ISSN: 2395-0595

International E-Journal
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January 2016 Vol. 2 Number 1

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Article information Volume 2, Number1. 32-38.(2016)

Article Received: 23/01/2016 ISSN: 2395-0595
Acceptance: 26/01/2016

Collaborative Learning Techniques to Enhance Reading Comprehension

Skills of Gujarati Medium Intermediate Students

Ms. Meera Patel

Assistant Professor in English
Shroff S R Rotary Institute of Chemical Technology
_________________________________________________________________

Abstract:
Reading comprehension is a very crucial skill as today we find many things
written in English only. In Gujarati medium schools, this skill is taught by
translation method. Teachers ask students to memorize Gujarati translation of
English words. If teacher provides comfortable and friendly environment,
students’ learning power increases. Students can learn so many things from each
other. They feel comfortable to ask queries to each other than teacher. This paper
explains concept of collaborative learning and its implication in the classroom.
This paper examines whether collaborative learning techniques are useful to
enhance reading comprehension level of intermediate Gujarati medium students
or not.

Key Words: Reading Comprehension Skills, Pedagogy, Collaborative Learning

Techniques

Cite this article as: Patel, M.(2016) Collaborative Learning Techniques to Enhance
Reading Comprehension Skills of Gujarati Medium Intermediate Students.ELT Vibes:
International E-Journal For Research in ELT. 2(1).32-38.
 ELT VIBES: International E-Journal For Research in ELT
Volume 2, Number 1. 32-38. (2016)
ISSN: 2395-0595

Introduction
After Independence, patriotism was at its highest pick in the Gujarat. People were
focusing only on Gujarati language. They closed their senses towards English
language as it was believed unpatriotic. Because of this English was introduced
late in secondary level. Main aim to teach English at that time was to enable
students to translate. The approach of teaching English was merely bookish and
rule-governed. English was optional subject in class X. By the end of 80’s few
teachers and teaching educators tried to relate classroom teaching with the real
world language. Today, in the 21st century, plenty of schools have started
generating an environment which is conducive to learning English. With the need
of English, approach to teach has also changed and became more learners
oriented.

Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension is an ability to understand written passage or text. The
ability of comprehension varies from person to person. It depends on readers’
traits and style. In simple language, we can say reading comprehension is the act
of understanding what you are reading. While the definition can be simply stated,
the act is not that simple to teach, learn or practice. Reading comprehension is an
intentional, active, interactive process that occurs before, during and after a
person reads a particular piece of writing. In Gujarati medium schools, English is
not taught by English language. It is taught by translation method. Teacher reads
lesson aloud in English and then translate it in Guajarati for students’
comprehension. Students also refer ‘Guide’ (a very famous book among Gujarati
medium students which has all solutions of exercises and translation of all the
lessons in Gujarati, published by ‘Navneet’ publication) to complete the exercise
based on the lesson. Apart from this, most of the students learn words in isolation
(without context).

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 ELT VIBES: International E-Journal For Research in ELT
Volume 2, Number 1. 32-38. (2016)
ISSN: 2395-0595

When it comes to comprehension, they do not understand in how many contexts

it can be used and what can be various meaning of the words according to
context. Especially they do not understand homonyms.
For example: The word ‘Key’.
Let’s take the word only in two contexts.
1. Metal device to open lock. Ex. Open a lock with this key.
2. Something crucial. Ex. The key to development is economic integration.( World
Web Dictionary)
Here many students will comprehend only first example as they use the word in
daily life. Second example will quite be complicated to comprehend for them as
they don’t use the word in the context of ‘crucial’.

Significance of Reading Comprehension

Without comprehension, reading is nothing more than following symbols on a
page with eyes and sounding them out. Imagine being handed a story written in
French with no understanding of their meaning. You may appreciate the words,
but you are not truly reading the story. In order to survive and succeed in today’s
world, individuals must be able to comprehend basic texts such as bills, housing
agreements (leases, purchase contracts), and directions on packaging and
transportation documents (bus and train schedules, maps, travel directions).
Reading comprehension is a critical component of functional literacy. Think of
the potentially dire effects of not being able to comprehend dosage directions on
a bottle of medicine or warnings on a container of dangerous chemicals. With the
ability to comprehend what they read, people are able not only to live safely and
productively, but also to continue to develop socially, emotionally and
intellectually.

Collaborative Learning Techniques

Over the past twenty-five years, the use of small-group learning has greatly
increased (However not in Gujarati medium school). Interactive group learning
has received wide attention and usage in higher education for decades.
“Collaborative learning is an umbrella term for a variety of educational
approaches involving joint intellectual effort by students and teachers together. In

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 ELT VIBES: International E-Journal For Research in ELT
Volume 2, Number 1. 32-38. (2016)
ISSN: 2395-0595

most collaborative learning situations students are working in groups of two or

more, mutually searching for understanding, solution, or meanings, or creating a
product.” Smith and MacGregor (1992)
In collaborative learning, all participants in the group must engage actively in
working together towards the stated objective. If one group member completes a
group task while others simply watch, then it is not collaborative learning. All
students must contribute more or less in the task. In collaborative learning,
meaningful learning must also take place. As students work together on a
collaborative assignment, they must increase their knowledge or deeper their
understanding of course curriculum. The task assigned to the group must help
them accomplish the learning objective course.

Experiment
The Purpose of the experiment was to enhance reading comprehension skills of
students through collaborative learning techniques. Collaborative learning
strategies were applied on the sample to enhance reading comprehension skills.
Seventeen hours course was designed, produced and delivered in the month of
August. Out of seventeen, fifteen hours were used for treatment where as two
hours were kept for pre test and post test. The course was of eight modules. Each
module had pre task, main task and post task. The tasks were in pair or group
work. Pre task activities were formed for brainstorming. It worked as an ice
breaker. Pre task activities were designed in a way that it does not stress students.
It led students to the main task. However before leading students towards main
task key words from the main passage were introduced to them. Key words were
explained by the teacher by interesting activities and tools like showing posters,
questioning, gestures, comparison etc. The modules of main task contained short
passages. All the passages had variety in the function and subject like
informative, scientific, fiction, ethology, narration, report, history etc. There
should be reason for reading the passages. For providing a cause of reading,
while task activities were formed. Students were supposed to complete that
activity while reading. However the ‘while task’ activities were light. It was
formed in a way that it does not hamper reading instead it gives reason for
reading. Once student finish reading, he needs to complete post task. Post task is

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 ELT VIBES: International E-Journal For Research in ELT
Volume 2, Number 1. 32-38. (2016)
ISSN: 2395-0595

an exercise which is based on main task or actual passage. It was drafted to check
students’ comprehension. There was variety in the exercises like multiple choice
questions, who said to whom, choose most appropriate option, summing up the
story , arrange jumbled lines in a sequence, finding information from paragraph,
true false etc.
Students worked in group during the treatment. Sometime they worked in a pair
sometimes in group of three or four. They talked with each other and gave their
suggestion to each other to comprehend possible meaning of English words,
overall passage and to complete pre task, main task and post task. The
Experiment was done on the 9th Standard students of Gujarati medium school,
Bharuch.
The study was guided by the following null hypothesis
1. There will be a significant difference in the overall mean scores of the pre-test
and the post-test of the students in the experimental group.
The current study involves the control of the three components essentially, the
sample, i.e., the participants, the treatment and the measurement of the treatment,
i.e., the pre-test and post-test. The research tools include: the treatment, the pre-
test and the post-test which are the instruments to measure effectiveness of the
collaborative learning strategies to enhance reading comprehension.
Data analysis and interpretation:
The data collected through the pre test and post test were analysed and interpreted
through statistical analysis to test the hypothesis.
Difference between total numbers of marks between both the pre-test and the
post-test:

Box plot for the data before and after the experiment

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 ELT VIBES: International E-Journal For Research in ELT
Volume 2, Number 1. 32-38. (2016)
ISSN: 2395-0595

The data before the experiment has mean 16.74 (shown with the thick line in the
first box) with minimum and maximum values 7 and 26 respectively. The first
three quartiles of the data are 14.5, 17 and 20 respectively. The second box shows
the box plot corresponding to data recorded after the experiment for the same
group of students. The post data has mean 25.53, which shows an increment in
intelligence level (measured by means of marks obtained in the test conducted
after the period of experiment) of students by average of 8.79 marks. The three
quartiles of the post data are 25, 27 and 28 respectively. Note that, there are four
outliers in the second data (post treatment data). The statistical summary of both
the data sets is presented in the table.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can say that the current research study was effective and
significant. The course designed, developed and implemented for this study was
useful to enhance reading comprehension in routine.

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Volume 2, Number 1. 32-38. (2016)
ISSN: 2395-0595

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