Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 PhD Candidate, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran

2 Professor of TEFL, Faculty of English Language, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran

3 Associate professor of TEFL, Faculty of English Language, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

Collaborative content learning (CCL), as a process of learning that contributes to effective learning of the content of the courses in EFL contexts, has recently gained prominence in the research literature; however, the male and female students’ perceptions regarding CCL’s efficacy and their challenges in experiencing it are open questions. Thus, this mixed methods research investigated the contribution of CCL to Iranian TEFL students’ learning of the content. It focused on their perceptions and challenges across gender. Sixty male and female participants in the master’s program participated in the study. To collect the data, a questionnaire and interviews were used. The findings of the study, using quantitative data analysis, showed that more than half of the learners believed that CCL is effective in EFL teaching and learning context, especially, in terms of negotiation and problem-solving. Moreover, the results showed no statistically significant difference between male and female students’ perceptions of the efficacy of CCL. Finally, the analysis of the interviews’ data qualitatively revealed that male learners had methodological challenges in CCL, while female learners had communication challenges. The findings of the study suggest the beneficial role of CCL in raising students’ awareness of skillful collaboration for maximum learning of the content.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Article Title [Persian]

ادراکات و چالش‌های دانشجویان ایرانی زبان انگلیسی در یادگیری محتوای مشارکتی بر اساس جنسیت

Authors [Persian]

  • رقیه اسلامی 1
  • دکتر مهناز سعیدی 2
  • دکتر توران آهور 3

1 دانشجوی دکتری آموزش زبان انگلیسی، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد تبریز، تبریز، ایران

2 استاد آموزش زبان انگلیسی، گروه زبان و ادبیات انگلیسی، دانشکده زبان های خارجی، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد تبریز، تبریز، ایران

3 دانشیار آموزش زبان انگلیسی، گروه زبان و ادبیات انگلیسی، دانشکده زبان های خارجی، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد تبریز، تبریز، ایران

Abstract [Persian]

این تحقیق ترکیبی، سهم یادگیری مشارکتی محتوا (CCL)  را برای دانشجویان دختر و پسر ایرانی رشتۀ آموزش زبان انگلیسی با تمرکز بر ادراک آنها، از نظر موفقیت‌های بالا و پایین، تفاوت‌های جنسیتی و چالش‌های آنها در یادگیری مشارکتی محتوا  در نظر گرفت. برای دستیابی به اهداف این مطالعه، 60 شرکت کننده مرد و زن که محدوده سنی آنها از 23 تا 35 سال در سطح کارشناسی ارشد بود، شرکت کردند. آنها بومی زبانهای آذری، فارسی و کردی بودند. برای جمع‌آوری داده‌های مورد نیاز از پرسش‌نامه ادراک، نمرات امتحان نهایی برای تعیین رتبه‌های بالا و پایین و مصاحبه استفاده شد. یافته‌های این مطالعه نشان داد که بیش از نیمی از فراگیران بر این باور بودند که یادگیری مشارکتی محتوا  در زمینه آموزش و یادگیری زبان انگلیسی مهم است و محتوای دروس زمانی که روی آن محتوا به طور مشترک کار می‌کنند برای آنها قابل درک‌تر است.علاوه بر این، نتایج نشان داد که بین ادراک دانشجویان پسر و دختر از  حیث اثربخشی یادگیری مشارکتی محتوا از نظر آماری تفاوت معناداری وجود ندارد.در نهایت، تجزیه و تحلیل داده‌های به‌دست‌آمده از مصاحبه‌ها نشان داد که فراگیران مرد در یادگیری مشارکتی محتوا دارای چالش‌های روش‌شناختی هستند، در حالی که فراگیران زن دارای چالش‌های ارتباطی هستند. یافته­های پژوهش حاضر می­تواند برای دانشجویان و معلمان پیامدهایی داشته باشد.

Keywords [Persian]

  • ادراکات
  • چالش ها
  • یادگیری مشارکتی محتوا، جنسیت
Alfares, N. (2017). Benefits and Difficulties of Learning in Group Work in EFL Classes in Saudi Arabia. English Language Teaching, 10(7), 247-256. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt. v10n7p247
Al-Yaseen, W.S. (2012). Expectations of a group of primary school teachers trained in cooperative learning on the possibility of successful implementations. Education,132(2), 273-284.
Ary, D., Jacobs, L. C., Sorensen, C., & Razavieh, A. (2010). Introduction to research in education (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191
Bernard, R. M., Abrami, P. C., Borokhovski, E., Wade, C. A., Tamim, R. M., Surkes, M. A., Bethel E. et al. (2009). A meta-analysis of three types of interaction treatments in distance education. Rev. Educational Research, 79, 1243–1289. http://doi.org/10.3102/0034654309333844
Braun V., & Clarke V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa 
Bruffee, K. A. (1972). Social Construction, Language and the Authority of Knowledge. College English, 48(1), 773-790. https://doi.org/10.2307/376723 
Buzhardt, J., Greenwood, C. R., Abbott, M., Tapia, Y. (2007). Scaling up class-wide peer tutoring: Investigating barriers to wide-scale implementation from a distance. Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 5(2), 75-96.
Cantwell, R. H., & Andrews, B. (2002). Cognitive and psychological factors underlying secondary school students' feelings towards group work. Educational Psychology, 22(1), 75–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410120101260
Chen, J. (2005). Relation of academic support from parents, teachers, and peers to Hong Kong adolescents' academic achievement: The mediating role of academic engagement. Genetic, social, and general psychology monographs, 131, 77-127. https://doi.org/10.3200/MONO.131.2.77-127 
Chen, W., Tan, J.  S., & Pi, Z.  (2021). The spiral model of collaborative knowledge improvement:  an exploratory study of a networked collaborative classroom. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 16(1), 7-35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-021-09338-6
Chiou, B. (2019). The Application of Problem-based Learning Approach in English Grammar Instruction: A Pilot Study. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 10(3), 446–453. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10060105 
Chiriac, E. H., &, K. (2012). Teachers’ leadership and students’ experience of group work. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice18(3), 345–363. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2012.629842 
Çokparlamış, A. (2010). Effects of cooperative learning on teaching English to young learners [Unpublished MA thesis]. Çukurova University.
Colbeck, C., Campbell, S., & Bjorklund, S. (2000). Grouping in the Dark: What College Students Learn from Group Projects. The Journal of Higher Education, 71(60), 60-83. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2000.11780816
Dawson, Shane. (2006). A study of the relationship between student communication interaction and sense of community. The Internet and Higher Education, 9,153-162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2006.06.007 
Dewi, P., & Muhid, A. (2021). Profil Emosi Akademik Siswa selama Pembelajaran Online di SMP YPM 4 Taman Sidoarjo. JKI (Jurnal Konseling Indonesia)6(2), 50-55. https://doi.org/10.21067/jki.v6i2.5269
Ebadi, S. & Ebadijalal, M. (2020). The effect of Google Expeditions virtual reality on EFL learners’ willingness to communicate and oral proficiency. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35, 10. http://doi.org/1080/09588221.2020.1854311
Edmunds, R. (2012). Thorpe M, Conole G. Student attitudes towards and use of ICT in course study, work and social activity: A technology acceptance model approach. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(1),71–84. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2010.01142.x   
Gatfield, T. (1999). Examining student satisfaction with group projects and peer assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 24(4), 365-377. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0260293990240401
Gillies, R. M., & Boyle, M. (2010). Teachers’ reflections on cooperative learning: Issues of implementation. Teach. Teach. Educ. 26, 933–940. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.10.034
Glaser, B. & Strauss, A. (2012). The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. New Brunswick.
Hargittai, E., & Shafer, S. A. (2006). Differences in actual and perceived online skills: the role of gender. Social Science Quarterly87(2), 432–448. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2006.00389.x
Harskamp, E., Ding, N., & Suhre, C. (2008). Group composition and its effect on female and male problem-solving in science education. Educational Research, 50(4), 307–318. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131880802499688
Hartman, H. & Hartman, M. (2003). Final Report to NSF: A Gender Lens on Rowan University’s College of Engineering. NSF. Available online at: http://users.rowan.edu/~hartman/research.
Hartley, B. L., & Sutton, R. M. (2013). A stereotype threat account of boys' academic underachievement. Child Development, 84(5), 1716–1733. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12079
Jamalvandi, B., Jafarigohar, M., Jalilifar, A., & Soleimani, H. (2020). Mediation and EFL learners’ willingness to communicate: A micro sociocultural study. Applied Research on the English Language, 9(4), 449–476. https://doi.org/10.22108/are.2020.117283.1465 
Jalilifar, A. (2010). The effect of cooperative learning techniques on college students’ reading comprehension. System. 38, 96-108. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.system.2009.12.009
Järvelä, S., Violet, S., Järvenoja, H. (2010). Research on motivation in collaborative learning: Moving beyond the cognitive-situative divide and combining individual and social processes. Educational Psychologist, 45, 15-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520903433539  
Kagan, S. (1989). The structural approach to cooperative learning. Educational Leadership, 47, 12-15.
Lou, Y., Abrami, P. C., Spence, J. C., Poulsen, C., Chambers, B., & D’Apollonia, S. (1996). Within-Class Grouping: a Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research66(4), 423–458. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543066004423
Martinez, F., Taut, S., & Schaaf, K. (2016). Classroom observation for evaluating and improving teaching: An international perspective. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 49(2), 15-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2016.03.002 
Mayne, L.& Wu, Q., (2011). Creating and Measuring Social Presence in Online Graduate Nursing Courses. Nursing education perspectives, 32(2), 110-4. https://doi.org/10.5480/1536-5026-32.2.110  
 
Montazeri, M., & Salami, E. A. (2019). Assessing motivation to speak (MTS) and willingness to communicate through metalinguistic corrective feedback. Learning and Motivation, 68, 40–62. https://doi.org/10.22108/ARE.2021.127378.1687 
Muijs, D., & Reynolds, D. (2005). Effective teaching: Evidence and Practice (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Murphy, P. & J. Elwood (1998). Gendered experiences, choices, and achievement – exploring the links. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 2(2), 95–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360311980020202
Onah, D. U. & Ugwu, E. I. (2010). Factors which predict performance in secondary school physics in Ebonyi north educational zone of Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Pelagia Research Library Advances in Applied Science Research, 1(3), 255-258. https://doi.org/10.12691/education-6-12-10  
Ro, H. & Choi, Y. (2011) Student Team Project: Gender Differences in Team Project Experience and Attitudes Toward Team-Based Work. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 11(2), 149-163. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313220.2011.575022 
Ruta, D., Powell, L., Wang, D., Hirsch, B., Ng, J. (2013). Self-organizing P2P learning for 21C education. International Symposium on Smart Learning for the Next Generation, 66–69, UAE. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-016-9234-6
Sarobol, N. (2012). Implementing cooperative learning in English language classroom: Thai University’s students’ perceptions. The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 6(10),111-122. Retrieved from: http://www.SocialSciences-Journal.com 
Schnaubert, L., & Bodemer, D. (2019). Providing different types of group awareness information to guide collaborative learning. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 14(1), 7-1 .https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-018-9293-y
Sheridan, A. Byrne, C. & Quina, k. (1989).  Collaborative Learning. College Teaching, 37(2), 49-53. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.1989.10532159
Schnaubert, L., & Bodemer, D. (2019). Providing different types of group awareness information to guide collaborative learning. Int. J. Comp. Support. Collab. Learn. 14, 1–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-018-9293-y  
Silver, W. S., & Bufiano, K. M. (1996). The impact of group efficacy and group goals on group task performance. Small Group Research, 27, 55-72.
Slavin, R.E. (1991). Synthesis of research on cooperative learning. Educational Leadership, 48, 71-82.
Sousa, L.  P.  D.  Q., Tiraboschi, F.  F., Lago, N.  A.  D., & Figueiredo, F.  J.  Q.  D.  (2019). Collaborative English Language Learning: Some Reflections From Interactions Between Pairs. Trabalhos em Linguística Aplicada, 58, 259-286. https://doi.org/10.1590/010318138653439430941 
Smith, B. L., & MacGregor, J. T. (1992). What is collaborative learning? In Goodsell, A. S., Maher, M. R., and Tinto, V. (Eds.), Collaborative Learning: A Sourcebook for Higher Education. National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, & Assessment, Syracuse University.
So, H.J. & Brush, T. A. (2008). Student perceptions of collaborative learning, social presence and satisfaction in a blended learning environment: Relationships and critical factors. Computers & Education 51, 318-336. http://doi.org/10.12691/education-5-1-3 
Stevens, R. J., Slavin, R. E. (1995). Effects of a cooperative learning approach in reading and writing on academically handicapped and non-handicapped students. The Elementary School Journal, 95, 241-262. https://doi.org/10.1086/461801
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using Multivariate Statistics (6th ed.). MA: Pearson.
Tannen, D. (1991). You just don’t understand: Women and men in conversation. Virago Publications.
Tinkling, T. (2003). Gender differences and high attainment. British Educational Research Journal, 29(3), 307-325. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411920301854 
Torgesen, J. K., Houston, D. D., Rissman, L. M., Decker, S. M., Roberts, G., Vaughn, S., Lesaux, N. (2017). Academic literacy instruction for adolescents: A guidance document from the Center on Instruction. NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1962). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA.
Wu, S.& Wang, S. (2020). Exploring the effects of gender grouping and the cognitive processing patterns of a Facebook-based online collaborative learning activity. Interactive Learning Environments, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1799026 
Zhan, Z., Fong, P. S. W., Mei, H., & Liang, T. (2015). Effects of gender grouping on students’ group performance, individual achievements and attitudes in computer-supported collaborative learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 587–596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.02.083 
Zimmerman, B. J. (2008). Investigating self-regulation and motivation: Historical background, methodological developments, and prospects. American Educational Research Journal, 45, 166-183. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831207312909