The Second International Conference on Education and Language (2nd ICEL) 2014 ISSN 2303-1417

Bandar Lampung University (UBL), Indonesia

IS COOPERATIVE LEARNING APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTIONAL

METHODOLOGY TO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF
CURRICULUM 2013 IN INDONESIA?:
THEORETICAL AND CULTURAL ANALYSIS

Yanuar Dwi Prastyo

Lecturer, Bandar Lampung University, Indonesia
PhD Student, University of Limerick, Ireland

Corresponding email: yanuar@ubl.ac.id

Abstract
Cooperative Learning (CL) is one of the instructional methodologies which have gain international
attention in the globalization era. Cooperative learning is now utilized in schools and universities
throughout most of the world in every subject area and from preschool through graduate school and adult
training program (Johnson & Johnson, 2009). In hundreds of studies, cooperative learning has been
associated with gains in such variables as achievement, motivation, social skills, intergroup relation, and
attitudes toward school, self, and others (Dornyei, 1997; Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 1998; Johnson,
Johnson, & Stanne, 2000; Slavin, 1996). Recently, some techniques of cooperative learning have been
adopted by a number of teachers in Indonesia. At the same time, the Government of Indonesia through The
Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC) introduced new curriculum, called curriculum 2013, in order
to improve their education quality. As the main objectives of Curriculum 2013 are to improve students’
attitudes, skills, and knowledge (Republik Indonesia, 2012), there will be a need to be changes in the
approaches to learning and teaching to be more learner-centred. This has implications for the needs of
teacher training and development programs as well as instructional methodology appropriate to support the
curriculum 2013. There is a requirement to provide more active learning in the classroom. This paper as
part of larger study part of the Structured PhD in TESOL program University of Limerick, Ireland, is
aimed at exploring if cooperative learning, which intends to include and engage learners and therefore
promote active learning, is appropriate instructional methodology to support the implementation of
Curriculum 2013. This paper argues that cooperative learning is an effective instructional methodology to
support, and therefore achieve, three main objectives of Curriculum 2013.

Keywords: cooperative learning, instructional methodology, curriculum 2013, Indonesian culture.

1. INTRODUCTION
Education is very crucial to cultivate human resources to keep the existence and to ensure the bright
future of the nation (Aziz, 2011). Education is also hoped to be able to prepare human resources needed by
the nation as an economic and productive agent to produce industrial product and service for our daily
necessities. Udosen (2014) proposes that education or manpower production is a function of the curriculum
and its delivery modes which can only be as good as its teacher. This statement implies that there are at
least two important factors influencing the success of the education process. These include curriculum
which must be relevant and functional and its delivery mode which depends on the teachers’ competence
and resourcefulness.
Curriculum is defined as an educational program consist of educational objectives, content, teaching
procedures, learning experience, and assessment (Richards et al, 1992 cited in Aziz, 2011). In Indonesia,
the Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible to prepare, implement, and evaluate curriculum for
national education. Indonesian curriculum has been changed many times. Recently, the Ministry of
Education and Culture introduced the new curriculum called curriculum 2013.

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Curriculum delivery embodies the strategies, techniques, approaches, methods and resources media
which teachers employ to facilitate learning. It means that the success of curriculum is depending on the
implementation of theorized curriculum into actual curriculum. Teacher as the main actor in education has
a very crucial role in translating the theorized curriculum into actual curriculum. Teachers need to
understand the curriculum and have a good competence to deliver it in their classroom. Strategy or
instructional methodology used by teacher plays important roles in the success of a certain curriculum.
Cooperative learning as has been claimed to be one of the greatest success stories in the history of
educational field (Slavin, 1996) is quite a recent paradigm in the field of education in Indonesia. However,
its theories and principles are actually not new for Indonesians. The principles which rely on positive
interdependence, individual accountability, and face-to-face promotive interaction to arrive at the common
goal are similar to the concept of gotong royong and musyawarah-mufakat which are undoubtedly an
innate belief of Indonesians.
This paper as part of larger research part of the Structured PhD in TESOL, University of Limerick,
Ireland, is not aimed at evaluating the implementation of curriculum 2013, but is intended to explore the
appropriacy of cooperative learning to support successful implementation of curriculum 2013.
This paper argues, through the literature reviewed and analyses of cultural differences, that cooperative
learning is an effective instructional methodology to support, and therefore achieve, three main objectives
of curriculum 2013. There are two main supporting arguments in this claim. First, the learning theories
underlying the development of curriculum 2013 are in line with the theories underpinning of cooperative
learning. Second, even though cooperative learning is quite new instructional methodology in the field of
education in Indonesia, its principles are actually not new things for Indonesians. The basic principles
which are the essence of cooperative learning are in accordance with the cultural values in Indonesia.

2. CURRICULUM 2013, INDONESIAN CULTURAL VALUES, AND COOPERATIVE LEARNING

In this section the discussion on curriculum 2013, Indonesian cultural values, and cooperative learning
are presented in order to explore if cooperative learning is an appropriate instructional methodology to
support the implementation of curriculum 2013 in Indonesia.
2.1. Curriculum 2013
In the document of curriculum 2013 (Republik Indonesia, 2012), it is stated that among many factors of
educational resources, curriculum is identified to be able to contribute significantly to achieve the
development of learners’ potentials. Curriculum which is developed on the basis of competence is
indispensible instrument for directing students to be: 1) qualified people who are able and proactively
addressing the challenges of their changing era 2) educated people who are faithful to God, noble
character, healthy, knowledgeable, capable, creative and independent and 3) democratic and responsible
citizens. The development and application of competency-based curriculum is one of the national
education development strategies as mandated by the law number 20 of 2003 regarding ‘National
Education System’ (Republik Indonesia, 2003).
The functions of national education are to develop the knowledge, to build the character and dignified
civilization in order to enlighten the life of people. National education is aimed at developing learners’
potential to become faithful to God, noble character, healthy, knowledgeable, capable, creative,
independent, and become democratic and responsible citizens (Republik Indonesia, 2003). To achieve the
functions and the objectives of national education, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia through
the Ministry of Education and Culture designs curriculum for its education. The new curriculum, called
curriculum 2013, is designed and developed based on competency-based curriculum as stipulated by the
law number 20 of 2003 regarding the national education system (Republik Indonesia, 2003; 2012).
The difference between current curriculum and previous curriculum is that it focuses on outcomes and
provides a high degree of flexibility in its content. This enables teachers to be responsible, to a large extent,
for what is actually taught. This acknowledges the professionalism of teachers by using bottom up
approach to curriculum development.
There are four bases for the current curriculum improvement; the juridical base, the philosophical base,
the theoretical base, and the empirical base. The Juridical base states that the bases of curriculum are
Pancasila, National Constitution of 1995, Law number 20 of 2003 regarding National Education System,
Government act number 19 of 2005 regarding Graduate Standard, and Ministry of Education and Culture
act number 22 of 2006 regarding Content Standard (Republik Indonesia, 2012).

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The Philosophical base of curriculum improvement suggests that based on the functions and objectives
of national education, curriculum improvement must be rooted from the national cultures, the current lives,
and the future conditions of the nation. This stipulates that education is a process of developing the
students’ potentials so that they are able to inherit and develop the national culture. Education must also
prepare students for their life in the future based on the current situation of the nation.
The theoretical base of curriculum improvement states that curriculum is developed based on the theory
of standard-based education and competence-based education. Standard-based education refers to the
education which sets the national standard as the minimum outcomes quality for every curriculum. The
minimum outcomes quality then is stated in the graduate competence standard (Standar Kompetensi
Lulusan/SKL) for every education level or unit. The graduate competence standard includes attitude,
knowledge and skills (Republik Indonesia, 2005). Graduate competence standard then is divided into each
education level includes graduate competence standard for Elementary School (SD), Junior High School
(SMP), Senior High School (SMA), and Vocational High School (SMK). The graduate competence
standard includes three components; process, content, and the implementation coverage of process and
content. Process is the minimum ability to learn and to process the content to be competence. Content is
the skills dimension which is going to be achieved by education. Coverage is the minimum environment
where the competence is used and it shows the gradation among education levels and education pathways.
Meanwhile, the Empirical base of curriculum improvement refers to the need of society to prepare
competent human resource to face the economic development of the country, and the needs of the society.
Therefore, curriculum should be able to prepare required manpower or human resource to face the
political, economic, and social challenges of the country.
Teacher is the main education actor who develops the idea and plan (theorized) in curriculum to be a
learning process (implementation). The teacher’s understanding of curriculum determines teacher’s lesson
plan implemented in the learning process. This has implications for the needs of teacher trainings and
development programs as well as instructional methodology appropriate to support the successful
implementation of curriculum 2013. In the next section, the theoretical and cultural analyses are conducted
to explore if cooperative learning is an appropriate instructional methodology to support the
implementation of curriculum 2013.
2.2. Cultural Values in Indonesia
In order to explore if cooperative learning is appropriate instructional methodology to support the
implementation and to attain the objectives of curriculum 2013, the cultural values of the context in which
curriculum 2013 is implemented and the appropriacy of cooperative learning need to be discussed.
According to Magnis-Suseno (1996 cited in Sihombing and Feriadi, 2011) Indonesian culture is a
pluralistic culture which involves many tribe cultures such as Javanese culture, Bataknese culture,
Sundanese culture, and others. Even though there are many tribe cultures in Indonesia but there are
dominant core values that Indonesian people held. The most prominent values held by Indonesian people
gotong royong (mutual assistance) and musyawarah mufakat (deliberation and consensus) are presented in
this section.
Gotong royong can be literally translated as “mutual assistance” (Dewi, 2007, p.4). Gotong royong can
also be defined as a community-based and supportive ethics system derived from the Javanese village
tradition of communal work and responsibility, in which the individual has certain moral obligation to the
wider society (Rigg et al,1999 cited in Subejo, 2009). Furthermore, Bowen (cited in Dewi, 2007) proposed
that gotong royong has a deeper meaning in society “it calls up images of social relations in a traditional,
smoothly working, harmonious, self-enclosed village in Java, where labour is accomplished through
reciprocal exchange, and villagers are motivated by a general ethos of selflessness and concern for the
common good” (Dewi, 2007,p.5).
In gotong royong concept, mutual assistance helps to ensure that community members carry comparable
loads and thereby share the burden of economic and social survival. In fact, gotong royong does not only
satisfy public purposes but also private needs. This cultural value held by Indonesian people is in
accordance with the positive interdependence, individual accountability, and face-to-face promotive
interaction principles of cooperative learning (see below). In cooperative learning, students are encouraged
to work together for a common goal, held individual accountability for the shared work, and motivate and
help each other to attain their goal. The value of gotong royong which exist in the society can be brought in
and enhanced through the learning processes in the classroom. This value then can be implemented in the
students’ society. So, there are reciprocal processes and benefits in the society and the classroom to

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acknowledge and enhance students’ cultural values. Therefore, it can be argued that cooperative learning is
an appropriate instructional methodology to be applied in Indonesian classroom to support the
implementation and the success of curriculum 2013.
Another prominent value held by Indonesian people is musyawarah-mufakat (deliberation and
consensus). Musyawarah and mufakat are traditional decision-making rule in Indonesia which has often
been observed in village meetings (Kawamura, 2011). Kawamura, further, argues that this musyawarah-
mufakat decision-making rule is still employed even in a modernized and democratized Indonesia, not only
at rural assemblies but in the national parliament as well. It suggests that musyawarah-mufakat is one of
Indonesian cultural values held by all Indonesian people.
Musyawarah and mufakat grew out of a cooperative spirit that underlies the village sense of community
in Indonesia. Musyawarah is an important manifestation of the gotong royong ethos in Indonesia. The
concept involves the processes that develop general agreement and consensus which emerge the
unanimous decision or mufakat. Koentjaraningrat (1967 cited in Kawamura, 2011) states that this
unanimous decision can be reached by a process in which the majority and minorities approach each other
by making the necessary readjustments in their respective viewpoints, or by an integration of the
contrasting standpoints into a new conceptual synthesis. Musyawarah and mufakat thus exclude the
possibility that the majority will impose its views on the minorities.
The value of musyawarah and mufakat can be seen as in line with the face-to-face promotive interaction
principle of cooperative learning where students are encouraged to discuss to reach a consensus and the
new understanding. The value of musyawarah and mufakat can also be seen as in accordance to the
principles of cooperative learning which involve all students (low, medium and high achiever) into the
classroom discussions and activities. Every student is important part of the learning process.
2.3. Cooperative Learning
Theories Underlying Cooperative Learning
Olsen and Kagan (1992, cited in DelliCarpini, 2009) define cooperative learning as group learning
activity organized so that learning is dependent on the socially structured exchange of information between
learners in groups and in which each learner is held accountable for his and her own learning and is
motivated to increase the learning of others. The definition implies that cooperative learning encourages
the students to work together to achieve common goals and held accountable for individual contribution to
the attainment of the group goals. In this learning model, students are encouraged being able to work
cooperatively with others, work independently in their specific part and contribute to the group, and also to
motivate and support each other to attain their specific goals. This is, then, in accordance with the cultural
values in Indonesia such as gotong royong and musyawarah-mufakat.
In hundreds of studies, cooperative learning has been associated with gains in such variables as
achievement, motivation, social skills, intergroup interaction, and attitude toward schools, self, and others.
Research on cooperative learning has also suggested positive effect on the students’ attitudes, knowledge,
and skills which are three main objectives of curriculum 2013. Therefore, cooperative learning which
intends to include and engage learners and therefore promote active learning is argued as an appropriate
instructional methodology to support the implementation and to achieve the objectives of curriculum 2013
in Indonesia.
Slavin (1996) describes four major theoretical perspectives to explain the achievement effects of
cooperative learning. They are the motivational perspective, the social cohesion perspective, the cognitive-
developmental perspective, and the cognitive elaboration perspective.
The Motivational perspective on cooperative learning focus primary on the reward or goal structures
under which students operate (Slavin, 1996). The rewards structure in cooperative learning creates
situations where group members attain their personal goals if and only if the group is successful. Therefore,
to meet their personal goals, group members must both help their groupmates to do whatever helps the
group to succeed and, perhaps even more importantly, to encourage their groupmates to exert maximum
efforts. Deutsch (1949 cited in Wang, 2009) indentifies three goal structures: cooperative, in which each
individual’s goal-oriented efforts contribute to others’ goal attainment; competitive, in which each
individual’s goal-oriented efforts prevent others from reaching their goal; and individual, in which an
individual’s goal-oriented effort have no connection with others’ goal attainment.
This motivational perspective of cooperative learning is in line with the spirit of gotong royong (mutual
assistance) in Indonesian culture. In the spirit of gotong royong, Indonesian people are motivated by a

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general ethos of selflessness and concern for the common good where labour is accomplished through
reciprocal exchange (Dewi, 2007). In the curriculum 2013, students are also encouraged to work actively
and are motivated to work with other students in their learning processes in the classroom. Therefore,
cooperative learning is argued as an appropriate instructional methodology to support the implementation
and to achieve the objectives of curriculum 2013.
Meanwhile, the social-cohesion perspective believes that students will help one another learn because
they care about one another and want one another to succeed. Slavin (1996) argues that the underlying
practices of the social cohesion perspective is an emphasis on teambuilding activities in preparation for
cooperative learning and processing or group self-evaluation during and after group activities. Indonesian
people believe in the concept of tolerance where each member of communities care about other members
and willing to help when any member of communities have any problem. This social-cohesion perspective
of cooperative learning then can involve the Indonesian cultural values as the source and the product to be
enhanced through cooperative learning group activities in the classroom. Therefore, from the social-
cohesion perspective, cooperative learning is perceived to be appropriate to support the implementation
and to achieve the objectives of curriculum 2013.
The cognitive developmental perspective believes that interactions among students around appropriate
tasks will in themselves increase students’ achievement for reasons which have to do with mental
processing of information rather than with motivations (Slavin, 1996). The cognitive developmental theory
is mainly based on the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky. Jean Piaget (1926 cited in Slavin, 1996, p.49) held
that “social-arbitrary knowledge – language, values, rules, morality, and symbol systems – can only be
learned in interactions with others”. He proposed that when individuals co-operate in the environment,
healthy socio-cognitive conflict occurs that create cognitive disequilibrium, which in turn stimulate
perspective-taking ability and cognitive development. Meanwhile, Lev Vygotsky defines the zone of
proximal development as the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by
independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem
solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers. He believes that cooperative
efforts to learn, understand, and solve problems are essential for constructing knowledge and transforming
the joint perspectives into internal mental functioning. In this view, cooperative activity among children
promotes growth because children of similar ages are likely to be operating within one another’s zone of
development. For both, Piaget and Vygotsky, working cooperatively with more capable peers and
instructors results in cognitive development and intellectual growth. This cognitive development
perspective supports the success of curriculum 2013 to improve the students’ attitude, skills, and
knowledge. When students are working with others from different cultural background and ability level
cooperatively, they will be able to improve their attitude towards others, interpersonal and social skills, and
academic achievement.
The cognitive elaboration perspective holds that if information is to be retained in memory and related
to information already in memory, the learner must engage in some sort of cognitive restructuring, or
elaboration of the material. One of the most effective means of elaboration is explaining the material to
someone else. Slavin (1996) suggests peer tutoring as an elaboration technique where one student takes the
role of explaining the material or information and the other student takes the role of listener. In Indonesia,
there is a culture and practice held by students to study together after school where students exchange their
understanding of the lesson by explaining to each other and discusses their different understanding to
arrive at a common conclusion. Therefore, cognitive elaboration perspective underlying cooperative
learning is appropriate to support and enhance group study practices in Indonesian education and society.
The Principles of Cooperative Learning
In order for a lesson to be cooperative, five basic elements or principles are essential and need to be
included (Kyndt, Raes, Lismont, Timmers, Cascallar, and Dochy, 2013 p.135). First of all, students have to
experience a positive interdependence. They need to perceive that they are connected with the other group
members in a way that they cannot succeed unless the others do. Secondly, individual accountability is
needed to make sure each student is an active member to do their part of the group work. The performance
of each individual has to be visible to the rest of the group. Face-to-face promotive interaction is another
element of cooperative learning. This will take place when the group can give feedback to one another and
encourage other group members to achieve by helping and assisting them. The fourth elements that is
necessary for effective cooperative learning to take place is the presence of social and interpersonal skills,
such as leadership, decision-making, trust building, communication, and conflict-management skills.

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Finally, group processing occurs when group members regularly discuss and assess which actions were
effective for achieving the goal.
Johnson and Johnson (1989) contend that understanding the basic principles of cooperative learning
allows teachers to a) adapt cooperative learning to their unique circumstances, needs, and students and b)
fine-tune their use of cooperative learning to solve problems students are having in working together.
Cooperative learning, with these five basic principles which are in accordance with the Indonesian values
of gotong royong and musyawarah-mufakat is believed to be an appropriate instructional methodology to
support the implementation and to achieve the objectives of curriculum 2013.
Cooperative Learning Techniques
One factor, among others, contributing to the widespread use of cooperative learning, as suggested by
Johnson et al., (2000), is the variety of cooperative learning techniques available for teacher use, ranging
from very concrete and prescribed to very conceptual and flexible. Johnson et al., (2000) classify
cooperative learning techniques on the continuum of direct to conceptual. More direct cooperative learning
techniques consist of well defined procedures that teachers are supposed to follow in an exact, lock-step
way while more conceptual cooperative learning techniques consist of conceptual frameworks teachers use
as a template to overlay lessons and activities they structure to fit their specific circumstance. They suggest
that a direct cooperative learning technique may be easy to use initially, can be performed without
integrating framework into basic teaching patterns, aimed at a specific subject area and grade level, and
difficult to adapt to changing condition. Conceptual technique, on the other hand, may be hard to learn,
difficult to implement initially, integrated into basic teaching patterns and thus maintained long-term,
applicable to all subject areas and grade levels, and easy to adapt to changing conditions.
Discussing all different cooperative learning methods or techniques would lead us too far, however,
Johnson et al., (2000) list ten cooperative learning techniques which have received the most attention:
Complex Instruction (CI), Constructive Controversy (CC), Cooperative Integrated Reading and
Composition (CIRC), Cooperative Structures (CS), Group Investigation (GI), Jigsaw, Learning Together
(LT), Student Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD), Teams-Games Tournaments (TGT), and Team
Assisted Individualization (TAI). The availability of variety of cooperative learning techniques resulting
that almost any teacher in Indonesia can find a way to use cooperative learning that is congruent with his or
her philosophies and practices. Teachers also have the freedom to choose and apply specific cooperative
learning techniques appropriate to their subjects, curriculum objectives, classroom context, and students’
needs. The availability of various cooperative learning techniques supports that cooperative learning is an
appropriate instructional methodology to support the implementation and to achieve the objectives of
curriculum 2013 in Indonesia.
Type of Cooperative Learning Groups
Formal cooperative learning, informal cooperative learning, and cooperative learning base groups are
three ways to use cooperative learning group proposed by Johnson et al., (1998). Formal cooperative
learning group is a type of cooperative learning where students working together, for one class period over
several weeks to achieve shared learning goals and complete jointly specific tasks and assignments (such
as decision-making or problem-solving, completing a curriculum unit, writing a report, conducting a
survey or experiment, or reading a chapter or reference book, learning vocabulary, or answering questions
at the end of the chapter). Informal cooperative learning consists of having students work together to
achieve a joint learning goal in temporary, adhoc groups that last from a few minutes to one class period.
During a lecture, demonstration, or film, informal cooperative learning can be used to a) focus student
attention on the material to be learned b) set a mood conducive to learning c) help set expectations as to
what will be covered in a class session, d) ensure that students cognitively process the material being
taught, and e) provide closure to an instructional session. Cooperative base groups are long term,
heterogeneous cooperative learning groups with stable membership. The purposes of the base group are to
give the support, help, encouragement, and assistance each member needs to make academic progress
(attend class, complete all assignments, learn) and develop cognitively and socially in healthy ways. The
use of base groups tends to improve attendance, personalize the work required and the school experience,
and improve the quality and quantity of learning.
The availability of these three types of cooperative learning groups allows teachers to integrate
cooperative learning in step by step mode. Teachers have the choices to implement cooperative learning in
accordance to their specific learning objectives, classroom situations, student’s needs and wants, or even

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based on the teacher’s mastery and readiness to incorporate cooperative learning into their teaching
believes and practices. These facilities in cooperative learning, available for the teachers, are argued to be
able to support the implementation and to achieve the objectives of curriculum 2013.
In addition, Richards and Rodgers (2001) state that cooperative learning does not assume any particular
form of language syllabus, since activities from a wide variety of curriculum orientations can be taught via
cooperative learning. This is, again, supports the notion that cooperative learning is appropriate
instructional methodology to support the implementation and to achieve the objectives of curriculum 2013
in Indonesia.
Johnson, Johnson and Holubec (1994) state that cooperative learning ought to do: a) raise the
achievement of all students, including those who are gifted or academically handicapped b) help the
teacher to build positive relationships among students c) give students the experiences they need for
healthy social, psychological, and cognitive development d) replace the competitive organizational
structure of most classrooms and schools with a team-based, high-performance organizational structure.
This suggests that cooperative learning involve active learning and be able to support the achievement of
curriculum 2013 objectives which are to improve the students’ attitudes, skills, and knowledge.
Some Considerations
It has been argued that cooperative learning is an appropriate instructional methodology to support the
implementation and to achieve the objectives of curriculum 2013. However, there are some aspects that
education practitioners and teachers need to be aware of in their attempt to incorporate cooperative
learning in the curriculum 2013.
Johnson et al., (1998) state the complexity of cooperative learning structures may hinder teachers to
apply cooperative learning in their classroom. Richards and Rodgers (2001), further, note that cooperative
learning place an additional burden on teachers who may not be comfortable and have difficulty adapting
to the new role in their classroom. The condition where many students do not understand how and are not
able to work cooperatively with others in groups also needs careful attention. Students may also resist
changes in instruction and pressure faculty or teacher to continue to lecture. Therefore, the availability of
resources and teacher training and development programs on applying cooperative learning effectively in
their classroom are needed.
Teachers are also may be reluctant to change their teaching methodology due to the competitive
approach instilled in the national examination (Ujian Nasional/UN) in Indonesian Education system and
that alternative methods may not deliver hoped for exam results. Competitive approach is applied not only
in individual classrooms but with teacher against teacher, school against school, and authority against
authority. As a result, many teachers will predominantly use traditional lecture style lesson and ensure that
their course are covered.
The analysis of cultural dimensions (Prastyo, Mishan, & Vaughan, 2014) also suggests the potential
drawbacks for the application of cooperative learning in Indonesian context. For example, there is potential
inappropriacy of the face-to-face promotive interaction principle of cooperative learning with the concept
of group harmony in Indonesian cultural values.

3. CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH

The literature reviewed and analyses of cultural dimensions suggest that cooperative learning will be an
effective instructional methodology to achieve three main objectives of curriculum 2013. When the five
principles of cooperative learning are structured appropriately in the classroom and teachers choose
appropriate cooperative learning techniques to be applied in their specific and special circumstances,
cooperative learning has a great potential to support the implementation and to achieve the objectives of
curriculum 2013 in Indonesia. This is also supported by the analysis of cultural dimensions which suggests
that cooperative learning principles are in line with the Indonesian value of gotong royong and
musyawarah-mufakat. However, teachers need to be aware of the cultural differences between western
cooperative learning cultures and eastern Indonesian cultures that may hinder the successful application of
cooperative learning. Teachers also need to adjust cooperative learning principles and techniques
appropriately depending on the students’ needs and characteristics to be able to apply cooperative learning
effectively and support the implementation of curriculum 2013.
From the discussions in this paper, it is clear that empirical research on the effectiveness of cooperative
learning in supporting curriculum 2013 needs to be conducted. Studies on the teachers’ perceptions,

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beliefs, and their actual classroom application of cooperative learning are also needed. There is a need also
for empirical study on the appropriacy of cooperative learning in Indonesian cultural values.
The writer believes that cooperative learning has the potential to support the implementation and to
achieve three main objectives of curriculum 2013. The writer’s Doctoral research focuses on the impact of
cooperative learning on communicative competence, interethnic interaction, and motivation of university
students in Indonesia.

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