The Effect of Using Cooperative Learning Strategies on Learning Grammar by Iraqi EFL Learners

Abstract

This study was an attempt to examine the effect of using cooperative learning strategies on learning simple present and present continuous by elementary Iraqi EFL learners. For this purpose, 60 Iraqi EFL students of the seventh grade (first grade of high school) from two intact classes were selected from among the female Iraqi high school students studying in Maysan, Iraq. They attended the pre-test of the target grammar points. Then, the treatment started and continued for 12 sessions. In the experimental group, first the teacher assigned the students into 6 groups including 4 to 6 members and asked them to do the grammar exercises cooperatively in groups while in the control group, the students did the exercises individually, on their own. The teacher of both groups was the same; so, she tried not to have any peer or group practice in the control group. The treatment lasted for about 3 months. Then, the same test of the target grammar points was administered as the post-pest and the participants’ performance on the pre-test and post-test was compared in order to see which group performed better after the treatment. The results indicated the outperformance of the experimental group who used cooperative techniques for learning simple present and present continuous over the control group. Findings offer implications for Iraqi English language teachers and material designers regarding using communicative tasks and activities like cooperative learning techniques in their classes.