cooperative learning

While the advantages of cooperative learning activities have been extensively acknowledged in L2 literature, this type of pedagogy has not received due attention in the Iranian EFL context. Indeed, the traditional reading method still dominates in most Iranian EFL university classes even though it fails to meet its main objective which is training competent EFL readers. In an attempt to address this challenge, the current case study incorporated cooperative learning pedagogy into two EFL reading comprehension classes in a medium size university in Iran and sought learners’ behaviors and reflections toward the student-centered activities they engaged in during an academic semester. To serve that end, two volunteer cohorts of learners (less and more experienced) from two EFL reading comprehension classes were recruited. Class observation field notes along with focus group interviews comprised the data collection instruments of the study.  While the learners’ behaviors and activities were recorded in observation field notes throughout the semester, the two focus groups were interviewed right after the course had finished. Data analyses indicated that the learners expressed favorable attitudes toward the new approach they were involved in, even though some issues were raised by the interviewees. Some pedagogical implications and recommendations are proposed for efficient incorporation of cooperative learning activities in EFL reading comprehension classes which have traditionally been dominated by teachers based on the findings of the current study.

Reading comprehension has recently been reconceptualized in EFL reading instruction to foreground the importance of putting a social perspective on learning. Developed as a crucial aspect of Vygotskian sociocultural theory, activity theory views reading as a socially-mediated activity, for which the prerequisite cognitive processes are distributed among teacher, individual reader, other students, and artifacts (Cole & Engeström, 1993). Given that cooperation and division of labor are the central tenets of activity theory, this study aimed at investigating whether assessing cooperative learning had a decisive effect on the reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. To this end, 60 sophomores majoring in English translation at Islamic Azad University, Tehran Central Branch, were selected as the participants of the study. The reading instruction was geared to cooperative learning based on the elements of activity theory. Over the course of 12 weeks, both the process and products of cooperative reading were self-, peer-, and instructor-assessed. The findings indicated that assessing cooperative reading through the lens of activity theory had a significant effect on the participants’ reading comprehension. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference between the products of cooperative reading in predicting the participants’ reading comprehension posttest scores. Furthermore, the results showed that the participants held favorable perception toward activity theory-based cooperative assessment. The findings are hoped to shine a light on collective reading and highlight the need for more innovative constructivist approaches to EFL reading in Iran.

The present study compared the effect of cooperative group feedback and cooperative group writing techniques in writing classes. Accordingly, 90 male and female intermediate English language learners sat for a sample piloted Preliminary English Test and 60 who scored one standard deviation above and below the mean were selected as the main participants. Both groups were taught the same course book. Moreover, they received the same hours of instruction and teaching aids in the same physical environment; therefore, the most significant point of departure in the two experimental groups in the present study was the form of writing practices presented in the classroom. One group underwent the cooperative group writing while the other the cooperative feedback procedure throughout the treatment period. The findings of this study based upon the results gained from an independent sample t-test run on the two groups’ posttest mean scores revealed that the participants’ L2 writing improved more significantly in the cooperative group writing class compared to the cooperative group feedback. The findings of this study may be contributory to EFL teachers and syllabus designers in the process of developing more efficient second language writing courses.

This study was an attempt to investigate the comparative impact of Student Teams Achievement Divisions (STAD) and Think-Pair-Share (TPS) on EFL learners’ listening. Accordingly, 60 female EFL learners selected from a larger group of 90 learners based on their performance on a sample piloted Preliminary English Test (PET) who studied at a language school in Tehran were randomly divided into two experimental groups. Both groups demonstrated homogeneity in terms of their listening at the outset. The same content was taught to both groups during 15 sessions with one experimental group undergoing STAD while TPS was used in the other group. At the end of the treatment, another sample PET listening section was administered to both groups. The result of the independent samples t-test run on the participants’ mean scores on the posttest revealed that the TPS group significantly outperformed those in the STAD group. These findings have certain implications which are discussed at length in the paper.

This study explored the effectiveness of the two computer-assisted modes: cooperative and individual on improving Iranian high school students’ reading comprehension. It was also concerned with investigating the effectiveness of the two computer-assisted modes on the participants’ foreign language learning anxiety (FLLA). The sample of the study consisted of two intact groups, each containing 24 students, which were randomly assigned into a control and an experimental group. The control group completed the study according to the individual computer-assisted learning while the experimental group was taught via computer-assisted cooperative language learning. The participants in the experimental and the control groups, which consisted of 48 female students, took reading comprehension pretest and posttest. They were also given foreign language classroom anxiety scale (FLCAS) questionnaire both at the beginning and at the end of the treatment. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 16.0. The results of the independent and paired samples t tests indicated that the experimental group, in which cooperative learning was integrated into computer-assisted language learning, outperformed the control group in terms of reading comprehension. In addition, the level of foreign language anxiety improved after the treatment in the experimental group. The findings of this study provide some insights for teachers to consider the integrating of cooperative learning into computer-assisted language learning setting.

The present study attempted to investigate the impact of cooperation versus collaboration on college students` reading ability. To fulfill the purpose of the study, 90 participants were chosen from among 140 by means of administering the Nelson Proficiency Test. They were divided into three groups: cooperative group, collaborative group, and control group. A fifty-item multiple-choice reading vocabulary test was developed, validated, and used as the pretest. The results of the one-way ANOVA showed that there was no significant difference among the groups. Then after a number of cooperative and collaborative strategies used as the treatment in this study in six sessions of ninety minutes for each experimental group class, (control group without treatment) the posttest, which resembled the pretest in many respects, was administered to the three groups. The results of one-way ANOVA and Scheffee Test showed that the cooperative and collaborative groups worked better than the control group, and the collaborative one performed best.

This study examined the effects of cooperative learning techniques (CLT) on vocabulary achievement of reflective/impulsive Iranian EFL Learners. From among 130 students at Fajr institute in Dehdasht, Kohkiloyeh and Boyer Ahmad Province, Iran, 90 participants were selected based on their performance on the Oxford Placement Test (OPT). The participants were then divided into two experimental groups (comprising reflective learners and impulsive learners) and one control group labeled as conventional instruction (CI) group. The instrument used to divide the participants into reflective and impulsive groups was the Eysenck’s (1990) Impulsivity Questionnaire. The experimental groups were taught with the student team achievement division (STAD) technique, while the control group was taught through the traditional method for ten weeks. To measure the vocabulary knowledge of the learners in different groups at the beginning and at the end of the experiment, a pretest and a posttest, each consisting of 40 items on new English words based on their book were used. Independent-Samples and paired-samples t tests were used to determine whether there were significant inter- and intra-group differences. The statistical analysis of the results showed that the experimental groups (reflective and impulsive) performed better on vocabulary achievement posttest than the control group (CI), and also it was revealed that reflective learners performed better on vocabulary achievement than impulsive learners. In sum, cooperative learning enhanced learners’ vocabulary performance, especially the reflective ones.

One of the most important needs in learning a second or foreign language is vocabulary acquisition. Certainly, failure to keep vocabulary in mind is a problem for both typically-developing learners as well as those with a learning disability (LD). This language demand requires teachers to use techniques in order to reinforce vocabulary recall. The current study is an attempt to investigate the effect of two post-teaching vocabulary learning techniques of diglot-weave and cooperative learning on vocabulary knowledge of LD students and to compare them with the common instruction of picture-word definition. To this end, 90 Iranian female LD students from 10 intact classes in two Junior Exceptional Schools in Shiraz were randomly assigned to one of the three groups. After the intensive teaching sessions, the test was administered to examine their vocabulary recall performance in each group and after a two-week interval, the same test was used to examine their vocabulary retention. The results by conducting the one-way ANOVA indicated that both experimental groups of diglot-weave and cooperative learning techniques outperformed the control group of picture-definition in the vocabulary recall and retention tests. However, there was no significant difference between the performance of diglot-weave and cooperative learning groups. Therefore, the findings of the present study could provide useful implications for foreign language teaching programs particularly in Special Education and students with LD.

Purpose : The objective of this study was to compare effectiveness of reverse and cooperative learning methods on creativity and academic self-efficacy of female senior high school students. Methodology : This was a quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test design and the control group. The study population consisted of female senior high school students in Ahvaz during the academic year 2019-2020. The research sample was 90 people who were randomly selected from three classes of a school and two classes were selected as experimental groups (reverse and cooperative learning) and a class was selected as a control group. Each experimental group was trained in 10 sessions of 75 min by reverse and cooperative learning methods and the control group received no training. The research tools were Abedi (1993) Creativity Test Questionnaire and Morgan-Jinks (1999) Student Efficacy Scale. The data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post hoc test using SPSS-22 software. Findings : The study results showed that experimental and control groups were significantly different in terms of creativity and academic self-efficacy (P <0.05). In other words, reverse and cooperative learning methods increased creativity and academic self-efficacy compared to the control group (P <0.05), but no significant difference was found between them in terms of creativity and academic self-efficacy (P> 0.05). Conclusion : Regarding the effectiveness of both learning methods and no significant difference between them, both reverse and cooperative learning methods can be used to increase creativity and academic self-efficacy.

Purpose: An important facet in learning a language is expanding reading comprehension capability. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of implementation bias tasks through cooperative learning and gender on the reading comprehension process of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. Methodology: Two groups of 30 learners took part as a control group and an experimental group. Primarily the participants took The Preliminary English Test (PET) as a reading comprehension pretest. Then the experimental group instructed through the precepts of bias tasks in cooperative learning. However, the control group instructed through traditional instruction. Finally, the participants took the reading comprehension post-test. Findings: The result of two-way ANCOVA revealed that bias tasks through cooperative learning improved EFL learners' reading comprehension skills. Conclusion: Also, findings demonstrated that the means reading scores did not differ noticeably between male and female groups on both pretest and posttest. This task in cooperative learning can be utilized either in the classroom or in instructors' training.