Group/Pair-Work Activities: Learners’ vs. Teachers’ Beliefs and Classroom Practices

The use of pair/group-work can control the cognitive, affectiv and social aspects of learning and enhance the outcomes. This ex-post facto study explored teachers’ and learners’ beliefs about pair/group work activities in comparison with teachers’ classroom practice. The research sample comprised eight English teachers and 80 of their pre-intermediate students recruited from a population of 13 English teachers and 120 intermediate students at two language institutes in Tabriz, Iran. Two validated researcher-developed questionnaires were employed to glean the research data. They tapped teachers’ and learners’ beliefs. An observation form was also designed and piloted to match the content of the questionnaire and quantify the use of the same activities in the classroom. Independent samples t-test analysis of the data revealed significant differences in teachers' and learners' beliefs as well as in teachers’ beliefs about and practices of such activities which were the least frequently used activities in the classroom. The findings offer pedagogical implications for educators and underscore the need to promote the use of pair/group work in classrooms.