The Effect of Cooperative Learning Techniques on Reading Comprehension Skills among ESL Secondary School Students in Karachi, Pakistan: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

This study examined the effect of cooperative learning techniques   specifically the Jigsaw and Think-Pair-Share techniques on the reading comprehension skills of Grade X English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students in District Central, Karachi, Pakistan. A quasi-experimental, pretest–posttest control-group design was employed with two intact groups of 40 students each (N = 80). The experimental group received a 14-session cooperative learning intervention, while the control group continued with traditional, teacher-centered instruction. Reading comprehension was measured before and after treatment using a 50-item multiple-choice test, and data were analyzed in SPSS (v25) using independent-samples and paired-samples t-tests. Results showed no significant difference between the two groups' pretest scores (t(78) = 0.38, p = .70), confirming baseline equivalence. Both groups improved significantly from pretest to posttest, but the experimental group's gain (M = 2.40 points) was substantially larger than the control group's (M = 0.95 points), t(39) = 13.46, p < .001 versus t(39) = 4.05, p < .001. Consistent with this, posttest scores differed significantly between groups in favor of the experimental group, t(78) = 2.96, p = .004. The findings indicate that cooperative learning techniques produce significantly greater gains in ESL reading comprehension than traditional instruction, and support their wider adoption in Pakistani secondary classrooms.