How Motivation and Collaborative Learning Impact Vocabulary Learning: The Case of Iranian High School Learners

It has been shown that collaborative learning can potentially boost the learning of a second language. This study aimed to investigate the effect of collaborative learning on the motivation of EFL learners and their vocabulary learning. The quasi-experimental design was used to investigate the research questions. Two groups of intermediate EFL learners took part in the study; the first group of learners (n= 30) was instructed through the traditional routine (i.e. grammar-translation) while the second group (n=30) was instructed by collaborative task-based instruction. All participants were requested to fill out a motivation questionnaire twice during their course (once at the beginning and once at the end). Participants of both groups were also asked to answer the vocabulary test which was designed based on their course content to assess their vocabulary development throughout the semester (once at the beginning and once at the end). The independent samples t-test was used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that engaging them in collaborative learning significantly improved their motivation and vocabulary scores. The results highlight the value of cooperative learning and open new routes in empowering teachers and teacher educators.