EFFECTS OF THE STAD METHOD ON CHINESE COLLEGE STUDENTS' ENGLISH COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate effects of the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) method in enhancing college students' English Communicative Competence. This quantitative study adopted a quasi- experimental design. The sample chosen intact groups consisting of 80 first-year non-English majors from two different classes of Chinese vocational colleges. The students were divided into two groups, i.e. the Experimental Group and the Control Group. The teaching of the Experimental Group, was based on the STAD method while the conventional teaching method was adopted in the Control Group. Each group was made up of 40 students. The questions used in the tests before and after the intervention were adapted from IELTS speaking and listening test. SPSS 25 was applied to analyze the data using ANCOVA test. The research findings conspicuously revealed that when the STAD method was utilized the Experimental Group improved significantly in their overall performance in English communicative competence.