A Meta-Study of Cooperative Learning in TEFL

Abstract

This meta-study on cooperative learning (CL) in English language teaching (ELT) outside Japan examined: (a) how much CL in ELT is used in EFL contexts; (b) whether it is effective in improving English proficiency; and (c) which skills it can improve. Peer-reviewed papers (n = 112), published since 2010, were chosen in the ERIC search, and analyses one and two were performed respectively with the most-read 50 papers and with 30 quantitative studies that ran statistical tests. Consequently, it was shown that CL in ELT is used in 18 EFL countries, mainly at the tertiary stage. Also shown was its efficacy in the improvement of English skills and proficiency in the between-group (d = 0.82) and within-group (r = 0.50) studies, suggesting its effectiveness in the development of speaking and vocabulary skills.