The Effect of Cooperative Learning on Students’ Efl Reading Comprehension: Meshentie Grade Nine High School Students in Focus

Abstract

Education is a teaching learning process. Learning depends upon teaching instruction. During instruction, Students cannot be treated like an empty vessel into which any type of information can be passed down. A teacher must think of ways and means of stimulating and encouraging learning in the students. Hence, Cooperative Learning is as instructional methods in which students of all levels of performance work together in small groups toward a common goal.Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the effect of cooperative learning on learners English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading comprehension in Government Comprehensive Meshentie High School of grade nine students. The total population of the study was 320 students. Hence, two sections (80 students) were selected using random selection and assigned one experimental and the other section was control group by random assignment technique. To get data from the sample group, pre- and post-tests ofreading comprehension,and two set of questionnaire probing students’ and the teacher reflection towards cooperative learning were used. Cronbach’s alpha was used to test the reliability of pre-test scores gained from 10 non- participant students and the validity of the pre-test was evaluated by three well experienced EFL teachers. The design of the research was nonequivalent pre-test-post-test control group quasi experimental design. One way ANOVA, Independent sample t- test and paired sample t-test were conducted to examine whether there were significant inter- and intra-group differences of reading comprehension achievements. Content analysis was utilized to analyze the experimental groups and the teacher reflective reports toward CL. Results of this study showed that cooperative learning group gained significant progress between pre-and post-tests and outperformed conventional learning group in the English reading performance. In addition, the experimental group’s three-leveled achievers made striking improvement simultaneously. The experimental group and the teacher perceived CL as the method of interacting with group members to generate mutual advantages