2021 Effectiveness of Collaborative
2021 Effectiveness of Collaborative
2021 Effectiveness of Collaborative
EFFECTIVENESS OF COLLABORATIVE
LEARNING FOR IMPROVING LEARNERS’
WRITING PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH
CLASSROOMS
Bhim Lal Bhandari
Associate Professor, Butwal Multiple Campus, Butwal, Rupandehi, TU
Corresponding author: blbhandari2024@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
The success of language teaching and learning depends on collaborative
atmosphere between the teachers and students in the class. Collaborative learning
is a learner centered approach for language teaching and learning. It engages
learners to work collaboratively with teachers. This study aimed at investigating
the effectiveness of collaborative learning for improving learners’ proficiency in
English classrooms. The study was based on an experimental research design. For
this purpose, I selected 50 students from grade 12 in the academic year of 2020.
Among them 25 were selected for experimental group while 25 for control group
as sample population of the study. Pre-test and post-test items related to writing
proficiency were used as the tools for data collection. The study revealed that
students of experimental group made better progress in improving writing skill than
the students of control group in the post-test which confirmed the effectiveness of
collaborative learning in teaching writing. Those who were engaged in free writing
in collaboration with each other created better written texts than those who wrote
writing texts individually by themselves. Besides, the students of experimental
group obtained 19.42 average score whereas the control group obtained 14.82
average score out of 25. Thus, collaborative learning contributes to improve
students’ writing as it assisted them to produce the quality of their writing.
Keywords: collaborative language learning - critical thinking - learner centered-
instruction - writing proficiency
INTRODUCTION
Collaborative learning is a learner centered approach where
students work together in small groups to accomplish a common goal. In
200 EFFECTIVENESS OF COLLABORATIVE LEARNING FOR IMPROVING ...
their teachers and peers (Woolner et al. 2012). This study justifies that
collaborative learning promotes learners to clear their ideas through debates
and discussions with teachers and peers. In this vein, Laal (2013) states
collaborative learning provides feedback to manage conflict resolution.
When a student engages in writing individually, he/she may face difficulties
in generating ideas. On the other hand, collaboration enhances various
skills such as group management and self-management, effective planning
and decision making, higher-level thinking, leadership, presentation,
communication and cooperative skills. In the same line, Mandusic and
Blaskovi (2015) also claimed collaboration improves and develops critical
thinking skill in learners.
In collaborative writing, learners share ideas and effort from
every group members at every stage of writing which supports them for
pre writing, drafting, revising and editing (Veramuthu & Shah 2020).
Collaborative writing creates opportunities to the students to interact and
share ideas with peers on the assigned task. Peer support is more effective
than teachers imparting knowledge about writing. Besides, it prompts
conversation among peers which gradually leads them to feedback (as cited
in Veramuthu & Shah 2020). The previous studies in this field have revealed
that collaborative writing maximizes students’ motivation and boosts their
self-confidence. Therefore, while sharing knowledge and views and solving
problems, students take charge of their own learning as well.
RESEARCH GAP
The brief review of available literature on collaborative learning
in English classrooms reveals that effectiveness of collaborative learning
is taken positively in foreign contexts; however, its effect in improving
students’ writing skill in teaching and learning English language in the
context of Nepal has not been studied so far. The contexts are not always
the same. The findings got from one context cannot be generalized in other
contexts. In spite of wide use and effectiveness, collaborative learning is
much less practiced in Nepalese context to improve students’ writing skills.
Therefore, I intend to investigate the effectiveness of collaborative learning
in English language classrooms in Nepal.
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METHODOLOGY
This study was based on experimental research design. Experimental
research is a research in which an intervention is purposely introduced to
observe its effects” (Shadish, Cook & Campbell 2002). The study was
carried out in 50 students of an institutional school of Rupandehi district.
Among them 25 students were purposively selected for experimental
group and 25 for control group. I taught the experimental group using
collaborative approach but I taught to control group in a traditional way
for a month then by administering the proficiency test to 50 students, I
collected the answer sheets from them. Finally, I tabulated, analyzed
and interpreted the data obtained from the proficiency test of writing to
fulfill the purpose of the study using mean and percentage to find out the
differences between experimental and control group of the respondents.
The study was conducted using mix method. The tools used in the study
for data collection were test items (three types of writing tasks with 25 full
marks) related to writing skill. The grade 12 compulsory English class was
selected for teaching writing skill. Therefore, I conducted the pre- test in
the beginning and post test at the end of teaching using the same test items
to see writing proficiency. The collected data were analyzed and interpreted
descriptively using statistical tools and tables. The scores from the post-
test were compared with the pre-test scores to see whether the learners
improved their writing skills or not.
Data analysis
Collected information from the respondents’ proficiency test was
analyzed using mean and percentage to examine the differences between
the writing proficiency level of experimental and control group of the
learners by using tables.
RESULTS
The results of this study have been presented in the table to provide
the overall writing proficiency of students.
Respondents’ average scores in writing
The result in Table 1 shows that the experimental group of students
performed better proficiency in writing than the control group which shows
that collaborative learning is significant and effective to improve learners’
writing skill.
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proficiency. The study shows that students of experimental group had made
better progress in improving writing skill (as they obtained 19.42 average
score) than the students of control group (i.e. they had 14.82 average score
out of 25) in post-test which proved effectiveness of collaborative language
learning in teaching and learning writing. It is more effective than the usual
traditional mode of teaching. Moreover; collaborative language learning
enables learners to develop critical and creative thinking in order to boost
up their inner potential capacity. Learners learn team work skills working
collaboratively sharing ideas with their direct involvement.
The study was not free from its limitations in its scope regarding
the number of respondents, tools implemented and the duration of study to
examine the effectiveness of collaborative language learning for improving
learners’ writing proficiency. The future researcher can carry out similar
study in the other level. Moreover, a large number of respondents should
be used so that more comprehensive details could be provided. A further
research is therefore necessary to be carried out including the view of
English language teachers and students to investigate the effectiveness of
collaborative learning in teaching speaking and reading skills in community
and institutional schools in a larger scale.
The study has great pedagogical implications for implementing
collaborative practices in teaching writing. The English language teachers
should provide the learners enjoyable learning atmosphere collaboratively.
They should also balance students’ status to contribute in the given tasks so
that high status students do not dominate low-status students. The teacher
should provide written tasks that students cannot complete independently
so that both bright and weak students can learn collaboratively sharing
ideas to accomplish the shared goals in the classroom.
REFERENCES
Benoit, R. & Haugh, B. (2001). Team teaching tips for foreign language
teachers. The Internet TESL Journal, 7(10). http://iteslj.org/
Techniques/Benoit TeamTeaching.html.
Bruffee, K. (1986) Social construction, language, and authority of
knowledge. College English, 48(8): 773-790.
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