On the Effect of Cooperative Learning on General English Achievement of Kermanshah Islamic Azad University Students

Abstract

The present study aims to determine the effect of cooperative learning on General English achievement of students. The research method chosen is quasi-experimental with pre-test post-test design. The population was all the students taking the general English course in the second term of 2007/2008 academic year (n=150). To reduce the pre-existing differences between the students, the classes with the same major and level were selected by the researcher. Two classes were chosen randomly by cluster sampling and assigned to experimental (n=40) and control group (n=40). The classes were taught by the researcher. The instrument used was an objective teacher-made test of general English achievement that measured four components of dictation, reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary. For data analysis, the independent t-test was used. The results showed that in all four subcomponents of general English a significant difference can be found between experimental and control groups. The cooperative learning group outperformed the teacher-fronted group.