An Action Research Report on Applying Co-Operative Learning Techniques in an Intensive English Reading Class in China

Xiao Fu

doi:10.5539/elt.v6n10p17

Abstract

This study is to examine whether the implementation of CL in an intensive reading class has a positive effect on improving the passive situation of students, whether it helps activate their enthusiasm for and ease their anxiety of participation in language class activities, and whether it is helpful to their improvement of English proficiency. The research questions to be addressed in the study are: 1) what, if any, psychological changes appear to happen to students in a co-operative learning situation? 2) In what ways do students behave differently in a co-operative learning classroom? 3) What difficulties might teachers have in implementing co-operative learning and how can they be overcome? To answer these questions I conducted a 16-week action research project in one of my classes. The whole process of the research was divided into three stages with cycles of planning, implementing and reflecting on progress. Classroom observation, teacher’s diary, questionnaire and informal interview were used as instruments to collect data for reflection throughout the research. The final results show that, CL does have some positive effects on improving the present passive situation in my English classroom. However, there are some problems arising from the action research.

Highlights

1.1 The Current Course Intensive Reading ClassIntensive Reading, as its name suggests, is a type of reading practice, by training students' various reading skills of skimming, scanning, summarizing, inferring, and evaluating; on the other hand, it aims to enhance learners' language proficiency, it encompasses the training of other language skills, such as listening, speaking, writing and translating
This study is to examine whether the implementation of Co-operative learning (CL) in an intensive reading class has a positive effect on improving the passive situation of students, whether it helps activate their enthusiasm for and ease their anxiety of participation in language class activities, and whether it is helpful to their improvement of English proficiency
The research questions to be addressed in the study are: 1) what, if any, psychological changes appear to happen to students in a co-operative learning situation? 2) In what ways do students behave differently in a co-operative learning classroom? 3) What difficulties might teachers have in implementing co-operative learning and how can they be overcome? To answer these questions I conducted a 16-week action research project in one of my classes

Summary

Introduction

1.1 The Current Course Intensive Reading Class. Intensive Reading, as its name suggests, is a type of reading practice, by training students' various reading skills of skimming, scanning, summarizing, inferring, and evaluating; on the other hand, it aims to enhance learners' language proficiency, it encompasses the training of other language skills, such as listening, speaking, writing and translating. The approach of co-operative learning, has enormous potentialities in this type of class. Students are regarded as containers to be filled with knowledge by the teacher. This Tian Ya Shi or "feeding the duck" methodology, ( called “jug and mug” method), the teacher is a full jug, who pours knowledge into the students, who are empty mugs and this results in dull and inflexible classroom atmosphere

Methods

Results

Conclusion