STAD Cooperative Pedagogy in Teaching English First Additional Language in KwaZulu-Natal Secondary Schools

Abstract

This article explores the training that English First Additional Language (EFAL) teachers have received on Student Teams Achievement Divisions (STAD) and how they employ it to teach in Kwazulu-Natal secondary schools. Twelve EFAL teachers voluntarily participated in three focus group discussions in this qualitative phenomenological study. An examination of the results showed that while some teachers had received training in the STAD cooperative learning strategy from established institutions, others had to learn it on their own. The findings further established that the teachers were using the active and participative, communicative, and direct instructional approaches to implement the strategy. It was interesting to note that the training received by the EFAL teachers on the use of STAD affected its implementation positively. It was also evident that the core concepts of the strategy and its underlying model resonated in the way the EFAL teachers applied it in their classrooms.