The Role of Using Chunks on Iraqi EFL University Students' Performance in Conversation

Abstract

     The current study aims at investigating the role of using chunks on EFL university students performance in conversation and sentential level in posttest and finding out whether there is any significant difference between the achievement of the experimental group in the pre and post-test. This study is hypothesized that ,there is no statistically significant difference between the mean score of the experimental group which taught according to chunks activity and control group which  is taught by the conventional method in the post-test. The second hypothesis is that there is no statistical significant difference among the mean scores of the experimental group in post-test. The third hypothesis is that there is no significant difference between the mean scores of students' experimental group achievement in the pre and posttest. The sample of the current study consists of (120) students of third class. They are derived from Collage for Woman in Tikrit University during academic year (2022-2023). They are divided into two groups. Group A which has been randomly chosen as an experimental group and B have been chosen as a control group, each group consists of 60 students. Both groups have been equalized in many variables which are fathers and mothers' educational level, their age, their scores at the previous year, and pretest for both groups. Both groups have been equalized in many variables which are fathers and mothers' educational level, Pupils age, their scores at the previous  year, and pretest for both groups. The experiment has lasted for six weeks and the researcher has taught the two groups in the first course of the year(2022-2023)to analyze data that obtained from students' posttests. To fulfill the aims of this study, an experiment has been designed. The two groups have been taught the same instructional material , for a period of six weeks. The experimental group has been taught according to chunks activity while the control group has been taught according to the traditional way. An achievement test has been constructed , validated, and applied to the two involved groups .The required data has been collected and analyzed statistically                                          .     Results indicate that there is a statistical significance difference in mean scores of the experimental group who taught according to chunks activity  and the control group who is taught by using traditional method. This indicates that using chunks effective than using traditional method. Finally, the study ends with some conclusions, recommendation and suggestions for further studies..