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Abstract
Collaborative work is widely used in English classes, but students do not always actively participate or use the English language during activities. This research examined the influence of two cooperative strategies, Numbered Heads Together and Jigsaw on group work, students’ perceptions and student group dynamics in fourth-grade English as a foreign language classroom in Ecuador. This study used a convergent parallel mixed-methods design involving 78 students from a primary school. The data were collected through a survey administered to the students and through class observations during the application of the two strategies. Overall, the students had benefited from collaborative learning, and that collaboration not only encouraged learners to participate but also let them assist peers and made lessons fun. The observations supported that both strategies lead to active engagement and orderly group work. However, with the implementation of the Jigsaw strategy, students used less English language, indicating that the increased communication demands of this strategy may have rendered additional linguistic support necessary. These findings emphasize the usefulness of well-organized cooperative learning in primary education EFL classrooms and simultaneously highlighting that effective collaboration should be aligned with appropriate scaffolding to encourage meaningful use of the target language.
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