Exploring EFL Students’ Lived Experiences Working in Single-Gender and Mixed-Gender Groups: A Phenomenological Study

Emelya Putri Mulfina; Sari Karmina; Niamika El Khoiri

doi:10.32939/tarbawi.v20i1.3239

Authors

Emelya Putri Mulfina Universitas Negeri Malang
Sari Karmina Universitas Negeri Malang
Niamika El Khoiri Universitas Negeri Malang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32939/tarbawi.v20i1.3239

Keywords:

EFL Students, Group Work, Mixed-Gender Group, Phenomenological Study, Single-Gender Group

Abstract

Group work (GW) is one of the strategies teachers employ to organize students and let them participate in collaborative tasks to achieve their learning-centered goals. The formation of single-gender (SG) and mixed-gender (MG) groups cannot be avoided in GW. Thus, this research aimed to explore EFL (English Foreign Language) students’ lived experiences working in SG and MG groups. A qualitative study using a phenomenological approach was conducted. The data were collected from three rounds of semi-structured interviews with eight participants. They were selected through three steps of online screening with some criteria. The research was conducted at one of the state universities in East Java, Indonesia. Van Kaam’s method, modified by Moustakas (1994), was used to analyze the data. This research revealed two main results: positive and negative experiences reported by students in both the SG and MG groups. In the SG group, the themes include effective communication, postponed GW tasks, and a better environment. In contrast, in the MG group, the themes encompass ineffective communication, solid members, and ineffective time management. In short, two positive and one negative theme are mentioned in SG groups, while one positive and two negative themes emerge in MG groups. As a result, the core aspects revealed include communication, individual contributions and responsibility, and productivity and efficiency while working in groups. This present research adds more comprehensive theories of GW related to students' gender and helps students and teachers be more aware of GW related to gender aspects.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abulhassan, A. B. A., & Hamid, F. I. E. (2021). Perception and Interest of English Language Learners (ELL) toward Collaborative Teaching; Evaluation towards Group Activities. English Language Teaching, 14(5), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v14n5p1

Alfares, N. (2017). Benefits and Difficulties of Learning in Group Work in EFL Classes in Saudi Arabia. English Language Teaching, 10(7), 247-256. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v10n7p247

Almasri, F. (2022). The impact of e-learning, gender-groupings and learning pedagogies in biology undergraduate female and male students’ attitudes and achievement. Education and Information Technologies, 27(6), 8329–8380. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-10967-z

Almasri, F., Hewapathirana, G. I., Alhashem, F., Daniel, C. E., & Lee, N. (2022). The effect of gender composition and pedagogical approach on major and non-major undergraduates biology students’ achievement. Interactive Learning Environments, 31(10), 7287–7319. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2066138

Al-Shi̇Bel, A. G. (2021). Gender differences in classroom interactions and preferences. Dil ve Dilbilimi Çalışmaları Dergisi, 17(1), 534–552. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.903496

Anthony, P. J., & Weide, J. (2015). Motivation and Career-Development Training Programs: Use of Regulatory Focus to Determine Program Effectiveness. Higher Learning Research Communications, 5(2), 24–33. https://doi.org/10.18870/hlrc.v5i2.214

Bennett, T. (2015). Group Work for the Good: Unpacking the Research behind One Popular Classroom Strategy. American Educator, 39(1), 32-43. https://www.aft.org/ae/spring2015/bennett

Burrowes, N., & Day, J. (2011). Offender Experiences and Opinions of Mixed-Gender Group Work in the Community: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 55(7), 1154–1165. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X10381063

Candy, G. M. (2013). Exploring the use of single gender groups in physics practical activities to enhance learning. Published Thesis. The University of Birmingham. https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.1283.9040

Chang, Y., & Brickman, P. (2018). When Group Work Doesn’t Work: Insights from Students. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 17(3), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.17-09-0199

Chen, J., Lin, T. J., Anderman, L. H., Paul, N., & Ha, S. Y. (2021). The role of friendships in shy students’ dialogue patterns during small group discussions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 67, 102021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2021.102021

Cohen, E. G., & Lotan, R. A. (2014). Designing Groupwork: Strategies for the Heterogeneous Classroom Third Edition. Teachers College Press.

Cohen, M., & Mullender, A. (2002, December 19). Gender and Groupwork. Routledge & CRC Press. https://www.routledge.com/Gender-and-Groupwork/Cohen-Mullender/p/book/ 9780415080576

Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches Second Edition. SAGE Publications. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-13099-000

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2016). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches Fourth Edition. SAGE Publications.

Dashela, T., & Mustika, Y. (2022). Gender differences in English language learning. Jurnal Ilmiah Spectral, 8(2), 092-105. https://doi.org/10.47255/f8aa1v48

Feng, Q., Luo, H., Li, W., Chen, T., & Song, N. (2023). Effects of gender diversity on college students’ collaborative learning: From individual gender to gender pairing. Heliyon, 9(6), e16237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16237

Fenoll, A. A., & Zaccagni, S. (2022). Gender mix and team performance: Differences between exogenously and endogenously formed teams. Labour Economics, 79, 102269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2022.102269

Gebru, M. S. (2019). Challenges and Opportunities in Using Focus Group to Study Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Groups. Published Thesis. Hacettepe University. https://acikerisim.hacettepe.edu.tr:8443/server/api/core/bitstreams/96c6965a-9a7e-4287-bf70-43a71cebb093/content

Gnesdilow, D., Evenstone, A., Rutledge, J., Sullivan, S., & Puntambekar, S. (2013). Group Work in the Science Classroom: How Gender Composition May Affect Individual Performance. In CSCL (2) (pp. 34-37). https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.1718.5285

Guo, M. (2018). Female Students’ Academic Engagement and Achievement in Science and Engineering: Exploring the Influence of Gender Grouping in Small Group Work in Design-Based Learning Contexts in High School Biology. Dissertation. University of Massachusetts Amherst. https://doi.org/10.7275/12765143

Hamed, F. (2022). The Role of Group Work in Enhancing EFL Students’ Motivation The Case of Second year Students of English at the University of Biskra. Published Thesis. University of Biskra. http://archives.univ-biskra.dz:80/handle/123456789/21194

Harputlu, L., & Erarslan, A. (2019). Turkish EFL Learners’ Appraisal of Group Work in Speaking: Self and Peer Reflections. The Literacy Trek, 5(1), 1-22. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/literacytrek/issue/46271/448704

Ibnian, S. S. K. (2012). Group Work and Attitudes of Non-English Major Students towards Leaning EFL. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2(4), 192-197. https://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/vol_2_no_4_special_issue_february_2012/24.pdf

Jiang, M., Li, Y., Zheng, J., & Han, X. (2017). Gender group differences on behavior patterns in collaborative problem solving through LEGO. Journal of Computers in Education, 4(2), 127–145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-017-0082-9

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2018). Cooperative Learning: The Foundation for Active Learning. In S. Manuel Brito (Ed.), Active Learning—Beyond the Future. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.81086

Joo, M. H. (2017). Students’ group work contribution: Influence of work preference, gender, and individual assessment. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 45(1), 19–28. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.5385

Kamal, Z. (2022). Gender Agenda in Classroom and Student Educational Outcomes. Published Dissertation. University of Bamberg. https://doi.org/10.20378/irb-56410

Karmina, S. (2019). Understanding Indonesian Teachers’ Beliefs About and Practice of Cooperative Learning Through an Ecological Model: A Multiple Case Study. Published Dissertation. The University of Auckland. http://hdl.handle.net/2292/49690

Karmina, S., Philpot, R., & Dyson, B. (2023). Exploring Students’ Perspectives Working in Single and Mixed-Gender Groups in Cooperative Learning: A Case Study From Indonesia. In The Routledge International Handbook of Gender Beliefs, Stereotype Threat, and Teacher Expectations. Routledge. https://hdl.handle.net/2292/67881

Lin, Y. T., Wu, C. C., Chen, Z. H., & Ku, P. Y. (2020). How gender pairings affect collaborative problem solving in social-learning context. Educational Technology & Society, 23(4), 30-44. https://doi.org/10.30191/ETS.202010_23(4).0003

Lindsay, T., & Orton, S. (2011). Groupwork Practice in Social Work. SAGE Publications.

Ma, L., Luo, H., Liao, X., & Li, J. (2022). Impact of Gender on STEAM Education in Elementary School: From Individuals to Group Compositions. Behavioral Sciences, 12(9), 308. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12090308

Mahmud, M. (2018). Gender Differences in English Language Teaching. The Asian EFL Journal, 20(5), 290-294. https://www.asian-efl-journal.com/wp-content/uploads/AEFLJ-volume-20-issue-5-may-2018.pdf

Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological Research Methods. SAGE Publications.

Olshefski, J. (2004). The effect of different-sex and same-sex cooperative learning groups on achievement. Published Thesis. Rowan University. https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1208

Poort, I., Jansen, E., & Hofman, A. (2022). Does the group matter? Effects of trust, cultural diversity, and group formation on engagement in group work in higher education. Higher Education Research & Development, 41(2), 511–526. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1839024

Rajabzadeh, A. R., Long, J., Saini, G., & Zeadin, M. (2022). Engineering Student Experiences of Group Work. Education Sciences, 12(5), 288. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12050288

Riwoe, C. E., Lerik, M. D. C., & Benu, J. M. (2022). Social Loafing Behavior in Group Task Completion of University Student. Journal of Health and Behavioral Science, 4(3), 460-468. https://doi.org/10.35508/jhbs.v4i3.7330

Shaberina, S., Junining, E., & Wardani, S. (2023). Students’ Perception in Group Work Based on Gender Stereotypes in EFL Classroom. Journal of English Education and Teaching, 7(1), 18-32. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.7.1.18-32

Smith, K. (2021). How Gender Composition affects Collaborative Small Group Work and Female’s Attitudes towards STEM at the Upper-Elementary School Level. Thesis. St. Catherine University. https://sophia.stkate.edu/maed/411/

Thomas, G. (2022). How to Do Your Research Project: A Guide for Students 4th edition. SAGE Publications.

Waragh, I., & Suwaed, H. (2021). The perceptions of Libyan EFL university students towards the use of group work in their speaking classes. European Journal of English Language Teaching, 6(3), 76-85. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v6i3.3595

Wilson, K. J., Brickman, P., & Brame, C. J. (2018). Group Work. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 17(1), fe1. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.17-12-0258

Zulfikar, Z. (2022). Reducing EFL Learners’ Speaking Anxiety through Selective Error Correction and Group Work. LET: Linguistics, Literature and English Teaching Journal, 12(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.18592/let.v12i1.6391