The Effectiveness Of using 'Learning Together Instruction' in improving reading comprehension among EFL undergraduates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Over the past three decades, researchers have found cooperative learning strategy of learning together to have positive effects on students’ achievement in various academic subject areas and different educational levels. However, there are limited studies on the impact of cooperative learning strate...
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| Summary: | Over the past three decades, researchers have found cooperative learning strategy of learning together to have positive effects on students’ achievement in various academic subject areas and different educational levels. However, there are limited studies on the impact of cooperative learning strategy of learning together on students’ achievement in the area of Saudi higher education EFL reading comprehension. The use of learning together instruction is rarely supported by instructors in EFL reading classrooms in Saudi Arabia even though research studies have suggested that it will increase students’ vocabulary and improve their understanding of the reading comprehension text. Large numbers of Saudi EFL students of different educational levels are unable to read efficiently or comprehend what they read due to some factors, including depending merely on traditional instruction. Through learning together activities, EFL undergraduates can use their knowledge, perceptions and experiences to improve their reading comprehension skills. Upon review of the related literature, no study was found that focused on the use of learning together instruction in Saudi EFL reading classrooms. As a result, the present study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of using learning together instruction in improving reading comprehension among Saudi EFL undergraduates by comparing the learning together instruction and traditional lecture instruction. Another objective was to figure out the undergraduates’ perceptions after providing learning together intervention. In addition, the study intended to examine students’ learning together behaviors during learning together instructional activities. The study employed an embedded concurrent mixed methods quasi-experimental design to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data from EFL undergraduates.The experiment was applied in a third-level English Reading and Vocabulary course, a three credit course, with three hours of instruction per week, over the full first semester of the academic year 2016/2017. Eighty EFL third-level students taking English Reading and Vocabulary courses took part in the study, with forty participant students in the experimental group and forty in the control group. The learning together instruction was used in the experimental group and the traditional lecture instruction was used in the control group to teach nine reading comprehension skills, specifically, previewing, scanning, making inferences, identifying the topic, understanding main ideas, identifying patterns of organization and exceptions, guessing unknown words, skimming and summarizing from the assigned university textbook for a period of nine weeks. The required quantitative data for the study were collected through two instruments, namely, learning together questionnaire, and identical reading comprehension pre- and post-tests. The quantitative data were analyzed using t-test. The qualitative data collection procedures incorporated researcher’s journal entries and field notes, face-to-face interviews with twelve participants and two student focus group interviews with nine participants. The interviews were recorded, and participants’ responses were transcribed from audiotapes of the interviews. During the interviews, the researcher’s observations were written down through the use of field x notes. Data from these sources were arranged into categories, and patterns and themes were identified to derive meaning from the participants’ perceptions and experiences. The qualitative research methodology used in this study comprised the “interpretive–descriptive” method and focused on turning the participants’ words and actions into the development of potential themes and implications. These data were coded and analyzed using open coding and thematic analysis. Themes found were: (a) EFL reading comprehension instructor provided continuing support during the learning together instruction sessions, (b) learning EFL reading comprehension skills is much easier when working in learning together groups, (c) working in learning together groups improves EFL reading comprehension skills learning, (d) learning EFL reading comprehension is more fun when students work in learning together groups, (e) learning together is a strategy that can be used in teaching other EFL skills, (f) Student help-seeking strategies were widened due to learning together instruction, (g) participating in learning together activities produces secure learning atmosphere and positive student interactions and (h) the future use of learning together strategy would yield better students’ achievement. The findings of the present study showed that learning together instruction had a higher effect on undergraduates’ reading comprehension achievement when compared with the effects of traditional lecture instruction. The study was further informed by the participants’ perceptions of their own learning together processes. In the case of undergraduates’ perceptions toward learning together instruction, the average mean of perception score for undergraduates in the learning together group showed a strong relationship with the learning together approach. Finally, it was found that the correlation between undergraduates’ reading comprehension achievement, perceptions and reactions was significant. The data suggested that learning together instruction had a positive impact on students’ reading comprehension skills overall. The benefits of this study reveal the positive impact learning together instruction has on EFL undergraduates’ reading comprehension and reflect that participants perceive this strategy to be useful in their EFL reading comprehension classrooms. In conclusion, the study could be a vital contribution to both knowledge and practice. With regard to knowledge, the study is an addition to the field of emperical literatutre of EFL education in the Saudi higher education context. Pertaining to practice, the study strongly recommends EFL lecturers to use the learning together instruction in undergraduate EFL reading comprehension courses. Another implication for this research suggests that future studies need to consider EFL undergraduates’ learning styles, self-esteem and motivation in their intervention designs. |
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