The Most Efficient Way to Learn a Language

If you’re not having fun, chances are you’ll quit whatever you’re doing sooner rather than later.

Learning a foreign language is no exception to that.

Recently I’ve come across an interesting article that talks about how working together can make learning a foreign language online more enjoyable and create a positive learning experience.

The study involved 98 Chinese university students who were learning English as a foreign language.

They were divided into two groups: an experimental group and a control group.

So how did they do it?

In the experimental group, students were given tasks that required them to work together.

They had to create educational videos about different topics in the course, including explanations of words, phrases, cultural elements, and provide feedback on the content.

They also had to listen to 3 audiobooks throughout the semester:

• The Call of the Wild (1903) by Jack London
• The Great Gatsby (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Charlotte’s Web (1952) by Elwyn Brooks White

The researchers chose those well-known books with high-quality audio versions to improve the students’ listening skills while actually enjoying the stories.

On the other hand, the control group received regular instructions for the language course. They worked on their presentations and listened to the audiobooks individually without any teamwork.

Both groups filled out a short survey about their enjoyment of learning a foreign language before and after a three-month period.

They were also asked to share their overall impressions of the course and give suggestions to the teacher.

What Were the Results?

Students who participated in cooperative learning activities said that they enjoyed working together and felt motivated to achieve better results.

The support of their friends played a significant role in improving their enjoyment.

Students with different language skills could learn from each other, which led to mutual improvement and a sense of accomplishment.

Good teamwork allowed students to help each other with their weaknesses and receive valuable feedback, which increased their enjoyment and overall language skills.

Students who enjoyed teamwork activities felt more confident and believed they could do well in similar tasks given by other teachers in the future.

Here is the exact quote from one of the students:

The three of us took turns to complete different parts, so that each of us had the opportunity to develop different language skills. We not only read wonderful and interesting novels, but also improved our skill of summarizing. It is more than enjoyable to complete the homework with friends. Besides, through cooperation, we learned a lot of grammatical knowledge and new expressions.

And one more:

The experience of cooperation was very pleasant. When we prepare the task together, we learned a lot of new knowledge and exchanged our views. Overall, the cooperation went smoothly.

Another interesting finding was that working alone in an online learning environment without communication and personal interaction could make students feel isolated and bored.

Let’s not forget about the teachers themselves, as they are the ones responsible for the entire lesson.

Teachers who provided constant and positive support, along with well-chosen activities and personalized instructions, contributed to students’ enjoyment of working together.

When teachers positioned themselves as equals and inspired students instead of giving them fixed answers, it motivated students to participate in teamwork activities.

The technological skills learned during online learning were seen as an added bonus that also improved students’ enjoyment.

The results showed that the overall enjoyment of learning a foreign language significantly increased for the experimental group, while it varied for the control group.

What’s more, students who had positive experiences working together generally had higher levels of enjoyment and felt confident about their future language learning journey.

These findings suggest that incorporating learning in teams in an online language course can improve students’ enjoyment of learning, leading to positive mental health outcomes.

Next time you’re thinking of studying, why not reach out to a friend and see if they’re interested?

Now you know how much more you can learn together compared to studying alone!