Using Cooperative Learning with Case Study and the Critical Incident Technique to Improve Learners' Performance in an English Listening and Speaking Class

In the intensive English program at a university in Lebanon, teachers were not implementing instructional strategies that accommodated students' diverse learning preferences in an English listening and speaking class, which negatively affected students' academic performance as evidenced by test scores. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the use of cooperative learning with case study and the use of the critical incident technique would enhance student learning of English in a listening and speaking class. The theoretical framework that guided the implemented instructional strategies included constructivist and andragogy models that acknowledge adult learners as unique individuals. A posttest experimental design was used. Data from an achievement test were collected in two sections of an English listening and speaking class (one served as the experimental group; the other served as the control. An independent samples t test was used to analyze the posttest scores of the two groups and examine whether the treatment resulted in an improvement in achievement test scores. The results showed that students in the experimental group scored significantly higher on the posttest than those in the control group. The findings also reflected that the theoretical framework which guided the instructional strategies was solid. The implication for positive social change include higher English proficiency, which can result in students finding better jobs in a globalized market that demands English fluency.