Students’ Attitudes Toward Small Group Discussion in The Academic Reading Class

Abstract

Small group discussion (SGD) is a way to implement cooperative learning, which is more student-centered than teacher-centered, where students interact and cooperate with each other to achieve individual and group goals. Some research studies have shown the benefits of small group discussion based on students’ point of view. This study aimed to know whether the students’ attitudes toward SGD in this context is similar or different to the previous findings and to assess the students’ attitude toward small group discussion in the Academic Reading class of students majoring in English Language Education of the Faculty of Languages and Arts at Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana (UKSW), Salatiga. The method of this research study was quantitative descriptive by using Likert-scale and open-ended questionnaire. The result of this study found that 76 participants had positive attitude toward SGD. Their positive attitude regarding how they learned, how much they learned, and how much they enjoyed learning in the small group. Therefore, small group discussion was suitable to be implemented in this course to enhance the learning process. What needs to keep in mind is that each group member should be willing to do his/her responsibilities in order to achieve the group’s goal.