The Effectiveness of the use of Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures “Timed Pair Share, Numbered Heads Together, and Talking Chips” in the development of EFL university students’ oral fluency

Abstract

The main objective of this research study was to determine the effectiveness of the use of three Kagan Cooperative Learning instructional strategies, Timed Pair Share, Numbered Heads Together, and Talking Chips in the development of EFL students’ fluency in oral production. A second objective was to know the students’ perceptions regarding the use of cooperative learning to develop their oral fluency. This study followed a mixed methods approach with a quasi-experimental design. The participants were university students taking an intermediate level intensive English course at a public university in Ecuador. Both the experimental and the control group had 21 students. For seven weeks, students in the experimental group worked with the three Kagan Structures. Data were collected through a pre-test and post-test, students’ journals, teacher observation, and student survey. The results showed that the intervention had a positive effect on the development of the oral fluency of the experimental group. Consequently, this study recommends the incorporation of Timed Pair Share, Numbered Heads Together, and Talking Chips into the set of teaching strategies English instructors use to develop students’ oral fluency.