Developing Life Skills through Cooperative Learning Models in Aquatic
Activities
Hendi Suhendi, Ricky Wibowo and Nova Kania
Faculty of Sport and Health Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia,
Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi No. 229, Bandung, Indonesia
Keywords: Cooperative Learning, Aquatic Learning Activities, Life Skills.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to develop life skills through cooperative learning model in aquatic learning
activities. To achieve this aim, a classroom action research was employed. The participants were 35 fifth
grade students, consisting of 19 males and 16 females. The primary data source was structured observation
sheets using indicators adapted from Beamish (2012). The observation took place during the process of
teaching and learning. The secondary data sources were interviews and field notes. The research was divided
into two cycles, consisting of four actions. Every action was in the form of game in which the participants
were required to make movements. The games varied; some used tools, and some did not. Based on data
analyses, it was concluded that the use of cooperative learning model in aquatic learning activities improved
students’ life skills. The life skill improvement program could run effectively since it was integrated with
physical learning activities. Students who participated in the learning process could improve their physical
activities and at the same time develop their life skills. Thus, life skills should be included in the physical
education curriculum.
1 INTRODUCTION
The process of physical education learning will give
learning outcomes for students which are divided
into three domains, namely the cognitive
(knowledge), affective (behaviour) and psychomotor
(skills). From the three domains, the researcher will
be more focused on the result of learning from
affective aspect (behaviour), since in the result
assessment of this affective learning gained less
attention from the teachers. The assessment of the
affective learning outcomes will be implemented in
physical education learning in Elementary School.
The types of affective learning outcomes are seen in
students in various behaviors, such as their attention
to learning, discipline, respect for the teachers and
classmates, learning motivation, and social
relationships. To improve its quality, education
should be done thoroughly. The development of the
aspects described earlier are centered in the
improvement of life skills that are realized through
student competencies to improve skills, adapt, and
succeed in the future. Those can be applied through
aquatic learning activities to prepare the students
with new skills to participate in an ever-changing and
evolving world.
Life skills are the abilities that people need in
order to face their life (Rachman (2009, pp. 20) and
interact with their environment (Asi and Asi, 2016).
Teaching life skills to students can help to improve
the health and wellbeing of students as well as to
prepare themselves to change to be more skilful in
their social behaviour (Goudas and Giannoudis,
2008). When associated with life skills, aquatic
learning activities can be a vehicle for kids to learn
how to survive with various challenges through
various water activities. Aquatic activities can
introduce students to identify problems that will be
faced in the water, thus it can grow a sense of care, a
sense of cooperation with friends, the desire to keep
trying, and other feelings felt by the students.
Through cooperative model learning, the
students gain understandings and practice together
by raising a sense responsibility¸ respect,
communication, effort, teamwork / cooperation, self-
awareness, and leadership that is set in the learning
process (Beamish, 2012). Approaches made with life
418
Suhendi, H., Wibowo, R. and Kania, N.
Developing Life Skills through Cooperative Learning Models in Aquatic Activities.
In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Sports Science, Health and Physical Education (ICSSHPE 2017) - Volume 1, pages 418-422
ISBN: 978-989-758-317-9
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

skills help create a positive learning environment for
learners. Referring to the above explanation, the
purpose of this research is to know how big influence
of cooperative learning model in developing life skill
in learning aquatic activity toward grade 5 students
of elementary school.
2 METHOD
2.1 Participants
The participants in this research were students of
grade 5 (age = 11.2 ± 0.31) of Public Elementary
School in Bandung consist of 35 students with 19
male students and 16 female students. All students
were healthy during the study and there were no
physical or mental disabilities.
2.2 Instrument
The instrument or tool used to collect data in this
study is a structured observation adapted from
Goudas and Giannoudis (2008). The components of
life skills such as responsibility; communication;
respect; effort; teamwork/ cooperation; self-
awareness; leadership. From the seven values of the
life skills, the researchers identified what will be
applied into the form of aquatic learning activities to
develop social aspects in students. In this case the
researchers intend to focus more on the three kinds
of values contained in the life skills, namely
communication, effort, and teamwork/cooperation.
From some of the life skills indicators, some
indicators are adapted to the affective/social skills
level of the given material. Teachers can determine
which life skills that will be assessed to be an
evaluation of learning materials that will be
improved. Afterwards, the researcher observed
every student appearance in aquatic learning and
recorded the appropriate or inappropriate and
efficient or inefficiency in an event or appearance on
the activity undertaken. The following components
of life skills and Observation format used to assess
the life skills of communication, effort, and
teamwork / cooperation in aquatic learning
activities.
Table 1: Life skills components.
Var
Dimension
Indicator
Assessment
Availab
le
Not
Availab
le
Life
Skills
Com
1. Students
listen to
leaders or
peers
during
activities
2. Students
communic
ate to help
their peers’
effort
Effort
3. Students
attempt to
direct the
ability to
push
themselves
and strive
during the
activities
4. Students
try to
survive in
times of
trouble
Teamwork/
cooperation
5. Students
assist
group
peers
during the
activities
6. Students
demonstrat
e their
ability to
work
together in
order to
achieve
common
goals
2.2.1 Interview
Interviews can be used as a valuation tool to identify
students learning outcomes and processes.
Interviews given to students in the form of structured
interviews. The purpose of the interview is to find
out the students opinions about the teaching-learning
process that has been done.
2.3 Procedures
2.3.1 Actions Planning Stage
In determining the action, the researcher acted as an
actor (teacher) assisted by the observer (teacher or
peer) to perform the action plan. There were several
things that must be done by researchers and
observers as follows: (a) Creating a learning plan by
applying the values of life skills through cooperative
learning model in aquatic learning activities (b)
Developing Life Skills through Cooperative Learning Models in Aquatic Activities
419

Creating observation sheets: Notes used as a medium
to record all events that happened during the learning
process. These records should be orderly and
systematic because it will be the source of
information in data processing and data analysis; by
using electronic devices (mobile or camera) to
record or document important facts and data taken
during the learning process. This can be used as
material for correction and evaluation to improve the
process of learning action in the next stage,
preparing facilities and infrastructure for the aquatic
learning activities.
2.3.2 Action Implementation Stage
In the process of implementation of action, the
researcher acted as a teacher or instructor who went
directly to implement aquatic learning by developing
the values of life skills through cooperative learning
model. The steps taken in the implementation of this
action are: (a) Researchers applied the lesson plan by
applying the values of life skills through cooperative
learning model in aquatic learning activities. (b)
Researchers taught directly in the field as well as
observed all students who learned. The process of
observation must be based on conscious, critical,
systematic, and objective state. (c) After the study
ended, the researcher recorded all the activities,
events, constraints that arise during the course of
learning into the prepared observation sheet.
2.3.3 Observation Stage
Observation activities in this study were conducted
simultaneously with the learning activities. To
facilitate the implementation of observation,
researchers were assisted by observers (teachers of
physical education subjects or peers). The objects
observed were focused on student activity and
effectiveness during the learning.
2.3.4 Data Analysis and Reflection Stage
The next stage is to perform data analysis and
reflection on the data obtained from the observation,
so it can be seen whether the action has reached the
goal or not. The results obtained in the observation
stage were collected and analyzed in this stage. From
the results of observation teachers can reflect
themselves by looking at the observation data
whether the undertaken activities have been able to
improve the life skills of communication, effort and
teamwork / cooperation in aquatic learning
activities. This observation is used as the basis for
evaluation so that steps on the next action can be
prepared.
2.4 Instrument Test
After arranging the matrix for observation, an
instrument test is performed to the respondents who
were not included in the research subject to measure
the validity and reliability of each matrix. The test of
this instrument was conducted at SDN Cisantren
Wetan I Bandung. The number of students who are
used as a trial were 38 students. The validity of each
item indicates the matrix is in range count = .46 to
.76 greater than rtable = .329 with 5% significance
indicates that structured observation can be used in
elementary school students with a high degree of
validity. Reliability using KR (Kuder Richardson)
20 analysis shows internal consistency = .86 greater
than list = 0.70 indicates that the instrument has a
high reliability.
2.5 Data Analysis
The data collected in each observation activity from
the implementation of the research cycle used the
qualitative and quantitative analysis because the data
is in the form of numbers and in the form of words
(narratives) using percentage to see trends that occur
in the process of learning activities. The analysis
process starts from the beginning to the end of the
action. The collected data can be analyzed from the
orientation stage to the final stage in the
implementation of the action by adjusting to the
characteristics, focus of the problem and objectives.
The criteria and measures of success of the research
objectives are determined based on the results of
individual learning evaluations. To find out the
average value and success rate of learning,
researchers used data processing techniques used in
the values of life skills is the number of students who
get a certain score in the number of students,
multiplied by 100% until the percentage is reached.
ICSSHPE 2017 - 2nd International Conference on Sports Science, Health and Physical Education
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3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Tabel 2 : Results of research.
From the results of research using the observation
there is an initial data of 59% and the results of cycle
1 action 1 increased to 63%. Similar to the next
action which is the result of cycle 1 action the 2
results of data obtained from the observation of life
skills (communication, effort, and teamwork /
cooperation) in students has increased to 71%. This
happened because the students began to understand
the material given. In the next action, cycle 2 action
1, the result of observation of students’ life skills is
80% the result is increased from the previous action.
At the last observation, cycle 2 action 2, the result of
the life skills observation (communication, effort,
and teamwork / cooperation) of the students is equal
to 87%.
In the result of preliminary observation, it can be
seen that the life skills (communication, effort, and
teamwork/cooperation) of the students is 59% and in
action number 4 that the students' life skills have
increased quite high to 87%. These results have
reached the expectations of researchers, which is to
improve the students’ life skills (communication,
effort and teamwork/cooperation) > 80%. This
shows that the learning given is quite fun and
interesting hence improving the student's life skills
in aquatic learning. Life skills can be effectively
implemented into the context of physical learning at
school (Goudas, Dermitzaki, and Leondari, 2006) (H
Firmansyah, A wahyudi, 2017). Life skills programs
that is integrated with physical activity learning can
be effective because students who participate in the
program can increase their physical activity and at
the same time train their life skill skills (Goudas and
Giannoudis, 2008). Therefore, physical education
teachers should implement life skills on the learning
curriculum in school (Alhayek, 2014).
4 CONCLUSIONS
According to the research data in the field during the
research process on the application of cooperative
learning model in developing life skills in aquatic
learning activities in elementary school gave positive
effect on improving the affective/social abilities and
the students’ life skills. This is shown by the
cohesiveness of students in following various games.
In addition, the students are given the freedom to
perform motion activities along with their respective
groups, so that students will gain experience in
interacting more with friends. In this case,
cooperative learning model provides an opportunity
to develop life skills (communication, effort and
teamwork/cooperation) to the students themselves.
Learning will be very meaningful if done well
through systematic stages such as advance planning,
so it can get close to the expected conditions.
Planned, directed, and structured learning will
provide the expected contribution as implemented in
cooperative learning to develop life skills in aquatic
activities.
Moreover, the application of learning through a
game in aquatic activities for elementary school is
very necessary because of the character of students
who love to play. By applying games in learning
aquatic activities are expected to facilitate and ease
the learning. This is because by applying life skills
through cooperative learning model on learning
aquatic activities can facilitate students to improve
various life skills which can be seen from how active
students interact with each other in a group
(Beamish, 2012). In addition, life skills programs
give students the knowledge to be successful to apply
into complex situations in everyday life. Therefore,
life skills oriented physical education is suggested to
be combined with sharing learning approaches that
can affect not only on communication, effort, and
teamwork/cooperation skills but also leads to healthy
life behaviour (Young, Phillips, Yu, and
Haythornthwaite, 2006).
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