Examining the effect of a collaborative learning intervention on EFL students’ English learning and social interaction

Abstract

Educators, including English Language Teaching practitioners, acknowledge the influence of collaborative learning on students’ learning experiences, as demonstrated by numerous studies conducted in diverse contexts. This research, however, keeping instructional innovation, students’ collaborative engagement, language learning and classroom dynamics especially in the context of an Arab university where such studies are limited, examines the effect of a collaborative learning intervention program on EFL students’ English learning and social interactions in terms of teamwork, peer learning, and social intelligence. To achieve the study objective, the quasi-experimental design with two groups (experimental and control) was employed. The study was applied to a sample of prep-year university students who were randomly divided into two groups: control and experimental. While the experimental group studied English using collaborative learning skills, the control group studied following traditional ways of teaching. Both groups were assessed using a pre-and post-test (performance test) and an assessment card (social learning). In addition, teachers were interviewed about their views on how collaborative learning can strengthen EFL students’ social learning success. The result revealed statistically significant differences between the scores of the control and experimental groups in favor of the later, indicating that the intervention program highly helped students improve their English learning skills and enrich their social interaction. Finally, the interview analysis highlighted the ways to enhance EFL students' language learning and social interaction through group projects, discussion groups and debates, role-playing and simulations, diverse collaborative learning practices, and effective teacher facilitation. The findings imply that collaborative learning could be a potential treatment to help EFL learners enrich their social learning experience and success. Further research on collaborative learning’s extended impacts, teacher readiness, diverse assessment methods, and gender disparities are recommended to address the limitations of the current study.

Keywords

• collaborative learning
• prep year students
• EFL context
• English learning
• social interaction