Enhancing L2 learners Writing Abilities through Collaborative Learning Activities

Collaborative learning (CL) lies at the heart of socio-cultural theory of language learning.This study intends to compare the effects of collaborative versus individual task planning on Iranian EFL learners’ writing performance. To this end, 30 intermediate EFL learners were recruited based on the results of Quick Oxford Placement Test (QOPT). Subjects were then divided into the control and experimental group. The students in the experimental group were asked to plan their task collaboratively in the class and share the knowledge that they received from other groups and. The students in the control group were asked to plan their task individually and to write their essay. At the final stage, a questionnaire was given to the students in experimental group in order to make sure their attitudes toward using collaborative task planning in their writing performance. The writings were scored based on five criteria namely content, organization, grammar, vocabulary, and mechanics. The collected data from the pre-test and post-test were analyzed using the t-test. According to the questionnaire results, it was revealed that most of the learners had positive attitude toward using collaborative task planning, claiming that it motivated them to get mastery of the writing skills. The results of t-test showed that the experimental group outperformed the control group as a result of collaborative learning. Finally, the paper discusses practical implications of the study for teachers’ classroom practices and theoretical implications from asocio-cultural perspective.

Keywords:

collaborative learning , sociocultural theory of language , writing abilities , Language communication skills