Development of CIRC Cooperative Learning Activities to Enhance Learning Achievement for Five Grade Students

Abstract

Background and Aims: Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC) is a structured cooperative learning model designed to enhance reading comprehension through social interaction and integrated language tasks. This study aimed to: 1) develop and validate CIRC-based learning activities for fifth-grade Chinese reading, 2) examine their effect on students' reading comprehension achievement, and 3) explore student satisfaction with the activities. Methodology: This study employed a one-group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 40 fifth-grade students from a primary school in China. Research instruments included expert-validated CIRC lesson plans (IOC = 4.38/5), a 40-item reading comprehension test (KR-20 = 0.85), and a 10-item satisfaction questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.89). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a paired-sample t-test. Results: The results of the study were as follows: 1) The development of CIRC cooperative learning activities to enhance learning achievement received an average suitability score of 4.38 from expert evaluation, indicating high appropriateness. 2) Students who studied using CIRC cooperative learning activities to enhance learning achievement had significantly higher reading ability after studying at the .01 level. 3) Students who learned using the CIRC cooperative learning activities had overall satisfaction at a high level Conclusion: The developed CIRC cooperative learning activities are appropriate and effective in enhancing reading comprehension and fostering high satisfaction among fifth-grade students. The results support integrating structured cooperative learning into primary language education.