Incorporating Cooperative Project-Based Learning in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language: Teachers’ Perspectives

Abstract

Cooperative Project-Based Learning (CPBL) is an instructional approach that enhances students’ motivation to learn cooperatively by investigating a range of tasks related to an authentic project. This study explores the impact of teachers’ age on CPBL implementation when teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and identifies teachers’ perceptions, views, and attitudes regarding this methodology. This research is exploratory in scope, quantitative in design, and correlational-factorial in nature. The quantitative method applied provides the means to determine the correlation between variables and how the implementation of CPBL is determined. To fulfil the aims of this research, questionnaires were distributed to a sample of 84 EFL teachers from primary and secondary schools. The factorial analysis revealed that the age of teachers had a significant impact on CPBL implementation (p < 0.001). Accordingly, younger age groups of 21–30 and 31–40 showed a greater predisposition for the implementation of CPBL than the 41–50 range. Additionally, the results revealed that 36.9% of teachers implement the methodology. Moreover, 79.76% of all responses indicated positive attitudes towards this approach. The findings point to important implications for course designers and for teachers.

Keywords

• cooperative learning
• project-based learning
• innovative education
• motivation
• English as a foreign language (EFL)