The research was conducted in Govt. Girls Elementary School 108/w.b.

The medium of instruction of

this school is English and Urdu.

Background of the School:

The researcher selected Govt. Girls Elementary School 108/w.b. school for my research. The school is
situated in the centre of my village. The building of the school consists of 8 rooms, an office,
assembly ground with beautiful greenery. There is also a small play ground. This School has the
principal, 8 teachers, 2 cleaners, a gardener and 2 security guards. There are round about 500
students studied there. The administration of my school is excellent. All the teachers and other staff
members follow strict discipline. The principal of my school greets all students in our assembly every
day, which demonstrates his kindness and respect for others and himself.

Background of the participants

The participants of the study were students of 7th Grade from Govt. Girls middle school. The
research involves a single class consisting of 20 students. The majority of participants were helpful
and mature enough to understand the purpose of my research. The majority of their parents belongs
to middle-class, so their education was not fully financially supported by their families.

Socio Economic Status of the participants

Socioeconomic status is a way of describing people based on their education, income, and type
of job. The socio-Economic status of the participants was not of high standard as most of the
students belong to low class and middle class families so parents of the participants linked with
limited profession i.e. shopkeeper, salesmen, labourer, servants of army, teachers, private job
holder and few were government job holder.

Occupation and earning trends

It was rural area therefore most of the people were attached to agriculture. 30% of the parents of
students were attached to agriculture. 6 % in teaching and 10% were labour and servants in army
and police departments. Most of the students’ parents had a medium economic level, so they did
not acquire full financial help from family.

Literacy Rate

Literacy rate of my village was 60% because the school is situated in developing area and mostly
parents who themselves were not qualified enough tried to give sufficient education to their
children. Thus literacy rate is increasing slowly.

Academic Quality

Academic quality of the school was very well. The level of education provided by the school including
curriculum, teaching methods, learning resources was so high. Students receive a rigorous and well-
rounded education that prepare them for success in career or life.

Special Community Traits

The community residing near to my school are religious, patriotic, cooperative, self-disciplined and
hardworking, work together toward a common goal and celebrate community heritage.

• Theme: Developing 21" Century Skills Among Students

 • Subtheme: Collaboration
• Topic: Enhancing Collaboration through Group Tasks and Assessment among Students of
Grade 7th

1. Why did you select this specific sub-theme and topic? Relate it to your experience / problem in
your classroom / institution. (10 marks) (Give the background and rationale of the study)

The present topic has been selected for action research because collaboration is very
important for improving performance of students along with their career development. The
aim of my study is how can I enhance Collaboration among students of grade 7th through
Group tasks and Assessment.

Reason behind the selection of this Topic

As a researcher, when I spent first day with 7th class, I observed that the students of 7th class
were not cooperative and helpful to one another. They were not confident enough to talk
properly and discuss their study problems with me and other fellows. Students were raised
their questions clear Individually but most of the students can’t do either due to shyness or
may not understand the project or assignment. There is lack of communication among
students. The researcher realized that there should be collaborative learning in the class. The
best learning happens when children are actively involved in a project. Collaborative learning
is an approach that encourages students to create groups and work together to solve a given
problem. That’s why I choose this specific Sub-Theme “Collaboration” and this specific
Topic “ Enhancing Collaboration through Group Tasks and Assessment among students of
grade 7th”

Background of the Project

As correctly pointed out by Henry Ford, Coming together is the beginning, keeping together
is progress. Working together is success Students need to be made comfortable working in
groups. It is true that learning can be meaningful only when the process is attuned to the
needs, goals and strengths of a learner.

Collaborative learning can occur peer-to-peer or in larger groups. Peer learning, or peer
instruction, is a type of collaborative learning that involves students working in pairs or small
groups to discuss concepts or find solutions to problems.

Research shows that educational experiences that are active, social, contextual, engaging, and
student-owned lead to deeper learning. The benefits of collaborative learning include:

• Development of higher-level thinking, oral communication, self-management,

and leadership skills.
• Promotion of student-faculty interaction.
• Increase in student retention, self-esteem, and responsibility.
• Exposure to and an increase in understanding of diverse perspectives.
• Preparation for real life social and employment situations.
Celebration of Diversity: A small group of students could be culturally and socially very diverse and
thus, collaborative learning projects could open up the world to learners as they begin to gain a new
perspective on life from their peers.

Interpersonal Development: In a group enterprise, it is essential that students learn to work with all
types of people and relate to their peers so that the project at hand benefits from their structured
interaction.

Confidence, Communication: Collaborative learning projects at an early age can help students boost
their confidence and self-esteem, besides improving their sense of ownership at work. The task of
presenting their ideas, defending them, and collaborating with others to expand their horizons also
requires good communication skills, which also get a boost in these activities.

Q.2 What was your discussion with your colleague / friend / senior teacher or supervisor regarding
the research? (Provide your discussion with your colleague or supervisor for better understanding
of the research and alternate performances).

Answer:

Researcher discussed about the problem “lack of collaboration among students” with the head
teacher of the institute in detail. After the meeting with HT researcher arrange a meeting of all
teaching staff of that school and discuss problem which researcher found in my observations. The
researcher brief all the staff about the importance of Collaboration. After this researcher meet
Supervisor and discuss about this special topic which I found in school regarding 21st century skills.

Discussion with Head Teacher

The researcher tell the head teacher that I found Collaboration issue in 7th class of GGES 108/W.B
and request them that I want to done my research on this topic. After understanding my issue which
I found in School during my observation. She allows me to research on "Collaboration". So, I work on
Collaboration.

Discussion with Staff Members:

The researcher tell the staff members that some students of class 7th are hesitant to share their
ideas or ask for help, even when they are struggling with a concept. Others seem to prefer
working alone rather than in a group. This leads to a lack of communication and
coordination, and ultimately, the group project suffers.
Staff: We have also observed that some students tend to dominate the conversation, while
others remain quiet and don't contribute much. This creates an imbalance and can lead to
frustration and resentment among group members. What we need to do is to explain the
benefits of collaboration and improving communication skills. We can have them work on
smaller group tasks or pair them up with classmates who they may not have worked with
before.
Discussion with Supervisor

The researcher tell the Supervisor that Collaboration is essential for creating a positive and
effective learning environment, and it is up to everyone to work together to make it happen.
Supervisor: As a supervisor, I would like to point out that collaboration is not only beneficial
for students but also for mentors. We can learn a lot from our students' perspectives,
questions, and challenges. However, we also need to create a safe and supportive
environment where students feel comfortable to share their thoughts and receive constructive
feedback.
3. What did you find about the problem in the existing literature (books / articles / websites)? (10
marks)

For the purpose of my literature review I read various books and dissertations, browsed different
websites and went through different articles, journals and books, research papers by different
scholars related to my topic. I reviewed some books related to my research question.

Collaborative learning can be defined as a set of teaching and learning strategies

promoting student collaboration in small groups (two to five students) in order to
optimise their own and each other’s learning (Johnson & Johnson, Citation1999).

Over the last decades, research has demonstrated that Collaborative Learning can
promote academic and social educational outcomes (Slavin, Citation1996)

However, research also shows that the implementation of CL is not always adequate in
daily classroom practice. For example, even though teachers organise different types of
student groupings (e.g. heterogeneous or homogeneous according to ability or gender),
they do not always structure these group interactions to foster effective collaboration
(Baker & Clark, Citation2010).

When examining the effectiveness of CL, researchers have noted challenges that
students experience such as unequal individual participation in group tasks (e.g.
Freeman & Greenacre, Citation2010), and students’ lack of communicative and
collaborative skills (e.g. Li & Campbell, Citation2008).

Barron (Citation2003), investigating the collaborative interactions of primary school

children, found low-quality coordination among group members when they participated
in problem-solving tasks. Her study showed that group members did not pay attention
to others’ opinions, interrupted them, and rejected alternative suggestions without
justification. These inappropriate behaviours inhibited group functioning and individual
learning.

Furthermore, Ross (Citation2008) noted that the quality of students’ explanations in

group interaction in primary and secondary classrooms is often below a level that
enables shared knowledge construction. Additionally, help-seekers may be unable to
formulate effective requests for help. As a result, both help-givers and help-seekers may
be unable to collaborate effectively.

4. What were the major variables / construct of your project? Give definitions /
description from literature. (05 marks) (What are the key terms in your topic or
study? what do you mean of these terms?
The research assessed: “ Enhancing Collaboration through Group Tasks and
Assessment”. As each research has variables, therefore this research is also based on
two types of variables:

Dependent Variable: Collaboration

Independent Variable: Group Tasks and Assessment

Collaboration

Collaborative learning is the educational approach of using groups to enhance learning through
working together. Groups of two or more learners work together to solve problems, complete tasks,
or learn new concepts.

Group Tasks and Assessment

Group tasks are activities where a defined group of individuals need to perform a defined task and
accomplish the goals assigned to them. Assessment: The action of assessing someone or
something.

Other major Variables and Key terms in the Project:

Teacher: A person whose occupation is to deliver useful information to others; especially children

Team Work: Team work is the collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal or to
complete a task in the most effective and efficient way.

Student: A student is a person who is learning something.

Developing 21st Century Skills in Students

Today's students need a set of transferable skills( e.g. Creativity, Collaboration, Self Regulation etc.)
that can be applied in nearly every setting in order to succeed.

Q.5 What did you want to achieve in this research project? (Objective / purpose of the study; what
was the critical question that was tried to be answered in this project).

Research Objectives

The aim of the study was:

1) To explore the importance of collaboration for student learning.

2) To explore the strategies to enhance collaboration through group tasks and assessment
among 7th grade students.
3) To give suggestions on enhancing collaboration through group tasks and assessment among
7th grade students

Research Questions

1) What is the importance of collaboration for student?

2) What are the strategies to enhance collaboration through group tasks and assessment
among 7th grade students.
3) What are the suggestions on enhancing collaboration through group tasks and assessment
among 7th grade students
6. Who were the participants in your project? (05 marks) (Give details of the individuals or groups
who were focused in this project e.g. the early-grade students whose handwriting in Urdu was not
good or the students of class VIII who did not have good communication skills)

Population

All the students of Govt. Girls Elementary school were the population of this research study.

Sample

The researcher collected data from Govt. Girls Elementary school. A sample of 20 students from
class 7th and 4 teachers was selected as sample by using sampling technique. To collect data, there
were total 20 students in my class but 17 students were present and 3 were absent on the day when
I collect data. As the students belong to middle or lower class families, so they did not have good
communication skills. Many students were weak in basic skills due to their backward background.

Q.7 How did you try to solve the problems? (Narrate the process step-wise. Procedure of
intervention and data collection).

At the start of observation, the researcher observed that most of the students have no Collaboration
in 21st century skill. According to this action research, lack of Collaboration among students is major
problem due to this we cannot convey our messages to others in efficient way. While investigating
sub problem, the researcher design activities to enhance collaboration among students.

Research Design

It was action research about how can researcher enhance collaboration among students of 7th class.

Population:

A population is the entire group that you want to draw conclusions about and the researcher choose
students from GGES school.

Sample:

The sample is a smaller representation of a large whole. Generally, it consists of some of the
observations that represent the whole population. In the existing action research, 7th class students
of the selected school were sampled for this study.

Data Collection Procedure:

Data was collected by assigning different group tasks. Observation sheets, interviews, field notes,
and perspectives were used to acquire information that was supposed to provide the data
knowledge needed to answer the research questions. Questionnaire Open-ended and Closed-ended
question were used for the purpose of data collection. In Closed-ended questionnaires, 5 Likert Point
Scale questions were developed in the form of Strongly Agree (SA = 5), Agree (A = 4), Disagree (DA =
2) and Strongly Disagree ( DA = 1).

Methodology:

The method used in this study was an action research to uncover and address the problem. The
action research occurs through a dynamic and complementary groups which consist of four
fundamental steps in a spiralling process. They are as follows:

Planning
Make a plan to enhance students collaboration. We don't usually think about how we will teach
students about collaboration. But, if we don't have plan in place. It is unlikely that we will be able to
achieve the desired result, we should take a step back and consider our goal before we start our
teaching anything.

To resolve the problem of lack of collaboration among 7th grade students, The researcher perform
following tasks:

• Games
• Debate
• Group discussion

Action

The researcher assigns following tasks to enhance collaboration:

Games

The researcher conducts a “Guess the Emotion” game. This is a fun competitive game that's
concerned with getting participants to become more aware of their feelings or emotions. teams and
act out an emotion, such as affection, awkwardness, anger, humiliation determination guess what
the emotion are Participants are split into fear, smile, anxiety etc. and total group will try to guess
what the emotion are

• Divide the group into two teams

• Place on a table a packet of card from the table and act out the emotion for her/his group.
• If the emotion is guessed correctly by group A, they receive ten points.
• Now have a participant from Group B Act out an emotion; award point as appropriate.
• Rotate the acting opportunity between two groups.

Debate

For the other day I allot the topic of Kashmiri's freedom for debates. On the very next day I conduct
a debate in the class on topic of "Kashmir". Every student express their thoughts about Kashmir
warmly, But some students have no information about the Kashmir due to rural area. I satisfied
because about 76% students "Clear" their thoughts and also communicate with other students.

Group Discussion

The researcher want to achieve 100% result so, researcher divide whole class into several groups
and ask them to discuss on class environment about 5 minute. After discussion he call one by one in
front of students and ask them to clear their discussion, the researcher satisfied because this time 90
plus students communicate in class very "Clearly".

Observation

The researcher observed the classroom environment, students’ previous behavior and team work
activities.

Reflection

In this step, the researcher reflects how the teaching and learning process runs. The function of
reflection is to assess the weakness and strength of the action.
The researcher makes an evaluation from the result of the team work and from the observation
done by the researcher and the responses collected via interview and questionnaire.

Q.8 What kind of instrument was used to collect the data? How was the instrument developed?
(For example: observation, rating scale, interview, student work, portfolio, test, etc.).

Observation Sheet

The researcher prepared an observation sheet regarding How students enhance collaboration?
Almost 15 students were observed after performing mentioned strategies and at the end it was
noticed that 12 students had well developed collaborative skills in them.

Interviews

To collect participants answers, structured interview used as a data collection tool. Researcher uses
closed-ended questions because a closed question creates a few answers that can be easily written
in a database with a specific number or symbol representing the number. Interview was divided into
two sections; Interview Section-1 consists of three items – it attempts to explore the importance of
collaboration for students to evaluate the impact of collaboration on students learning. Respondents
were required to select answer by selecting anyone of the three options: Agree, Somehow, Disagree.
Section-II include different questions, each with different kind of response. It attempts to know
more about the strategies for to enhance collaboration among students of 7th grade.

Rating Scales

Rating scale was prepared for collection, description, scale length, scale format and method and
data analysis was done for final result and future uses.

Student Work

During every class, students who showed lack of collaboration, cooperation in their behaviours were
encouraged to adapt positive attitude through use of positive techniques.

Instrument Development

The researcher focused on findings during this study. First of all, students were encouraged to
participate in such activities. They were awarded with certificate of participation. Their parents were
also involved in this process. Thus, the instrument was developed gradually.

Q.9 What were the findings and conclusion? (Provide instruments and mathematical as appendix).

Appendix

Section-I

Indicate how each of the following explore the importance of collaboration for students.

Scale:

1. Agree 2. Somehow 3. Disagree

Collaboration 1) Agree
provide students (55%)
the opportunity 2) Somehow
to learn from (20%)
each other?
 3) Disagree
(25%)
Collaboration 1) Agree
develops higher (50%)
level thinking, 2) Somehow
leadership skills (40%)
among 3) Disagree
students? (10%)
Collaborative 1) Agree
learning teaches (65%)
students how to 2) Somehow
respectfully and (5%)
confidently 3) Disagree
express their (30%)
ideas and
opinions
effectively in a
group setting?

Major Findings:

• Research found that 55% respondents agree that Collaboration provide students the
opportunity to learn from each other?
• Research found that 50% respondents agree that collaboration develops higher level
thinking, leadership skills among students.
• Research found that 65% respondents agree that collaborative learning teaches students
how to respectfully and confidently express their ideas and opinions effectively in a group
setting.

Appendix

Section-II

Indicate how each of the following explore the strategies for enhancing collaboration among
students.

Scale:

2. Agree 2. Somehow 3. Disagree

Group Tasks like 4) Agree

debate on a (70%)
specific topic 5) Somehow
enhance (25%)
collaboration? 6) Disagree
(5%)
Listening 4) Agree
attentively and (50%)
giving respect to 5) Somehow
each other’s (30%)
ideas and 6) Disagree
opinions (20%)
 enhance
collaboration?
Working 4) Agree
together and (75%)
participating in 5) Somehow
group (15%)
discussions 6) Disagree
increase self (10%)
confidence and
communication
skills?

Major Findings:

• Research found that 70% respondents agree that group Tasks like debate on a specific topic
enhance collaboration.
• Research found that 50% respondents agree that listening attentively and giving respect to
each other’s ideas and opinions enhance collaboration.
• Research found that 75% respondents agree that working together and participating in
group discussions increase self confidence and communication skills.

Conclusion

On the basis of findings, the researcher conclude that collaboration is necessary to a student social
and emotional development. It promotes students retention, self esteem, responsibility and
communication skills. Being able to work together with others to reach a goal or overcome a
challenge will set your students up for future success.

Group tasks provide an opportunity to check the interpersonal skills of candidates and to check their
commitment levels. Group members’ nature and degree of participation will help establish the kind
of role they play in a group.

By using several games and different debates on different topic, the researcher notice satisfactory
improvement of Collaborative skills among students. Students able to solve their Problems.
Researcher conduct several tests to check the improvement and satisfied because a great difference
between pre and post Personality Development test. Improvement also shown attitude during the
action, during implementation. The students were more active and collaborative than before.

One of the best strategy to enhance collaboration among students though group tasks and
assessment is to assign role and responsibilities and reward on good behavior.

Q.10 Summary of the Project. (What and how was the research conducted – main objective,
process and findings).

This study is conducted in Government Girls Elementary School 108/W.b. School has a total strength
of 500 students. There are 8 teachers in school. As a researcher, I choose a study that deal with my
own experience and the challenges my students faced. The researcher has studied literature and
previous research in collaboration. The main purpose of this study was to explore strategies for
enhancing collaboration through group tasks and assessment among 7th grade students. Researcher
used interview as a data collection tool to collect students answers. Group tasks gives students the
confidence and courage they need to blossom in all areas of their lives, especially if they are shy or
lacking self-esteem.

Teachers can make the classroom more welcoming by working to foster collaboration among
students and reduce problems of lack of confidence, lack of communication skills that can make
students dissatisfied or eager to quite their study. Research found that 75% respondents agree that
working together and participating in group discussions increase self confidence and communication
skills, 70% respondents agree that group tasks like debate enhance collaboration, 50% respondents
agree that listening attentively and giving respect to each other’s ideas and opinions enhance
collaboration among students.

Q.11 How do you feel about this practice? What have you learnt? (Self-reflection).

As a researcher, I learnt how to develop Patience in students. I assumed many educational Problems
which are faced by our Teachers and students.

Classroom Management

During This research, I learnt how to manage a classroom. Proper Classroom management enhance
the student's Success by creating an orderly learning environment that enhances Student's academic
skills and competencies, as well as their social and emotional development.

Understand the behaviour of students

In every Classroom, Student's behaviour is important form of communication. Children learn

behaviours by watching & Imitation others.

Solve Classroom problems

I learnt that how to Solve the classroom problems by using different Techniques and activities during
my research.

Handle Difficult Students

I also learnt many rules and ways of handling difficult students in the classroom. It's normal for
teachers to force explanations from difficult students as a form of accountability. Don't argue, don't
give false Praise, and don't ignore misbehaviours.

Increase Student's achievements

I have learned many tips To increase student's achievement. Include formative assessment, Provide
consistent feedback and use. The feed-back loop concept.

Improve student's performances

I learnt how to improve Student's Performance in class. Attend & be on Time to every class. Sit in the
front row and avoid texting during class. Utilize instructor's office hours if you do not understand
assignments, Course materials, expectations, or have other concerns to discuss.

Evaluation Ability

It has been developed my evaluation capability of the data analysis technique.

Q.12 What has it added to your professional skills as a teacher?

It added a lot of new skills in my teaching. It improved my way of teaching. For example, when I
talked with senior Parents and expert people I learnt a lot of skills of Self-regulation.

Professional Development:

In this modern, digital age, Parents need to be flexible and be able to adapt to whatever is thrown
their way. New technologies are developed every day that can change the way students learn, and
the way Parents teach. Likewise, administrators are changing and updating expectations and
learning standards. Being able to adapt is a skill that every modern teacher must have. If it’s being
able to adapt to the way students learn, the behavior their classroom exhibits, or their lesson plans,
it is a definitely a trait that is a must-have.

Patience

This is likely the single most important skill. Kids these days are stubborn, and many lack the
inherent respect for authority that we were taught at a young age. Spending a single day in a room
full of raucous teenagers is enough to send any human being to the Looney bin, which is why every
good teacher needs patience in order to find a way to work with his students and earn their respect.

Risk Taking

Sometimes to get the big reward, you may need to take a risk. Being a teacher is about finding a way
to get kids to learn, and sometimes these new learning methods can be risky. Stick to it and you'll
soon find that others are following your teaching example.

Confidence

Every teacher needs to have confidence, not only in themselves but in their students and their
colleagues. A confident person inspires others to be confident, and a teacher’s confidence can help
influence others to be a better person.

Proficient Development:

In this advanced, computerized age, Parents should be adaptable and have the option to adjust to
whatever is tossed their direction. New advances are built up consistently that can change the
manner in which understudies learn, and the manner in which Parents educate.

Adaptability

Different kids learn in different ways, and some lessons need unique teaching tools. Good Parents
know how to adapt their lesson plan to their students, so that all the kids learn optimally. This trait
can take some experience and practice in a classroom setting, so give it time.

Imagination

Whether you teach high Area chemistry or kindergarten, nothing is a more effective tool than using
your imagination to create new and motivation ways for your students to learn. You may be inspired
by the work of another teacher, mentor or a TV commercial - it doesn't matter. All that matters is
that you take the initiative to find new ways for your kids to learn the material.

Teamwork

Parents could have a hard time without a wide variety of support staff around them. If you feel
alone, your Area principal, administrative staff, parent-teacher committee, and more are often
available to provide you help. By working as a team, you may have an easier time increasing your
students' ability to learn and have fun.

Q.13 List the works you cited in your project (follow the APA manual – three)

Baker, T., & Clark, J. (2010). Cooperative learning – a double-edged sword: A cooperative
learning model for use with diverse student groups. Intercultural Education, 21, 257–
268.

Barron, B. (2003). When smart groups fail. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 12, 307–359.

Freeman, L., & Greenacre, L. (2010). An examination of socially destructive behaviors in

group work. Journal of Marketing Education, 33, 5–17.

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1999). Making cooperative learning work. Theory Into
Practice, 38, 67–73.10.1080/00405849909543834

Li, M., & Campbell, J. (2008). Asian students’ perceptions of group work and group
assignments in a New Zealand tertiary institution. Intercultural Education, 19, 203–216.

Ross, J. A. (2008). Explanation giving and receiving in cooperative learning groups. (R.
Gillies, A. Ashman, & J. Terwel, Eds.). New York, NY: Springer.10.1007/978-0-387-70892-8

Slavin, R. E. (1996). Research on cooperative learning and achievement: What we know,

what we need to know. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21, 43–69.