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Cooperative Learning for EFL Speaking Skills

The document reviews literature on cooperative learning strategies aimed at enhancing the speaking skills of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. It highlights the significance of speaking in language acquisition, identifies challenges faced by Algerian university students in developing this skill, and proposes cooperative learning as an effective instructional approach to overcome these obstacles. The study emphasizes the need for diverse teaching methods to improve learners' engagement and proficiency in speaking English.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
14 views11 pages

Cooperative Learning for EFL Speaking Skills

The document reviews literature on cooperative learning strategies aimed at enhancing the speaking skills of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. It highlights the significance of speaking in language acquisition, identifies challenges faced by Algerian university students in developing this skill, and proposes cooperative learning as an effective instructional approach to overcome these obstacles. The study emphasizes the need for diverse teaching methods to improve learners' engagement and proficiency in speaking English.

Uploaded by

sofian49khemis
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Psychological & Educational Studies Vol12/N°3/ Oct.

2019
ISSN /1111-9268 -EISSN/2588-2538

Cooperative Learning Strategies to Reinforce the EFL Learners' Speaking


Skill: A Review of Literature

Abdelaziz Bousbai¹,*, Nariman Hamdini²


azizbousbai30@[Link]
¹‚² University Kasdi Merbah , Ouargla (Algeria)

Receipt date: 18/02/2019; Acceptance Date: 23/10/2019; Publishing Date: 31/10/2019

Abstract: :‫ﻣﻠﺧص‬
University researchers and educationists, ‫ ﺑﻣﺎ ﻓﯾﻬم‬، ‫ﯾﺳﻌﻰ اﻟﺑﺎﺣﺛون اﻟﺟﺎﻣﻌﯾون واﻟﺗرﺑوﯾون‬
including the Algerians, are continually
seeking to adopt the best teaching ‫ ﺑﺷﻛل ﻣﺳﺗﻣر إﻟﻰ اﻋﺗﻣﺎد أﻓﺿل أﺳﺎﻟﯾب‬، ‫اﻟﺟزاﺋرﯾون‬
methods and techniques that would ‫اﻟﺗدرﯾس واﻟﺗﻘﻧﯾﺎت اﻟﺗﻲ ﻣن ﺷﺄﻧﻬﺎ أن ﺗوﻓر اﻟﻧﺗﺎﺋﺞ‬
provide the desired results. In a
‫ و ﺗزاﯾد اﻟﺣﺎﺟﺔ إﻟﻰ‬، ‫ ﻓﻲ ﻋﺎﻟم اﻟﻌوﻟﻣﺔ‬.‫اﻟﻣرﺟوة‬
globalized world, and the need for
English for many purposes in different ‫اﻹﻧﺟﻠﯾزﯾﺔ ﻟﻠﻌدﯾد ﻣن اﻷﻏراض ﻓﻲ ﻣﺧﺗﻠف أﻣﺎﻛن‬
workplaces, a good command of English . ‫أﺻﺑﺢ إﺗﻘﺎن اﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻹﻧﺟﻠﯾزﯾﺔ أﻣرًا ﺿرورﯾًﺎ‬، ‫اﻟﻌﻣل‬
has become a necessity. To meet the
learners' needs, a variety of approaches, ‫ ﺗم اﻋﺗﻣﺎد‬،‫ أي ﻟﺗﻠﺑﯾﺔ اﺣﺗﯾﺎﺟﺎت اﻟﻣﺗﻌﻠﻣﯾن‬،‫ﻷﺟل ذﻟك‬
methods, techniques, and strategies are ‫واﻟﺗﻘﻧﯾﺎت‬ ‫اﻷﺳﺎﻟﯾب‬ ‫ﻣن‬ ‫ﻣﺗﻧوﻋﺔ‬ ‫ﻣﺟﻣوﻋﺔ‬
adopted to achieve a better manipulation
of foreign languages. The current study ‫واﻻﺳﺗراﺗﯾﺟﯾﺎت ﻟﺗﺣﻘﯾق ﻣﻌﺎﻟﺟﺔ أﻓﺿل ﻟﻠﻐﺎت اﻷﺟﻧﺑﯾﺔ‬
suggests a teaching technique -- ‫ اﻟﺗﻌﻠم اﻟﺗﻌﺎوﻧﻲ‬-‫ﺗﻘﺗرح اﻟدراﺳﺔ اﻟﺣﺎﻟﯾﺔ طرﯾﻘﺔ ﺗدرﯾس‬
cooperative learning--which is believed
to be useful for both English language ‫واﻟﺗﻲ ﯾﻌﺗﻘد أﻧﻬﺎ ﻣﻔﯾدة ﻟﻛل ﺳواء ﻟﻣﻌﻠﻣﻲ اﻟﻠﻐﺔ‬ -
teachers and learners to achieve the ‫اﻹﻧﺟﻠﯾزﯾﺔ او ﻟﻠﻣﺗﻌﻠﻣﯾن ﻟﺗﺣﻘﯾق اﻷﻫداف واﻟﺗﻐﻠب ﻋﻠﻰ‬
objectives and overcome some learning
.‫ﺑﻌض ﻋﻘﺑﺎت اﻟﺗﻌﻠم‬
obstacles. Cooperative learning has been
proved to be effective in improving and ‫ﻟﻘد ﺛﺑت أن اﻟﺗﻌﻠم اﻟﺗﻌﺎوﻧﻲ ﻓﻌﺎل ﻓﻲ ﺗﺣﺳﯾن وﺗﻌزﯾز‬
reinforcing the learners’ speaking skills. .‫ﻣﻬﺎرات اﻟﺗﺣدث ﻟﻠﻣﺗﻌﻠﻣﯾن‬
Keywords: Cooperative Learning;
‫ اﻟﺗﻌﻠم اﻟﺗﻌﺎوﻧﻲ؛ اﺳﺗراﺗﯾﺟﯾﺎت ؛‬:‫اﻟﻛﻠﻣﺎت اﻟﻣﻘﺗﺎح‬
Strategies; Speaking; Interaction
.‫اﻟﺗﺣدث؛ اﻟﺗﻔﺎﻋل‬

*corresponding author

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Skill: A Review of Literature

Introduction
Underlying language forms, “Spoken language is an important form and means of
realizing the value of languages” (Liu, 2013, p.13). Its significance is demonstrated by the
ongoing research in the areas of foreign language learning and teaching. Recently, Wolf (2010)
used the term Mute English Learners to delineate those who are good readers and writers in
English but cannot interact orally with foreigners. One simple clarification is that writing and
reading skills can be reinforced and enhanced individually, but not speaking and listening (in
Dinçer et al., 2012). Hence, this latter requires more practice opportunities and motivation to
reach satisfaction. Despite the constant efforts, the majority of Algerian university students
fail to achieve an admissible level in speaking skill. These deficiencies might be linked to
high anxiety, lack of motivation, low self-esteem, and lack of language practice opportunities.
In order to minimize these interfering elements that interrupt the process of language learning
and teaching, cooperative learning is believed to beone of the most effective instructional
strategies.

1. Speaking
[Link] Nature of Speaking
Learning a second/foreign language is usually combined with speaking, in the sense that
language speaking occupied a sensitive position throughout the history of language teaching,
and begun to emerge as a branch of teaching, learning, and testing on its own (Bygate, 2001).
Speaking is a highly complex and dynamic skill that involves the use of several simultaneous
processes – cognitive, physical and socio-cultural – and a speaker’s knowledge and skills
have to be activated rapidly in real-time (Burns, 2012). We speak to express our thoughts,
share feelings, exchange experience and information.

[Link] Challenges
Typically, learning a language means giving importance to all language skills, however,
Ur (2000) goes against the flow and stresses the vital role of, particularly, the speaking skill.
According to him, knowing a language is equal to speaking which implies that speaking
includes all the other aspects. Consequently, more interest is given to this former skill as it is
embedded in oral interaction. Despite the efforts, the enhancement of this skill faces
numerous obstacles which break the learning/ teaching process.
The first reason is the large multilevel classes. Students with different levels show
different attitudes toward English classes. Two categories of students are observed in the
classroom. First, the bright students tend to be active learners participating in the suggested
activities and they are motivated to learn. The other type is known as the less able students.
They tend to be passive learners and they are usually shy and introvert learners. Teaching
crowded classes usually fail to achieve the predetermined objectives which make it fairly
impossible to get all students to speak.
The second reason is the short exposure to the target language. Controlled learning
limits language opportunities as well as communicative context. The restricted timetable
devoted to oral expression classes results in an oral deficiency. Students experience the
spoken langue in an average of three hours a week. This length of time is not sufficient to
achieve good results. College students take oral expression classes for a few years and then
total neglect. Speaking has no expiration date; it is lifelong learning.
The third reason is the Lack of vocabulary and language luggage. Students fail to
express their thoughts and frequently are at loss of words. They often keep silent and cannot
interact in the classroom. On the other hand, teachers lack teaching materials or the media to

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best present the foreign language. Language laboratories are the most needed tools but most
of the universities are lacking technology.
The fourth factor is the English language properties. In addition to the previously
mentioned obstacles, specifics of English add to the list. Every language has its own features
and characteristics, some of which makes it very difficult to acquire. Brown (2001)lists these
features as follow: clustering, Redundancy, reduced forms, performance variable, colloquial
language, the rate of delivery, stress, rhythm &intonation, interaction: the interlocutors taking
parts in a conversation. A successful speaker of English is required to distinguish and
manipulate language hallmark.
Moreover, the psychological side of the learner is probably one of the most important
influencing factors on language learning success or failure (Oxford, 1990, in Dinçer,
2012).Motivation is a form of internal drive that pushes us to do things in order to achieve
something. The extrinsic comes in the form of grades, prizes, and rewards while the intrinsic
is inside the individuals like the feeling of pleasure, satisfaction, and joy. Based onearlier
researches, intrinsic motivation is along-lasting investment. It is a key variable that controls
the teaching/learning process. Whether the inner desire or external influence, students are
always looking for positive energy that will keep them look forward and consistently improve
their abilities.
Putting all in the same basket, Speaking is considered as an anxiety-provoking skill. When
foreign language learners speak, they often experience a high level of [Link] of the
insufficient exposure to the target language, learners may be under pressure and be vulnerable
to anxiety once they are required to communicate through English in the classroom (Oxford,
2002, in Akkakoson, 2016).

[Link] Speaking inside /outside the Algerian Context


Chronologically, Language teaching was always concerned with the written form at the
expense of the spoken one. However, it is generally acknowledged that writing correct
sentences and passages is not a reliable measure for language mastery. Educators, researchers,
linguists, and even ordinary people are convinced that learning only written English is like
learning a language in view. This truth guides teaching toward focusing on developing the
Spoken language as the medium of communication without completely ignoring the writing
skill.
In the opinion of Brown &Yule (1983), the main goal of teaching speaking is to make the
students enable to express themselves in the target language, use basic interactive skills like
greetings, thanks, apologizing and expressing the needs. Hughes adds that the objective of
teaching spoken language is the development of the ability to interact successfully in that
language and that involves comprehension as well as production (1989). In this case, the
teacher should create an interesting environment, topic, and implement suitable teaching
technique in the teaching-learning process in order to make students able to speak passingly
and confidently.
Equivalently, English gained a primary concern in the Algerian educational System.
No one can deny the role of English as a universal medium of communication. In early 2001,
the Algerian educational reforms announced new changes concerning the teaching of the
foreign language. The new upgraded system involves syllabus design, content material as well
as methodologies. Within this view, the study of English was fully academic for exam
purposes. It is generally agreed that the cornerstone was developing the writing and ignoring
the others, particularly speaking. Unfavorably, even the top-ranked students that are used to
score the highest grades in the foreign language fail to carry a simple conversation in English.

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Skill: A Review of Literature

Communicative Language learning is the most dominant approach since 1970. Its
Principles were rooted in the notion of communicative competence. The birth of the
prominent approach contributed to the development of some sub-branched methodologies.
Richards(2006) stated that CLT keeps building up new approaches and methodologies
refereeing to CLT and that take unique paths for the sake of developing the learners '
communicative competence. The Algerian educational authority adopted this latter as a
remedy to the shortcoming of previously implemented approaches. It Targets the learner’s
needs and interests, and content material. Despite the efforts to maintain an effectiveteaching-
learning situation, little is achieved in promoting oral skills.

2. Cooperative Learning

[Link] Cooperative Learning


A good understanding of the term lays out a good starting point for further comprehension.
Several definitions were proposed for the term; Cooperative learning is an instructional
strategy that uses small groups in which students work in a group and are responsible for their
own learning as well as the [Link] is established when students work together to achieve a
mutual goal (Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec, 1991). On the same line, Slavin (1990) defines
CL as a classroom techniques that inspire students to do all kinds of learning activities in
group or small team, helps learn some materials and recompense students for achievements or
performance of the entire group, improves teacher-student, and student-student interactions,
advocates students to carry out an effective cooperative learning.

[Link] of Cooperative Learning

Johnson & Johnson (1999) elaborated more work in the field and stated three types of
cooperative learning groups:

• Formal Cooperative Learning group


A number of students work together for an extended period or more where the aim is
achieving the learning goal or completing a task (homework sets, design projects). This type
of work set the stage for the most appropriate application of cooperative learning principles.
The group is organized through the predetermined objectives and the established tasks.

• Informal Cooperative Learning Group

The members of the group work together for a class period or less, usually one session,
in order to achieve the learning objectives. It can be used to focus on the content material,
create a motivating learning environment, help set expectations, and structure an instructional
session. Such type of groups can be used at the begging and at the end of the class for 3
minutes as it provides a shared floor for discussion (Johnson, Johnson, 1999).

• Cooperative Base Group

The group stays one body for at least one semester or year that is characterized by
stable and consistent membership. Students are required to provide support and assistance in
developing both academic achievement and social relationships. More personal relationships

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are involved in the base group, students may exchange their phone numbers and emails in
order to stay in touch and work outside the classroom. In case one is having doubts, missed a
session, question, or curious about something, they can rely on their group mates. On a daily
base, the groups prepare the paperwork for each course and save in the group folder (Johnson,
Johnson, 1999).

To sum up, the success of the strategy depends on both the instructor and student
sticking to their roles. One beneficial feature of cooperative learning is its flexibility and
standardization. It can be used in various subjects, alone or with other strategies, whether with
small or large size classes. The application in the education setting will create learning
opportunities for students and support the new teaching practice on the part of the teachers.
The three forms of CL are based on five pillars: positive interdependence, individual
accountability, group processing, face to face interaction, and interpersonal skills.

[Link] and Cooperative Learning


Similar to any instructional strategy, Richards & Rodgers (2001) summarizes the
objectives of teaching through CL in the following points:
• To provide language opportunities for learners to practice the target language
• To increase the learners' motivation and reduce their anxiety by creating a positive
classroom climate
• Provide language opportunities for natural language acquisition through pair and
group interaction
• To offer teachers a methodology that can help to achieve their goals

Prioritizing the teaching content doesn’t always result in satisfaction for both students and
teachers. Often the medium of delivery has a partial impact on the success of language
learning. CL has changed classrooms from being traditional by adopting a new approach
where students are expected to be active participants and responsible for their own
discoveries. They are expected to become excited about the learning process (Tsai, 1998, in
Wondwosen, p. 60).
Numerous investigations in the field of human learning have declared motivation as a
key factor in learning or teaching (Brown, 1978). In order to motivate students, they need
interaction opportunities. Through group work, students will experience interdependence.
Each member is accountable for achieving a common goal. Due to the specific context,
learners will be motivated by the group’s efforts as well as their own contributions being
appreciated by the others (Johnson & Johnson 1989).Vygotsky, a leading figure in the history
of cooperative learning, states that as cooperative activities increase information processing,
motivation to learn is enhanced with [Link], the ultimate role of schooling is to
provide social contexts to accomplish language mastery (Vygotsky, 1962).

[Link] Advantageand Disadvantage of Cooperative Learning


Cooperative learning methods are among the most extensively evaluated alternatives
to traditional instruction in use in schools today (Slavin, 1990).The importance of cooperative
learning is exhibited through the progressive researches in the area and the positive
findings(Johnson & Johnson 1975 in Johnson & Johnson, 1984) notes a number of students
enrolled in cooperative learning strategy gain the following characteristics:

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Skill: A Review of Literature

 Longer information retention: psychologically, the best way to store the information is
to share or teach it to others. Hence, cooperative learning serves this purpose and
strengthens the student’s memory.
 Psychological health: maturity and personal identity.
 High grades: doing well on the exams will surely be reflected in the high grades they
receive. The exam results are usually a mirror the how effective the teaching approach
is.
 High reasoning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills: learners will gain
different insights into the various discussed subject as well as provide the opportunity
to prove their abilities especially in solving different problems.
 More positive attitudes toward the classmates and the subject: the friendly atmosphere
will build up a positive image of the subject and lead the students to be more opened
up.
 Motivation: with satisfied learning styles, students are more willing to cooperate and
participate actively in the learning process.
 Better interpersonal and communication skills: CL works partially on enhancing the
learners’ social skills through the encouragement of student-student interaction and
student-teacher interaction.
 Higher self-esteem: the progress of the academic achievement of learners depends to a
large extent on the learners’ self-confidence. Being familiar with the surroundings will
give the learners the guts to work hard and accept criticism either on the part of the
classmates or the teacher.
 Groups are truly heterogeneous, improved race and gender relations: The other
acceptance and tolerance are highly achieved in the cooperative learning method.

Despite the potential benefits of CL, group work may result in noisy classroom where
peer-dependency dominates the floor. Students may focus on the rewards and prizes more
than the academic content provided. In group work, it is hard to reach equal participation of
the members. Therefore, some students may become more involved than the others.
Considering the learners’ personalities, some students may not accept peers’ criticism which
leads to conflicts and low group accomplishment.

[Link] CL Strategies
Numerous cooperative learning methods have been generated and implemented in the
EFL classroom. Educators made noticeable efforts in determining the most beneficial practice
in language teaching and learning. The existence of these methods can be traced back to
centuries ago as they were founded to promote the learners’ motivation, attitudes, and
academic achievements. Along the way, these strategies embedded the principals of
cooperative learning. Fulltime or periodical, teachers can select the most appropriate one
according to the importance of the topic, students’ academic level. “The widespread use of
cooperative learning is due to multiple factors. Three of the most important are that
cooperative learning is clearly based on theory, validated by research, and operationalized
into clear procedures educators can use” (Johnson, Johnson, and Stanne, 2000,p.2).

 The Learning Together model of cooperative learning was developed by Johnson and
Johnson (1994). It emphasizes the heterogeneous grouping of four or five learners.

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The main principle of this model is having students who differ in achievement, gender
or ethnicity work together to achieve shared learning goals and to complete the task.

 Group Investigation was introduced by Sharan and Sharan (1994). Each group is
assigned a particular topic of a unit studied by the whole class. The group members
determine the subtopics, plan their investigations, carry out individual tasks, plan and
make presentations. Eventually, the teacher and the students evaluate their projects
together.

 Jigsaw was developed by Aronson and his colleagues in 1978. Each member
transforms into an expert in a given area. Each expert is required to teach the other
members of the other groups, then returns to the original group. At the end of the
activity, students may be given individual quizzes

 Jigsaw II is a modified version of the jigsaw. It was developed by Slavin (1994). In


this version, students work on common material first and then are given separate
topics to become experts on. Having worked on their topics in the expert groups,
students return to their home groups to explain the materials that they have studied.

 Three Steps Interview: The method consists of three steps. Firstly, the teacher poses a
collection of questions that have no specific answers but possible opinions. The
question can be an issue or a controversial topic. Then, students pair as an interviewee
and interviewer. After the interview is done, students switch the roles.

 Round Table: Unlike the previous methods, the latter focuses on the content,
encourages teamwork, and includes the writing skills. The teacher poses questions that
have different answers. One student of each group writes his answer on a piece of
paper and passes it counterclockwise to the others. Once the entire student writes their
answers, the group with the most correct responses wins the challenge (Kagan, 1992).

3. Cooperative Learning and Speaking Skill Synergy


Recalling theories of language acquisition, the behavioral view of language learning
was the first to be established and emphasizes the stimulus /response speculation. Since the
prominent perspective abandoned the role of cognition, an opposing party approached
language learning from a cognitive perspective leading to flourishing and blooming ideas in
the area. Despite the enormous resources in the preceding areas, they are considered as
untapped potentials. In fact, any instructional strategy should link theory to practice. Hence,
among the conventional theories, a cooperative learning strategy is built on the motivational,
cognitive development, and social interdependence theories

It is generally agreed that speaking skill is the most difficult skill to be acquired due to
multiple influences. Motivation is considered a key factor in language learning which
determines either failure or success. Cooperative learning structures create an environment in
which all the learners’ efforts are directed to achieve a mutual goal. That is a success for all.
In group work, Students get reinforcement from the teacher as well as their peers. The
comfortable learning zone provides opportunities to speak and share especially for shy
students. In such a context, learners increase their self-esteem and decrease negative thoughts.

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Skill: A Review of Literature

The cognitive developmental theory conditioned learning to social interaction. It is


mainly built on the theories of Piaget, Vygotsky and cognitive science (Johnson and Johnson,
1999). Group work enhances the speaking ability through regular use of language in contexts.
It increases the participation rate and offers more practice opportunities. “Learners are
interactive agents in communicative, socially situated relationships and that the true direction
of the development of thinking is not from the individual to the socialized but from the social
to the individual” (Vygotsky, 1962, p.20).Additionally, cognitive science has proved that
information is better stored and retained when the individual teaches it to others, which in turn
supports the implementation of cooperative learning activities.

The social interdependence theory associate learning with social interaction and
communication. This latter takes place when individuals share the same goals and each
individual’s outcomes are influenced by the actions of others (Johnson & Johnson, 1998).In
this context, students will learn to cooperate and work for the success not only of their own
but also the others. Cooperative learning is an innovative instructional strategy aims at
bridging the field of second language acquisitions and language teaching in an EFL classroom.
As a matter of fact, a meta-analysis of earlier studies has proved its effectiveness in
developing the learners’ critical thinking skills, reasoning, academic achievement, self-
esteem, and motivation.

4. Survey of Cooperative Learning in some Algerian Universities


Cooperative learning activities were not new to Algerian instructors. Due to the enormous
finding and investigations, this later succeeded in attracting attention. Many Algerian
researchers explored the subject and particularly in relation to the speaking skill. Within the
framework of applicable studies, Cooperative learning strategies were also investigated in
Algerian educational system
At Constantine University in the East of Algeria, Boussiada (2010), conducted a study
aiming at examining the effect of CL activities on the learners speaking production. It was
built on the hypothesis that language learning takes place in language use, hence teaching
English through maximizing language use and classroom participation. The descriptive study
adopted two questionnaires administered to third-year LMD learners as well as teachers of
Oral Expression. The findings support the use of the technique to increase language use and
classroom oral participation which defines learners’ oral proficiency.
In the north and south east of Algeria, several studies have been conducted in Bedjaia,
Biskra and Ouargla Universities to test out the effectiveness of cooperative learning in
enhancing the learners' oral performance.
At Biskra University, for instance a study was conducted in (2013) to investigate the
effectiveness of CL activities implemented by EFL teachers to enhance speaking skill. The
qualitative study used Classroom observation of second year students, group interview and
teachers’ interview in order to explore the way the technique is integrated as well as the
learners’ attitudes. The findings revealed its effectiveness in boosting the learners oral
performance, however listed some of its negative points such as noise and conflicts. Yet, these
problems can be solved through teacher – learner collaboration.

Kribaa (2013), in the same university also conducted a study to examine the effects of
cooperative learning on enhancing the learners’ oral proficiency and communicative skills.
She hypothesized that effective learning takes its roots in language use. The descriptive study
used questionnaires administered to third-year LMD students as well as oral expression

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teachers. The Outcomes claimed CL as an appropriate strategy to increase learners’ language


use and active involvement in the classroom through the creation of communicative situations
Two years later, Alimi and Fdal (2015), within the same University, conducted
another study to investigate the positive effect of cooperative group work on improving
students speaking production and communicative skills in EFL classes. The descriptive study
highlighted how the unique environment motivates learners to use English and on the same
time decreases shyness and inhibition .The researcher hypothesized that by using CL
techniques in oral expression classes ,students will be more comfortable to use the target
language. Two questionnaires were given to third year students and teachers of oral
expression .The findings confirmed the effectiveness of this latter in enhancing speaking as
well as increasing classroom participation, self-esteem, and reducing anxiety.
At Bejaia University, Lasnami (2015) investigated problems related to the
implementation of Think-Pair-Share and its impact on students' interaction among second
year LMD students of English. He hypothesizes that using this latter will provide classroom
interaction opportunities. The researcher used observation of oral expression classes with a
checklist, a questionnaire and teachers’ interview to explore teachers’ opinions and attitudes
toward the topic. Results showed that learners are highly engaged in learning more than
working individually and the strategy provided more chances to speak.

At Ouargla University, Chabani (2017) conducted a descriptive study aimed at


exploring the significance of CL strategies on promoting the speaking production and
communicative skills. The qualitative study used classroom observation for second year
secondary school students and an interview for EFL Teachers of the foreign Languages
stream at Jilali Liyabes secondary school of Hassi-Messaoud. The outcomes proved the
effectiveness of CL in developing the oral skills but spotted some negative aspects.
All the aforementioned studies confirmed CL activities to be effective in enhancing
academic achievements in general and learners speaking ability in particular. This implies the
reliability and the validity of the approach in addressing deficiencies of speaking skill more
than the other skills.

Conclusion
The teaching methods in the Algerian universities do not focus on producing good
communicators; rather, they stress the strengthening of the writing skill that is conducive to
academic objectives. In a globalized world, speaking is the gate to language mastery.
Consequently, Educators and teachers should shift their focus to advance capable speakers.
Since oral language involves verbal and nonverbal communication, it has been revealed
through several studies that cooperative learning is one of the most reliable strategies that
improve both. The social frame of this strategy helps the learners to be interactive, self-
motivated, and confident. As it is generally acknowledged, students accomplish the task better
when they are working in a friendly and supportive atmosphere. Additionally, it results in
higher academic achievements and notable progress.

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Skill: A Review of Literature

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