EFFECTIVENESS OF PEER COLLABORATION AMONG BACHELOR OF

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION STUDENTS IN SAINT BENEDICT COLLEGE OF

MAGUINDANAO INCORPORATED AS PERCEIVED BY COLLEGE
INSTRUCTORS

A thesis proposal

presented to the faculty and staff of St. Benedict College of Maguindanao

Upper Nituan, Parang, Maguindanao

In partial requirements for the degree

Bachelor of Elementary Education

By

FLORES, SHIELA MAE D.

FRANCISCO, KARMEL ANTONETTE S.

GUBAT, NARZES A.

MACAPAAR, SITTIE HANNA R.

PANDA, BAI SANDRA K.

2023
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Title Page ……………………………………………… i

Table of Contents ……………………………………………… ii

Chapter

I. INTRODUCTION 1

II. OBJECTIVES OF THE CASE STUDY 3

III. METHODOLOGY 16

A. PARTICIPANTS OF THE STUDY 16

B. METHOD OF THE STUDY 16

C. TIME FRAME 19

IV. PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS

V. ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION

VI. RECOMMENDATIONS

VII. ANNEXES/APPENDICES 20
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Peer collaboration, which emerged in the United States in the 1970s, specifically

refers to the collaboration among peers or group members, who are expected to

collaborate with each other to facilitate the optimal achievement of common goals while

enabling the construction of individual knowledge in the process of collaboration (Slavin,

2021). Collaborative learning is a promising instructional technique for learning to solve

complex problems (Hesse et al. 2015). However, research shows that its benefits are not

always consistent (Kester and Paas, 2015). Discrepancies may be due to a lack of

knowledge about the many different interacting variables involved in inter-individual

activities (Hogg and Gaffney 2018).

Many teachers have goals of having their students achieve high engagement while

in their classrooms. Teachers strive to find instructional strategies, activities and lessons

while creating an environment where students can achieve that high engagement (Pino-

James, 2017).

In a study conducted by Christy Jirgba, Joel Eriba, and Emmanuel Edoja Achor

on July 2018 entitled “Effect of Peer Collaboration Learning Strategy on Students’

Achievement in Basic Science in Makurdi Local Government of Benue State, Nigeria” it

showed that there is a significant difference between the mean achievement scores of

students taught basic science using peer collaborative learning strategy and those taught
using demonstration method. There was no significant difference between the mean

achievement scores of male and female students taught basic science using peer-

collaborative learning strategy.

Similarly, on a study conducted by Geraldine Gonzaga Nerona entitled “EFFECT

OF COLLABORATIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES ON STUDENT

ACHIVEMEMENT IN VARIOUS ENGINEERING COURSES”, in the Department of

Industrial Engineering, Saint Louis University, Philippines, it concluded that there was an

improvement in the level of performance of the students exposed to the lecture method as

well as collaborative learning from poor in the pretest, to average in the posttest. Students

from both groups had the same base knowledge on the lesson before the conduct of the

experiment. Students engaged in collaborative learning strategies however were able to

obtain a significantly higher level of performance in the posttest as compared to the

lecture group. Students engaged in collaborative learning were able to perform better in

class compared to the lecture group, as evidenced by the positive effect sizes.

This paper attempts to shed light on the effect of peer collaboration among BEEd

students of St. Benedict College of Maguindanao as perceived by their teachers. Through

which, the result of the study may contribute in crafting programs, policies and guidelines

that would improve students’ performance in accomplishing their chosen degree.

 Statement of the Problem

The main focus of the study is to determine the effectiveness of peer collaboration

among Bachelor of Elementary Education students in Saint Benedict College of

Maguindanao Inc. as perceived by their college instructors.

Specifically, this study seeks to find answer to the following question;

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of:

A. Age

B. Gender and,

C. Years of teaching?

2. What is the effectiveness of peer collaboration among Bachelor of Elementary

Education students in St. Benedict College of Maguindanao as perceived by college

instructor terms of:

A. Ineffective

B. Effective
Significance of the Study

The result of the study is significant to the following:

To the Students

The result of the study may help Bachelor of Elementary Education students in

Saint Benedict College of Maguindanao Inc. in assessing the effectiveness of

collaboration among their peers in effectively complying the necessary requirements in

finishing the degree, Bachelor of Elementary Education.

To the Administration of Saint Benedict College of Maguindanao Inc.

The result of this study will serve as baseline data of the leadership of Saint

Benedict College of Maguindanao Inc. in assessing the efficacy of peer collaboration

among their students that would let their college experience in finishing the degree

smoothly and effectively.

The study serves as a guide in formulating policies and guidelines that could

improve the programs of the school in making learning enjoyable.

Scope and Limitation

The study is limited in determining the effectiveness of peer collaboration among

Bachelor of Elementary Education students in Saint Benedict College of Maguindanao

Inc. as perceived by their college instructors. The study will be conducted in 16 College

instructor of Saint Benedict College of Maguindanao Inc. The study will be conducted

from March to June 2023.

Definition of Terms

Peer- one belonging to the same societal group especially based on age, grade, or status.

Collaboration- the action of working with someone to produce or create something.

Peer Collaboration- type of peer learning situation in which students work together,

face-to-face, in a classroom.

Cooperative learning- requires students to work together and help each other in

achieving specific and attainable learning goals. It is more than just simply grouping the

students and assigning them tasks (Macpherson, 2015). Instead, it requires the

cooperation of students as well as their dependence on each other in relation to classroom

goals, tasks, and reward structures (Miller & Peterson, 2002).

Review of Related Literature

The Concept of Collaboration

Collaborative learning has increasingly become important in schools and

organizations. It is the process by which learners interact in small groups to learn

(Slavin 2014). This instructional technique has been broadly studied from different

disciplines and theoretical perspectives (Hmelo-Silver et al. 2018). Consequently, there

are many strategies for designing learning environments based on group work such as

structured academic controversy, reciprocal teaching and division of student teams based

on achievement (Johnson and Johnson 2018) . These techniques have been categorized as

cooperative when group interactions are highly structured to achieve specific learning

goals, and each learner is responsible for a part of the task. Cooperative learning

strategies are mostly conceived from psychological or sociological accounts. This

approach is often strictly governed by rules to aid group members in their interaction and,

as such, is more directive than collaborative learning and is usually strictly controlled by

the teacher (Panitz, 2019). In contrast, collaborative strategies derive mostly from

philosophical and political accounts that suppose that knowledge is a social construction.

Here, group members are expected to share authority and responsibility amongst group

members for group actions (Panitz, 2019). These perspectives advocate that learners

work in small groups and knowledge communities to share, dialogue, and create meaning

around their knowledge and experiences (Oxford, 2017). In this research, although
collaborative learning is used, we have not distinguished between cooperative and

collaborative learning because there are more commonalities than differences between

them in terms of fostering deep learning. For example, learning happens in an active

mode, the teacher plays the role of facilitator, teachers and learners share knowledge,

students work in small-group activities, students must take responsibility for learning,

and learners should develop team skills (Kirschner 2021).

Researchers Wiliam & Bartholomew (2014) conclude that the grouping into

which students are distributed makes a very significant difference in terms of

achievement. In their research, the impact of ability-based groupings was analyzed in

students from 6 schools in London. Findings suggested that higher ability sets (groups)

tended to improve, whereas lower sets (groups) tended to decline in performance,

specifically (Wiliam & Bartholomew, 2014). Often times, peer partnership is most

effective when students of mixed ability are paired together. Researchers have found that

when a “lower-performing” student interacts and engages in collaborative process with a

“higher-performing” student, they are more likely to make ongoing and “cumulative

gain” (Kuhn, 2015).

Collaboration in an educational setting is used in many ways. It can be used to

enhance critical thinking (Jansen, 2014; Mosley et al., 2016), create positive community

feelings with a number of students with similar needs (Contreras Leon & Chapeton

Castro, 2016), provide ‘grit’ through support of teammates (Brennen, 2017; Jacobs, 2016;

Jansen, 2012), and increase academic and social abilities (Jansen, 2018; Roseth et al.,

2018; Sears & Reagin, 2019; Turner et al., 2019; Trespalacios et al., 2019). Offering
opportunities for students to engage themselves in collaborative learning set them up with

tools to be confident and increase their abilities and interests in harder subjects, therefore

helping them become more academically successful.

The literature gave several reasons why students collaboration is important in the

educational setting (Johnson, & Johnson, 2018). Collaboration could be described as the

holy grail of education (Sinatra, Heddy, & Lombardi, 2015) therefore, meaningful

benefits happen when a student is engaged in their learning. However, there is little

agreement on a concrete definition according to Sinatra and her colleagues (2015), as

collaboration varies in the theoretical perspective of the researcher. Some research refers

to student collaboration as the working time in which students are fully involved in an

academic task or plan related to the learning process (Finn & Zimmer 2019). Henrie,

Halverson & Graham (2020) describe, student collaboration appears as focused

involvement in learning. Newmann (2018) defines collaboration as “the student’s

psychological investment in an effort directed toward learning, understanding, or

mastering the knowledge, skills, or crafts that academic work is intended to promote” (p.

99). The most appealing definition of collaboration at school about this research is a

perspective that spans the spectrum, which has been characterized as a multidimensional

construct with behavioral, emotional, and cognitive dimensions (Sinatra et al., 2018).

AGE
 Teachers between the ages of 25 and 35 teach their students during class hour.

Teachers who are between the ages of 60 and 70 are excellent at teaching their student

during class hour.

GENDER

Female and male college instructors have the biggest impact on their student’s

learning. These teachers are finding it useful to teach. Both college instructors continue to

educate and train their students at school.

Impact of Student Collaboration

Researchers Wiliam & Bartholomew (2019) conclude that the grouping into

which students are distributed makes a very significant difference in terms of

achievement. In their research, the impact of ability-based groupings was analyzed in

students from 6 schools in London. Findings suggested that higher ability sets (groups)

tended to improve, whereas lower sets (groups) tended to decline in performance,

specifically (Wiliam & Bartholomew, 2019). Often times, peer partnership is most

effective when students of mixed ability are paired together. Researchers have found that

when a “lower-performing” student interacts and engages in collaborative process with a

“higher-performing” student, they are more likely to make ongoing and “cumulative

gain” (Kuhn, 2017).

Studies link student collaboration to higher achievement in school (Fredricks et

al., 2019) mainly for middle school aged students (Trucano, & Fulmer, 2019). Students
engaged in the classroom develop a sense of belonging, inclusion, and begin to act and

feel like a meaningful part of the classroom (Turner et al., 2018). According to Fredricks

and her colleagues (2016), student collaboration lowers a student’s risk of participating in

delinquent behaviors, substance abuse and experiencing depression. Furthermore,

according to Finn & Zimmer (2020), the practice of remaining engaged results in the

invaluable life skill of persistence. On the other hand, students can experience quite the

opposite when they become disengaged in the classroom. Disengagement from school is

common at middle school, resulting in students pulling away and developing negative

attitudes about school and learning (Turner et al., 2018). Fredricks and her colleagues

(2016) note that teacher identify their most significant challenge as students’

disengagement.

Benefits of Collaborative Learning

Traditional classroom practice supports little group work and collaboration, but

lately, more focus is going toward ways of engaging students to maximize learning

(Jansen, 2022). Findings reveal that collaborative learning significantly enhances critical

thinking in students (Mosley, et al., 2016). Some middle and high school students

perceive certain subjects as hard, and in a sense, fail before even trying, according to

Mosley and his colleagues (2016). Giving students the option of cooperative learning can

offer them tools to improve their confidence and increase interest in harder subjects. A

meta-analysis, encompassing 80 years of research, confirmed that when students are

working productively in cooperative groups, they are more likely to participate, to

develop positive attitudes toward others and content, and to exert more effort (Roseth et

al., 2018). Research also indicates that through group work, students can improve their

genuine engagement in the content, ask better questions and offer meaningful

explanations (Roseth et al., 2018), Collaboration benefits students when working on

difficult tasks in particular because it allows them to make progress as a group (Jansen,

2022). Collaborative learning gives students the support they need in an instructional

environment, having a positive effect on their ability to learn. One study involving 2,141

eighth graders noted a significant positive correlation of 0.71 between social engagement

and academic engagement (Finn & Zimmer, 2022).

Team characteristics become quite apparent to members when they learn that

everyone on the team is learning, and no one team member knows everything. In fact,

according to Jansen (2022), collaboration can even fill in gaps in learning that might

otherwise not be filled by using critical thinking skills needed to provide explanations to

classmates. Learning from each other has a strength that is very empowering (Jansen,

2022). Collaborative learning promotes changes in the classroom beyond academics by

fostering critical social consciousness among students as individuals. Roseth et al. (2018)

found, after their 30-year longitudinal study, that there is a positive interrelationship

between meeting academic and social goals when teachers choose to use cooperative

structures in learning situations. The new collaborative classroom encourages personal

growth and social awareness among participants (Contreras León & Chapetón Castro,

2016). Brennen (2017) went as far to say “whether it’s students, a team or an individual,

our best ‘doing’ happens when we are being our best selves”. Social learning is an
opportunity to overcome disrespectful, rude, and disruptive behaviors that are damaging

at school as well as in society. Learning new content is difficult. It is normal to be

frustrated when trying or learning something new or unfamiliar. Collaborative learning

teaches mindfulness of others and ourselves (Jansen, 2022). Turner and her colleagues

(2014) state, “how classroom participants act together can support students’ value for

learning as well as their beliefs that they can be successful, their willingness to engage,

and how related they feel to others”. This willingness to engage supports students’

personal growth which is an outcome of teacher-facilitated collaboration and students’

dispositions, especially specific to the mathematics classroom, improve over time through

this facilitated collaboration (Jansen, 2022). Moreover, Jansen (2022) reported, after

studying two different techniques for implementing collaboration in the mathematics

classroom, that students’ viewpoints about the subject of mathematics as a “fixed” or

“growth” intellect changed for the better. When humans are more socially and

emotionally aware, and are more effective in thinking, learning, and communicating, they

are prepared to be their best. Human beings are prone to ‘do’ and when humans help

others be their best, they do their best (Brennen, 2017). Hence, the human social element

of collaborative learning fosters the human element of doing. The ultimate goal is to

strive for cooperation beyond the classroom bringing such principles to life and

communities around the world. In addition to increasing academic and social abilities in

students, collaborative learning also strengthens student independence when group

members feel accountable to their teammates (Jacobs, 2016). Well-taught collaboration

has teamwork framed around positive interdependence. Jacobs (2016) suggests examples
of quality collaboration independent, focused activities. These activities include a roster

of individual tasks and due dates with students assessing each other’s ability. Students

giving feedback to individual team members while expressing the gratitude of each

other’s ideas. As well as, creating individual presentations on behalf of the team.

Consequently, if one of the group members does poorly, so does the team; therefore, they

are likely to strive to do well for themselves for the good of the group (Jacobs, 2016).

Sears and Reagin (2018) and Trespalacios et al. (2021) suggest that traditional students

working within collaborative groups might even show increased motivation which leads

to positive gains and learning outcomes.

Peer learning is excellent for both instructors and learners. We all know student

collaboration is fun, but according to research, it has much more benefits than just pure

pleasure. Read on to find out what are the main advantages of peer learning. Don Valley

Academy in a journal posted on 2023 entitled “The Power of Student Collaboration:

What Are the Benefits of Peer Learning” enumerated the following benefits of

collaborative learning:

Higher-level thinking skills are developed

One of the biggest advantages of student collaboration is the promotion of higher-

level thinking. Unfortunately, there is still a popular misconception that working in

groups is more about having fun than learning. Science, however, proves collaborative

learning can help students who are struggling with learning materials.

According to research, traditional passive lectures have a 1.5 times larger chance

of failing. On the other hand, students, which used active learning methods, had a better
performance. When students collaborate, it creates a safe place to ask questions and

create meaningful discussions. That, in turn, enriches the learning process and helps

students become a meaningful part of the community.

It improves leadership skills

Student collaboration is all about working in groups. For it to work, students must

learn how to manage their goals and roles within the group. To have a positive

experience, group members must learn not only how to lead but also to self-manage. In a

way, student collaboration teaches about yourself.

Students can discover their strengths and weaknesses and understand how to

adjust their roles to achieve better results. Regardless of what career path your child may

take, these skills will be essential to their success. Through student collaboration, u learn

how to be leaders also outside of the school’s walls.

It promotes critical thinking

Working in groups is never easy. To solve problems and achieve goals, students

must learn to listen to others and voice their own opinions. With collaborative work,

issues may arise, and then they must use their critical thinking to find a proper solution.

Critical thinking skillsets are crucial in today’s world. When there is so much information

available, it is important to assess what is useful and what is not. Student collaboration

proves to be excellent training for this.

It helps with student relationships

Making friends can sometimes be a challenge, especially for shyer students.

Collaborative learning creates an opportunity where students may improve their

relationships with one another. What is more, it is also a great learning hour on different

personalities.

Group work can help with understanding different perspectives and accepting

opinions that don’t always align with yours. In collaborative learning, students have to

embrace each other’s strengths and find ways to achieve the best result. This will serve as

a preparation for real-life social and employment situations.

CHAPTER ll

METHODS

This chapter presented a brief description of the research design of this study,

research locale, research participants, sampling technique, research instrument, data

gathering procedure and measures.

Research Design
 This study used both quantitative and qualitative research design. The quantitative

approach was used to quantify the data that was gathered. The qualitative approach was used

to determine the Effectiveness of Peer Collaboration among Bachelor of Elementary

Education students at Saint Benedict College of Maguindanao Incorporated as perceived by

college instructors.

Research Locale

The researchers conducted this study at St. Benedict College of Maguindanao,

Inc. (SBCMI), located at Barangay Nituan, Parang, Maguindanao, Del Norte. The

researchers chose this as a locale of the study because the teachers of the said school are

capable of answering the questions prepared by the researchers.

Research Participants

The participants of this study were (16) teachers from St. Benedict College of Maguindanao

Inc, who gave perceptions on part time job on academic performance

Sampling Technique

The sampling technique employed was convenience sampling, in which the researchers

include the individuals who happen to be the most accessible to the researcher.
Research Instrument

A self-made questionnaire will be used in gathering information from the

participants. It has two parts which included questions pertaining to the profile of the

respondents in terms of age, gender and years of experience in teaching. It also included

question pertaining to the effectiveness of peer collaboration among BEED students of

Saint Benedict College of Maguindanao Incorporated as perceived by the teachers.

Scale Range Description Interpretation

5 4.20 - 5.00 strongly agree Participants highly
in favors on the
items of

Data Gathering Procedure

Prior to the conduct of the actual study, a preliminary data was gathered to determine

possible participants of this study. A letter with the consent of the mentor was given to
the institution of St. Benedict College of Maguindanao, Inc. and allowed the pre data

collection. The study was approved for data collection, a letter to the participants is

attached to the questionnaire. The procedure was to distribute the questionnaire to the

participants. For this study, the researchers provided the participants specific instruction

to answer the questionnaire as honestly as possible, and also informed them that their

answer was treated with utmost confidentially. The accuracy was in the data gathered; the

researchers established rapport with the participants.

Measures

Since this study was quantitative-qualitative research, the statistical measures used are the

frequency, percentage, distributions, and standard deviation. These descriptive statistics

is employed to interpret and analyze the data gathered.

APPENDIX A

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

Part I. Profile

Direction: Below are some statements that describe the profile of the participants. Kindly

check the line before the number that corresponds to your answer.

A. Age

25-35 years old

36-40 years old

41-50 years old

51-60 years old

61-70 years old

B. Gender

Male

Female

C. Years of Experience

Less than 10 years

10-20 years

21-30 years

Part II. Effectiveness of Peer Collaboration

Direction: Below is a question that describe effectiveness of peer collaboration among

BEED students.

1. How effective peer collaboration among BEED students of Saint Benedict

College of Maguindanao Incorporated?

a. Ineffective

b. Effective