Improving the Role of Free Rider in Cooperative

Learning: The Case of Information Technology

Department in the Section of Hardware and
Network Servicing Students, Misrak Poly-
Technic College

An Action Research proposal

By: Asnake Bogale

March, 2024
Misrak Poly-Technic College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Contents
1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................................1
1.1. Background of the Study..................................................................................................................1
1.2. Statement of the Problem..................................................................................................................2
1.3. Research Questions...........................................................................................................................3
1.4. Objectives of the Study.....................................................................................................................3
General Objective................................................................................................................................3
Specific Objectives...............................................................................................................................4
1.5. Scope of the Study............................................................................................................................4
1.6. Limitation of the Study.....................................................................................................................4
2. Literature Review....................................................................................................................................5
3. Research Methodology............................................................................................................................8
4. Data Analysis..........................................................................................................................................8
9. References...............................................................................................................................................9

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 1. Introduction
1.1. Background of the Study
Cooperative learning is the new and the highly expanding
pedagogy in the world. It generates a diversified body of
methods of instruction which organizes students 'to work
in groups towards a common goal or outcome, or share a
common problem or task in such a way that they can
succeed in completing the work through behavior that
demonstrates interdependence, while holding individual
contributions and efforts accountable' (Brody &
Davidson, 1998). There are different reasons for the
expansion of cooperative learning; it combines and
promotes academic and social skills, the increase of
diversity in classrooms everywhere opens the door for
cooperative learning and it is consistently supported by
research (Sheran, 2010).

The expansion in cooperative learning has also reached in

Ethiopia and it was adopted by the government. In all

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higher institutions cooperative learning is the mandatory
to apply, even though it differs accordingly with the
nature of the subject.

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1.2. Statement of the Problem

Cooperative learning as a method of teaching has so many

advantages which are proved by different researches. For
example, cooperative learning helps the students to
benefit from each other's knowledge, meaning it bears
value to all (Geri McArdle, Kemberly D. Clements, Kim
Hutchinson-Lendi, 2005). In addition to this, each
member of the group is accountable for sharing his/her
knowledge with the rest of the group. So they will learn to
shoulder responsibility starting from their young age. The
other advantage is related to encouragement they deliver
each other to achieve good results for the group. They are
expected always to be supportive to each other and this
helps them to forge a friendship from the bottom of their
heart. This friendship helps them to achieve good results
and to be successful (Negangard, Andrea Sue 1992).

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But cooperative learning has different challenges in the
process of implementation. When we look at the literature
the following is highly discussed as problems with
cooperative learning. These are the problem of
Hitchhikers, dominant personalities/perfectionists, giving
and receiving peer review, coverage of the whole course
and evaluating the output. The Hitchhikers are members
of the group, who are shy to participate in the group,
while the dominant personalities are the reverse of the
Hitchhikers. They always try to dominate the discussion
of the group and try only to voice out their idea. The
coverage and evaluation challenges are for the teacher and
they are also important. In addition to this there are also
students who fail to deliver their share in the group
discussion, but try to share the fruit of the group.

The free rider problem is one of the problems. "Free-

riding" in cooperative learning especially group work
occurs when one and several members of a group
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contribute so little to a group project that if the same
grade is given to all members of the group, the grade
would be misleading and unfair. The problem has two
dimensions; the first, understanding of the material by the
group members and the second is about the contribution
of each group member in the group work process. In
group work, it is expected that each group members to
have equal understanding (but not the same) of the
material given for the group. And also it is expected that
each members of the group participate in the discussion
and contribute his/her own part for the common
understanding of the group. But these two expectations
are mere wishes in the group works that we observe in the
class room, due to the free-rider problem. This is also the
situation in our case study; the Hardware and Network
Servicing level four students.

In the group works at this level, only two of the members

have responsibilities, and the workload is only on the
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team leader. Therefore, the other members of the group
are free-riders, meaning that they share the fruit of the
group without contributing by their own ability. This
problem has two implications. The first is for the method
of delivering cooperative learning through group work, in
which it fails to achieve its objectives of sharing
knowledge to each member. The free-riders will not get
the expected knowledge rather they only get the grades.
The second is the workload for the group/team leaders, in
which they are always loud their voice not to be elected as
leader. For the group leaders, group work is not a method
that helps them to share their knowledge and to get from
their friends; rather it is an additional responsibility. This
is because the group work is additional workload to them.
So, it is important to study the reasons for free-riding and
the extent of the problem, which helps to take remedial
actions.

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Therefore, this action research is prepared to study the
free-rider problem of group members and hence improve
active group participation by avoiding the free-rider
problem within the students’ 1to 5 group networking.

1.3. Research Questions

The research will try to answer the following research
questions up on completion:
o What are the reasons that make students free rider
in cooperative learning?
o What are the possible solutions that can minimize
the free rider problem?
o How can the teacher intervene in cooperative
learning to minimize the free rider problem?
o What are the additional intervention areas to be
considered by the teacher and other stakeholders
to minimize the problem?

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1.4. Objectives of the Study
General Objective
The general objective of the study is to avoid/minimize
the problem of free rider among cooperative learning
groups by applying different strategies.

Specific Objectives
Specifically, the research has the following specific
objectives:
To identify the reasons for the free rider problem
in cooperative learning.
To identify the possible solutions to the free rider
problem in the cooperative learning.
To intervene the above possible solutions in
cooperative learning groups to reduce the free
rider problem.
To identify additional works needed to reduce the
free rider problem.

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1.5. Scope of the Study

If the study uses longitudinal data the result will be better.

But due to time pressure and resource scarcity, it will be
done on a single class, on Information technology
departments in the section hardware and Network
servicing level four students. The class is active and the
action research will continue to be undergone by the
researchers and the intervention will be undertaken on the
process once and it will continue to be implemented.

The section, hardware and Network servicing level four

regular program, the study will be conducted on 21
students who will be grouped into five 1 to 5 networking
groups. Therefore, this study will be conducted on these
students to understand the reasons and the extent of the
free-rider problem and the actions that have to be taken to
reduce the problem. Finally, the finding of the study then

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will be expanded to other departments in order to solve
the existing free-rider problem.

1.6. Limitation of the Study

The study will be better if it has been made for a long

period of time, especially for a year. But due to different
problems, this is not possible. The other limitations that
are related with this action research are the burdens for
the researchers, which reduce their ability to follow up
the effects of the actions on students’ participation in
group works.

Even though, the above points were challenging, the

researchers will try a lot to reduce these problems by
using different opportunities that help us contributing
positively to the action research purpose. Hence, it is
better for other instructors in the department and other
lecturers of the college to solve the same problem with
through action research.
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 2. Literature Review

The use of instructional strategies that require students to

be more actively involved in the learning process in
currently strongly advocated for tertiary education in
Ethiopia. Group learning /peer learning is therefore
provides such an educational strategy. It essentially
refers to students learning within a group and from each
other as fellow learners without any implied authority to
any individual, based on the tenet that ‘students learn a
great deal by explaining their ideas to others and by
participating in activities in which they can learn from
their peers’. In cooperative learning, students will
construct their own meaning and understanding of what
they need to learn. Essentially students will be involved
in searching for, collecting, analyzing, and evaluating,
integrating and applying information to solve a problem
(Boud, 2001). So, cooperative learning has more
importance.

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According to Roth and Roychoudhury (1993:143),
cooperative learning is the convenient way to support the
construction of individual knowledge of the members in a
variety of ways. When learners are required to explain,
elaborate, or defend their position, they construct a deep
understanding because they have to evaluate, integrate,
and elaborate upon their existing knowledge. Learning
through cooperative problem solving gives rise to insights
and solutions that would not come about without them.

This view is also supported by Hertz-Lazarowitz, Baird

and Lazarowitz (1994:70) and Wise (1996:338), when
they indicate that cooperative learning creates a classroom
learning environment which contributes to the positive
perception of students have towards social and cognitive
aspects of the learning process, since learners are able to
make more friends and practice more helping behavior.
They hold that cooperative learning creates a classroom
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environment in which learners listen to each other,
develop love for peers, exchange ideas and be on task
most of the time. Learners learn to cooperate and
cooperate to learn and to achieve common goals. They
also come to feel for their classmates in every aspect of
life since they get the chance to know each other.
Communication abilities of listening and questioning as
well as the learner’s polite and assertive interaction are
improved. Since cooperative learning requires learners to
be both physically and mentally engaged, it makes them
to construct knowledge in the process.
Biggs (2003) argued that the learning process depends on
the level of student-student interaction and student-
teacher interaction in a conducive learning environment.
The formation of appropriate interactive groups and the
effective use of materials with clear instructions are
essential tools in the teaching-learning process. On the
other hand, Oakley & et al (2004) strongly believe that
students should be involved in discussion that is strongly
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interactive. This enhances student cooperation for positive
learning outcomes and confidence building. According to
Johnson and Johnson (1985) where group interactions are
strong, student learning outcomes are more desirable and
a higher level of self-esteem is achieved. This produces a
more open learning environment where students speak out
more freely with confidence and acquire related skills.
By this process, the students are also encouraged to assist
their peers, thus promoting more effective learning.
Where the instructor intends to apply interactive learning,
specific strategies are needed. This has to be identified
and practiced in a constructive way to monitor group
characteristics and behavioral trends to maximize the
interaction and the learning process. Besides, discussing
issues with one another in the group and supporting each
other’s’ ideas with reasoning enhances student learning
and builds self-confidence. Furthermore, a strong sense of
positive interdependence among group members builds
better coordination and helps in the exchange of ideas.
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The formation of groups is also an important task in the
process of enhancing interaction. Groups in classrooms
are often formed without a strategic view of their purpose.
Even though some tasks may be assigned to groups of
students, there is little support for student interactions
within groups to make learning effective. Students are
rarely trained for group work, while teachers have doubts
about, and lack effective strategies for setting up and
managing group work in classrooms. Instead, students
work individually. The instructors should be instrumental
in the formation of groups based on appropriate strategy
to enhance the interaction. For example, weaker students
should be coupled with the stronger ones, to facilitate the
learning and interaction. If stronger and weaker students
are combined in the groups, the weaker ones are able to
gain from the stronger students in tackling the assigned
tasks. In this way, but indirectly, the weaker students are
receiving peer tutoring. On the other hand, the stronger
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students gain confidence in the subject matter and hence
are encouraged to interact in the teaching and learning
process. Furthermore, continued interaction could
transform the peer groups into effective teaching-learning
team. Therefore, to set out clear guidelines for team
functioning and formulate a common set of expectations
for the group task. Failing to do this could result in
adverse outcomes for the weaker groups, which could
have long-term adverse outcomes. Normally, the stronger
students tend to seek other stronger ones leaving the
weaker students to group with each other (Oakley& et al,
2004).

One of the challenges that the cooperative learning faced

is the free-rider problem. This problem happens mostly in
group works and it happens when one or more members
of the group contribute so little to the group project but
they will get a similar grade. This grade is a misleading
one and unfair because it is considered as paying for

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someone who do not produced an output or contributes to
the production. Students may develop this behavior
because of different reasons. This can be individual
behavior, like fearing failures and lack of communication
skill. Other reason may be the management system that
group leaders use in the group work. therefore
understanding the reasons for free-rider problem and
taking corrective measures is important.

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 3. Research Methodology

This action researcher will be used both quantitative and

qualitative approaches to understand the free rider
problem in the classroom and to examine the effect of the
interventions by the teacher. First to understand the
problem of free-rider and its extent a structured
questionnaire will be distributed to all 21 students of the
class. In addition to the questionnaire, key informant
interview will be made by selecting out five students.
These students will be selected based on their
performance in the classroom. From the sample
interviews, three will be group leaders, while the others
are member of the 1 to 5 networking group. To make the
information more articulate, the researcher will be tried
to make triangulation by observing how workout are
done through their groups. The observation is divided in

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to two; the first will be with appointment by telling all
the group members. The second type is accidental
observation, only by getting information from the group
leaders when they will have a group work.

4. Data Analysis

The questionnaire will be analyzed quantitatively using

the Likert Scale from strongly disagree – to strongly agree
using percentages. The data collected through semi-
structured interview will be analyzed qualitatively and
situational conditions in to consideration.

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9. References

Biggs, J. (2003). ‘Changing University Teaching’ In Teaching for Quality Learning, 2nd ed.
London: University London.
Bound D.(2001). Introduction: Making the move to peer learning, Londen: Kogan.
Geri McArdle, Kemberly D. Clements, Kim Hutchinson-Lendi. (2005). The Free Rider and
Cooperative Learning Groups: Perspective from Faculty Members. Online
Submission. ERIC- Educational Resources Information Center. Paper
Presented at the Academy of Human Resources Development International
Conference (AHRD) (Estes Park, CO) pg.535 (Symo.23-1)

Johnson, D. W. & Johnson, R. T. (1985). Student-Student Interaction: Journal of Teacher

Education.
Negangard, Andrea Sue. (1992). The Effect of Cooperative Learning Versus Lecture Discussion
on Student attitudes and Achievement in a Mathematics Methods Course for
Preservice Elementary School Teachers. DAI-A 53/02, pg.470. Dissertation,
Ohio University , USA.

Oakley, B., Felder, R. M., Brent, R. and Elhajj, I. 2004. Turning Student Groups into Effective
Teams, New Forums Press, Vol. 2, No. 1

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