Investigating EFL Learners' Attitudes Towards using Cooperative Learning to Enhance Their Speaking Skills A case study of English Students at the University of Ghardaia

Abstract

In many traditional EFL classrooms that are notorious for the dominance of the teacher which have significantly hindered the development of learners' oral proficiency. Students often remain passive recipients of knowledge in these settings. And despite cooperative Learning's effectiveness in addressing this issue by promoting interaction, limited research has specifically examined learners attitudes toward using it to improve their oral proficiency. Consequently, this research attempts to investigate English as foreign language ( EFL) Learners’ attitudes towards using cooperative learning (CL) to enhance their speaking skills. Speaking is a challenging skill that requires interaction, confidence, and fluency. CL provides learners with opportunities to actively engage in authentic communication.the study adopted a descriptive research design to explore this phenomenon. The study was conducted at the University of Ghardaia with EFL students across all levels in the Department of English, employing a mixed-methods research approach. A questionnaire was administered to students, and interviews were conducted with teachers. The findings revealed that most students held positive attitudes toward cooperative learning as a tool for improving their speaking skills, the study also highlighted the need to integrate CL into classroom practices to allow learners to speak freely, overcome shyness and move beyond a tendency to simply listen. Therefore, teachers are encouraged to embrace cooperative learning strategies to create a more interactive learning environment.