Integrating Language Learning Strategies to Promote Active-Cooperative Language Learning

Abstract

This paper emphasizes the effect of integrating strategies and teaching methods in the language learning of high school students in Tirana and Shkoder.

The study makes the comparison between the traditional way of teaching and the active - cooperative learning, in order to decide on the learners’ behavior towards learning.

The following research questions guide this study:

1)               Does a particular way of teaching encourage greater attention among language learners?

2)               Does active - cooperative learning create positive attitude among language learners?

This study follows a qualitative research design. A qualitative approach was chosen

because we tend to see how the learners’ attitudes towards the  language learning change through the comparison between the traditional and active – cooperative teaching learning and how the integrated strategies may affect learning.

The study involved a sample of 60 students from the high schools in Tirana and Shkoder, who ranged from 14 to 16 years of age. These learners were from similar socioeconomic backgrounds but from different geographic areas. There were also two teachers who taught them English as a foreign language.

The importance of the study lies in the fact that it may help the language teachers to decide which teaching method is most suited to promote cooperative learning and how interactive strategies may affect the second language learners’ achievements and how they will affect their behavior in the language classroom. The findings from this study led to the following conclusions:

The results of the study show that interactive teaching strategies have a strong impact on the students’ motivation which leads them towards active – cooperative learning. The application of these strategies can be very effective for the teacher and rewarding for the students, hence helping the students improve their language achievements according to the requirements of the Common European Framework of Languages (CEFR, 2001)[1].

[1] http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/