my experience as a teacher of English at a high school in Thai
Binh for seven years, teaching and learning English still focus on grammar and
vocabulary. Therefore, both teachers and students do not pay much attention to
practicing speaking. Consequently, there is a gap between the goals of the speaking
lessons and what happens in the classroom. The students still find it difficult to
pronounce certain English words, and have limited English vocabulary. Sometimes,
they did not even understand the teacher’s instructions and were unconfident if they
were asked to speak English. Thus, dealing with the students’ problem of
pronunciation is very necessary and urgent. This is the responsibility of the students
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themselves and their teachers as well. One possible solution to such problems
comes from teachers who play a crucial role in creating opportunities for students to
practice speaking skill. Such chances can be created by applying appropriate
techniques in teaching speaking to make the students capable of being active and
creative in the learning process in classroom. Among the alternatives, the researcher
found the suggestion on using Kagan cooperative learning structures seemingly
effective.
Kagan cooperative learning structures have been carried out worldwide and in
Vietnam. This is an effective technique to teach speaking skills, which helps the
students work together cooperatively. By working together, the students can discuss,
finish and submit the task given, so silence in speaking activities can be minimized.
Besides, cooperative learning allows the students to support one another to be brave
and confident as well. There are opportunities for the students to receive individual
assistance from their mates. They can work together to improve their vocabulary and
pronunciation. They have partners to practice speaking, and get feedback from their
friends. The students receive more chances to speak because cooperative learning
requires and enhances the students’ communication skills.
The need of improving the students’ speaking skills at Me Linh high school
and the advantages of using cooperative learning structures in language teaching
have inspired me to conduct a study on: “Applying Kagan cooperative learning
structures to improve 11th grade students’ speaking skills at a high school in
Thai Binh”
1.2. Research objectives
This research was designed to improve the students’ speaking skills by using
KCLS. Generally, the primary objectives of the study were set up as follows:
- Exploring how the use of KCLS in teaching English can enhance 11th grade
students’ English speaking skills.
- Finding out the opinions of high school students of the use of KCLS in

English speaking lessons.

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1.3. Research questions
1. How can the use of Kagan cooperative learning structures in teaching English
speaking enhance Me Linh 11th grade students’ English speaking skills?
2. What are the students’ opinions of Kagan cooperative learning structures?
1.4. Scope of the research
Due to the limitation of time and knowledge, this thesis only focused on
using KCLS in teaching English speaking skills to 11th grade students at Me Linh
high school during ten weeks of the first term of the school-year of 2018-2019. The
speaking activities are selected and adapted from the text book “Tiếng Anh 11”.
1.5. Significance of the research
Briefly, English teachers, students and researchers can benefit from the
results of this research.
Firstly, English teachers, especially those who have never had enough
attention to their students’ English speaking ability and how to improve it, will have
some new look at the methodology of teaching speaking skills using cooperative
learning structures.
Secondly, for students, the new method is expected to bring a lively and
interesting environment for their speaking lessons in which they can benefit
directly. Students can experience a new way of learning speaking and have chance
to practice English without stressing. Besides, they can also get some good
experiences for their self - studying to improve their English speaking skills.
Finally, for the researchers, the study can provide useful information for
further studies of the same topic in the future.
1.6. Structure of the research
The study was divided into three parts which are presented as follows:

Chapter 1- Introduction presents the rationale and the aims of the study, research
questions, significance, scope as well as organization of the study.
Chapter 2- Literature review reviews the literature relevant to the study which
consists of the concept of teaching speaking, cooperative learning, the application of

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Kagan cooperative learning structures in the speaking class.
Chapter 3- Methodology presents information about the context of the study, the
participants, the instruments, the data collection procedure and data analysis
procedure.
Chapter 4 – Data analysis, findings and discussion is the main part of the study
that reports and discusses the main findings according to research matter.
Chapter 5- Conclusion presents the author’s reflection and the outcomes of the
study as well as indicates some limitations of the study, and finally gives some
suggestions for further research.

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter, the writer presents the theories that underlie the study. The
theories cover the concept of speaking, teaching speaking, KCLS, roles of teachers
and students in cooperative learning.
2.1. Speaking
Speaking can be defined as the process of sharing information between
speaker and listener in any circumstance. It becomes very indispensable since it is
used to convey ideas or arguments particularly in the classroom setting. Speaking is

one of language skills learned by the students in a foreign language. It involves a
process of building and sharing meaning through the use of language orally.
Speaking is a kind of bridge for learners between classroom and the world outside
(Hadfield, 1999:7). By learning speaking, the students will know the way to express
language communicatively. The students will learn how to express utterances
meaningfully. Besides that, it also leads them to make interaction in the society by
using the language. Because of that, speaking is one of important skill that should
be mastered by the students in learning foreign language.
In teaching speaking, there are some aspects which need to be considered by
the teacher. Brown (2001: 268-269) proposes four aspects of speaking skills,
namely fluency, accuracy, pronunciation, and vocabulary. They become the main
requirements that must exist for the teacher to design the speaking activities for
his/her students. Therefore, a good speaking activity has to cover all these four
following aspects.
Harris (1974:81) states that the fluency is the case of speed of the flow of the
speech. A speaker is considered as a fluent speaker if he/she can use the language
quickly and confidently, with few hesitation or unnatural pauses, false start, word
searches, etc. Speakers need to know where he/she has to pause and stop his/her
speaking in appropriate place and produce words in his/her speech into groups of
words that form a meaningful unit (phrases or clauses).

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While, accuracy focuses on issues of appropriation and other formal factors.
It relates to the use of grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary (Brumfit, 1984).
Nunan (2003:55) states that accuracy happens when students’ speech matches what
people actually say when they use the target language. Thus, in order to achieve the
level of accuracy the students are demanded to use the correct grammatical
structures in their speech.

Besides fluency and accuracy, pronunciation is also needed in speaking.
According to Thornbury (2005:128-129): “Pronunciation refers to the student’s
ability to produce comprehensible utterances to fulfill the task requirements.”
Harmer (2001:28-33) provides more issues related to pronunciation. He suggests
pitch, intonation, individual sounds, sounds and spelling, and stress. Pronunciation
becomes important because it gives meaning to what is being said. Wrong
pronunciation may cause misunderstanding or people involved in a conversation are
offended.
Lastly, vocabulary becomes a very important aspect which can be used to
determine students’ English speaking fluency. It means that the choice of words
should be suitable with the topic. A good speaker must have many vocabularies to
support him to deliver his idea. The people cannot communicate effectively or
express their ideas both oral and in written form if they do not have sufficient
vocabulary. Thornbury (2005:22) suggests three usual things used by speakers in
what they are being said:
- When people speaking, they are involving high proportion of words and
expressions that express their attitude (stance) to what is being said.
- Speakers usually employ words and expressions that express positive and negative
appraisal because a lot of speech has an interpersonal function, and by identifying
what people like and dislike, they are able to express solidarity.
- A speech also usually employs deictic language, i.e. words and expressions that
point to the place, time, and participants in the intermediate or a more distant
context.

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Vocabulary means the appropriate diction which is used in communication.
Therefore, it is necessary for the English teacher to put some effort in order to
enrich the students’ vocabulary.

The writer concludes that the four aspects of speaking are very important to be
concerned by a speaker in order that the listeners can understand what the speaker
says easily.
2.2. Teaching speaking
Teaching speaking can be defined as interactions of oral communication
between teachers and students in the classroom. Kayi (2006) says that teaching
speaking has some functions to the students:
1. Teach the students to produce the English speech sounds and sound
patterns.
2. Use word and sentence stress and intonation patterns and the rhythm of the
second language.
3. Select appropriate words and sentences according to the proper social
setting, audience, situation and subject matter.
4. Organize their thoughts in a meaningful and logical sequence
5. Use language as a means of expressing values and judgments
6. Use the language quickly and confident with few unnatural pauses.
The aim of teaching speaking in the classroom is to maintain students’ ability
to speak well and to improve their ability in oral communication. According to
Harmer (2001) the aim of teaching speaking is to train students for communication.
To do that, the teacher should be able to develop activities which promote students
to use language in real communication. Moreover, Wenxia (2008) says that the
teacher should think, when teaching, not only about presenting language in a certain
situation, but also as a communicative act. Learning to speak in English will be
easier when learners are actively engaged in attempting to communicate. There are
some principles that should be considered by the teacher in teaching speaking.
Brown (1994:275) mentions some principles that should be followed by the teacher

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in speaking skills. First, use techniques that cover the spectrum of learner needs,
from language based focus on accuracy to message-based focus on interaction,
meaning and fluency. Second, provide intrinsically motivating techniques. Third,
encourage the use of authentic language in meaningful contexts. Fourth, provide
appropriate feedback and correction. Fifth, capitalize on the natural link between
speaking and listening. Sixth, give students opportunities to initiate oral
communication. Seventh, encourage the developmental of speaking strategies.
English teachers have a responsibility to improve students’ English speaking
skills; therefore the teachers must have a good teaching method in order to solve the
problems faced by the students in learning English. The teachers also need
appropriate techniques in teaching speaking to make the students capable of being
active and creative in the learning process in the classroom. According to Ur
(1999:120), in order to have a successful speaking activity, teachers should focus on
some following characteristics:
- Learners talk a lot.
- Participation is even: It is said that the students should be grouped and organized
to maximize the amount of student talk for each student.
- Motivation is high: Learners are eager to speak: because they are interested in
topic and have something new to say about it, or just because they want to
contribute to achieving a task objective.
- Language is of an acceptable level: Learners express themselves in utterance that
is relevant, easily comprehensive to each other, and of an acceptable level of
language accuracy.
Many teachers realize that the best strategy for motivating the students to
communicate in English is by changing the situation in the class. By creating an
interesting and motivating environment, the students are expected to be immersed in
the activities given by the teachers. This idea is also supported by Bailey (2003:48)
saying that an ideal teacher should provide opportunities for students to talk by
using group work or pair work, and limiting teacher talk. Therefore, the teacher

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should keep encouraging the students to get involved during the process of learning
in the class most of the time.
2.3. Kagan cooperative learning structures
Kagan (2013) noted that structures are one of the two distinguishing
differences between the Kagan cooperative learning method and other cooperative
learning strategies and can be used to transform concepts and theory into daily
classroom procedure. Kagan continued by stating that these structures express the
social organization among individuals working as a team by presenting a series of
steps or elements that depict the patterns of interaction. In fact, Kagan and Kagan
(2009:53) defined structures as “content-free, repeatable instruction sequences that
organize the interaction of student to implement the basic principles of cooperative
learning”. Kagan (2013:6) extended the definition of structures by stating: “Kagan
Cooperative Learning Structures are instructional strategies. They are content free:
They facilitate teaching and learning any content. Structures are repeatable: They
are used over and over with different content to create fresh activities. All Kagan
Structures are carefully designed sequences of steps that organize the interaction of
students with each other, the academic content, and the instructor. Cooperative
Learning Structures are designed to include the four basic principles that distinguish
true cooperative learning. Kagan Structures are easy to learn, and easy to use, so
they promote sustained implementation”.
Kagan (2013) has created over 200 structures, and each one involves certain
steps with intended learning outcomes. For example, one Kagan structure is InsideOutside Circle. This structure functions nicely with any size group and can be
utilized with students of all ages, from kindergarten through adults. Rimmerman
(1996) stated that to employ this structure, students form two large concentric
circles, with the students in the inside circle facing out and the students in the
outside circle facing in so that each student in the circle is aligned with a partner.
Rimmerman continued by stating that the teacher then states a prompt and partners

discuss, using an equal amount of time to share, the prompt given by the teacher.

9


Kagan and Kagan (2009) offered that once the students have had time to discuss
and share information with the group, one of the circles can then rotate a given
number of partners left or right to gain a new partner and the process begins again
from the beginning.
In this cooperative learning approach, the emphasis is on the selection of a
structure, not on the curriculum - bound activity. According to Davidson (1994) and
Kagan (1990), in order to execute Kagan cooperative learning with fidelity, it is
necessary for teachers to learn structures and incorporate them into their lessons.
Kagan’s concept is consistent with some of the elements of cooperative learning
proposed by the Johnson and Johnson (1999a) and Slavin (1990), particularly
positive interdependence and individual accountability, but, in addition, he proposes
that the steps of the chosen structure be taught prior to the implementation of
cooperative learning (Davidson, 1994).
Using the basic principles and key concepts of cooperative learning as a
corner stone, Kagan and Kagan (2009) created ten functions of cooperative
structures, categorized into two functions: interpersonal and academic. The
cooperative structures are classified according to their principle purpose and are
labeled as either class building, team building, social skills, communication skills,
decision-making, knowledge building, procedure learning, processing information,
thinking skills, and presenting information. Various structures are feasible and
advantageous for meeting diverse objectives. In fact, many structures can be placed
in more than one category. Kagan and Kagan’s description of critical attributes and
the advantages to the community of learners is reviewed in table 1:
Table 1: Kagan Structure Functions
Functions

Critical Attributes

Advantages

Class building

Students out of seats interacting

Improved class climate with the

Interpersonal

with all members in the class

resultant feeling that this is “our
class”

Teambuilding

Students interact with their

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Enthusiasm, trust, and support


Interpersonal

assigned teammates in a pleasant

which produces more efficient

and

academic work

productive manner
Social Skills

Students obtain and refine social

More polite, cooperative,

Interpersonal

skills, character virtues, and

respectful, responsible students

emotional

who are able to understand

intelligence

different viewpoints

Communication Equalize communication and

Improved oral, written, and non-

Skills

encourage positive

verbal communication among

Interpersonal

communication patterns

members of the community

Decision

All students are given time to

Creation of more unified teams

Making

verbalize and hear other points of

due to increased skills with

Interpersonal

view before making a consensual

conflict resolution, win-win, and

decision for the team

consensual decision making

Knowledge

Students work together to gain

Produces a high level of mastery

building

knowledge and comprehension

of academic content and basic

Academic

skills

Procedure

Students work together to gain

Development of procedural

Learning

and refine skills and procedures

knowledge

Processing

Students work together to talk

Allows content to move to long-

Information

about or review presented

term memory and clean the

Academic

information

working memory

Thinking Skills

Students create and exchange

Fosters an environment in which

Academic

novel, unique, and set-breaking

students questions, reflect,

ideas

evaluate, and apply information

Presenting

These structures allow for the

Engages the community in

Information

sharing of information and ideas

higher level thinking and

Academic

among teams or the class as a

understanding multiple points

whole

of view

Academic

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KCLS enable students to work as teams, partner, classmate. These structures
empower learners to work to together for learning language. By participating in
KCLS students are not frustrated alone, they are supported by each other. The
students learn multiple ways to solve language problem and learn to tackle a
language challenge as a group. These structures prepare happy place for students so
they don’t feel tired. And they learn language concepts deeply. Followings are some
of the favorite KCLS which can be used by the researcher in order to have students
interact and develop the speaking skills. According to Kagan (2001) these are:
Three Step Interview: Students are paired. One student interviews the other
on a given topic. Then students reverse roles and repeat step 1. In the third step,
pairs join. Then, in Round Robin format, share what they have learned from their
interviews.
Think- pair- share: It involves a three-step cooperative structure. During the
first step individuals think silently about a question posed by the instructor.
Individuals pair up during the second step and exchange thoughts. In the third step,
the pairs share their responses with other pairs, other teams, or the entire group.
Corners: In corners activity, students were asked to make a decision about a
problem or question. Each of the four corners of the classroom is labeled with a
different response (strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree). Students
move to the corner that best aligns with their thinking. They share their ideas with
others in their corner and then come to consensus. One member of each group
shares the result of the discussions with the whole class.
Two stay two stray: There are some step in two stay two stray learning.
Teacher divides students become some small groups, each group consist of four
people. Each group discuss about the assignment that has been given by the teacher.

Two people from each group will leave the group and visit at other groups to share
the result and information from the assignment. Two people that stay in a group,
receive the two students from the other groups to share the result and information
from the assignment. Then two students who become visitors, they return to their

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own group and report the result. Each group compares and discusses their result
then one of the students from each group presents the results of their discussion in
front of the classmate.
Jigsaw: The curriculum to be learned is divided among group members into
parts and each individual is asked to have access to a particular part of that
curriculum after they have had successful cooperation sharing the whole
information within the group and at the end of the activity each individual learner
would have a quiz about the whole curriculum.
Inside- outside circle: In the inside-outside circle strategy, the teacher poses
a particular question or a problem to the students. The teacher's role is to facilitate
and guide discussions. The teacher divides the class into two equal groups. The
inner circle is formed by one of the groups and the other group forms an outer
circle. Students in the inside circle stand facing the students in the outside circle.
The teacher poses a particular question to the students. The students are given some
time to think about it. Then, each student in the inner circle is given time to share
their opinions about the question with his or her partners of the outside circle and
vice versa. On the teacher’s signal, the students take one step to their left in the
outside circle and have another quick discussion with their new partner. The teacher
gives adequate time for the students to take down new ideas and information in their
notebooks.
2.4. Principles of Kagan cooperative learning structures
Kagan & High (2002) suggest that all the cooperative learning structures are

carefully structured and designed to implement four basic principles of cooperative
learning (PIES). The four basic elements are:
1) Positive interdependence occurs when gains of individual or teams are
positively correlated. For example, there is not positive interdependence when the
teacher is working with the whole-class, the teacher makes a question, and student
responds it, students are not on the same side, they are competing for the attention
of the teacher. Besides, Jacobs (2006) asserts that positive interdependence is a

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perception among group members, he explains it with a good phrase “What helps
one group member helps all, and what hurts one group member hurts all”.
2) Individual accountability is observed when all students in a group of held
accountable for doing a share of the work and for mastery of the material to be
learned. The element of individual accountability teaches the students to perform
higher as individuals by learning as a team. For example, if the teacher lets students
know that following a discussion they will be asked to list ideas they have heard
from others, then there is individual accountability for listening and the group will
be less likely to have everyone talking and no one listening.
3) Equal participation is noticed when each member of group is afforded
equal shares of responsibility. When Kagan structures are used, the interaction is
very carefully designed so there is far more equal participation. (Kagan & High,
2002). As a rule, the structures are constructed so that everyone can contribute
equally, with no one being forgotten or opting out. (Stenlev, 2003).
4) Simulations interaction is allowed when class time is designed to allow
many student interactions during the period. According to Kagan & High (2002),
when the teacher calls on one student in a whole-class, the teacher has only one of
thirty students producing language, this is a little over 3% of the class. When
teachers use Kagan structures 50% of the class is producing language. For example,

when the teacher makes a question, instead of calling on 3 students and each one
giving one answer, with one of the structures everybody is participating.
2.5. Advantages of Kagan cooperative learning structures
In general, KCLS have a number of advantages for ESL students, including:
- Greater comprehensible input: When students work together within one of the
structures, they adjust their speech to the level of their group work. That way there
is a great and comprehensible input
- Natural context: Language is used in real-life, functional interaction, reducing
problems of transference. In other words, a group of students with different
functional ideas work together toward a common goal in a real life context.

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- Negotiation of meaning: Students have the opportunity to adjust their language
output to make sure they understand each other.
- Lowered affective filter: Whereas it is frightening to speak out in front of the class,
it is easy for students to talk with supportive teammate.
- Peer support: Students encourage and support each other in language use
- Enhanced motivation: Because the structures are engaging interaction sequence
and students need to understand each other there is high motivation to speak and
listen for understanding.
- Greater language use: While working with the structures, teachers are giving
students more time to speak out in the classroom. In contrast, while using wholeclass question-answer, teachers would take more time because the teacher is asking
a question and responding to each student, one at a time.
- Social skills: Cooperative learning increases a long list of social skills, including
listening, taking turns, speaking٫ conflict resolution skills, leadership skills, and
teamwork skills. Students coming from cooperative learning classrooms are more
polite and considerate of others. They can make team learning in language learning
and they say their ideas and attitudes to second language.

- Diversity skills: As a result of working in heterogeneous cooperative teams,
students learn to understand and work with others who differ from themselves.
These skills are essential for the 21st century as we are becoming more and more
diverse.
These and many other advantages of the Kagan structures are documented
and detailed at length in three publications: (Kagan, 1995; Kagan, Kagan, & Kagan,
2000; Kagan & McGroarty, 1993).
2.6. Role of the teacher in cooperative learning
According to Kagan (2008), teachers will have an extra work to learn the
structures, but once they know them, teaching will be easier. Likewise, Johnson et
al. (1994:199), as cited in Richards and Rodgers (2001) also suggest that “the
cooperative learning teacher has to create a highly structured and well- organized

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learning environment in the classroom, setting goals, planning and structuring tasks,
establishing the physical arrangement of the classroom, assigning students to groups
and roles, and selecting materials and time”. In Vietnam, this could be a difficult
role for teachers, due to many of the students might not want to work in groups
because many schools come from educational backgrounds where classes are
largely teacher-fronted, with the teacher transmitting knowledge and students’
memorizing what is being transmitted. They tend to take it for granted that this is
the only, or at least the best way to learn. When they are placed in cooperative
learning settings, their past experience may come into conflict with their new
experience. In addition, when working in groups students might get off task, put
each other down, and get noisy. To deal with this problem, Kagan (1994) suggests
that teachers should make students aware that in their life they will be in many
relationships, relationships with teammates, loved ones, friends, and in the
workplace, and one thing that will determine the success of all those relationships,

is how much they show the other person that they know and understand what they
are communicating, this is why to work in groups cooperatively is the vital
importance.
Nevertheless, teachers in cooperative learning are resources who have the
responsibility of keeping students on task. They become a guide and a source of
encouragement. Cooperative teachers have numerous materials and necessary
information, from which students in cooperative learning will drop upon to achieve
their objectives. Teachers are motivated to assist students to be creative, to engage
in critical thought, and to identify and solve problems cooperatively.
2.7. Roles of students in cooperative learning
In cooperative learning, the students play an important role as the teacher,
they have to make sure their classmates give examples, or alternatives to the group,
ensure all members have achieved the goals, and propose task or procedures.
According to Richards and Rodgers (2001:199) “students are taught to plan,
monitor, and evaluate their own learning”. Moreover, Kagan (1994) agrees that in

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