Date of Award

5-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Education (Curriculum and Instruction)

Department

Curriculum and Methods of Instruction

First Advisor

Dr. Sadiq A. Ismail

Second Advisor

Dr. Mohamad Shaban

Third Advisor

Dr. Negmeldin Alsheikh

Abstract

This study explores teachers’ perspectives on the role of the structured application of cooperative learning in enhancing ESL students’ learning engagement, social awareness, and cultural responsiveness. The main objective of this thesis is to investigate English teachers’ perceptions on the way cooperative learning can foster learning engagement, social awareness, cultural understanding and the application of differentiation in the ESL classroom. To answer the research questions, the researcher employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to gain deeper insight into the topic. The initial stage of the study involved the collection of the quantitative data from the Cooperative Learning Questionnaire (CLQ) responses of English teachers (n=200). The subsequent stage featured the collection of the qualitative data through the semi-structured interviews conducted with few participants (n=8) chosen from the initial sample of the first stage of the study. The obtained results suggest that English teachers find cooperative learning an effective teaching tool in creating learning motivation and engagement, instilling social values and cultural understanding, and facilitating the implementation of differentiated instruction. The research findings will facilitate further research on cooperative learning and differentiated instruction in the UAE. The study throws light on paramount issues in the field of cooperative learning in the English classroom, and it further provides comprehensive recommendations for refining the application of cooperative learning in terms of theory and practice.

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