Investigating The Algerian EFL Students’ Attitudes Towards The Use Of Collaborative Learning Strategy To Enhance Their Argumentative Writing Skill

Abstract

The present study attempts to examine the attitudes of Collaborative Learning Strategy (CLS) to enhance students' argumentative writing skills. It aims at investigating the CLS as powerful technique used by teachers of English as foreign language in the department of English at Mohammed Seddik Ben Yahia University of Jijel, and the department of English at Farhat Abass University of Setif. In this research, it is hypothesized that the use of collaborative learning strategy enhances the argumentative writing skills for Algerian EFL students. To verify the validity of this hypothesis, two tools are used. Firstly, the students' questionnaire has been administrated to investigate students' knowledge about using CLS and their attitudes towards it, the Questionnaire has been given to fifty (50) third-year students, twenty-five (25) participants in Jijel, and twenty-five (25) in Setif. Secondly, a teachers‟ interview has been conducted with five (5) teachers who have an experience of teaching Writing Expression. The results have shown that the use of collaborative learning strategy enhances students' argumentative writing skills. Students have confirmed that this technique helps them improve their augmentative writing for different reasons.