An application of cooperative learning in teaching reading skill to non - English majors at Vinh University

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
VINH UNIVERSITY

NGUYỄN THỊ LAM GIANG

AN APPLICATION OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING
IN TEACHING READING SKILL
TO NON-ENGLISH MAJORS AT VINH UNIVERSITY

MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION

Nghệ An, 2014

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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
VINH UNIVERSITY
**********

NGUYỄN THỊ LAM GIANG

AN APPLICATION OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING
IN TEACHING READING SKILL
TO NON-ENGLISH MAJORS AT VINH UNIVERSITY

Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Code: 60140111

MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION
SUPERVISOR:

Phan Thị Hương, M.A

Nghệ An, 2014

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
iii
REFERENCES
APPENDICES

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CL

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
Cooperative Learning

CLL

Cooperative Language Learning

CLT

Communicative Language Teaching

EFL

English as a Foreign Language

ELT

English Language Teaching

ESL

English as a Second Language

NEMs

Non-English Majors

VU

Vinh University

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1: Experimental Research Model
Table 4.1: Teachers’ perception of cooperative learning
Table 4.2: Factors that made application communicative methods a challenge
in English reading lessons
Table 4.3: Frequency of Distribution of the Pre-Test Scores of the Experimental
and Control classes
Table 4.4: Frequency of Distribution of the Post-Test Scores of the
Experimental and Control classes

Table 4.5: The statistics parameters of the two groups’ Pre-test scores
Table 4.6: The students’ attitudes towards the implementation of CL in reading
classes

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LIST OF CHARTS
Chart 4.1: Teachers’ preference of skill to teach in EFL classrooms at VU
Chart 4.2: NEMs’ skills preferred to learn at VU
Chart 4.3: The teachers’ attitude toward the role of Reading Comprehension
Skill in teaching EFL
Chart 4.4: The students’ attitude toward the role of Reading Comprehension
Skill in learning EFL
Chart 4.5: Teachers’ evaluation of the reading materials
Chart 4.6: Students’ evaluation of the reading materials
Chart 4.7: Students’ evaluation of reading lessons
Chart 4.8: The students’ reasons for their evaluation of reading class
Chart 4.9: The activities students often do in reading classes
Chart 4.10: The classroom interaction used in a reading lesson
Chart 4.11: Activities teachers often use in pre-reading stage
Chart 4.12: Tasks often assigned by teachers in Post-reading stage
Chart 4.13: Skills teachers often teach their students in While-reading stage
Chart 4.14: The teachers and students' difficulties in teaching and learning
reading
Chart 4.15: The frequency of organizing reading activities with CL in English
reading class
Chart 4.16: Frequency of applying CL in EFL reading classes
Chart 4.17: Suggestions made by teachers and students for improvement of
reading lessons

Chart 4.18: Comparison of the frequency of Distribution of the Pre-Test Scores
Chart 4.19: Comparison of the frequency of Distribution of the Post-Test
Scores
Chart 4.20: Students’ attitudes towards CL in reading classes

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LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix 1:Pre-test
Appendix 2: Post-test
Appendix 3: Questionnaires for teachers
Appendix 4: Questionnaires for students
Appendix 5: Questionnaires for teachers’ interview
Appendix 6: Questions for students’ interview
Appendix 7: Example of lesson plan
Appendix 8: Students’ attitude towards the application of CL method in reading
lessons
Appendix 9: Reading Comprehension Achievement Pre-test and Post-test
scores of the Experimental Class
Appendix 10: Reading Comprehension Achievement Pre-test and Post-test
scores of the Control Class
Appendix 11: Observation sheet

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
Developing reading comprehension skills is important for students to
become effective readers as it is one of the four skills to be mastered by
English language learners. Thanks to reading, students acquire knowledge that
they could use later to improve other skills such as listening, speaking and
writing. Therefore, when teaching EFL to non-English majors, English teachers
tend to do their best to help students achieve as much knowledge as possible
through reading.
However, by observing teaching EFL reading skills process to NEMs in
classrooms at Vinh University, the author has found out that most of the
teachers still apply traditional reading approaches in which students often read
alone without peer interaction. This would make reading comprehension less
effective because one of its obvious disadvantages is its lack of interaction
regarded as a vital element for effective language learning. Therefore, the most
significant issue for ESL/EFL teachers at VU nowadays is how to teach reading
to EFL students effectively to improve students’ reading performance.
When pursuing the M.A course the author has discovered that there are
a number of methods and approaches which can be applied in reading classes
in order to enhance the teaching and learning quality. One interesting method
can help improve student-student interaction is to ask them to form groups
where meaningful interaction and interactive moments can occur so as to fulfill
the tasks required in reading classes: to engage Cooperative Learning in
teaching and learning EFL reading skill.
Cooperative Learning techniques will help students work together to
learn and are responsible for their teammates' learning as well as their own.
This pedagogical approach enhances student–student interaction via working
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in small groups to maximize their learning and reach their shared goal; hence
they develop their social skills while learning English language. It is believed to
help avoid competitiveness and individualism while increase opportunities to
actively construct or transform the knowledge among students. Furthermore,
research has demonstrated that CL produces higher achievement and positive
relationships among students. In short, CL is a powerful educational approach
for helping all students attain content standards and develop the interpersonal
skills for succeeding in their EFL study. Bearing this goal in mind, the author
thinks that CL needs to be implemented in the teaching of reading skill for
NEMs at VU.
With the main reasons stated above, the author aims at conducting the
study entitled “An application of Cooperative Learning in teaching Reading
skills to non-English majors at VU” with the hope of contributing to the
process of teaching and learning English for non- English majors at VU.
2. Review of previous studies related to Cooperative Learning
CL mode has been applied to maximize learner learning through
student-student interaction. Therefore, many researches on CL have been
carried out both in the world and in Vietnam up to present. Following are some
of the previous studies on this topic.
International
In 1992, a project in Texas that sought to integrate effective practices
into literacy education, an empirically based CL model, and a classroom
management model was conducted by Calderon, Tinajero & Hertz to help
teachers develop the English and Spanish language proficiency for their
students. The CL model selected was Cooperative Integrated Reading and
Composition. One of the most important outcomes of the project was the
creation of a better learning environment for the students learning English

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since they learned to value each other and to concentrate on positive
relationship. Then, Ghaith (2004) studied on the effect of the cooperative
Jigsaw method on improving literal and higher order reading comprehension in
English of 48 EFL students. A statistically significant difference in favor of the
experimental group on the variable of high order comprehension was revealed.
In Vietnam
In 2004, a research on students’ preferences and the effects on different
grouping arrangements in learning English speaking skill on 30 upperintermediate students at a Foreign Language Centre in Ho Chi Minh City was
conducted by Vo Thi Kim Thuy. This study has produced some interesting
findings about the excitement and dynamism in the classroom atmosphere.
Then, in 2009, a study on learning English in groups at college level was
carried out by Le Pham Hoai Huong. The researcher pointed out that group
work created great help for students to share reading strategies and learn new
words.
3. Purpose of the study
This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of applying Cooperative
Learning principles in reading classrooms for NEMs at Vinh University by
applying the principles of CL to teach reading to a group of non - English
majors, then comparing the results with those of a normal group without the
application. The author also tries to investigate the students’ attitudes toward
the cooperative reading activities by observing their interactions, and asking
them about their learning experiences. Finally, it will be an attempt to serve as
a useful source of reference for teachers of English at the University.

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4. Scope of the study
The research will be carried out merely on NEMs at VU for 15 weeks.

The group of about 50 students is at a heterogeneous level. Soars and Liz
(2007) is the coursebook being used, therefore applying CL method will be
used to teach reading texts in this coursebook.
5. Research questions
The following research questions provide the specific focus for study:
1. Are there any differences in terms of reading comprehension quality
between ESL/EFL students who are instructed with CL methodology and those
who are not?
2. How effective is the application of Cooperative Learning to teach EFL
reading skills in reading classes of NEMs at VU?
6. Significance of the study
The study is expected to enhance reading comprehension performance
of NEMs at VU and improve the reading classroom atmosphere. In addition, it
could be a good exemplar for teachers who wish to implement CL to enhance
their students’ language learning as well as their motivation to learn English.
7. Hypotheses
Based on the related literature review and the research questions, the
author hypothesizes that the participants’ EFL reading performance would be
improved thanks to the effectiveness of Cooperative Learning method.
Besides, it is also expected that the participants would have positive perception
towards the use of the cooperative reading activities in their EFL reading and
this will create a friendly atmosphere of learning.

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8. Organization of the study
The study consists of the following parts:
I. Introduction
This part presents the rationale for the study, a quick review of previous

studies related to Cooperative Learning, purpose, scope and significance of
the study and organization of this M.A thesis.
II. Literature review and theoretical background
Theoretical background related to the topic and surveys of articles,
books and other resources relevant to the study topic will be presented. This
part will also provide description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work
quoted.
III. Methodology
This part presents the detailed procedure of the study: the methodology,
population selection, data collection, and analysis.
IV. Findings and Discussions
This part deals with the findings drawn out from the analysis of data. The
findings and discussion are based on describing how the Cooperative Learning
method is used, it effectiveness on teaching and learning, whether with this
method, it is possible for students to improve their reading skills. If not, what is
the reason?
V. Conclusion and implication for teaching and learning
Main points and contents of the study will be summarized based on the
results of the study. The implication of the study and the recommendation for
further research will be presented.

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CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
The main aim of this chapter is to provide an extensive review of the
literature related to the overall perspectives of teaching reading and
Cooperative Learning instruction. Firstly, the theoretical foundations for
teaching reading are discussed, including definition of reading, the approaches
to reading, the principles of teaching reading, the development of typical model

of teaching reading, etc. Next, an overview of the literature concerning the
terminologies used in Cooperative Learning instruction, its key components, its
principles, its features and framework for learning and teaching is provided.
Then, presented in the following part of the chapter is a review of the concept
of CL in reading and principles of task design in a reading lesson. Finally, the
author will mention some previous studies related to the topic of CL instruction.
2.1. Theoretical Basis of Reading Comprehension
2.1.1. Definitions of Reading
It is difficult to define reading in a word. Many scholars and researchers
have defined it in many different ways. The definition and meaning of reading
depend largely on the purpose of the reader, on the text and textual contents,
on the attitude of the readers towards the text, on the reading materials and on
the experience and schemata of the reader. However, experts have tried to
define it differently in their own way of observation and thought.
While Marie Clay (1991:6) considers reading as “a message-getting,
problem-solving activity which increases in power and flexibility the more it is
practiced”, Grabe (1991:378) points out that to define the term of reading is
not simple: “A description of reading has to account for the notions that influent
reading is rapid, purposeful, interactive, comprehending, flexible, and gradually
developing”. Nunan (2003:68) also defines reading as “a fluent process of
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readers combining information from a text and their own background
knowledge to build meaning”. Therefore, it is important to bear in mind that
reading is not a simple skill and there are different types of skills corresponding
to the many different purposes we have for reading.
Goodman

(1976:498)

suggests

that

reading

is

a

receptive,

psycholinguistic process. It starts with linguistic representation encoded by a
writer, and ends with reader constructed meaning. Reading is a process where
the writer encodes thought as language and the reader decodes language to
thought. It can be understood that reading is not a passive skill. It requires
frequent practice and exercise. To be an effective reader, one should make a
logical link between the language of the text and his mental perception.
Therefore, the language should suit the level and perception of the reader.
Students should enable themselves to enter the world of the text without
seeking the help from the traditional teaching method of comprehension
checks.
Besides, reading is not just an act of going through the text. It involves
certain attitudes and reactions towards the text a reader is reading. According
to Grellet (1996:8), reading “constantly involves guessing, predicting, checking
and asking oneself questions.” Additionally, it involves other factors such as
knowledge of language, the processing of messages the text carries, guessing
power of the reader to a certain extent, perception, psychomotor movements,
and emotional response.

Recently, Grabe (2009, 14:16) says that reading is understood as a
complex combination of 10 processes.
(1) A rapid process
(2) An efficient process
(3) A comprehending process
(4) An interactive process
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(5) A strategic process
(6) A flexible process
(7)A purposeful process
(8) An evaluative process
(9) A learning process
(10) A linguistic process
(Table 1.2: Processes that define reading. Grabe (2009:14))
First of all, reading is certainly a rapid and efficient process. It is rapid in the
sense that we read at about 250-300 wpm. Reading is efficient in terms of the
overall reading rate and the ways that various processing skills work together
smoothly. In addition, reading is a comprehending process, as we read to
understand what the writer intended to convey in writing. Furthermore, reading
is an interactive process in two ways because it combines many cognitive
processes working together at the same time and is also an interaction
between the reader and the writer. Besides, reading is a strategic process in
that a number of the skills and processes used in reading call for effort on the
part of the reader to anticipate text information, select key information,
summarize information, monitor comprehension and match comprehension
output to reader goals. The flexibility of reading demonstrated by fluent readers
keeps the processes and purposes aligned with each other. Reading is also a
continuously evaluative process. We evaluate how well we are reading, we

decide how we should respond to a text and we like or not what the author
says…etc. Evaluation in reading makes it a learning process. Finally, reading is
a linguistic process. It cannot be able to read without making graphemesphonemic connections, without recognizing the words to be read and the
structural phrases organizing the words, and without having a reasonable store
of linguistic knowledge.

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In conclusion, in learning contexts, reading comprehension can be seen
as a very active and complex process involving the content of the text, the
readers’ prior knowledge and purpose for reading as well as reading strategies
that learners use to comprehend the text. Therefore, for a student to be a
successfully independent reader, he or she must be given opportunities to
respond to the reading text individually, share responses with others, listen to
other viewpoints, and adjust his or her own interpretations about the text. To
provide such an environment, Cooperative Learning can be considered an
important option that teachers may apply in their reading classes.
2.1.2. The Sub-skills of Reading
Reading consists of a number of sub-skills which are used in different
situations with different purposes. Following are the main sub-skills of reading
comprehension process.
2.1.2.1. Skimming
Skimming refers to the way of reading in which readers quickly run their
eyes across a whole text for its gist. One of the effective series of procedures
for approaching a reading text, so called ‘SQ3R technique’- Survey-QuestionRead-Recite and Review-starts with skimming the test for an overview of main
ideas and then readers embark on more focused reading. It is also common
part of many reading tasks.
2.1.2.2. Scanning
Scanning or searching reading is also a common reading activity when

readers extract necessary pieces of information from a text without reading
through the whole text. It is also useful skills especially in daily life, for example
in searching through a telephone directory, reading a timetable or

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advertisements for getting information. The spread of the Internet may well
accelerate the need of this type of reading.
2.1.2.3. Careful Reading
Urquhart and Weir (1998:22) pointed out that careful reading is
associated with reading to learn. The reader attempts to handle detailed
information in the text. Thus, reading rate seems to be rather slower than other
types of reading because in this type of reading, readers often require
rereading and inferencing to connect information with background knowledge.
2.1.2.4. Browsing
Browsing is the sort of reading where readers do not have any particular
goals for reading and parts of a text may be skipped randomly and there is little
need to integrate the information. We often browse magazines or newspapers
just for fun. In the classroom, normally with limited English resources, students
have few opportunities to browse English articles. It might be desirable for
teachers to store supplementary English materials for browsing and provide
some opportunities to browse them.
2.1.2.5. Reading for General Comprehension
Grabe and Stoller (2002:14) point out this is the most basic purpose of
reading for general comprehension “requires rapid and automatic processing of
words, strong skills in informing a general meaning representation of main
ideas, and efficient coordination of many processes under very limited time
constraints”.
2.1.3. Approaches to Reading

Which approach or approaches to use in teaching reading skill should be
appropriate for each types of text and depends on the size of the text, the

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purpose of reading, time allowed and so on. Following are some approaches of
reading proposed by different authors:
2.1.3.1. Top-down Approach
This approach was proposed by Goodman (1976). The main feature of
this process is that “the reader comes to the text with a previously formed plan,
and perhaps, omits chunks of the text which seem to be irrelevant to the
reader’s purpose” says Urquhart and Weir (1998:42).
Nuttall (1996:16) views on Top-down approach as follows: We draw on
our own intelligence and experience - the predictions we can make, based on
the schemata we have acquired - to understand the text. We make conscious
use of it when we try to see the overall purpose of the text, or get a rough idea
of the pattern of the writer’s argument, in order to make a reasoned guess at
next step.
Expectations of the reader play “a crucial, even dominant, role” in this
process. The reader brings his/her personal experiences and views with
him/her, and those aspects largely affect the way of interpreting a text.
Goodman characterizes this approach as viewing reading as “precise,
sequential identification”. Top-down approach is precisely suggested by most
thinkers and researchers because it is directly related to the reader’s schemata
- his/her personal knowledge and experiences. Its importance can be stretched
from Nuttall (1996: 17): This enables him to predict the writer’s purpose, the
likely trend of the argument and so on, and then use this framework to interpret
difficult parts of the text. The top-down approach gives a sense of perspective
and makes use of all that the reader brings to the text: prior knowledge,

common sense, etc. which have sometimes been undervalued in the reading
class.

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2.1.3.2. Bottom-up Approach
Gough (1972) proposed bottom-up approach. It begins with the stimulus,
i.e. the text, or bits of the text. In bottom-up approach, according to Nuttall
(1996:17), “the reader builds up a meaning from the black marks on the page:
recognizing letters and words, working out sentence structure”. Readers use
this process consciously when they are confused with an initial reading. In this
approach, the reader is entirely dependable on the contextual meaning, and
s/he does not need any background knowledge since it is text-driven.
There is a clear-cut distinction between these two approaches. While
bottom-up process is text-driven, top-down approach uses the meaning
brought by the reader, i.e. it is reader-driven. Parry (1987) summarized their
differences in the following manner: some argue that reading is a “bottom-up”
process in which graphemes are perceived as forming words, words as
forming sentences, and sentences as forming paragraphs and so on, Gough
(1972); others argue that the process is a “top down” one: the reader starts
with a general idea, or schema, of what should be in the text this being derived
from the previously acquired knowledge and uses this scheme in perceiving
and in interpreting graphic cues”. (Goodman, 1976)
2.1.3.3. Interactive Reading
According to experts, none of these approaches (‘top-down’ and ‘bottomup’) can stand alone for an effective reading. An interactive approach combined
of these two is actually appropriate, and efficient readers often use both these
processes when reading and shift from one approach to another depending to
the demand of the reading strategy. Nuttall (1996:17) comments “a reader
continually shifts from one focus to another, now adopting a top-down

approach to predict the probable meaning, then moving to the bottom-up
approach to check whether that is really what the writer says.” Carrell
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(1988:239-259) seems to be more specific about it by explaining that efficient
and effective second language reading requires both top-down and bottom-up
strategies in different combinations for different purposes. Therefore, in this
interactive reading, a pattern is synthesized based on information provided
simultaneously from several sources. Therefore, reading is not just a one-side
approach. Both the reader and the text have their respective shares in an
interactive process.
Coady (1979) cited in Karakas (2000:27) comments that interactive
process involves three factors: conceptual abilities, background knowledge,
and process strategies. Therefore, for a successful reading a reader should
and must possess basic intellectual ability. This ability is used to make a proper
relation between the textual information and his/her existing schemata, proper
knowledge of the world, and reading strategies including familiarity with the
phonology, graphemes, and lexicon of a language.

2.1.4. Classrooms Procedures for Teaching Reading
Classroom activities are very important for the development of teaching
reading skills. Teachers should help and encourage the students to read
effectively in the class. To perform the job, teachers have to design effective
activities for teaching reading in the class as a successful teaching of reading
in the class depends largely on the proper planning of reading lessons.
Teaching techniques should be designed according to the level of the

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perception of the students. An experienced and efficient teacher knows well
when a particular technique should be used and how. However, in the teaching
of reading, there are some tested teaching techniques by recommended
experts, and these techniques can be followed in the classroom.
Williams (1996:37) has suggested that for effective teaching of reading in
the classroom, the lesson should be divided into three consecutive phases:
Pre-reading, While-reading and Post-reading. Moreover, we consider these the
main phases of the teaching Reading process.
2.1.4.1. Pre-reading
Pre-reading stage is important because it can help to ‘whet’ the students’
appetites to read. Greenwood (1998:15) argues that this procedure can help
provide a “need to read to complete an activity or conform an idea; and it can
persuade the students that as far as perception or hypothesis is concerned
there are no right or wrong answers, only different ones”. In Pre-reading stage,
the teacher should carefully design the activities that prepare the students
mentally to accept what he/she is going to teach in the next stage. Urquhart
and Weir (1998:184) have suggested some Pre-reading activities as follow:
(1) thinking about the title
(2) checking the edition and date of publications
(3) reading appendices quickly
(4) reading indices quickly
(5) reading the abstract carefully
(6) reading the preface, the forward and the blurb carefully

The aims of the phase are to introduce and arouse interest in the topic, to
motivate learners by giving a reason for reading and to provide some language
preparation for the text.

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2.1.4.2. While-reading
Greenwood (1998:59) writes: “Students must be taught how to read and
respond to books” in the While-reading phase. Students should be involved in
activities during this phase, which enable them to respond cognitively,
emotionally and imaginatively to imaginative writing.
Some useful activities should be conducted in this phase for the better
output from the students in the next stage. The activities in this stage should be
designed according to the level and standard of the students. Shahidullah
(1995-1996) has suggested some of the While-reading activities as following:
(1) guessing meaning from context
(2) analyzing sentences
(3) surveying text structures
(4) extracting specific information
(5) getting detailed information
(6) answering pre-set questions
(7) matching texts with picture, diagrams, etc.
(8) guessing meaning of unfamiliar words

The While-reading phase is significant and is the most active stage among
the three because according to Williams (1996:38), proper activities in this
phase “enable the students to understand the writer’s purpose, to understand
the text structure and to clarify text content.
2.1.4.3. Post-reading
This stage is designed to evaluate what the teacher has taught in the whilereading stage. In the post reading stage the teacher may ask the students
about their reaction to the text, for example, the students may answer whether
they have likes and enjoyed it, or found it useful or not. If the text is found
useful, the meaning and content of it may be extended to the students’ known
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social phenomena, personal interests and knowledge or experience. In short,
activities at this stage do not refer directly to the text, but ‘grows out’ of it.
This stage is also important in teaching reading skills since it is supposed to
evaluate and examine the output and feedback from the students. Moreover,
according to Williams (1996: 39),

the Post-reading

phase enables the

students to consolidate or reflect up on what has been read and to relate
the text to the learners’ own knowledge, interest, experience or views.
2.2. Cooperative Learning Method
2.2.1. Definitions of Cooperative Learning Method
Cooperative Learning (CL) has been recognized with its significant role
in a broad range of endeavors, including education for many decades.
However, the term CL seems to be well-known from the 1970s when a great
deal of research and practical work began on discovering how best to harness
peer power for the benefit of learning.
Over the past forty years, different researchers have developed different
approaches to CL. Thus, CL takes many forms and definitions. Following are
some of the definitions by the most famous scholars:
In general, CL is one strategy for group instruction, which is under the
learner-centered approach. In Slavin’ (1980:315) view, “the term refers to
classroom techniques in which students work on learning activities in small
groups and receive the reward or recognition based on their group’s
performance”. Olsen and Kagan (1992:8) proposed the following definition for
CL: “Cooperative learning is group learning activity organized so that learning

is dependent on the socially structures exchange of information between
learners in group and in which learner is held accountable for his or her own
learning and is motivated to increase the learning of others”.

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Johnson (1999:5) defines C Las the instructional use of small groups so
that students work together to maximize their own and each other’s learning.
The idea of CL is described by the author in a very simple way: Class members
are organized into small groups after receiving instructions from the teacher.
They then work through the assignment until all the group members
successfully understand and complete it. Cooperative efforts result in
participants striving for mutual benefit so that all group member gain from each
other’s efforts (your success benefits me and my success benefits you),
recognizing that all the group members share a common fate (We all sink or
swim together here), knowing that one’s performance is mutually caused by
oneself and one’s colleagues (We cannot do it without you), and feeling proud
and jointly celebrating when one group member is recognized for achievement
(We all congratulate you on your accomplishment!) because a group member’s
success depends on both individual effort and the efforts of the other group
members who contribute needed knowledge, skills, and resources. No group
member will possess all the information, skills, or resources necessary for the
highest possible quality result.
Macaulay and Gonzalez (1996:2) characterize CL as “The
instructional of small groups so that learners are able to work together in a
manner that enhances both group and individual learning.”
Tang (1998:116) emphasizes the practices and effects of Cooperative
Learning: this method provides a non-threatening learning context for
interaction between students. During CL process, students are exposed to

other perspectives and alternatives, the share and exchange ideas, criticize
and provide feedback. Peer feedback can help students increase their
awareness of their learning aims, and of the strategies to employ to achieve
those aims. Cooperation provides “scaffolding” for mutual support and enables

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