The Effect of Cooperative Learning on Reducing Anxiety and Improving Reading Comprehension of EFL Learners
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of cooperative learning on reducing anxiety and improving reading comprehension ability of the Iranian intermediate male and female EFL learners. Also, this study checked possible interaction between grouping (cooperative learning vs. individualistic learning) and gender on anxiety and reading comprehension. The research data were collected with the use of quantitative methods, including two instruments: The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale [FLCAS] and the reading comprehension pre-test and post-test. A total of 80 intermediate level students participated in this study. The findings revealed that cooperative learning had no effect on reducing foreign language learning anxiety, but improved reading comprehension ability of the learners. The effect of gender, as moderator variable, was also examined, and the interaction between grouping and gender on anxiety and reading comprehension was studied too, but no statistically significant effect was found.
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