The Effect of Different Cooperative Learning Strategies on EFL Students’ Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety

Masoumeh Ahmadifar, Nasim Shangarffam, Hamid Marashi

Abstract


The purpose of the present study was to investigate the comparative effect of Fishbowl and Carousel Brainstorming strategies on EFL students’ foreign language classroom anxiety. To this end, 60 intermediate EFL learners were selected among 90 through their performance on a sample PET Test. The selected participants (n=60) were randomly assigned into two experimental groups, namely, Fishbowl (n=30) and Carousel Brainstorming (n=30). The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) designed by Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986) was administered to both groups to measure their level of foreign language classroom anxiety before the treatment. Both groups underwent the same amount of teaching time and same materials by the same teacher during 12 sessions of 90 minutes each. The treatment was quite straightforward as participants of the study in Fishbowl group received instruction on fishbowl strategy and those in Carousel Brainstorming group received instruction on carousel brainstorming strategies. At the end of the treatment, the same FLCAS was given to EFL students in both groups as their posttest and their mean scores on the pretests and posttests were compared through ANCOVA. The results led to the rejection of null hypothesis with the conclusion that those in the Carousel Brainstorming group who gained a lower mean bearing a significantly lower degree of foreign language classroom anxiety than those in the Fishbowl group. The results and implications of the study are discussed in more details in the paper.


Keywords


Cooperative Learning, Fishbowl, Carousel Brainstorming, Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety, EFL Students

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References


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