The Effect of Cooperative Learning Techniques on Intermediate Iranian EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension and Reading Strategies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Cooperative Learning techniques on Intermediate Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension, and reading strategies. In order to do this 90 Iranian EFL learners took, Preliminary English Test (PET), at the start for the researcher homogenize them regarding their general English proficiency. After that, 60 learners whose scores were one standard deviation above and below the mean were selected and were divided into 2groups; Experimental, and Control. Then their homogeneity regarding their reading comprehension was checked through the PET reading comprehension subtest. Afterwards, their reading strategies before the treatment were compared using MARSI questionnaire. During the twelve sessions of treatment the experimental group received the Cooperative Learning Techniques while working on their reading comprehension, and the control group, received traditional teaching without focus on CL techniques. In this study the researcher did not teach reading strategies to the learners. In order to investigate the result of the research a one way MANOVA sample test was used to see the effect of cooperative learning techniques on intermediate Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension, and reading strategies, and the result has shown that cooperative learning techniques had a significant positive effect on intermediate Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension, and reading strategies.