Cooperative and competitive teaching techniques affecting iranian EFL learners’ autonomy level

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of competitive and cooperative teaching techniques on Iranian adult EFL learners’ autonomy. To this end, a sample of 88 non-English major university students at Sohrevardi Nonprofit College in Qazvin were assigned to two groups, and each group received instruction under one of the treatment conditions including cooperative and competitive teaching techniques. To collect data, the Persian translation of an autonomy questionnaire was administered before and after the treatment. The obtained data were analyzed using an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) procedure. The result of data analysis showed that competitive and cooperative teaching techniques affected the level of autonomy in EFL learners. The learners in the cooperative group were more autonomous. The findings of the present study may have implications for learners, teachers, and syllabus designers.