Jigsaw Strategy for Cooperative Learning in an English Reading Class: Teacher’s and Students’ Beliefs

Abstract

The study investigated teacher’s and students’ beliefs on jigsaw learning activities for cooperative learning. It was conducted to fill the void in the literature on jigsaw in the second language (L2) instruction seen from teachers’ and students’ beliefs. Twenty-four students of the English Language Education Department taking Intensive Reading class and the class teacher were involved in this study, employing observation and semi-structured interviews, the data of which were analyzed using Thematic Analysis. It found that even though the jigsaw learning activities seemed to be successful, the phenomenon was not that straightforward as several students reported that they did not optimally show their best efforts in learning independently before class and did not optimally contribute to the discussions either. The study also found three themes related to teacher’s and students’ views on the implementation of the jigsaw. The students’ pre-college learning experiences as passive learners negatively affected the quality of jigsaw conducted in the class. Though jigsaw being reported to be helpful, jigsaw’s success heavily depended on individual student’s performance and contribution. Despite the students’ limitations, teachers’ expectations towards the students motivated students to stretch their limits and perform better. Based on the findings, contribution, regulations, and suggested future studies are stated.

How Jigsaw Worked in a Middle School Classroom for Enhancing Students’ Reading Comprehension

“…Our teacher participant's grouping practice, i.e., not putting her students in mixed groups, might not align with the underlying tenet of Jigsaw as proposed by Aronson (2021) and recommendations from the existing studies (Olukayode et al, 2014), especially for nurturing students' ability for empathy and compassion (Aronson, 2002). Nevertheless, her practice suited her teaching contexts and was approved by her students, which addressed accountability issues such as students displaying effortless actions during Jigsaw processes as raised by Susanti and Subekti (2020). Our teacher participant's practice of dedicating more time to students she deemed having a low level of reading comprehension ability demonstrated her effort to reap the benefits of Jigsaw, i.e., everyone has a contribution and does not feel inferior in delivering their opinions and ideas (Dhull & Verma, 2019).…”

“…However, our probe into the literature also reveals challenges in its use. Susanti and Subekti's (2020) study showed that not all students gave their best effort and tended not to contribute to the discussion, although the Jigsaw process seemed practical. Similarly, students' achievement did not show significant results, although their enthusiasm and motivation increased when learning in a Jigsaw setting (Sabbah, 2016).…”

Students’ Learning Achievement in Writing Analytical Exposition Text: A Study in Jigsaw Cooperative Learning Model

“…In this technique, students work with the same group members but with different backgrounds. Moreover, the jigsaw cooperative learning model focuses on teamwork or small groups that provide information to each other in the team or group (Mengduo & Xiaoling, Orprayoon, 2014;2010;Susanti & Subekti, 2020).…”