Using cooperative learning approach to enhance 10th grade students english speaking competence an action research at a high school in vietnam

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

NGUYEN THI THUY

USING COOPERATIVE LEARNING APPROACH
TO ENHANCE 10th GRADE STUDENTS’ ENGLISH
SPEAKING COMPETENCE: AN ACTION RESEARCH
AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN VIETNAM

M.A THESIS
Field: English Linguistics
Code: 8220201

THAI NGUYEN - 2020


ĐẠI HỌC THÁI NGUYÊN
TRƯỜNG NGOẠI NGỮ

NGUYỄN THỊ THỦY

SỬ DỤNG ĐƯỜNG HƯỚNG HỌC TẬP HỢP TÁC
ĐỂ NÂNG CAO NĂNG LỰC NÓI TIẾNG ANH CỦA
HỌC SINH KHỐI 10: MỘT NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG
TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG THPT Ở VIỆT NAM

LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ
Ngành: Ngôn ngữ Anh
Mã số: 8220201

THÁI NGUYÊN - 2020


ABSTRACT
The action research aimed to investigate the effects of cooperative
learning on the students’ speaking competence and explore the students’
attitude towards this approach. Forty students of grade 10 at Pho Yen high
school in Thai Nguyen province were chosen. The data was collected by a
speaking test, a questionnaire, and an observation checklist to answer the two
research questions. The findings showed that cooperative learning had a
positive effect on the students’ English speaking competence. Data from the
pre-test and post-test scores demonstrated that cooperative learning improved
the 10th-grade students’ English speaking competence. Besides, through the
questionnaire and observation checklist, it could be seen that most of the
students expressed a positive attitude towards applying cooperative learning
and an interest in group work, which demonstrated that they believed in its
positive effects. Based on the results, the researcher made some suggestions
for teachers to apply the cooperative learning approach effectively in teaching
English speaking lessons.

i


DECLARATION
I declare that this research report entitled “Using cooperative learning
approach to enhance 10th grade students’ English speaking competence:
An action research at high school in Vietnam” has been composed by
myself and described my own work unless otherwise acknowledged in the
text. I confirm that this work is submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of master at School of Foreign Languages, Thai

Nguyen University. This work has not been and will not be submitted for
any other degree at any other higher education institution.

Thai Nguyen, 2020
Approved by supervisor

Student

Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Loan

Nguyen Thi Thuy

ii


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my thanks to those who have helped and
encouraged me to carry out this research.
First, I would like to express my wholehearted thanks to my supervisor,
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Minh Loan, for her invaluable guidance, suggestions,
extraordinarily insightful and constructive comments, tireless support,
encouragement, and patience. I cannot find enough words to express my thanks.
I also would like to thank students of class 10C1, Pho Yen high school,
to provide me with a lot of useful information.
And, lastly, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my family for
their warm encouragement and support.
Thai Nguyen, 2020
Student

Nguyen Thi Thuy

iii


TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... i
DECLARATION .............................................................................................. ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................. iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................. iv
LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................... vii
LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................ viii
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 1
1.1. Rationales ................................................................................................ 1
1.2. Aims of the study .................................................................................... 3
1.3. Scope of the study ................................................................................... 3
1.4. Significance of the study ......................................................................... 3
1.5. Organization of the study ........................................................................ 4
CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................... 5
2.1. The Definition of Speaking Competence................................................ 5
2.1.1. Definition of speaking competence .................................................. 5
2.1.2. Aspects of Speaking.......................................................................... 5
2.2. Teaching Speaking .................................................................................. 7
2.2.1. Principles of Designing Speaking Activities .................................... 7
2.2.2. Teacher’s Roles during the Speaking Lesson ................................. 10
2.3. Cooperative Learning............................................................................ 11
2.3.1. The Definitions of Cooperative Learning ....................................... 11
2.3.2. Cooperative Learning Theories ...................................................... 12
2.3.3. Advantages of Cooperative Learning ............................................. 15
2.3.4. Cooperative Learning and Speaking Competence.......................... 17
2.3.5. Models of Cooperative Learning .................................................... 18

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2.4. Attitude in language learning ................................................................ 21
2.4.1. Definition of attitude ....................................................................... 21
2.4.2. Importance of attitude in language learning ................................... 22
2.5. Previous Studies .................................................................................... 23
2.6. Summary ............................................................................................... 27
CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY ............................................................... 28
3.1. Research questions ................................................................................ 28
3.2. Design of the study ............................................................................... 28
3.2.1. Rationale ......................................................................................... 29
3.2.2. Action Research Model .................................................................. 29
3.3. Subjects of the study ............................................................................. 31
3.4. Data collection instrument .................................................................... 31
3.4.1. Speaking test ................................................................................... 31
3.4.2. Questionnaire .................................................................................. 33
3.4.3. Observation checklist ......................................................................... 34
3.5. Teaching materials ................................................................................ 35
3.6. Data collection procedure ..................................................................... 37
3.6.1. Planning .......................................................................................... 37
3.6.2. Action .............................................................................................. 37
3.6.3. Observation ..................................................................................... 40
3.6.4. Reflection ........................................................................................ 40
3.7. Data analysis ......................................................................................... 40
3.8. Summary ............................................................................................... 41
CHAPTER 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION........................................... 42
4.1. Results ................................................................................................... 42
4.1.1. Results of the speaking test............................................................. 42

4.1.2. Data from the student questionnaire ............................................... 47
4.1.3. Data from the observation checklist ........................................................................... 49
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4.2. Discussion ............................................................................................. 50
4.2.1. Research question 1: To what extent does cooperative
learning approach improve the students' speaking competence? ............. 50
4.2.2. Research question 2: What are the students’ attitudes toward
the use of cooperative learning approach?................................................ 52
4.3. Summary ............................................................................................... 54
CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ................. 55
5.1. Conclusion ............................................................................................ 55
5.2. Implications ........................................................................................... 56
5.2.1. Awareness of benefits and importance of cooperative learning ............ 56
5.2.2. Blending of traditional teaching approach and cooperative
learning approach ..................................................................................... 56
5.2.3. Creating more opportunities for students to practice speaking ...... 57
5.2.4. Guidance to students on how to play roles in cooperative
learning activities .................................................................................... 57
5.2.5. Designing and planning appropriate tasks ...................................... 58
5.3. Limitations of the study ........................................................................ 58
5.4. Recommendations for further research ................................................. 59
REFERENCES .............................................................................................. 60
APPENDIX 1: SPEAKING TEST FOR STUDENTS............................. I
APPENDIX 2: ORAL ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES ........................ III
APPENDIX 3: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS ......................... V
(ENGLISH VERSION) .......................................................................... V
APPENDIX 4: QUESTIONAIRE FOR STUDENTS.......................... VI
(VIETNAMESE VERSION) ................................................................. VI

APPENDIX 5: OBSERVATION CHECKLIST .................................. VII
APPENDIX 6: LESSON PLAN ......................................................... VIII
APPENDIX 7: RESULTS OF THE TESTS ....................................... XV
vi


LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Syntax model of Cooperative model learning STAD type
with NHT ....................................................................................... 20
Table 2. Converted marks for assessing speaking competence ................... 32
Table 3. Schedule of applying cooperative learning .................................... 36
Table 4. Descriptive statistics of the pre-test ............................................... 42
Table 5. Frequency of the pre-test scores .................................................... 43
Table 6. Descriptive statistics of the post-test.............................................. 44
Table 7. Frequency of the post-test scores ................................................... 44
Table 8. Descriptive statistics of the pre-test and post-test scores ............... 46
Table 9. Students’ attitude toward using cooperative learning .................... 47

vii


LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. An action research cycle (Burns, 2010) ........................................ 30
Figure 2. Results of the pre-test scores ......................................................... 43
Figure 3. Results of the post-test scores ....................................................... 45
Figure 4. Comparison of the pre-test and post-test scores............................ 45

viii

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationales
As a means of communication, speaking is one of the most crucial skills
to be improved and boosted (Leong & Ahmadi, 2017). Current pedagogical
practices in English language education have reflected the transformation from a
teacher-centered learning model to a learner-centered learning model. According
to Ning (2010), in a teacher-centered approach, teachers tend to do most of the
talking, and they also work as the only source of knowledge while students are
considered as passive recipients in the learning. Gomleksiz (2007) also indicated
that this approach has negatively affected language learners and produced
incompetent English users. There has been a gradual shift from a teachercentered approach to a learner-centered approach in recent years. Compared to
the traditional method, the learner-centered approach gives students more
opportunities to express themselves in speaking the language. The shift also
signifies a new era in which students should be given room to be active and
express themselves in speaking environments.
Over the past decade, cooperative learning has appeared as one of the
leading learner-centered approaches in teaching English. One critical reason
for this tendency is that several studies in different settings have suggested
that language learners tend to achieve higher academic performance, selfesteem, and greater comprehension when involved in cooperative group
activities (Alam, 2013). Rather than working individually, the cooperative
learning method can be achieved through interdependent tasks and activities.
This feature makes cooperative learning better for students’ achievements than
conventional methods (Kim, 2005). It is clear that while students who work
individually tend to compete with their peers to gain higher scores and other
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rewards, cooperative learning allows all members' success and achievements.

Unlike individual tasks, cooperative learning boosts competition among
different groups, which can solve various problems.
The Cooperative Learning Approach has also proved useful and
practical in teaching speaking skills to strengthen learners’ speaking capacity.
Ning (2010) further claimed that this method works as an alternative teaching
method that allows students to have more speaking time and social interaction
with others. According to Al-Sohbani (2013), cooperative learning gives
students opportunities to interact and vary their learning styles to develop
their speaking skills naturally.
In the teaching context at Pho Yen high school, there existed some
problems with speaking skills that the researcher came across to help the
students talk in the classroom. Inhibition was the first problem that the
students encountered in class. They were worried about making mistakes and
afraid of being criticized by other people while speaking. They were also
ashamed of the other students’ attention towards themselves. The second
problem in the speaking class was that students were still passive in
participating, mostly working in small groups with other students. During
teaching English at Pho Yen high school, the researcher also realized the
problems in the students' group work. First, some students were not very
hard-working and inactive to cooperate in groups and take responsibilities
while working in a team. Next, team members sometimes disagreed with each
other, which led to a stressful learning atmosphere. Besides, team members
lacked the skills to assign their tasks, resulting in inefficiency for teamwork
activities. Furthermore, some students were still passive and lacked selfawareness when working in groups. Finally, sometimes, students assigned to
be the leaders of their teams tended to follow a style that imposed their
personal opinions rather than listening to ideas from other members.
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Based on the currently existing issues, this research was conducted to

investigate the influence and effectiveness of the cooperative learning approach
to teaching speaking skills to see whether this method could enhance students’
speaking competence or not. Therefore, the researcher decided to conduct the
study “Using cooperative learning approach to enhance 10th grade students’
English competence: An action research at a high school in Vietnam”.
1.2. Aims of the study
The researcher wanted to apply cooperative learning approach to
enhance the students' speaking competence. Therefore, the researcher aimed
to evaluate its effects on the students' speaking competence and explore the
students' attitudes towards the cooperative learning approach. Hopefully, this
approach could help students improve their speaking ability.
With the aims mentioned above, the current study answers the
following research questions:
- To what extent does cooperative learning approach improve the students'
speaking competence?
- What are the students' attitudes toward the use of cooperative
learning approach?
1.3. Scope of the study
This research was quite broad, and the researcher found it difficult to
handle all the problems. Therefore, considering limited time and knowledge, the
researcher limited the scope of the study. Based on the background and the
identification of the problem, this study's focus was on investigating the effects
of the cooperative learning approach on the 10th-grade students’ speaking
competence at Pho Yen high school in the second semester of the academic year
2019-2020. The study's findings were expected to be meaningful in the teaching
theory and practice of general teaching in Vietnam.
1.4. Significance of the study
The result of this research was expected to give some theoretical and
practical advantages. In terms of academic advantage, this research could
3

provide beneficial and referential contributions in providing general
knowledge of improving the students’ speaking skills. Concerning practical
advantages, the researcher hoped to bring some benefits:
a) to the researcher, the research could give practice in developing her
knowledge and skill in problem-solving processes
b) to the teachers of English in Pho Yen high school, the research could be
used as a source of information about ways to improve the students’ speaking skills.
c) to 10th-grade students at Pho Yen high school, the research would
make them more interested and motivated to learn and to speak English
d) to other researchers, the research could give a general knowledge of
improving students’ speaking skills and as the foundation for the next study.
1.5. Organization of the study
This thesis consists of five main chapters. A summary of the content of
each chapter is described as follows.
Chapter 1: Introduction
In this part, the rationale, aims, significance, and scope of the thesis are
presented.
Chapter 2: Literature Review
In this section, the researcher explains some theoretical issues. Besides,
the related ideas in previous studies are reviewed in this chapter.
Chapter 3: Methodology
In this chapter, an overview of related research methodology is
reviewed, and then the selected method is discussed in detail.
Chapter 4: Results and Discussion
In this part, the results of data analysis and the findings of the research
are presented.
Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations
In this part, the researcher summarizes the findings of the thesis. After

that, the limitation of the research and the suggestions for further research are
also included.
4


CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter discusses the theory and the previous research into the
areas that form the underpinnings for this study. The first section defines
the speaking competence and aspects of speaking. In the second section,
the researcher gives an overview of teaching speaking, including designing
speaking techniques and teacher’s roles during the speaking lesson. The
third section discusses cooperative learning theories, and the fourth section
gives general knowledge about attitude in language learning. The last area
is a review of related studies.
2.1. The Definition of Speaking Competence
2.1.1. Definition of speaking competence
If speaking is an oral form of communication, then speaking
competence is defined as one’s ability to appropriately and correctly use
the language to achieve communicative purposes (Hunsaker, 2000). In
other words, speaking competence may be defined as the ability to use the
correct words (vocabulary), in the right order (grammar), with the correct
pronunciation, and in the appropriate context with the social norms and
cultural rules (Burkart, 1998).
2.1.2. Aspects of Speaking
In teaching speaking, some aspects need to be considered by the
teacher. Brown (2001) proposes four aspects of speaking skills, namely
fluency, accuracy, pronunciation, and vocabulary. They become the main
requirements 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.
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a. Fluency
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. (Nunan, 2003). Speakers need to know where
he/she has to pause and stop his/her speaking in an appropriate place.
Furthermore, it can be said to speak fluently if a speaker does not produce
word per word at a time in his/her speaking. Therefore a good speaker is
demanded to produce words in his/her speech into groups of words that form
a meaningful unit that means phrases or clauses.
b. Accuracy
Nunan (2003) further states that accuracy happens when students’
speech matches what they say when using the target language. Specifically,
accuracy deals with the grammatical structures which cover some aspects,
including speech, tense, phrase, sentence, etc. Thus, to achieve accuracy, the
students are demanded to use the correct grammatical structures and suitable
word choices in their speech.
c. Pronunciation
At the beginning level, the goal of teaching pronunciation is focused on
clear and understandable pronunciation. Students should be able to distinguish
the differences of sounds in English, including vowels and consonants.
Furthermore, the pronunciation goals can concentrate on elements that enhance
communication at the advanced level, covering stress patterns, intonation, voice
quality, reduction, linking sounds, etc.
d. Vocabulary
Vocabulary becomes an essential part of language learning, which can
determine students’ English speaking fluency. They can generate sentences

only by using words, so it is impossible to speak fluently without having an
ample vocabulary site. Some students have only limited vocabulary, so they
encounter some difficulties in expressing themselves. Therefore, the English
teacher must put some effort to enrich the students’ vocabulary.
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2.2. Teaching Speaking
2.2.1. Principles of Designing Speaking Activities
Speaking skill is a critical part of second language acquisition.
Although speaking is one crucial skill, teaching speaking has been
underestimated, and English instructors have implemented their teaching by
way of repeating and memorizing the dialogues (Nunan, 2003). Nevertheless,
modern life's social contexts require speaking instructors to design activities
to improve learners’ capacity to use language to communicate appropriately
based on social and cultural practices in different communicative settings.
Richard (2006) says that what is needed to use language communicatively is
communicative competence, which involves: grammatical competence,
sociolinguistic competence, strategic competence, and discourse competence.
According to Brown and Yule (1983), the objective of teaching speaking
is to enable the learners to express their feelings, opinions, and ideas in the
target language (English), use English expressions, such as greetings,
apologizing, introducing, etc. However, in reality, EFL learners find it
challenging to boost their speaking competence because they have limited
opportunities to get involved in target language environments outside of the
classroom (Nunan, 2003).
Concerning the teaching of speaking, Nunan (2003) proposes some
principles for designing speaking teaching activities. They are presented
as follows:
The first principle for teaching speaking is aware of the differences

between second and foreign language learning contexts.
The second principle for teaching speaking is providing students with
practices to enhance fluency and accuracy in speaking the target language.
Fluency and accuracy are essential aspects of speaking. Therefore, in teaching
speaking, the teacher has to make sure that his/her students get acceptable
7


practices to develop both their fluency and accuracy. Teachers should not
interrupt his/her students in the middle of their speaking, even though it aims to
correct the students' speaking mistakes. The students could not develop their
fluency if they often get an interruption in their speaking.
The third principle is that teachers should design various activities to
enable students to speak more. For example, rather than speaking most of the
time in class, teachers should allow students to work in groups, work in pairs,
and role play. The students are usually reluctant to speak because they are afraid
to make mistakes in their speaking. Many students believe that they will have to
take responsibility alone if they make speaking mistakes when they speak
individually in front of others. As a result, they choose to be reserved and say
less. They will have partners in group activities, so they will not be alone if they
make a mistake. Therefore, the teacher should not start the speaking activity by
asking the students to have a single speaking performance, but he/she can start it
in a group performance. Furthermore, instead of dominating the class and talking
mainly in class, the teacher should be aware that his/ her main role in speaking
activity is to facilitate speaking for students and provide feedback. He/she has to
encourage and provide more opportunities for the students to practice speaking
and give correction if he/she finds the students make mistakes.
The fourth principle is planning speaking tasks that involve negotiation
for meaning. One important feature of communication is to understand and be
understood by others. These two points show us that there is a process of

negotiating meaning in communication. Concerning the speaking activity, the
teacher is demanded to design the speaking task that can cover the practice of
negotiating to mean. It involves asking for clarification, repetition, and
explanation. Therefore, at the end of the lesson the students can have the ability
to clarify their understanding and confirm that someone has understood about
they have said during the communication in the target language.
8


The fifth principle is designing classroom activities that involve guidance
and practice in both transactional and interactional speaking. Interactional and
transactional speech is an effective inside-classroom practice to improve spoken
language. Interactional speech is a form of communication for social purposes,
such as establishing and maintaining social relationships. This kind of
communication is relatively unpredictable. In contrast, transactional speech is a
form of communication for certain purposes to get something done, such as
exchanging goods or services. This kind of communication is highly predictable,
like telephoning for a taxi. The two types of oral production skills enable to put
into role play as the possible practice conducted by students.
Kayi (2006) suggests some guidance for English language teachers
while teaching oral language:
a. Learners are provided with various opportunities to speak the target
language. This could be achieved by different activities, including collaborative
work, authentic materials, teamwork activities, etc.
b. Involved students in different activities by encouraging them to
participate in speaking with others rather than working individually.
c. Instead of speaking in class too much, teachers should give students
more time to speak and observe and provide students some feedback.
d. In terms of giving comments, provide students with some positive
feedback first.

e. Asking some follow-up questions to facilitate more speaking, such as
“Who do you mean by that?” “Could you give us some examples?” so that
students can speak more.
f. In addition to some spoken feedback like “Your presentation was
really great. It was a good job. I appreciated your efforts in preparing the
materials and efficient use of your voice...”
g. Waiting until students complete their speaking, then providing them
some feedback.
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h. Besides speaking activities in the classroom context, teachers should
also provide students with some speaking opportunities and environments
outside of the class.
i. Move around the class to ensure that students follow the right
direction and whether they need support from the teacher while working in a
group or pair.
j. Giving students some vocabulary before their speaking activities.
k. Based on students’ performance, the teacher should recognize some
troubles or difficulties in expressing themselves from students to support them.
In summary, both Nunan (2003) and Kayi (2006) propose almost the
same basic principles in teaching speaking. Both of them suggest the English
language teachers give their students enough opportunity to speak and have a
speaking practice to empower their fluency and accuracy in speaking.
2.2.2. Teacher’s Roles during the Speaking Lesson
Teachers play an important role during the teaching and learning
process. Students cannot learn English without teachers’ guidance. Sometimes,
a teacher should motivate the student to learn English. The students need their
teacher’s guidance in doing activities. According to Harmer (2001), a teacher
needs to play several different roles during speaking activities. The following

are the teachers’ role when we are trying to get the learners to speak fluently:
a. Prompter
In this case, the teacher helps the students by offering words or phrases
to encourage them to think creatively when they lose their fluency. If this can
be done supportively, without disrupting the discussion or forcing the students
out of the role, it will stop some students' frustration when they come to a deadend of language or ideas. Commonly, the teachers have to prompt students in
monolingual groups to speak English rather than using their mother tongue.
10


b. Participants
The teachers act as participants when they participate in the discussion
or role-plays and when they are in dialogue with the class. However, the
teacher’s participation should not dominate the activity. The teacher should
stand up in the back to watch and listen when the students are practicing the
tasks. By doing this, the teacher can avoid his domination in the activity.
c. Feedback provider
The last role is as the feedback provider. The teacher can give feedback
on the students’ speaking, depending on the teacher’s tact and the situation.
The teacher can give feedback on the activity's content and the language used
directly after completing an activity or later at the end of the meeting.
2.3. Cooperative Learning
2.3.1. The Definitions of Cooperative Learning
Different researchers have different definitions of cooperative learning.
Among these definitions, scholars claim:
Richards (1992) points out that: “Cooperative Learning is an approach
to teaching and learning in which classrooms are organized so that students
work together in small cooperative teams”.
Jordan (2010) had a definition of cooperative learning as follows: “Cooperative
learning, an effective educational practice in many situations, has sometimes

been proposed as the magic bullet to solve the educational debate.”
Despite the difference in definition, cooperative learning reflects a
teaching technique in which groups of students use activities and tasks to
strengthen their understanding of the subject and learning matters. Each
member of a teacher is in charge of not only their part but also supporting
their group mates. As a result, it creates an environment of collaboration, and
then practice is required. In other words, all team members work together to
gain common objectives despite their different levels.
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Based on the references from different definitions associated with this
research's objectives, the following definition is used to conduct this study.
Cooperative learning might be defined as any classroom learning
situation in which students of all performance levels work together in
structured groups toward a common goal. In the competition with every other
individual in the classroom, students are responsible for creating a learning
community where all students participate in a significant and meaningful way.
2.3.2. Cooperative Learning Theories
Cooperative learning is well-grounded by three famous theories:
- Social Interdependence Theory
- Classical Learning Theory
- Individual Differences Theory
2.3.2.1. Social Interdependence Theory
Social interdependence theory is a classic instance of interaction theory,
research, and practice. The basic idea of the view is how goals are structured
and how individuals interact, which creates outcomes. Johnson and Johnson
(2003) claim that “There are two types of social interdependence: positive,
when the actions of individuals promote the achievement of joint goals, and
negative when the actions of individuals obstruct the achievement of each

other’s goal.” The concepts indicate that positive interdependence exists
when individuals realize that the goals can only be achieved when all
members work cooperatively to attain their common goals. Negative
interdependence exists when individuals understand that they can obtain their
goals if the other individuals with whom they competitively fail to achieve
their goals and, therefore, disrupt each other’s efforts to achieve them.
As a result, positive interdependence leads to promoted interaction,
while negative interdependence results in opposite result.

Promoted

interaction happens when individuals support each other and motivate other
members to complete their tasks and obtain their common team goals.
12


Previous studies have shown that cooperative learning promotes effort
and determination to realize the positive relationship among members. The
power of cooperative learning depends on the influence of the interdependence
in group activities, leading to encouragement and interaction among
members. According to Social Interdependence Theory, several studies have
demonstrated that cooperation tends to motivate students to make more effort
and achieve more positive relationships, more significant psychology than
competitive activities, and individual tasks. Besides, the effectiveness of
cooperation relies on the coordination of obvious and positive interdependence,
including individual responsibility that involves using social skills and the
group work process. These consequences provide a strong confirmation of
social interdependence theory, as the validating research encompasses
considerable diversity and generalizability. Having a supported approach,
however, does not imply that it will direct or even influence practice. Effective

practices can be derived from sound ideas, but they can also be validly derived
from unsound theories or no theory. Moreover, the practical way can be
derived from a validated approach only if the idea is stated with sufficient
accuracy that effective procedures can be deduced for practitioners to use.
2.3.2.2. Classical Learning Theory
Classical learning theory encompasses four dimensions: reinforcement,
correction opportunity, practice opportunity, and transference.
a. Reinforcement
Kagan and Miguel (2009) claim that “when a reward follows behaviour, it
is more likely to be repeated. The quote implies that students will get the higher
motivation to complete their tasks early if their teacher provides them with a
small prize in class with the same number of assignments.
It is demonstrated that to transform from delayed reinforcement to
frequent reinforcement and from low motivation to high motivation, cooperative
learning with the coordination of immediate rewards and prizes, students will get
higher desires to accomplish their tasks and purposes.
13


b. Correction Opportunity
Students tend to acquire feedback and suggestions from their
classmates naturally through various activities together compared to teachers'
feedback. Hence, cooperative learning enables peer corrections to happen
more frequently. In cooperative learning, corrections and feedback are more
contexts relevant, frequent, and more supportive.
c. Practice Opportunity
Unlike the conventional viewpoint, cooperative learning tends to
minimize teachers’ talking time in class to maximize students’ talking time.
d. Transference
In terms of the seating structures in class, students often sit in rows and

work alone more often in traditional classrooms. This structure of seating
limits the opportunities for teamwork activities and is unlike most social
interactions in reality. Cooperative teams require social interaction positions,
so the acquisition situation resembles the conditions in which the students
implement the skills they have learned. Cooperative learning shows a more
positive influence since it deals with the transference gap among students.
Students are simultaneously learning essential skills that they need in their
real lives through cooperative learning activities.
2.3.2.3. Individual Differences Theory
Individual differences are the differences from one person to another on
different criteria: personality, learning style, motivation, cognitive ability, and
multiple intelligences. Each student has his or her way of learning. However,
among different variables, the most apparent differences are numerous
intelligence and learning styles.
According to Freeman (2000), some students are better with visual
effects than those who listen to the material. It depends on the structures of
multiple-intelligence. This is related to linguistic and verbal students,
including debate, dialogues, discussion, and team interviews.
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Kagan (1998) highlights the connections between cooperative learning
and multiple intelligences. He further emphasizes that simple multiple
intelligences instructional strategies can be incorporated into lessons easily.
Watkins (2007) also argues that learning styles remind teachers that
young learners learn in different ways and methods. Therefore, the teacher
should design learning activities variously. For example, some students are
very good at getting involved in conversations; others are better at convincing
others, so the activity and style designed in the classroom should be different.
Joliffe (2007) explains that it is dangerous to consider individuals as

having fixed learning styles.
In addition to valuable concepts and ideas from previous studies and
theories, the researcher in the current study also supported using various
teaching strategies and techniques to provide students with opportunities for
practicing the language and enhance their fluency.
2.3.3. Advantages of Cooperative Learning
Cooperative learning brings not only social advantages but also
educational benefits. One of the critical benefits of cooperative learning is to
develop various social skills, including communication, confidence,
leadership skill, and conflict management skill. Those social skills make a
positive contribution to the general learning contentment.
Students with different backgrounds, attitudes, personalities, and skills
can learn from each other through cooperative learning activities. Watkins
(2007) mentions that in the first step of cooperation, learners expand their
knowledge and understanding by explaining each other's meaning. Students
make sense of the challenges and present their understanding of the problem
in their way. Watkins (2007) stresses the significance of explaining students’
abilities to each other. Since by doing this, students not only enhance their
knowledge but also improve their social skills. Besides, group activities
enable individuals to express and share their personal experiences with
everyday group tasks.
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