A Study on the Effects of Cooperative Learning on Reading Ability among EFL Students in Indonesia

Abstract

According to a widely held belief among educators in Indonesia, English language arts instructors struggle to employ effective reading practises. This is due to relevant data showing that certain EFL students in Indonesia found it challenging to comprehend the context of the reading text during an English language learning reading segment. As a result, some research now supports the adoption of cooperative learning as one of the strategies that might be superior to competitive and individualistic efforts. The current study is carried out at Simpadu STKIP PI Makassar, Indonesia, during English class as part of a literary appreciation reading assignment. Two distinct classes of students were used to carry out the research. In all, 50 students agreed to take part in this investigation. A combination of approaches was used in this investigation. The study used an existing, intact class structure and a quasi-experimental methodology. Reading assessments, the Motivation for Reading in English Questionnaire (MREQ), and students’ opinions on cooperative learning in the questionnaire comprised the majority of the data. The participants’ replies to each of the English questionnaire’s statements on their motivations for reading were rated on a four-point Likert scale. The independent t-test was counted by using SPSS 22. The study’s findings demonstrate that cooperative learning has a favourable impact on students’ reading abilities and motivation. Additionally, after implementing cooperative learning, the qualitative data reveals the students’ perspectives. The findings demonstrate that cooperative learning improves the reading abilities of Indonesian EFL students. As a consequence, it is also inferred that cooperative learning is successful in boosting the reading motivation of Indonesian EFL students.