Enhancing Learner Engagement: Insights from Cooperative Learning Group Work Strategies (77897)
Session Chair: Colleen Kawalilak
Sunday, 18 February 2024 14:30
Session: Session 3
Room: Sri Nakorn
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
This study examines the effects of group work activities grounded in cooperative learning theory on learner engagement. According to Johnson and Johnson (2018), it is crucial not merely to engage learners in groups but to incorporate five fundamental components into group work: "Positive interdependence", "Individual accountability", "Promotive interaction", "Social skills", and "Group processing". Group work embracing cooperative learning theory has been reported to positively influence learners in linguistic, cognitive, and affective domains (Dörnyei & Murphey, 2003; McCafferty et al., 2006; Yoshimura et al., 2021). However, there has been limited empirical research concerning its impact on learner engagement. In this study, we assessed the changes in the engagement levels of 49 Japanese university EFL students in group work before and after an educational intervention based on cooperative learning theory. We investigated the influence of cooperative learning through group work on learner engagement from three facets proposed by Fredricks et al. (2004): affective engagement (via questionnaire survey), cognitive engagement (through Language-Related Episodes: LREs), and behavioral engagement (number of utterances and turns in group work). The task required students to collaboratively draft a script for a group presentation in a 20-minute group session in English. The results indicated that after the intervention, there was 1) a significant difference in learners’ emotional engagement, 2) a roughly twofold increase in the number of LREs, and 3) certain patterns observed concerning the number of utterances and turns. These findings suggest that group work driven by cooperative learning may have positively impacted learner engagement.
Authors:
Masahiro Yoshimura, Ryukoku University, Japan
Ryo Kirimura, Ritsumeikan University, Japan
About the Presenter(s)
Dr Masahiro Yoshimura is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at Ryukoku University in Japan
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