The Effect of Language Ability and Attitude Differences on EFL Students’ Cooperative Group Work

This paper reports part of the findings in a study on cooperative group work. The focus in the paper was on how students’ language ability and attitude differences influence the effect of cooperative group work in the EFL classroom. The participants were 50 students selected from two classes in a high school. In the group work, participants cooperatively translated a Korean cartoon into English. Participants’ language ability was measured by the national listening test and the school final exam, and their attitude toward group work was measured by the relevant items in a questionnaire. The effect of language ability and attitude differences on group work was measured by the difference between the pre-test and post-test scores. For some supplementary data the study also conducted an interview with 12 participants. According to the result, participants’ language ability differences had a significant effect on group work but their attitude differences did not. In addition, the result also shows that the lower-ability students benefited more from the group work than the higher-ability students. Based on the result, the study argues that cooperative group work, when used properly considering the constraints existing in the EFL classroom, can be a useful strategy for EFL teachers.