This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of cooperative learning method in developing linguistic competence and critical thinking skills of students. All the subjects were taught lessons using the lecture discussion method and cooperative learning approach alternately. The pseudo-experimental method utilizing the repeated measures design was used in the study. T-test was used to compare the mean scores on the pretest/posttest of achievement tests. The study found out that there is a significant improvement in the linguistic competence and critical thinking skills of students taught with the use of lecture discussion method and cooperative learning. The mean gain scores on cooperative learning approach has significantly improved the linguistic competence and critical thinking skills of students. Findings show that both methods can develop linguistic competence and critical thinking skills of students, but cooperative learning has a higher mean gain score in linguistic competence as compared to the lecture–discussion method. Under linguistic competence, there is a significant difference in the mean gain scores in linguistic competence of subjects taught under cooperative learning but not in lecture-discussion method. Under critical thinking skills, there is no significant difference in the mean gain scores in critical thinking skills between the two groups.
Keywords: Cooperative learning, critical thinking skills, linguistic competence
