The Social Interdependence Theory offers pedagogical implications indicating that positive participation in the learning process results in higher academic and social progress. In light of this theory, this study explores Saudi EFL learners’ perceptions of cooperative learning (CL) activities in English reading classrooms. A large body of research has investigated the application of CL in language classrooms, but it has mostly focused on how implementing CL affects learners’ achievements and academic performance rather than their perceptions of CL. Therefore, this study investigates Saudi learners’ perceptions of CL in reading classrooms. The study’s participants were 64 low-level EFL learners taking a general English course as part of their preparatory year requirements. The study adopted a descriptive survey-based design. The participants were first given a language background questionnaire and the Oxford Quick Placement Test to determine their proficiency levels. Then, they were taught using a method of CL – Reciprocal Teaching – for six one-hour sessions. The learners were next given a survey questionnaire that consisted of 14 items concerning their perception of CL activities in reading classrooms after all of the Reciprocal Teaching sessions had been completed. Overall, the findings reveal that the participants have positive views of CL in reading classrooms. Based on the findings, the study offers pedagogical implications for future classroom practices.

<p><em>The current study investigated the perceptions of Saudi female teachers and their preparatory year students on the Writing Task (WT) used in the English Language Institute (ELI) at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Jeddah, KSA. To obtain a deeper insight, mixed methods were used through quantitative questionnaires and qualitative semi-structured interviews. While quantitative data were analysed using a descriptive SPSS analysis, qualitative data were analysed using a thematic analysis by NVivo. The sample consisted of 50 students (mean age: 19) and 6 teachers with different qualifications and years of experience. First, a questionnaire was distributed to elicit student’s perceptions</em><strong> </strong><em>on the WT then the 6 teachers were interviewed. The results indicated that the students had negative perceptions towards the effectiveness of the WT and that it was not beneficial in developing their writing skills, unlike some of the teachers who expressed positive views towards the WT. The findings offer future instructional implications that will help in enhancing the WT of the ELI. Some of these implications indicate that extensive writing classes must be given to students to improve their writing skills and that the writing topics must be contextualised and taken from the students’ daily life to keep them interested.</em></p>

This study aims to explore the strengths and weaknesses of implementing Cooperative Learning (CL) in language classrooms from learners’ perspectives. Many studies have investigated the effect of CL on learners’ L2 production, but fewer studies have been conducted to discover the strengths and possible weaknesses of applying CL. Therefore, this study is undertaken to investigate Saudi learners’ views towards the strengths and weaknesses of implementing CL in foreign language classrooms. The participants are six low-level Saudi EFL learners enrolled in a general English course as part of their foundation year requirements. The participants were first given a language background questionnaire and a language proficiency test to determine their current proficiency levels. They were then exposed to CL in their language classes for a total of six hours, after which they were asked to take part in semi-structured interviews. The interviews were designed to gather the learners’ opinions of using CL activities in classrooms after they had experienced the use of it. The study outlines the strengths and weaknesses of CL as reported by the participants. Based on the findings, the study highlights some teaching implications for language practitioners and provides suggestions for future research.