A Comparative Study on the Effect ofIndividual, Pair and Team work on Speaking Fluency Of Iranian Elementary EFL Learners

ABSTRACT:The present research investigated the effect of individual, pair, and team work on the speaking fluency of Iranian elementary EFL learners. A placement test was administered to a population of one hundred and fifty four EFL learners at Khorramshahr Ayandehsazan Language Center and seventy five learners were selected as elementary level participants of this study. The participants were randomly divided into three groups of twenty five: Individual Work Group (IWG), Pair Work Group (PWG), and Team Work Group (TWG). The instructional period lasted for 12 weeks (48 hours) for each class. The three groups received treatment in speaking in two two-hour sessions in a week program. The materials for the course remained constant for the three groups throughout the program. The only difference was the strategies used for the assigned tasks and activities. Participants of IWG were asked to do the tasks individually. The participants of PWG worked in pairs, and those of TWG were divided into four-member teams and worked in groups. At the end of the treatment, the participants took part in an oral interview, which had been administered in the pre-test, to determine whether any change in speaking fluency had occurred. The results showed that the three groups performed significantly different on the post-test. PWG and TWG outperformed IWG, indicating that the techniques of working in pairs and teams promote the speaking fluency of the Iranian EFL learners.