The Benefits of Group work

Lynda Badache
lynda.baadache@etud.sorbonne-nouvelle.fr
Department of Enlish
!niversity of Batna
From my MA Thesis:The effect of Group Work on students
Oral Performance: The case of first year students at Batna
University
Astract
The present study focuses on the practical experience of
applying group work on first year students of English at Batna
Uniersity !"ear #$$% and examines its effectieness as a
teaching techni&ue on students 'oral performance( )ur purpose
is to clearly demonstrate the effects of group work on students
'oral presentation as a special case and then ela*orating how
group work positiely promotes academic achieement(
)ur conclusions showed how +roup work can *e of
paramount importance for students to achiee and o*tain *etter
results when working together, creating an friendly atmosphere
in which they freely express themseles, especially shy and
reticent ones( -hat is really of alue is to show that there might
*e other ways, that is, *etter ways to teach oral expression than
the classical ones(
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%ntroduction
ewcomers into a foreign language tend to generally encounter
and experience many difficulties at all leels( n the case of
Batna Uniersity, we hae noticed that one of the first year
students maor difficulties is their lack of a*ility to freely
communicate either with their teachers or with their classmates(
ow performance in the oral aspect of the language, along with
psychological and social inhi*itions students face, could *e
cited among those factors which preent students from the
attempt to freely express themseles in a foreign language they
do not master(
ence, we *eliee that one way out of this situation is the use
of a teaching learning techni&ue likely to allow students freely
engage in classroom discussions meet new friends within the
group and create a less frustrating climate of learning( This
techni&ue will help the foreign language learner to gradually
diminish the negatie effects of those difficulties and o*stacles(
These are some of the reasons which *rought us to choose the
use of group work as a techni&ue, for some of the o*ecties
that we will mention *elow(
)ur urpose is to examine the effectieness of group work as a
teaching learning techni&ue as compared to indiidual learning(
This is why we *eliee that our study re&uires the use of the
experimental Method to ealuate the effects of group work, as a
teaching learning techni&ue on students 'oral performance(
The paper is intended to promote students interactions
through group work as a teaching techni&ue( t presents three
maor categories of *enefits created *y group work learning
techni&ue( They are academic, social and psychological
adantages each of these is further su*diided to help the
readers focus on specific themes within each category( pecific
references are proided to document each *enefit descri*ed
*elow to show that more researches hae *een undertaken on
group work as a learning techni&ue than on any other
educational paradigm(
-e assume that group work learning affords students, at
all leels, with enormous adantages that may not *e aaila*le
in the traditional instruction of learning indiidually, *ecause a
group of students can accomplish meaningful learning
especially through their discussions, interactions,
dialogues(*etter than any indiidual can(
O&ectives of the study:
t is important to try to *uild an atmosphere where the
students will no longer feel shy, where they will oluntarily
raise their hands to ask &uestions and where they will freely
oice their own opinions( -e *eliee that group work helps our
#
students to gradually diminish the negatie effects of these
constraints(
-e also try to ease our students and remoe their fear
and anxiety *y much tolerance and praise een in cases of
misuse of the language(
)ur intention is also to discuss the main effects and
adantages of group work and see to what extent it affects
students oral performance(
Furthermore, we attempt to *ridge the traditional way of
teaching, where the teacher is the sole source of information
and knowledge, with the one where students seek information
*y themseles to learn from each other, especially, when
cooperating to understand am*iguous concepts(
What is 'roup (ork)
The concept of the grouping and pairing of learners for
the purpose of achieing a learning goal has *een widely
researched and adocated the term +roup work refers to an
instruction method in which learners at arious performance
leels work together in small groups towards a common goal(
The learners are responsi*le for one anothers learning as well
as their own( Thus, the success of one learner helps other
students to *e successful(
olla*oratie learning is an educational approach to
teaching and learning that inoles groups of learners working
together to sole a pro*lem, complete a task, or create a
product( olla*oratie learning is *ased on the idea that
learning is a naturally social act in which the participants talk
among themseles( t is through the talk that learning occurs(
*ypotheses
earners differences in terms of leels in English
proficiency may *e partly related to the fact that students hae
*een taught *y different teachers using different methods( The
same phenomenon, may *e linked to psychological and social
inhi*itions students face, mainly the case of shy or introert
students ,who despite their true competences, find no need of
engaging in oral communications(
Bettering students oral performance re&uires mainly
oercoming these constraints( noling them to work in
groups is one among the *est ways to reach such an aim(
earners feel more at ease when they exchange ideas
and opinions in a friendly like atmosphere(
+roup work, as a techni&ue, leads students create
intimate climates, where they *ecome closer to each other,
where poor students may learn from aerage or good ones and
hence, are eager to take the initiaties themseles and engage in
face to face communications, first in the small group and later
face the entire class(
%
+amplin'
The population meant *y in this study includes all first
year students of English at Batna Uniersity( t is neither
possi*le, nor desira*le to study the entire population, since,
according to elime emoulin f, sufficient data can *e
o*tained through the study of a proportion of the population: a
sample(
-e aoided the use of a random sampling for it is likely
to make us fall onto su*ects of the same features and
characteristics, which are not essential in our work( Moreoer,
random sampling can not *e used in our work *ecause our
su*ects should *e selected according to certain aria*les like
their preious language knowledge, scores in the English exam,
motiation to learn and so on(
ystematic sampling is then, more appropriate for it
ena*les us to classify learners according to a gien system and
select systematically the ones concerned *y the experiment( -e
can therefore, order students in a descending list from their
highest scored, aerage to the lowest in the oral expression(
tudents files are aaila*le at the leel of the administration
and our continuous presence in the department, as a teacher,
facilitates the task of o*taining and dealing with students lists
and files( n addition, classifying students according to their
preiously o*tained grades can *e considered as a system(
A sampling techni&ue selecting learners classified in
such an order would gie us the opportunity to hae a group of
mixed a*ilities( This can raise our chances to hae a
heterogeneous group of dierse characteristics and a*ilities and
thus, diminish the risk of *ias resulting from selecting students
randomly(
The selected group would, then, consist of % out of a
population of %$$ first year English students chosen from six
groups of % to $ learners classified in a descending order of
their grades in oral expression(
The selected sample, which comprises these %, is then su*
diided systematically into a control group of learners and
an experimental group of other learners( These latter are
su*diided into four su*groups of three to fie mem*ers each(
Mixing students with different a*ilities, different
gender, and arious ages, and cultural *ackgrounds, &uiet and
talkatie ones will form our designed sample(
,ethodolo'y:
-hoice of the method :
nestigating the effect of group work on students
performances re&uires the use of an experimental method( The
experiment will ealuate the significant effect of students 'oral

performance when working in groups and, compare them to

those who study in a classical way(
The experimental method is the most appropriate and ade&uate
in our work for it ena*les us control all essential factors (t is
mainly used in natural and physical sciences, and recently it has
*een of great use in social and human sciences, and hence, in
the field of education(
Experimental methods hae o*tained satisfactory results
when the design is carefully used, and since it includes
experimentations, the researcher is supposed to o*tain the same
results in case he repeats the experiments eery two or three
months( n our case, we hope that, at each time, we will point
out a constant progress in students 'oral performance(
-e do, still, acknowledge the usefulness of other methods like
the historical and the descriptie ones( "et, we hae aoided
their use for the following reasons:
The historical method has *een defined as the
systematic and o*ectie location, ealuation and synthesis of
eidence in order to esta*lish facts and draw conclusions a*out
past eents, so it does not suit our work for the simple reason is
that we are concerned with showing the real and present effects
of group work( Moreoer, the descriptie method is concerned
with a description of facts(
The experimental method was chosen *ecause of the
need to check and ensure whether working in groups has really
an effect on students 'oral performance as well as achieement(
oweer, some pro*lems and difficulties may *e encountered
when dealing with this method( -e can mention the extraneous
aria*les like sex, age, motiation and intelligence, which may
*e operating during an experiment and thus affect the outcomes
of the experiment( eertheless, these are factors still
controlled when conducting the experiment *y creating
heterogeneous su*groups taking into account these factors(
Group 'radin'
+roup grading is pro*a*ly the *iggest challenge that we
faced when used group work as a techni&ue( )ne reason why it
is difficult is how to grade mem*ers of the group o we
assign them the same grade or grade them indiidually, taking
into account the fact that in some actiities for instance 'oral
presentations, students work as a group while they are to *e
graded indiidually( The latter may lead to competition within
groups conse&uently, su*erts our aim to clearly demonstrate
the spirit of colla*oration within groups(
-e suggested grading the contri*ution of each student
on the *asis of indiidual or groups ealuation of each
mem*erswork(-hen the same grade is assigned foral
presentations the *ulk of the mark is allocated to the group
with $ for the written report (%$ oral performance

fpresentation $ for peer assessment and consists of each

groups agreed mark for each group mem*ers( The final $ is
the indiidual efforts including participation, answering
students '&uestions and explaining(
Group .ormation:
The groups can *e formed according to different
parameters we can form groups using the alpha*etical order,
mixing students 'a*ilities, groups of different gender, age and
cultural *ackgrounds( They can also *e self selected as it is
mentioned in the figure a*oe( )ur groups were formed *y
mixing *oys and girls een if the ast maority of students
were female, &uite, shy and talkatie ones, arious age, highest
scored, aerage and low students( -hile, our group sie
contained three to fie mem*ers in each group *ecause larger
teams hae difficulty in keeping eeryone inoled

(
/easons to use Group (ork:
-e assume that group work learning affords students, at all
leels, with enormous adantages that may not *e aaila*le in
the traditional instruction of working, learning indiidually,
*ecause a group of students can accomplish meaningful

r( laude omney Teaching tories: Advanta'es of -ollaorative

0earnin'1
http:www(ucalgary(capu*sewslettersurrentsol%(Benefits(html
Group formation
2ifferent 'ender3a'e3
cultural ack'rounds(
+elf4selection
'roups
,i5in' students6
different ailities
Alphaetical list
formation
,i5ed oys3'irls37uite 3shy and talkative3various a'e3hi'hest
scored3avera'e and lo( students8
Bet(een four to
five memers in
each 'roup
%deal 'roup si9e is
*etero'enous 'roups
Group si9e

learning especially through their discussions, interactions

dialogues *etter than any indiidual can(
%8 Academic Advanta'es:
There are some educational reasons for re&uiring
students to participate in group actiities( +roup work enhances
student understanding( tudents learn from each other and
*enefit from actiities that re&uire them to articulate and test
their knowledge( +roup work proides an opportunity for
students to clarify and refine their understanding of concepts
through discussion and rehearsal with peers(
Many, *ut not all, students recognise the alue of their personal
deelopment at group work and of *eing assessed as a group
mem*er( -orking with a group and for the *enefit of the group
also motiates some students( For instance, group assessment
helps some students deelop a sense of responsi*ility: felt
that *ecause one is working in a group, it is not possi*le to
slack off or to put things off( hae to keep working otherwise
would *e letting other people down(
:8 Group (ork develops oral communication skills
;
<=a'er>
-hen students are working in small groups, one
mem*er er*alies his her answer while the others are
listening, asking &uestions, and making comments a*out what
they heard( Therefore, classification and explanation of ones
answer is a ery important part of the colla*oratie process and
represents a higher order thinking skill(
A conse&uence of haing students work together in
small groups is that they speak with one another and directly
engage in specific language use that is why students must
deelop their ideas of what they are presenting, and orally
communicate with their peers( ence, they will of necessity
ac&uire new terms, oca*ulary, expressions and new
information(
-hen students work in groups, orally express
themseles, three *enefits may occur: First, weak students
working indiidually are likely to gie up when they get stuck,
working cooperatiely in small groups, makes them keep going
on, yet the more adanced students faced with the task of
explaining and classifying ideas to weaker less a*le students
often find gaps in their own understanding to fill them in(
econd, instead of indiidual thinking a*out a matter in
isolation, a group will often look at a pro*lem from a wider
perspectie and consider many more suggestions than one
person thinking alone would( Third, *y discussing arious
aspects of any topic and &uestioning all the students in the
#
"ager, (, ohnson, (-(, ohnson, (, f, Oral discussion 'roups4
to4individual transfer and achievement in cooperative learnin'
'roups?, ournal of Educational sychology, f pp$

group who can participate in actually giing their opinions and

eentually know that others are counting on them(
@elson le Gall
%
points out that:
Through encouragement from the group to try new, more
actie approaches and through social support social reward for
een partially successful efforts, indiidual students in a group
come to think of themseles as capa*le of engaging in
interpretation
n fact, encouragement is ery important and necessary for
students to keep them going on and enhance their classroom
participation(
;8 Group (ork develops hi'her level thinkin' skills <We>
A
tudents working together are engaged in the learning process
instead of passiely listening to the teacher presenting the
information they represent the most effectie form of
continuous interaction( They may deelop alua*le pro*lem
soling skills *y formulating their ideas, exchanging and
discussing them, receiing immediate feed*ack and responding
to &uestions and comments *y their partners( n a group work,
the teacher is a*le to o*sere and assess indiidual students
thinking and how they are learning through their responses(
According to /oerta 2ees
B
Although it is not clear which
components of group work learning are responsi*le for
improement in higherleel thinking, attempts hae *een made
to identify the components( )ne conecture is that dealing with
controersy may *e such an element(
+mith3 Cohnson3 and Cohnson
D
studied sixth grade students
who worked on controersial issues( They found that for
students engaged in controersy, the cognitie rehearsal of
their own position and the attempts to understand their
opponents position result in a high leel of mastery and
retention of the materials *eing learned( The Cohnsons hae
deeloped a cooperatie method called !structured
controersy where students study and defend one position and
then switch with another group which has taken the opposite
position(
%
elsone+all, (, f# -hildrenEs instrumental help4seekin'( ts
role in the social ac&uisition and construction of knowledge, in aarowit
Ed( Interaction in Cooperative groups: Theoretical Anatomy of Group
Learning, p#$, ",": am*ridge Uniersity ress

-e** #, Group composition3 'roup interaction and achievement

in small 'roups, f pp Journal of Educational Psychology

o*erta ees, f, The role of cooperative learnin' in increasin'

prolem4solvin' aility in a colle'e remedial course?3 Journal for
Research in athemetics Education ## n $#

mith, (, ohnson, (-(, ohnson, (T(, f, -an conflict e

constructive: -ontroversy versus concurrence seekin' in learnin'
'roups, Journal of Educational Psychology, %f %

+lavin
F
emphasies that tudents will learn from one another
*ecause in their discussions of the content, cognitie conflicts
will arise, inade&uate reasoning will *e exposed, dise&uili*rium
will occur, and higher &uality understandings will emerge(
G8 Group (ork creates an environment of active3 involved
e5ploratory learnin' +lavin <:HHI>
+roup work is *y its nature an actie method of teaching( Thus,
the entire focus of colla*oratie learning is to actiely inole
students in the learning process( -heneer two or more
students attempt to sole a pro*lem or answer a &uestion, they
*ecome inoled in the process of exploratory learning they
interact with each other, share ideas and information, seek
additional information, make decisions a*out their final draft
and orally present it to the entire class(
The colla*oratie process ena*les the teacher to moe around
the class in order to o*sere students interaction( An
opportunity is created where*y the teacher can talk to students
directly or in small groups( Teachers may raise &uestions to
help direct students or explain concepts(
A8 -ooperative discussions improve students6 recall of te5t
content +lavin and Tanner
J

-hen students read a text together, explain the concepts to
each other and ealuate each others explanations they engage
in a high leel of critical thinking( They frame the new
concepts *y using not only their own oca*ulary *ut also *y
*asing their comments upon their preious knowledge( Thus
they construct a new knowledge *ase on top of their existing
one( This process leads students 'deeper understanding and
greater likelihood mainly as they will retain the material longer
than if they worked alone8
Cohnson K Cohnson
H
found that engaging in discussion oer
controersial issues improes recall of important concepts(
Ames and ,urray
:I
found that discussion of controersial
ideas among pairs of non conserers on iagetian conseration
tasks improes their recall of content material(

lain (E f#, When and (hy does cooperative learnin' increase

Achievement) Theoretical and empirical perspectives, ppm% in
ertaarowit and Miller fEds( %nteraction in -ooperative Groups,
",": am*ridge Uniersity ress

lain, (E(, Tanner, A(M(, f, Lffects of cooperative re(ard

structures and individual accountaility in productivity and
learnin', Journal of Educational Research # n p##

ohnson ohnson f, -onflict in the classroom: -ontroversy and

learnin', Revie! of Educational Research, p$
$
Ames, +((, Murray, F(B(, f#, When t(o (ron's make a ri'ht:
promotin' co'nitive chan'e y social conflict?3 "evelopmental
Psychology , p

2ansereau
::
<:HJB> has deeloped a structure called
cooperatie scripts where pairs of students read a section of
text and then one seres as a recaller and summaries the
information while the other student listens for any errors, fills
in omitted information and thinks of ways in which *oth can
remem*er the main ideas( e found that while *oth students
learned more and were a*le to recall the information longer
than students working alone, the recaller learned the most(
The leel of discussion and de*ate within groups is
su*stantially greater than when an entire class participates in a
teacher led discussion, in which they receie immediate
feed*acks or &uestions a*out their ideas, formulate responses
without haing to wait for long interals to participate in the
discussion <Peterson K +(in'>
:;
8They construct a new
knowledge *ased on their own interpretations, and their
existing *ase( This process certainly leads to deeper
understanding and greater likelihood, conse&uently, will retain
the material longer than if they worked indiidually mainly for
students who are actiely inoled in the learning process(
Engaging in discussion oer controersial issues improes
recall of important concepts(
B8 Group (ork encoura'es students6 responsiility for
learnin' <Baird and (hite>
:G
romotie interaction, a foundation principle of cooperatie
learning, *uilds students responsi*ility for themseles and
their group mem*ers through reliance upon each others talents
and an assessment process which rewards *oth indiiduals and
groups( n addition, tudents can assist each other and take
different roles within their groups fsuch as reader, recorder,
time keeper (((etc(The students inolement is created and
thus produces an enironment which fosters students maturity
and responsi*ility for learning( n this context, the teacher
*ecomes rather a facilitator instead of a director and the
students *ecome eager and motiated participants instead of
passie followers(
D8 Group (ork provides trainin' in effective teachin'
strate'ies to the ne5t 'eneration of teachers <.elder>
:A

ansereau, (F(, f, 0earnin' strate'y research in hipman

+laser fEds( Thinking earning kills: elating nstruction to Basic
esearch ol( illsdale, : Erl*aum
#
eterson, (, wing, (, f, +tudents co'nitions as mediators of the
effectiveness of small4'roup learnin', ournal of Educational
sychology f% pp#%#
%
Baird, (, -hite, ( f Improvin' learnin' throu'h enhanced
metaco'nition: A classroom study?3 aper presented at the annual meeting
of the American Educational esearch Association, ew )rleans, A

Felder, (M(, f( email communication from feldereos(ncsu(edu

page http:ww#(ncsu(eduunitylockersusersffelderpu*licrmf(html
$
As discussed earlier, new teachers are likely to teach using the
teaching style they hae *een exposed to during their education
in which the primary focus is on the assessment process
inoling indiidual grades( As group work is concerned, it
re&uires that students present their final work orally to the
entire class, *eing asked some &uestions *y the other students,
and hence, answer in front of the entire group( Therefore, the
fact of haing so many oral presentations, facing the audience"
playing the teachers role, may *e of great adantage and
*enefit for students as it is a sort of training(
uring the group work process students were asked not only to
assess themseles *ut their groups as well as the class
procedures( Teachers can take adantage of students input to
modify the making of groups or class assignments, manage the
lectures and een the group work itself, according to immediate
students feed*ack( Thus, tudents, who participate in
structuring the class, assume ownership of the process *ecause
they are treated like adults, and their opinions and o*serations
are not only respected *ut taken into consideration(
F8 Group (ork promotes hi'her achievement and class
attendance <*a'man and *ayes>
:B
tudents who deelop personal professional relations with
teachers *y getting to know them, and who work on proects
with their teachers in classroom, achiee *etter results *ecause
of their classroom attendance( )n the other hand, teachers, who
get to know their students, understand their pro*lems can often
find ways of dealing with those pro*lems( They hae a great
adantage in formulating ways of assisting their students( n
addition, students are often inspired *y the teacher who takes
the time to get to know them, encourage them to aspire for a
*etter performance8 According to

.elder additional *enefits

occur in that students grades are improed, they show longer
retention of information, transfer information *etter to other
courses and disciplines and hae *etter class attendance( There
is a strong positie correlation *etween class attendance and
success in courses which may help account for the improed
performance( Cohnson K Cohnson
:F
went to say that there is a
strong positie correction *etween class attendance and success
in courses which may help account for the improed
performance(
tudents need to do real work together in order to promote each
others success *y sharing resources, helping, supporting,
encouraging, and applauding each others efforts to achiee( t
is said there are important cognitie actiities and interpersonal

agman, (, ayes, ( f -ooperative learnin': Lffects of task3

re(ard3 and 'roup si9e on individual achievement? Technical report $,
cientific oordination )ffice, U Army esearch nstitute for the
Behaioral ciences, E document ##$

*id :HHF

ohnson ohnson f$, Usin' cooperative learnin' in math?3

chapter in ooperatie earning n Math,p;A eil aidson ed,

dynamics, which can only occur when students promote each

others learning( This includes explaining orally how to sole
pro*lems, teaching ones knowledge to others, checking for
understanding, discussing concepts that are *eing learned, and
connecting present with past learning( Especially, if each of
those actiities, can *e structured into group task directions and
procedures( oing so ,helps ensure that cooperatie learning
groups are *oth an academic support system feery student has
someone who is committed to help him or her learn and a
personal support system feery student has someone who is
committed to him or her as a person( t is through promoting
each others learning facetoface !that mem*ers *ecome
personally committed to each other as well as to their mutual
goals(
J( Weaker3 less ale students improve their performances
(hen 'rouped (ith hi'her achievin' students
:J
-ohen
n studies of colla*oratie seat work, #(in' and Peterson
:H
found that:
!tudents of low achieement, *enefited from
participation in groups, heterogeneously composed on
achieement in comparison to participation in
homogeneously lowachieing group( tudents of
aerage achieement *enefit from their interaction with
others of higher or low achieement1
Burns
;I
suggested that with group work, there are
explanations, which come from the entire group mem*er rather
than from the indiidual they can propose or suggest ideas,
opinions to their peers prior to formulating a final response
and then release their presentations in an informal setting( f a
group response is the product, then the entire team or group
*ecomes responsi*le for the answer( Thats why, group work
may therefore, create a safe atmosphere, where students can
freely express themseles and explore their ideas without the
fear of failure or criticism( n contrast to a lecture format
where an indiidual student responds to a &uestion in front of
the entire class without much time to think a*out his her
answer such a situation may shake the learning enironment(
H8 Group (ork addresses learnin' styles and differences
amon' students <,idkiff KThomasson
;:
>

ohen, E(+/estructurin' the classroom:-onditions for productive

small 'roups, Revie! of Eduicational Research pring ol
pp%

eterson, (, wing, (, f, +tudents co'nitions as mediators of the

effectiveness of small4'roup learnin'?3 Journal of Educational
Psychology f% pp#%#
#$
Burns, M( f, The ,ath +olution?8 Marilyn Burns Education
Associates pu*lishers, reprinted in -ooperative 0earnin' in
,athematics? eil aidson editor, $
#
tudents working in groups utilie each of the three main
learning styles: Minesthetic3 Auditory and visual 8For
example, a material presented *y the teacher is *oth auditory
and visual( tudents working together use their kinesthetic
a*ilities mainly when using their hands( er*al and auditory
skills are enhanced when students discuss their answers
together( isual and auditory modalities are employed as
students present their work to the whole class foral
presentations(Each of these learning styles are addressed
many times throughout a class in contrast to the teachers
lecture format which is mainly auditory and occasionally
isual(
Understanding the diersity that exists among students of
different learning styles and a*ilities is a maor *enefit of
group work( tudents o*sere their peers in a learning
enironment, discuss pro*lem soling strategies and ealuate
the learning approaches of other students( )ften *ehaiours
which might appear as odd when taken out of context *ecome
understanda*le mainly when the opportunity is presented to
students to explain and defend their own reasoning(
:I8 Group (ork is especially useful in forei'n lan'ua'e and
second lan'ua'e courses (here interactions involvin' the
use of lan'ua'e are important8
Brufee
##
emphasies the idea that learning takes place when
indiiduals moe from the society which they are familiar with
to the society which they wish to oin *y learning the
oca*ulary, language structure f+rammar and customs uni&ue
to that society( This is true in academic societies that hae
their own oca*ulary and customs( -orking in groups is an
ideal way to facilitate the ac&uisition of language and to
practice the customs of de*ate and discussions that occur in a
particular academic field such as Mathematics or sychology
or een istory( Moreoer, the fact of interacting
colla*oratiely with the teacher in and out of class also
facilitates the reaculturation process(
%% +ocial advanta'es of 'roup (ork
+roup work is useful for encouraging social interaction for
isolated, rural and international students with local students,
and is therefore an important mechanism for supporting the
transition of first year students into uniersity study(
+roup -ork promotes social interactions thus students *enefit
in a num*er of ways from the social perspectie( By haing the
#
Midkiff, (B(, Thomasson, (( f%, A Practical Approach to
#sing Learning $tyles in ath Instruction, pringfield, l: harles
Thomas u*(
##
Brufee, (, f%, -ollaorative learnin': %igher education&
interdependence and the authority of 'no!ledge, Baltimore, M:
ohns opkins Uniersity ress
%
students explain their reasoning and conclusions cooperatie
learning helps deelop oral communication skills(
:8 Group (ork uilds more positive hetero'eneous
relationships8
A maor function of group work learning, we experienced was
team *uilding( This is accomplished through a ariety of
techni&ues used throughout the duration of the semester(
uring the first few weeks of group work class, warmup
actiities, getting to know class mem*ers names, and practice
exercises help acclimate students to cooperatie learning(
The current educational system rewards students achieement
*y separating students of different a*ilities rather than
encouraging students to utilie their a*ilities to help each
other( +roup work then fosters students interaction at all
leels <We>
;G
esearch has shown that when students of high a*ility work
with students of lower a*ility *oth *enefit( The former *enefits
*y explaining or demonstrating difficult concepts which heshe
must understand thoroughly in order to do so, and the latter
*enefits *y perceiing a concept explained or modeled *y a
peer(
;8 Group (ork develops social interaction skills:
A maor component of group work learning ela*orated *y
ohnson and olu*ec
#
includes training students in the social
skills needed to work colla*oratiely( tudents do not come *y
these skills naturally( By asking group mem*ers to identify
what *ehaiours may help them work together and *y asking
indiiduals to reflect on their contri*ution to the groups
success or failure, students are made aware of the need for
healthy, positie and helping interactions when they work in
groups $-ohen and -ohen>
;B
The students leel of tolerance and acceptance of other
student iew points is increased, a skill which no dou*t is
*eneficial in real life situations where one also often has to *e
prepared to compromise(
-hen students work in small groups, they generally *ecome
more inoled in classroom learning actiities and as they
spend more time learning and sharing group tasks( They tend
to learn and form close friends at the same time whether inside
or een outside classroom( Therefore friendship makes them
feel more at ease and comforta*le the fact that raises the
#%
*id f:HJI>8 pp;DD4;FD
#
ohnson, (-(, ohnson, (T(, olu*ec, E((, f, -ooperation in
the -lassroom?3 Edina, M: nteraction Book o(
#
ohen, B((, ohen, E(+( f .rom 'roup(ork amon' children to
/ K 2 teams: interdepence3 interaction and productivity? in E(J(
La!ler )Eds(*Advances in Group Processes ol pp#$##
+reenwich,:A

&uality of their learning. ence, eeryones understanding and

knowledge are enriched *y their working together mainly first
year students who are the encouraged to work closely together
and need to form friends(
.elder
;D
went to say that there is a significant *enefit to group
work, which is not always apparent *ecause it takes place
outside the classroom( f groups are continued long enough
during a course they will get to know each other and extend
their actiities outside the class( This includes meeting on
campus for meals, coffee, forming study groups, getting
together at each others homes in the eening and weekends to
work on proects or study for exams( tudents exchange phone
num*ers and contact each other to get help with &uestions or
pro*lems they face( tudents are a*le to make new friends and
esta*lish study groups easily within group work learning(
G8Group (ork helps teachers chan'e their roles from their
ein' the focus of the teachin' process to ecomin'
facilitators of the learnin' process8 They move from
Teacher4centered to +tudent4centered learnin' <*ert94
0a9aro(it9
;F
ooperatie learning paradigms represent a philosophy of life
as well as a learning strategy( t says that wheneer people get
together in groups their purposes are *est sered when they
work together colla*oratiely to reach their goals ersus using
competition among group mem*ers to address pro*lems(
ooperatie learning paradigms em*ody the learning
community philosophies( )ur current educational system,
howeer, is *ased upon competition among students for
grades, admission to scholarships, and a*oe all social
recognition( n order to change this paradigm, +roup learning
structures will need to *e introduced at the earliest learning
situations and used throughout each students learning career(
n order to accomplish this change in student *ehaioural
attitudes teachers will need to adopt a new role( They will need
to step down from the podium and switch from lecturing to
facilitating student interactions in class( There are many
arieties of group work learning structures including ro*lem
or roect Based earning, colla*oratie learning, cooperatie
structures, to name a few( Teachers need not *e locked into
one approach, which may or may not suit their particular
personality type8
%%% (Psycholo'ical advanta'es
#
Felder, (M(, f( email communication from feldereos(ncsu(edu
--- page
http:ww#(ncsu(eduunitylockersusersffelderpu*licrmf(html
#
ertaarowit, (, irkus, (, Miller,(, f# An overvie( of the
theoretical anatomy of cooperation in the classroom? p% in ert
aarowit Ed(Interaction in Cooperative Groups: The theoretical
Anatomy of Group Learning ",": am*ridge Uniersity ress

Group (ork enhances students satisfaction (ith the

learnin' e5perience
By their ery nature, students find satisfaction with actiities
which alue their a*ilities and indulge them in the learning
process( Effectie groups assume ownership of a process and
its results when indiiduals are encouraged to work together
toward a common goal, often defined *y the group( This
aspect is especially helpful for indiiduals who fear from
failure( fTurner K eigler
#
Good and BrophyEs
;H
Theory of motiation suggests that
motiation increases with expectations of success and higher
aluation of rewards( They *eliee that +roup work can
emphasise these strategies *y containing elements which
increase students enoyment and encourage intrinsic rewards(
uch elements are opportunities for actie response, use of
simulations, emphasis on immediate feed*ack, interaction with
peers, creation of finished products, and practical use of
proect outcomes(
Group (ork uilds self esteem in students <Cohnson %
Cohnson
GI
olla*oratie efforts among students result in a higher degree
of accomplishment *y all participants as opposed to indiidual,
competitie systems in which many students may ignore(
ompetition fosters a win-lose situation where superior
students reap all rewards and een recognition" yet mediocre
or low achieing students reap nothing( n contrast" eeryone
*enefits from group work enironment( tudents create a
friendly atmosphere *y helping each other in doing so( They
*uild a supportie climate, which may increase the
performance leel of each mem*er( This in turn leads to higher
self esteem in all students(
-lassroom an5iety is si'nificantly reduced <Messler3 Price
and Wortman
G:
n a traditional classroom" when a teacher calls upon a student
heshe *ecomes the focus of attention of the entire class( Any
mistake or incorrect answers *ecome su*ect to security *y the
whole class( uch experiences produce em*arrassment and
anxiety in many students" while in group work situation" when
students work in small groups" share their tasks, howeer the
focus of attention is diffused among the group and when an
#
Turnure, (, iegler f, Outer4directedness in the prolem solvin'
or normal and retarded students?3 Journal of A+normal and $ocial
Psychology , pp%%
#
+ood, T((, Brophy, (E(, f$, ,Lducational Psycholo'y %rd Ed(,
",":ongman
%$
ohnson & ohnson,f-ooperation and -ompetition Theory and
/esearch?( Edina,M:nteraction Book
%
essler, (, rice,(,-ortman,( f, +ocial factors in
psychopatholo'y:+tress3 social support and copin' processes? Annual
Revie! of Psychology % pp%%#

answer is presented to the class it presents the work of the

entire group mem*ers( peaking in front of a small group with
which they are familiar, rather than in front of the whole class,
is also less stressful( Therefore, no single indiidual can *e
held up to criticism( n addition, the group mem*ers produce a
final product which they can reiew *efore presenting it to the
whole class( Thus, diminishing prospects that mistakes will
occur at all( -hen it happens that a mistake is made, it
*ecomes rather a teaching tool instead of a pu*lic criticism of
an indiidual student(
mall groups created a safe enironment for students to take
risks and make mistakes( -e noticed that a student is more
likely to ask a &uestion or take a risk in a group of four than in
a class of thirtysix(
Group (ork encoura'es shy students to participate in
classroom activities:
By its nature, group work is an actie method of learning,
which creates a liely enoya*le and friendly atmosphere of
sparking discussions, exchanging ideas, respecting others
points of iew( This friendly atmosphere makes all students"
especially shy ones" feel more comforta*le and at ease, eager
to participate more with their peers in small groups than in a
large class as they can *e o*sered too( Therefore, it is ery
helpful to identify students who are shy in encouraging their
participation in non -threatening ways(
2ata Gatherin' tools and Treatin':
Data atherin tools and treatin
Otains daily oservation of
students6ehaviour in the
classroom activities
The &uestionnaire
The observation rid
L5perimental
'roup
-ontrol
'roup
*elps to collect students
perceptions aout team (ork
as a techni7ue
aim
aim
Pre4test Post4test: Post4test; Post4testG
Activities to
e performed
in 'roups
The same activities
to e done y each
student alone
ext to the information o*tained from results, other ways of
collecting data a*out students will *e used: the &uestionnaire
and the o*seration techni&ue(

)ur study re&uires using mainly the o*seration grid to

o*tain a continuous o*seration in the classroom( The
&uestionnaire will help us to collect students 'own perceptions
and opinions a*out group work as a teaching techni&ue( These
instruments are especially selected for their usefulness, their
practical use and for they complement each other(
The two groups *egin shortly after the *eginning of the
academic year and continue throughout the whole year( n the
experimental group, students will *e gien the preiously
mentioned actiities to *e achieed in each group of at least
four or fie students, *oys and girls, in order to o*sere their
oral performance and *ehaiour(
The same teacher will teach *oth groups, after diiding the
classroom into two groups, with the experimental group the
teacher will gie actiities to *e performed in groups or what
we call a team work( -ith the control group, heshe will only
gie the same actiities *ut to *e done *y each student alone( n
other words, to hae an indiidual work as opposed to the
group work(
Authentic techni&ues are of great importance in
teaching the oral expression and permit the teacher to hae
immediate and thorough o*serations of how students help
each other, accept or reect each others ideas and thoughts and
how they interact as mem*ers of a group(
-ith the control group, the teacher will use the same
actiities followed *y the experimental group, the only
difference *eing the indiidual aspect of the work(
%8 Oservation 'rid:

uring the first weeks, students were introduced to a ariety of
actiities as an introductory work, rather a kind of a pretest and
training task( Although we can not assess all learning outcomes
in group work, yet, we can assess students learning *y
o*sering them and through peer ealuation( Therefore, we
were o*sering and recording what and how students do while
they work together to complete a task, and taking their
feed*ack to assess *oth their work and understanding(
The first actiity that was introduced to our students was
listening( o *efore turning the tape on, we asked our students
some warm up &uestions aiming at making them feel at ease
and try to make them relate their prior knowledge with the
contents of the tape they would *e listening to fwhat is called
prelistening(The selected tape is entitled ay *y ay( t
contains a ariety of ery interesting topics for instance:

.amily photos
+chool crossin' 'uard
On the su(ay
.ather6s day
Gettin' a loan
+aturday ni'ht
2o it yourself Nalentines6 day
Cury duty
The i' sno(
0eavin' the hospital
At the ank
.amily ni'ht
*untin' for anti7ues
A visit to the dentist
The paper oy
-hile students were listening to the tape, we used pauses and
told the ones working in small groups that eery student will *e
asked to respond( This leads all the mem*ers of the group to
listen attentiely and carefully, since they are asked to fill some
*lanks and answer some listening comprehension &uestions(
According to the results o*tained, we notice that students when
working in small groups were unaccustomed in sharing their
work with their peers( This is &uite clear, *ecause students used
to *e rewarded for indiidual efforts, and colla*oration may not
come naturally or easily for eeryone in the starting actiity(
oweer, they almost find that working in groups, as liely and
innoating( Their participation aried *etween low, medium
and rarely high depending on students understanding( tudents
were listening attentiely, yet some of them did not participate
in classroom mainly those shy, reticent ones( The o*tained
aerage in this actiity is #(#, which is considered as a good
starting( After listening and filling the re&uired *lanks, we
asked our students to take roles in what they hae *een
listening to in a form of a conersation(
The material Activity Aim Time
allotted
Listening :Day-by
day
Oral skills
practice tape)
relistening
-hile listening
ost -listening
-arm up 30 minutes
Songs :(Michael
ackson!"eline
dion)
Try to fill the
*lanks fwrite
the lyrics
-arm -up
Usually we learn
easily through
music
30 minutes

-#aby tra$$ic
%u&ait and-
#ritish hostages
'alestine and
(srael hoth
#irthday
ideo
excercise
May stimulate
discussion after
presentation and
hence increases
students
participation
)0 minutes
*ames -ord
classification
-ord
association
timulates
studentscritical
thinking(
)+ minutes
#eauty and the
#east
hort story Encourages students
to orally perform a
work(
30 minutes
Oral
presentations,
Exposes,
noels, free
topics, issues(
May stimulate and
spark discussion and
de*ates(
30 minutes
Discussion
and debate
Discussion re$ers to
a di-erse point o$
-ie&! emphasi.es
participation!
dialogues!
communications,
/0change ideas!
opinions!
in$ormation and
e0periences
1+ minutes
A sample of one of our actiities done in classroom is mentioned
*elow(
Activity: 0istenin' day y day:
Oral skills practice BookOtape <2ean -urry> GI mns
L5perimental 'roup
Week:%
Workin' in
'roups
Oral
participation
Oral
presentation
0istenin' Avera'e
out of
;I
I : ; G A B I : ; G A B I : ; G A B I : ; G A B
P8+ofia ##$
P82&alila #$
=8.atima #$
=8Massim #$
*8Adel ##$
P8,eriam #$
-8Pine %#$
M8.ateh #$
#$
B8Adelali $#$
P8+oumaya #$
P8*ind #$
+8+ihem #$
080ila ##$
T82ounia $#$
T8+oraya $#$
B8,ouna #$
+8+alim ##$
T8*ichem #$
Total : ## #(#
/atin' scale:
Workin' in 'roups:
$ery *ad
nefficient
#Boring
%iely
nnoating
nteresting
Oral participation:
$ ull
ery low
# ow
%Medium
igh
ery high
Oral presentation:
$ull
ow
#ot eident
%Aerage
atisfactory
Excellent
0istenin':
$ ot eident
ont participate in
classroom
# o not ask &uestions
% espect each other
isten attentiely
)ffer suggestions and idea
#
The /esults of The Oservation Grid
+tudents6 Lvaluation:
Ealuating student work is one of the most important and most
difficult aspects we faced (The grading criteria depends on
what we want to see from our student( For instance: classroom
participation and oral presentations( -e hae administered a
&uestionnaire to know students opinions concerning the way
they would like to *e ealuated and hence graded(((the
maority of our students prefer to *e ealuated *y *oth the
teacher and their peers(
The same grade for all the mem*ers of the group(
An indiidual grade for each student(
Ealuated *y their peers(
Ealuated *y their teacher and peers(
##
Figure (2): Stuents! "valuation
#ercentage
$%$$&
'$%$$&
2$%$$&
($%$$&
)$%$$&
*$%$$&
+$%$$&
"valuation
The same grae for all the mem,ers of the group
An iniviual grae for each stuent
-y your peers
-y your teacher an peers
+tudents6 Lvaluation
+tudents6 speakin' and listenin' in a small 'roup
discussion:


-riteria /atin'
L + A
0isten attentively8 5
Take part in 'roup discussion 5
Participate in classroom8 5
Ask 7uestions 5
Offer su''estions and ideas that
connect (ith others ideas8

/espect each others point of vie( 5
#%
Oral performance: students oral presentations
Mey:
:Qe5cellent <L>3 ;Qsatisfactory <+>
GQ avera'e <A>3 AQnot evident <@
/esults
/esults:
-e hae encountered many students who are almost
una*le to communicate orally in the target language and are
extremely uncomforta*le when trying to speak( They also
understand ery little of what we say to them during classroom
explanations and directions(
)ne of the most positie results that emerged from
group work learning was that students created a friendly, safe
atmosphere which ena*led them to freely express their ideas
and opinions orally(
Furthermore, reticent, shy students, who rarely
participated in classroom, often feel more confident in
expressing themseles in front of the entire class after they
hae already practiced, expressed and discussed their opinions
in their safer and smaller audience(
The opposite sex started to *e accepted whether from
girls or *oys part(
tudents *etter understanding and retention of the
applied actiities
-riteria /atin'
: ; G
+tudents clearly identify the topic 5
L5planation is presented in a se7uence that is
easy to follo(
5
%nformation is relevant and accurate 5
%ncludes interestin' details or features8 5
Use 'rammatically correct Ln'lish (ith fe(
mechanical mistakes8
5
Ans(ers most 7uestions from other students 5
#
tudents progress and improement in the mastery of
the oral aspect of the language was o*sered mainly
when giing oral presentations(
ncreased enthusiasm and motiation to learn in groups(
tudents participation in classroom actiities has
increased(
Pre4test
L5pQ :Q RS: Q ;;:T:J3 S:Q:;8;F
@:
US;
-ontQ S;Q :BGT:F

Post test ::
S: Q US: ;:AT:J, S: Q ::8JJ
@:
S; Q US; :J:T:F3 S; Q :I8DA
@;
Post test ; :
S: Q
S; Q
The a*oe are results of our pre and post tests of *oth groups :
the experimental and the control one (The results showed that
the experimental group had an increasing progress mainly
during the second post test(
-onclusion
The adantages of group work are multiple, aried and
impressie( The fact that group work *enefits students in many
ways does it *enefit teachers through the sharing of ideas,
*rainstorming and critical thinking Effectie cooperatie
teachers are continually modifying their actiities and adopting
new structures to deal with different classroom situations and
populations( This is an aspect of group work learning which
can *e especially rewarding to teachers (-ho would not like
the preiously mentioned &uite good things to happen in ones
class
#
@;
S;QIH
@:
US:
;BJT:J,
US;
@;
:F;T:F3
S: Q :A8GG
S; Q :I8::
From this research study, it can *e concluded that colla*oratie
learning fosters the deelopment of critical thinking through
discussion, clarification of ideas, and ealuation of others
ideas( oweer, *oth methods of instruction were found to *e
e&ually effectie in gaining factual knowledge( Therefore, if the
purpose of instruction is to enhance critical thinking and
pro*lem soling skills, then colla*oratie learning is more
*eneficial(
For colla*oratie learning to *e effectie, the instructor must
iew teaching as a process of deeloping and enhancing
students a*ility to learn( The instructors role is not to transmit
information, *ut to sere as a facilitator for learning( This
inoles creating and managing meaningful learning
experiences and stimulating students thinking through real
world pro*lems(
The findings showed that the experimental method of applying
group work as a teaching techni&ue is likely to result in the
cooperation and good performance in students speaking( -hat
is really of alue is to show that there might *e other ways that
is *etter ways to teach than the classical one(
This was an attempt of applying group work learning in the
)ral expression Module in the "ear #$$% we wish it will
hopefully *e useful for other teachers and students(
,ain conclusions:
n this study, the findings showed that the experimental
method of applying group work as a teaching techni&ue is
likely to result in the production of a good performance in
students speaking(
tudents, when working in small groups, create an
intimate atmosphere where they could share ideas, exchange
information, encourage each other and a*oe all learn from
each other since each student proides at least a positie
contri*ution( All these factors may enhance students thinking,
*etter performance and achieements(
)ther eidence of the superiority of the experimental
method was o*sered in classroom( The experimental group
was *etter organied and exhi*ited much more cooperation,
motiation and increased classroom participation than those of
the control group who tend to *e isolated and rarely proide
some classroom participation and contri*ution in discussions(
n our iew, assessment in group work should not
inole assigning grades howeer, the emphasis is on
assessing learning outcomes( ndiidual accomplishment in the
group work itself should *e assessed so that mem*ers
contri*utions to the groups are accordingly ealuated(
#
Although group work offers enormous *enefits when it
is effectiely implemented, yet, some pro*lems and limitations
may arise during the work(
The alue of this study is to show how students can
achiee and o*tain *etter results when colla*orating together
creating an intimate atmosphere in which they freely express
themseles, especially those shy students who find greater
difficulties when interrogated *y their teachers or simply *y
one of their classmates( They feel frustrated and una*le to do
like other students do and this is mainly due to their cultural
*ackgrounds(
ence, working in groups may *e also of paramount
importance for those poor or less a*le students *ecause it
ena*les them to work and een participate in classroom,
*ecome motiated and eager to learn(
/eferences
'mes" G.(." % )urray" *.B83 f#, -hen two
wrongs make a right: promoting cognitie change *y
social conflict, eelopmental sychology ,
Baird" (." +hite" ,( f mproing learning
through enhanced Metacognition: A classroom study,
aper presented at the annual meeting of the American
Educational esearch Association, ew )rleans, A

Brufee" -." <:HHG>3 olla*oratie learning: igher
education, interdependence and the authority of
knowledge, Baltimore, M: ohns opkins Uniersity
ress
Burns" ). <:HJA>3 The Math olution( Marilyn Burns
Education Associates pu*lishers, reprinted in
ooperatie earning in Mathematics eil aidson
editor, $
.ohen" B./." .ohen" E.G8 <:HH:> From group work
among children to teams: interdepence,
interaction and productiity in E(( awler fEds(
.ohen" E. <:HJD> esigning +roup work:",":
Teachers ollege ress
.ohen"E <:HHA>3 estructuring the classroom:
onditions for productie small groups, eiew of
Eduicational esearch pring ol
Dansereau" D.*(, f, earning strategy research
in hipman +laser fEds( Thinking earning
#
kills: elating nstruction to Basic esearch ol(
illsdale, : Erl*aum
Dees" ,.L." <:HH:>3 The role of cooperatie learning in
increasing pro*lemsoling a*ility in a college remedial
course, ournal for esearch in Mathemetics Education
## n $#
*elder" ,.)." <:HHF>8 email communication from
feldereos(ncsu(edu
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Good" T.L." % Brophy" (.E." <:HHI>, Educational
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earning ",": am*ridge Uniersity ress
(anke" ,. <:HJI> omputational errors of mentally
retarded students sychology in the chools
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ooperation in the lassroom, Edina, M: nteraction
Book o(
(ohnson" ,. T." % (ohnson" D. +. <:HJD>8 Action
research: ooperatie learning in the science
classroom( Science and Children,( ": ollege
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factors in psychopathology: tress, social support and
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Educational esearch # n
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conflict *e constructie: ontroersy ersus
concurrence seeking in learning groups, ournal of
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+ebb" 5.).3 <:HJI>3 An analysis of group interaction
and mathematical errors in heterogeneous a*ility
groups, British ournal of Educational sychology $
+ebb" 5. <:HJB>8 tudent interaction and learning in
small groups: A research summary( Learning to
Cooperate, Cooperating to Learn,
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