A Comparative Analysis of Pair-work and Individual Assignments In two ELT Grammar Classes

Assignments prepared in pair-work have long been evaluated to be more successful whencompared to individually prepared assignments in many respects in foreign language learningcontexts. However, there is not much research conducted to reveal the advantages of pair-work in preparing assignments and the linguistic characteristics of the finished texts. In this paper, depending upon an experimental study with the first year students in Department of EnglishLanguage Teaching at Hacettepe University, quality of pair-work assignments and the factors affecting the preparation process are discussed and compared to individual assignments. Results indicate a variety of advantages of student collaboration in preparing written work since outputsare far more grammatical, include less spelling mistakes, and indicate a higher level ofgrammatical awareness. Additionally, pair-work helps students build positive interpersonalrelationships and create a high level of academic solidarity and confidence.