Chapter 1

Introduction

Group work can be a good idea when you want to get your students to think harder

and dig deeper, and when some variety in skill levels and ways of thinking about things

can be a benefit to all. It can be just as helpful for those who prefer group work to learn

how to cope with the prospect of sitting still, keeping that noisy mouth shut, and puzzling

out some answers without giving in to any and every distraction that comes along.

Working as a team pays off handsomely for many groups. As they say, “Two heads are

better than one.”

On the other hand, Individual work isn't just for those introverts out there. Sure,

it is great for them to get a chance to think things through on their own, which is a comfier

way to process new info for many introverts (which you can read a lot more about in this

entire article about the needs of introverts and extroverts).

Still, it can be just as helpful for those who prefer group work to learn how to cope

with the prospect of sitting still, keeping that noisy mouth shut, and puzzling out some

answers without giving in to any and every distraction that comes along. When working

independently, people must embrace an interesting trade-off. People who like to be alone

enjoy a free-flowing work style that requires a higher amount of motivation, discipline, and

self-awareness. No one is working alongside them (or looking over their shoulder) to

make sure they’re on task – and on the right task.

Group work and Individual work can help students gain creativity and effective

thinking processes that can apply to problem solving across a range of subjects and types

of issues.
Background of the Study

This study investigates students’ understandings about their learnings in different

subjects. The purpose of the research is to answer the following question: Will allowing

students to work in groups improve their understanding, or will working individually lead

to greater understanding?

This idea of group dynamics has been studied and researched, but in our

experience, we have had mixed results. In some situations, students help each other,

their time is spent on task and they benefit from peer interactions. At other times, students

spend their time chatting about things that are not relevant to the topic at hand, and do

not get much work done at all. When students in our class do their work independently,

most students tend to complete their work, or they will come ask for help if they cannot

continue. We have been at a crossroads trying to determine if and when teachers should

allow students to work together or to make them work alone because students do not

always manage the social aspects of group work so that it will be advantageous to them.

We know why group work is not always a positive experience in our classroom. A major

element that must be considered is the difficulty of the work that students are expected

to complete. Often times, it may be too difficult for students to complete without guidance

from the teacher, leading to group and individual frustration. This is a realistic concern,

students are expected to complete the coursework with a certain level of independence

and success, however, this issue is debatable, as many educators who teach certain

program for example, in mathematics are readily express that they dislike it and/or that

their students have difficulty doing the work alone. Another valid concern that can affect

group work is management of student behavior. Making students stay focused can be
better maintained in my classroom if there was more structure and guidelines about the

norms and expectations of group work from the onset of the school year as well as

continuous monitoring of group dynamics and progress.

Statements of the Problem

This study wants to determine the effectiveness of group work and individual work

among selected students in 11 ABM- Gov. Jesus C. Bautista at Laguna State Polytechnic

University Santa Cruz, Laguna. Group work and individual work are being practiced by

the students inside the classroom during discussion and doing such school activities.

The researchers therefore generally aims to answer the following questions:

1. Is group work effective among the Grade 11 students in LSPU during class

discussion and school activities?

2. Is individual work effective among the Grade 11 students in LSPU during class

discussion and school activities?

3. What is the benefits of working individually among Grade 11 students in LSPU?

4. What is the benefits of working as a group among Grade 11 students in LSPU?

5. Which is better between Group work and Individual work?

Significance of the Study

Parents. The result of this study will be helpful to the parents of the students

because they will be informed on how comfortable their kids are in working with groups

and in working with their own self. The findings would also help them on how they will

guide and teach their kids to improve in working with their specific forte.
 Teachers.The given data will be beneficial to the teachers for them to know where

their students are comfortable in making and in doing such activities. It will also guide

them on what kind of activities are possible to give to their dear students.

Students.Finally this study that the researchers are proposing will be helpful to the

students themselves in knowing their comfortability in performing school activities. The

results will also provide the students the knowledge, feelings and the effects of working

with groups and working independently.

Future Researchers.Aside from those listed above this study will also help the

future researchers to gain information if ever that they will conduct a study that is related

to this study.

Scope and Delimitations

The study entitles “Effectiveness of Individual work and Group work among the

selected students in 11 ABM- Gov. Jesus C. Bautista at Laguna State Polytechnic

University.” will focus in determining which of the two variables is more effective to the

students in terms of learning. It will be conducted in LSPU where the researchers are

studying. The researchers’ instruments to be used to collect the data needed is test

questionnaires which will be divided into three parts. The respondents of this study will

be the Grade 11 students, researchers will randomly select 30 students from the chosen

section 11 ABM- Gov. Jesus C. Bautista so there would be a 30 respondents in total.

Terms are conceptually and operationally defined for better understanding of the

readers.

Group work – work done by group of people in collaboration

Group independently – oneself ability to work alone without consulting and

asking help of others

School activities –extracurricular activity that tests the students’ abilities in terms

of learning and understanding the lessons that their teachers are teaching to them

Students – a person who is studying at school

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND RELATED STUDIES

This chapter presents a review, examination and analysis of related literature and

studies. This chapter includes the summary of the studies conducted by foreign and local

researchers and readings from professional literature which have significant bearings on

this study and serve as the springboard in conducting this research, as well as guide in

interpretation of its result.

RELATED LITERATURE

Foreign Literature

Brief History of Individual and Group work

According to Sandra Swinney (2017), we work in groups to gain the many benefits

of group work: unified perspectives, combined strength, and collective brainstorming.

When people apply their unique skills to a common task, they often create more effective

solutions than independent workers. Teamwork also improves employee relations.

However, working alone has many clear benefits – both for workers and the

organizations/clients they serve. Many people dream of being their own bosses (or

managers); they feel free to their best when they don’t have to justify their actions to

others.

Individual Learning
 There are some studies that have been conducted wherein the results support

individual learning styles over cooperative learning styles. Researchers have found that

the cooperative learning style may hinder some parts of learning or specific people among

the groups in cooperative learning situation.

Jenkins and O’Connor, (2003) review the research on cooperative learning for

students with learning disabilities. This comprehensive review included different

academic areas such as math, writing, and reading. The results suggest that peer

assistance and group learning may not be beneficial to students with learning disabilities.

Some disabled students had trouble keeping up with regular education students. The

reading requirements were too high and for those with a learning disability, but not for

non-learning disabled students. The difference hindered the group learning experience.

Only 4% of the learning disabled students participated in cooperative learning groups with

success. (Jenkins & O’Connor, 2003).

Next, a study by Crooks et al, (2003) investigated the effects on interactions,

attitudes, achievement, and practice time for students with access to learner-controlled

options. The students working in groups spent longer practicing and did not achieve

higher scores than independent learners. (Crooks et al, 1998)

A peer rating system was designed to account for individual performance in two

sophomore level chemical engineer courses. These students were required to work in

cooperative learning groups. Each team member rated how well his or her teammates

performed. The results from this study indicate that many students formed dysfunctional

teams. Some students were rated as doing little work while other students were observed

doing most of the work. (Kaufman & Felder, 2000)

classrooms. The students were separated into groups of eight to create an art project.

The results may indicate that group learning hinders their creative process. Furthermore,

rights to ownership were challenged. (Aukerman, 1997) Lastly, the impact of individual

feedback was compared with the impact of group feed back on achievement, attitudes,

and behavior in cooperative learning groups. Fiftysix eighth grade students worked in

heterogeneous cooperative learning groups for an eleven-week period. Participants

received either individual or group feed back in written form on how frequently they

engaged in praising, supporting, asking for help, and exchanging information. Individual

feedback was more effective than group feed back in increasing students' achievement,

motivation, influence, and uniformity. Individual feedback resulted in more positive

relationships among group members. In addition, individual feedback created more

positive attitudes toward subject matter, the teacher, peers, and themselves. (Archer-

Kath, Johnson, and Johnson, 1994)

Furthermore, Chen, (2002) performed a study to determine the preferred learning

styles of students based on gender. The study analyzed the preferred teaching styles of

teachers as well and compared them to the students' preferences. The population studied

consisted of teachers and fourth-year nursing students and the Chung-Hua Institute of

Medical Technology in Taiwan. Reid's perceptual learning style Preference Questionnaire

was used on sixty-six teachers and sixty-six students. A one-way ANOVA and Tukey's

HSD tests were used to analyze the data. The results support that students' least favorite

learning style was individual. Furthermore, teachers reported using group work as their

most preferred teaching style. (Chen, 2002)

learning techniques. One of the most common of these ethics is the ability to work

individually or in a group. By working together students are able to reach out and help

one another, provide social support and encouragement, and share diverse perspectives

thus enabling a more effective learning process and a deeper understanding of material.

Individual work may be a better choice for some students who are able to comprehend

material when taught on their own.

Group work

Group learning has been examined in many academic areas. It has been

supported in its effectiveness in different subjects of learning. These school subjects

include math, reading, language, sciences, and more.

Whicker et al, (1997) investigated the effects of cooperative learning in a

mathematics class. Students in one pre-calculus class learned in cooperative groups

while students in a separate pre-calculus learned the same material independently.

Students in the cooperative learning group had significantly higher chapter test scores

than the students in the independent learning group. Furthermore, a student survey

revealed favorable responses form the cooperative learning group. (Whicker et al, 1997)

In a study pertaining to a biology laboratory course, students preformed

cooperative group learning. The results support the effectiveness of the cooperative

learning style. The biology students were encouraged, active, and student directed.

(Colosi & Zales, 1998)

Next, a longitudinal study was preformed on chemical engineer students over five

consecutive semesters. These students were taught in a cooperative learning style and
compared to students in an individual learning comparison group. The students who

learned cooperatively out-performed the comparison group on retention, graduation, and

pursuance of advanced study in the field. (Felder et al, 1998)

Chang and Mao studied the difference between cooperative and individual

teaching methods on earth science students. The findings supported the use of

cooperative learning methods. Improvement in student achievement was observed at

higher-level cognitive domains. (Chang & Mao, 1999)

Cooperative learning was also examined in a literature based reading classroom.

The experimental results support cooperative learning for literature-based projects. The

students reported literary growth, boosted confidence, and developed social skills after

the study. (Renegar & Heartling, 1993)

Next, a study was conducted to examine students studying health sciences in a

cooperative learning environment. The findings support that a sense of community and

cooperation enabled risk taking. A connected understanding of health science concepts

followed the group learning instruction. (Lundeberg & Moch, 1995)

A group of grade school students was taught mathematics using the cooperative

learning method. Their individual test scores were compared to grade school students

who learned mathematics individually. The classes that used cooperative learning

contained students who scored much higher on their individual tests. (Shaw et al, 1997)

In addition, 170 physical therapist students participated in a study comparing

lectures to group learning. Course grades were found to be higher in the group learning

sections than those in the lecture sections. (Lake, 2001)

learning. They surveyed 142 exemplar teachers to see the frequency of use and the

attitudes about the cooperative learning style of teaching. In addition, Lopata et al

examined the individual characteristics of each teacher to locate an association with

relative use of group learning in the classroom. They found that many of the teachers

reported using cooperative learning in their classrooms. Also, the analysis indicated an

association between the high frequency of using group learning with high participation in

staff development for cooperative learning. (Lopata et al, 2003).