Comparing Competitive and Cooperative Content-Based Instruction in Reading and Writing Classes

The purpose of this study was to compare the impact of cooperative and competitive content-based instruction on EFL learners’ reading comprehension and writing. To fulfill the purpose, 60 female students of SAMA School of Mashhad, Iran were selected from among a total number of 90 based on their performance on a piloted sample KET and randomly put into two experimental groups. The same content was taught to both groups during 12 sessions with different methods of competitive and cooperative teaching being used in each class. A posttest, i.e. a reading and writing section of another KET, was administered after the treatment to both groups and their mean scores on the test were compared through an independent samples t-test and an ANCOVA. The results led to the rejection of both null hypotheses with the cooperative method of instruction being more effective on EFL learners’ reading comprehension and writing.