Writing is one of the four language skills which is given emphasis in second language learning. In the Malaysian secondary educational scene, students learn different genres of writing like descriptive, expository, recount and narrative based on the prescribed syllabus of the Ministry of Education. The mastery of the writing skills is crucial since constant evaluation either formative or summative is conducted to gauge students‟ acquisition of their writing skills based on their writing performances. Hence teachers adopt and adapt various methods in the writing classrooms to ensure that the students excel in writing. One of the methods recommended in teaching writing is the incorporation of cooperative learning (Kagan 2002). This study investigates the effects of cooperative learning in enhancing the writing performance of form one students in an urban school. The research instrument used is the pre-test and post-test of the narrative essay. The data are analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The students‟ writing performance is evaluated using analytical scoring on the composite scores and the five components of writing which are content, vocabulary, organization, grammatical accuracy and mechanics. The findings indicate that the students perform better in the post-test compared to the pre-test after the inclusion of cooperative learning in the writing classes. The findings lend credence to the positive effects of cooperative learning in enhancing writing performance.
1. Introduction
