영어 의사소통능력의 신장을 위한 소집단 협동학습 실험 = Improving Communicative Competence in English through Cooperative Learning in Small Groups

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The purpose of this study is to improve listening and speaking ability in English, and to help low-level students learn English more effectively through cooperative learning in small groups in high school English classes. For that purpose, the following hypotheses were established on the basis of the effectiveness of the cooperative learning in small groups.
Hypothesis 1 : cooperative learning in small groups will have a positive effect on the students' interest in English learning and 4 skills of English.
Hypothesis 2 : Cooperative learning in small group will help the students improve their listening and speaking ability in English by mutual activities.
Hypothesis 3 : Cooperative learning in small groups will get the low-level students to learn English more effectively by the help of their fellow students.
Subjects for the study were 50 students in the first grade of a high school in the Changwon city of area of Kyoungsangnamdo. The treatment group was made up of 50 students, and the normal group was made up of 48 students. The two groups were considered as equal groups in three achievement tests and the questionnaire about their interest in English. For about 9 months, the treatment group has been assigned to the cooperative learning in small groups, while the normal group has been assigned to the teacher directed whole-class learning.
The effects of cooperative learning in small groups were examined in three areas : interest in English, listening and speaking ability, and the number of low-level students in achievement tests. Questionnaires about their interest in English were asked twice, before and after the experiment. Listening and speaking ability tests were given 3 times for each. General achievement tests were given 4 times to find out the low-level students^1).
The results above indicated the cooperative learning in small groups turned out to be effective in improving the students' communicative ability and decreasing the number of low-level students. Therefore, it seems to be a very helpful teaching method worth applying in high school English classes.
In conclusion, for beginners to improve their communicative ability, they should have enough opportunities to speak in class. And their teacher should not be the center of the class.
I hope that further research will be systematically conducted in this area, and applied in high school English classes. It is also expected that this study can be helpful for the new curriculum starting from 2.002.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. 서론
• Ⅱ. 소집단 협동학습
• 1. 정의 및 필요성
• 2. 연구의 가설 및 범위
• Ⅲ. 실태분석 및 실험
• Ⅳ. 연구의 검증
• Ⅴ. 결론