College of Education
Teacher Education Department
ACTIVELY PROMOTING COLLABORATIVE LEARNING THROUGH THE UTILIZATION OF
BREAKOUT ROOM ON ZOOM AMONG 3RD GRADE STUDENTS OF JULIANO C. BROSAS
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
A Classroom-Based Action Research Submitted
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
Research in Early Childhood Education
By:
Kate S. Carillo
Sofia Michiko O. Eviza
Carla Jian G. Fenomeno
Patricia L. Gomez
Jenina Cristina R. Kho
Darlyn Anne A. Panganiban
Dr. Rhodora S. Crizaldo
Research Adviser
June 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract ………………………………………………………………………….. 3
Chapter I: Introduction ……………………………………………………………….. 4
Chapter II: The Problem …………………………………………………………….. 6
Scope and Limitation ………………………………………………….. 7
Significance of the Study ………………………………………………..8
Chapter III: Conceptual Framework ……………………………………………….. 9
The Intervention ……………………………………………………..……9
Research Paradigm …………………………………………………….. 10
Hypothesis ………………………………………………………………. 11
Operational Definition of Variables …………………………………...11
Chapter IV: Methods of Research ……………………………………………………12
Research Design ………………..………..………………………………12
The Respondents ……………….……………………………….………12
Treatment of Data ………………..……………………………….………12
Chapter V: Result and Discussion ……………………………………………………13
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………….20
Recommendation …………………………………………………………. 21
References ……………………………………………………………………………...22
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Abstract
According to Davis, Gough, and Taylor (2019), misconceptions about expectations, time
management, and interpersonal interactions may be a barrier for students to online learning.
Teacher-researcher discovered that the activities provided by the teachers at Juliano Brosas
Elementary School is lack of student-to-student interaction, making it impossible for them to
participate in group projects or activities and preventing them from developing interpersonal skills
like listening, communication, leadership, teamwork, conflict resolution, and emotional
intelligence. The purpose of this study is to address the lack of collaborative learning in
synchronous online classes among third graders from Juliano C. Brosas Elementary School's
section CAR. The researcher randomly selected the participants by conducting a head and tail
strategy where all respondents had an equal chance to be part of a controlled or experimental
group. The respondents were divided into two groups; experimental and controlled groups. Both
were given a pre-test and post-test that consists of a survey. The survey questions consist of 6
different skills with regards to their collaborative skills including listening, teamwork, leadership,
communication, emotional, and conflict resolution skills. The results of the survey show that
synchronous classes that incorporate collaborative learning are better for students' social
learning, peer support, and help. Additionally, it gave them the opportunity to directly raise their
final grade through group participation. On this basis it is recommended that the teachers should
foster and provide appropriate allotted time to the learner’s disposition for collaborative learning
as a key to success in developing their intrapersonal skills.
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CHAPTER I
Introduction
Our country, the Philippines, is one of the five countries in the world that have not started
in-person classes thoroughly since the pandemic began, affecting the right to learn of more than
27 million Filipino students as the Coronavirus Disease 2019 also called COVID-19 pandemic. It
expanded worldwide to instigate online courses and the beginning of distance learning supported
by the development of technology. According to Davis, Gough, and Taylor (2019) that student
barriers to online learning might be a misinterpretation of expectations, time management, and
interpersonal communication. The rapid transition from face-to-face teaching methods to online
learning has pressured schools into the flow of learning which is full of entanglement and
limitations; limitation of teaching strategy, students collaborative learning and teaching-learning
equipment. And the limitations that negatively affect the quality of distance learning are the
interaction problem, students’ communication and listening skills, their participation in the learning
process, creative problem-solving skills, socialization, and language development in using Zoom
for their distance learning.
Teacher-researchers have observed that the given activities by teachers have no student-
to-student interaction which makes them unable to have a group work or group activities and are
not able for them to strengthen their interpersonal skills such as listening, communication,
leadership, teamwork, conflict resolution and emotional skills. This experimental study was
conducted with the participation of thirty grade 3 students (fifteen students in the controlled group
and fifteen students in the experimental group) in the Juliano C. Brosas Elementary School to
promote collaborative learning. Our cooperating school uses Zoom as their online teaching
platform that provides quality audio, video, and screen sharing which makes it great for online
learning with other engagement components within its application such as the chat, record,
whiteboard, and emoji features to interact with the students and by giving activities to assess the
student’s prior knowledge, to learn and to determine if they completely understand the learning
content. Thus, one of the top features using Zoom is that there is a breakout room that is
separated from the main room.
The two groups (controlled and experimental) were compared by giving pre-test, a set of
questions before the intervention and post-test, a set of questions after the intervention; questions
concerning their interpersonal skills. The changes of their collaborative learning were examined
using breakout rooms on Zoom and the result revealed that through interaction, these breakout
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rooms may be an effective tool for teachers to engage a collaborative learning approach. The
opportunity to work collaboratively can help students to develop critical thinking and improve their
skills. With collaboration, students can interact with other students in order to solve problems they
cannot solve individually (Grau & Whitebread, 2012) and to develop higher-order thinking skills
(Oliveira et al., 2011). Using breakout rooms on Zoom in their collaborative learning is an effective
approach in predicting the success of the distance learning environment and student satisfaction
(Lee et al., 2020; Maddrell et al., 2017). The intervention was conducted under the main issue on
how to improve student’s interpersonal skills through the breakout room on Zoom.
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CHAPTER II
The Problem
A. General
Actively Promoting Collaborative Learning through the Utilization of Breakout Room Feature on
Zoom among 3rd Grade Students of JCBES
B. Specific
This study aims to address the lack of collaborative learning on synchronous online classes
among 3rd grade students from section CAR through the use of Breakout Room on Zoom during
the 4th quarter of Academic Year 2021-2022 at Juliano C. Brosas Elementary School.
In particular, it seeks answers to the following questions:
1. What will be the condition of the interpersonal skills of the controlled group and
experimental group prior to the implementation of the group activity?
2. What will be the influence of the implementation of group activity using the Break Room
feature on Zoom on the interpersonal skills of the experimental group?
3. Will there be a significant difference in the interpersonal skills of the students not exposed
to group activity?
4. Will there be a significant difference in the interpersonal skills of the experimental group
with the implementation of group activity using the Break Room feature on Zoom?
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C. Scope and Limitation
This study will focus on addressing the absence of collaborative learning on synchronous
online classes among the third grade students from section CAR of Juliano C. Brosas Elementary
School. This study was conducted with the use of breakout room feature on zoom application for
the 4th quarter academic year 2021-2022 with a duration of 15 weeks. In addition, this study did
not include any of the other disciplines taught in primary education apart from the English subject.
The respondents were limited to only 30 students, wherein they were randomly selected into
two groups; there were 15 students assigned to the experimental group, while 15 students
assigned to the controlled group. The remaining third grade students from section CAR were not
included in the study since they chose modular distance learning.
The respondents' interpersonal skills and types of collaborative learning tasks were used as
dependent and independent variables in the study. Thus, the researcher used inferential analysis
with the purpose of obtaining comprehensive insights towards the significant relationship of the
two variables. Moreover, this study administered a 12-item pre-test and post-test using 3-point
likert scale as a data-gathering tool which became the basis of the t-test. In addition, the statistical
tools used were frequency, percentage, mean, and independent sample t-test. An alpha level of
significance was set to .05. The raw data was processed using Microsoft Excel.
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D. Significance of the Study
The primary purpose of this study is to address the impact of lack of collaborative learning,
particularly on the synchronous online class of the Grade 3 students from section CAR of Juliano
C. Brosas Elementary School. This study was of great significance in the field. The researchers
presumed that its yield data will not only be significant for them, more so to the following groups
of people:
The Learners. Exclusively, the Grade 3 students of Juliano C. Brosas Elementary School were
the primary beneficiaries of this study as it focused on identifying the effectiveness of collaborative
learning in relation to their interpersonal skills under the new normal. Given this, they will be more
conscious and acquainted with the aforesaid circumstance.
The Educators. This study can highly encourage teachers to actively promote collaborative
learning among primary students as their socio-emotional skills, specifically interpersonal skills,
are required to be cultivated in the early years of their life, regardless of the situation in the new
normal.
The School Administrators. The result of the study can to assist school administrators in terms
of monitoring and evaluating standardized and competence-based curriculum implemented in the
school to ensure that delivery of instruction fosters students’ 21st century skills particularly the
collaboration one. Moreover, the yield data can be utilized to empower teachers in terms of
making their instruction actively respond to the students' social skills.
The Future Researchers. The yield data of this study is further intended to assist future
researchers in understanding the influences of collaborative learning on interpersonal skills
particularly among the primary students on synchronous online classes
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CHAPTER III
Conceptual Framework
A. The Action or The Intervention
Lack of collaborative learning on synchronous online classes based on the cooperating
teacher’s account has been rooted to various circumstances such as 1-hour allotted time per
class session and the status of the internet connection of both students and teacher. However,
the absence of collaborative learning on synchronous online classes could be addressed with the
help of a virtual meeting application, namely zoom; where the teacher can use breakout rooms
for efficiently facilitating collaborative learning.
The participants of the study will be subjected to an hour of their English class session where
they will be expected to participate in a group activities that are created by the teacher-
researchers in line with their current lesson and collaboratively work on it on Zoom for two weeks
consecutive sessions.
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The ADDIE Model is a design framework that provides effective methods for implementing
the said courses, programs, and/or intervention. The figure below is the ADDIE Model constructed
by the teacher-researchers to conduct the study. The flow of the study is as follows:
B. Research Paradigm
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Fig. 1 Research Paradigm
Figure 2 provides the general model and the basic pattern of how the variables will be associated.
As shown, the objective of the study is to determine the effectiveness of having online group
activity on the students’ interpersonal skills.
C. Hypothesis (Null Hypothesis)
The following hypothesis are stated below:
Ho: There will be no significant difference in the interpersonal skills of experimental group with
regards to not having collaborative learning on the synchronous online class at JCBES
Ho: There will be no significant difference in the interpersonal skills of controlled group with
regards to not having collaborative learning on the synchronous online class at JCBES.
D. Operational Definition of Variables
To facilitate the understanding of this study, different terms are defined herein:
Breakout Room- Is one of the features from the zoom application. This feature allows the host
to separate from the main Zoom meeting into private sessions. In this study, this feature will be
used as a communication tool in order to carry out group activities among the Grade 3-CAR
students of JCBES.
Collaborative Learning- it is an instruction method in which the teacher divides the class into
small groups with the aim to facilitate their learners to become active in sharing their thoughts and
ideas with their group members and cultivate their interpersonal skills.
Controlled group- This refers to the selected group of learners who will not be exposed to the
implemented intervention, hence the 15 random Grade 3 students of JCBES.
Experimental Group- This refers to the selected group of learners who will be exposed to the
intervention, hence the 15 random Grade 3 students of JCBES.
Zoom- A video platform application used by the Grade 3 students of JCBES. This is where the
teacher-researchers will initiate the breakout room for the experimental group.
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CHAPTER IV
Methods of Research
A. Research Design
The research design used by the researchers was True Experimental design. The
research design was applied to compare the controlled and experimental groups in determining
the effectiveness of the study's intervention given to the respondents of the experimental group.
The study will allow the researchers to know the effectiveness of collaborative learning in the new
learning mode.
B. The Respondents
The study's respondents were the grade three (3) students of Juliano C. Brosas
Elementary School who officially enrolled for 2021-2022. The researcher randomly selected the
participants by conducting a head and tail strategy where all respondents had an equal chance
to be part of a controlled or experimental group. There are fifteen (15) students in the experimental
group, and the controlled group has fifteen (15) respondents. A total of thirty (30) respondents
participated in the said study.
C. Treatment of Data
Statistical Treatment
In this research study, the following statistical formulas will be used to synthesize and
analyze the data gathered.
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CHAPTER V
A. Results and Discussion
This chapter shows the presentation, analysis, discussion, and interpretation of the data
gathered by the teacher-researchers through quantitative methods. This study aimed to
statistically compare the interpersonal skills of the Grade 3-CAR students with and without group
activity.
The respondents were divided into two groups; experimental and controlled groups. Both
were given a pre-test and post-test that consists of a survey. The survey questions consist of 6
different skills with regards to their collaborative skills including listening, teamwork, leadership,
communication, emotional, and conflict resolution skills. Each skill has two items that consist of
positive and negative traits based on such skills. Respondents were asked to choose their best
answers based on the given range from 3- Palagi, 2- Minsan to 1- Hindi kahit Kailan
The respondents were expected to be as honest as they can when answering these questions,
for their anonymity is preserved.
Statement of the Problem 1: What will be the condition of the interpersonal skills of the (1)
controlled group and (2) experimental group prior to the implementation of the group activity?
Table 5.1 Pre-test results of Controlled Group
Collaborative Skills Question No. Majority* Pre-test
(Pre-test) (frequency)
Listening Skills 1 3 12
2 1 12
Teamwork Skills 3 3 11
4 2 12
Leadership Skills 5 2 11
6 3 11
Communication Skills 7 2 8
8 3 9
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Emotional Skills 9 3 10
10 2 8
Conflict Resolution Skills 11 3 7
12 1 9
Total 120
Mean 10
* 3- Palagi, 2- Minsan, 1- Hindi Kahit Kailan
Table 5.2 Pre-test results of Experimental Group
Collaborative Skills Question No. Range that has Pre-test
majority of answers* (frequency)
Listening Skills 1 3 14
2 1 13
Teamwork Skills 3 3 9
4 2 14
Leadership Skills 5 2 11
6 3 12
Communication Skills 7 2 7
8 2 12
Emotional Skills 9 3 10
10 2 9
Conflict Resolution Skills 11 3 9
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12 1 11
Total 131
Mean 10.917
* 3- Palagi, 2- Minsan, 1- Hindi kahit Kailan
Table 5.1 and 5.2 has shown the total scores per item on the pretest of both (1) controlled and
(2) experimental groups. The results yielded were based on the range that got the highest
respondents that will then be also used as the basis on each groups’ post-test.
According to the table, the mean score of the controlled group is ten (10), while the experimental
group acquired ten-point nine hundred-seventeen (10.917). It clearly presented that both groups,
before the group activity's implementation, found only minimal difference. The data shows that
most participants were unsure about their interpersonal skills due to Covid-19 restrictions. One of
the negative aspects of distance learning is that it lacks communication with fellow students and
teachers (Germanov, Korolkov, Langueva, et al., 2020), and encouraging students to work
together on a specific task should be crucial in the modern educational process (Chan & Chan,
2011).
Statement of the Problem 2: What will be the influence of the implementation of group activity
using the Break Room feature on Zoom on the interpersonal skills of the experimental group?
Table 5.3 Post-test results of Experimental Group
Collaborative Skills Question No. Majority* Post-test
(Pre-test) (frequency)
Listening Skills 1 3 14
2 1 7
Teamwork Skills 3 3 12
4 2 7
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Leadership Skills 5 2 5
6 3 4
Communication Skills 7 2 12
8 2 4
Emotional Skills 9 3 11
10 2 8
Conflict Resolution Skills 11 3 11
12 1 6
Total 101
Mean 8.4167
* 3- Palagi, 2- Minsan, 1- Hindi kahit Kailan
The table above shows the post-test results of the experimental group after the implementation
of the group activity in their English class. Considering questions number 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12,
or the odd numbers as negative traits of interpersonal skills in students, it resulted in a low total
mean of eight-point four thousand one hundred sixty-seven (8.4167) from fifteen (15)
experimental participants. The overall data present that implementing a group activity using the
Break Room feature on Zoom influences the interpersonal skills of the said participants. It is visible
that in an online learning environment, conducting collaborative activities helps students develop
reflection skills and critical thinking. (Hill and Hwa-Koh, 2009) In addition, Conrad and Donaldson
(2004) argue that collaborative activities involving student idea-sharing and other forms of
interaction trigger content processing.
Statement of the Problem 3: Will there be a significant difference in the interpersonal skills of the
students not exposed to group activity?
Table 5.4 Significant Difference result between the most chosen answered questions from Pre-
test and Post-Test in Controlled Group
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Computed Degree T-critical Values at P-value Interpretation Decision
T-Test of alpha= 0.05 level of
Value Freedom significance
0.0921314 22 2.073873 0.3669 Without Accept Ho
Significant
Difference
Using Microsoft Excel, the teacher-researchers used independent t-test to show the yielded result
after conducting pre-test and post tests on the controlled group of Grade 3-CAR students. In terms
of the pre and post test results, it has calculated a t-test value of 0.0921314 which signifies a
significant value of 0.3669. Evaluating all the computation, the teacher-researchers failed to reject
the null hypothesis because the computed t-test value is less than the t-critical value (2.073873).
Therefore, it can be suggested that there is no statistically significant difference in the
interpersonal skills of the students not exposed to group activity. The results of the study affirmed
the conclusion of Laal and Laal (2012) wherein they stated that students develop particular
competencies when they are in the process of collaborative learning, particularly their higher-level
thinking, critical thinking, oral communication, leadership, and conflict management skills.
Statement of the Problem 4: Will there be a significant difference in the interpersonal skills of the
experimental group with the implementation of group activity using the Break Room feature on
Zoom?
Table 5.5 Significant Difference result between the most chosen answered questions from Pre-
test and Post-Test in Experimental Group
Computed Degree T-critical Values P-value Interpretation Decision
T-Test of at alpha= 0.05
Value Freedom level of
significance
2.1184 22 2.073873 0.0457 With Significant Reject Ho
Difference
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Table 5.5 showed the Significant difference result between the most chosen answered questions
from the pre- test and post-test in the experimental Group. The teacher-researchers used
independent t-test to show the yielded result after conducting pre and post tests on the
experimental group of Grade 3-CAR students. In terms of the pre and post test results, it has
calculated a t-test value of 2.1184 which signifies a significant value of 0.0457. Evaluating all the
computations, the teacher-researchers reject the null hypothesis which states that there is no
significant difference in the interpersonal skills of the experimental group with the implementation
of group activity using the Break Room feature on Zoom. This is because the computed t-test
value is less than the t-critical value (2.073873), which is evidence to suggest that the difference
on the mean scores of the pre and post test scores of the experimental group is statistically
significant.
These results of the study are supported by the previous study of Dillenbourg. (1999) where he
stated that learning occurs in a collaborative setting through particular activities that can only
occur between peers (such as explaining, arguing, questioning, answering, reasoning, and co-
creating knowledge. Such activities set off certain cognitive processes that are exclusively
activated during collaborative learning.
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Conclusion
A teacher conducting collaborative learning in the classroom allows students to exchange
thoughts, opinions, and suggestions about specific content. However, when the pandemic hits, it
lessens the chance to give collaborative activities to students because of COVID-19 restrictions.
These are the no face-to-face classes, lack of time, and unprepared students and teachers to
implement blended learning immediately.
As the researchers are future educators of the 21st century, they examined and put action
on what if the Grade three (3) students of Juliano C. Brosas Elementary School utilize
collaborative activities through Breakout Room on Zoom. Inferential statistical analysis is the
method that will be used to conclude. It allows users to infer or conclude trends about a larger
population based on the analyzed samples. It takes data from a sample and then makes
conclusions about a larger population or group. The survey results answer that, amid the negative
aspects of Covid-19 on conducting collaborative activities with students, it will still work if provided
with how students develop their interpersonal skills. The results and discussion of the researchers
in Chapter 5 state the condition of the interpersonal skills of the controlled and experimental group
prior to the implementation of the group activity that participants were unsure about their
interpersonal skills, and found that there is the only minimal difference among them.
Meanwhile, after the group activity happened, the controlled group post-test showed no
significant difference from the given pre-test in their interpersonal skills since they could not get
exposed to others. On the other hand, when the researchers implemented the group activity in
the experimental group, it showed in the group's post-test that it had significant differences. It
showed that it influenced the learners' interpersonal skills in reflecting, interacting with others
through Zoom Breakout Room, and having peer-to-peer learning.
Overall, the survey findings that conducting and integrating collaborative learning in
synchronous classes benefit the students' social learning, peer help, and peer support. In addition,
it allowed them to improve their final grade directly through group participation. (Chiong &
Jovanovic, 2012)
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Recommendations
This experimental study revealed the influence of the implementation group activity using the
breakout room feature on Zoom on the interpersonal skills of the experimental group. Thus, the
following recommendations are presented:
1. Teachers should foster and provide appropriate allotted time to the learner’s disposition
for collaborative learning as a key to success in developing their interpersonal skills.
Moreover, carefully planning group activity for the learners is preferable in which students'
prior experiences, developmental level, and cultural knowledge are taken into account.
2. Officials of the Department of Education may consider to create combined efforts to
develop a new policy and funds that would support the full implementation of the proposed
intervention program to further enhance the interpersonal skill of students in the midst of
online distance learning modality.
3. School administrators should continue to use and explore video conferencing platforms
and applications like breakout rooms on Zoom and Messenger which are more convenient
and accessible. In addition, monitoring and evaluating the written and taught curriculum
prepared and delivered by the teacher should be put into practice weekly.
4. Future researchers should consider the potential influence of active promotion of
collaborative learning through the utilization of breakout rooms on zoom and future studies
should aim to replicate results in a larger context and location.
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