IMPROVING EFL SPEAKING SKILLS THROUGH COOPERATIVE GROUP WORK: COMPARATIVE EVIDENCE FROM UPPER SECONDARY STUDENTS IN UZBEKISTAN AND LITHUANIA

In this study the effectiveness of cooperative group work for enhancing students‘ oral performance in English as a Foreign Language classrooms will be investigated. This paper compares upper secondary school system and students‘ performance in Uzbekistan and Lithuania. The main objective of this research is to analyze collaborative learning activities can improve students‘ speaking fluency, confidence, and engagement. This research study uses classroom observation of both countries, speaking tasks, and comperative analysis of students‘ performance in speaking activities. The findings of this study indicates that collaborative group work can significantly influence students‘ comunicative competence, encourage active participation, and reduce speaking anxiety. The results suggest that the implementation of collaborative work strategies in EFL can improve speaking instruction across different cultures.