Teachers' perceptions & their practices regarding cooperative learning in teaching EFL in large multilever classes at Vietnam National University, University of Economics and Business

Teachers' perceptions & their practices regarding cooperative learning in teaching EFL in large multilever classes at Vietnam National University, University of Economics and Business Quan điểm giáo viên việc sử dụng phương pháp học hợp tác để dạy tiếng Anh lớp Đơng Đa trình độ việc thực thi lớp trường Đại học Kinh tế, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội Hoàng Việt Hà University of Languages and International Studies M.A Thesis English Teaching Methodology; Mã số: 60 14 10 Supervisor : M.Ed Đỗ Bá Quý Năm bảo vệ: 2012 Abstract Cooperative learning has been recognized as the most successful learning strategy in educational history Therefore, it has been widely adopted in many Asian countries recently Although there is substantial research on the benefits of cooperative learning, little is known about how teachers implement cooperative learning under typical school conditions The purpose of the present case study was to reach three aims First, it aims to investigate EFL teachers’ perceptions of different aspects of cooperative learning in their classroom at VNU, UEB Second, it aims to explore how the teachers implemented cooperative learning in their classroom Final, it aims to explore how teachers’ practices in their classroom reflect their perceptions Data was collected by means of teacher interviews and systematic classroom observation Results showed that teachers applied cooperative learning in most of their lessons There were some similarities and differences between teachers’ perceptions and their actual classroom practices regarding different aspects of cooperative learning including implementation, group composition, task construction, student preparation, student motivation, assessment and teachers’ reflection on CL The findings emphasize all of these results and present pedagogical suggestions from teachers for further implementation of cooperative learning in their large multilevel classroom In addition, the researcher’s major recommendations are also listed out to enhance the effectiveness of implementing cooperative learning in teaching English in large multilevel classes at VNU UEB Keywords Phương pháp giảng dạy; Giáo viên; Tiếng Anh Content This initial part states the rationale for the study, the aims, the scope and methods of the thesis More importantly, the research questions are identified to work as clear guidelines for the whole research Lastly, this part concludes with an overview of the rest of the thesis, serving as a compass to orientate the readers throughout the study The rest of the thesis includes four chapters Chapter (Literature review) provides the background of the study including definitions of key concepts, aspects of cooperative learning, multilevel classes and previous findings of cooperative learning Chapter (Methodology) describes the aims, research questions, context, participants and instruments of the study, as well as the procedures employed to carry out the research Chapter (Results of the study) presents all results collected from data from the interviews and classroom observations Chapter (Discussion of the study): summarizes main findings, analyzes the findings, and compares them with previous research to answer three research questions Conclusion summarizes the main issues discussed in the thesis, the findings that the researcher found out from the data collected according to three research questions, the limitations of the research, several pedagogical recommendations concerning the research topic as well as some suggestions for further studies Following this chapter are bibliography and appendices Summary In this chapter, the researcher has elaborated the following points: Rationale Aims of the study Research questions Scope of the study Significance of the study Methods of the study An overview of the rest of the study In brief, these elaborations have not only justified the major contents and structure of the study but it also works as the guidelines for the rest of the thesis References Abrami, P C., Chambers, B., D'apollonia, M F., and Desimone, C (1992) Group outcome: the relationship between group learning outcome, attributional style, academic achievement and self-concept Contemporary Educational Psychology, Abrami, P C., Poulsen, C., and Chambers, B (2004) Teacher Motivation to Implement an Educational Innovation: Factors differentiating users and non-users of cooperative learning Educational Psychology, 24, 201-21 Aronson, E., Blaney, N., Sikes, J., Stephan, C., and Snapp, M (1978) The Jigsaw classroom, Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Bandura, A (1971) Social learning theory Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Black, S (1992) Group learning Executive educator, 14 (9),18-20 Bennett, N., & Dunne, E (1991) The nature and quality of talk in cooperative classroom groups Learning and Instruction, 1, 103-118 Black, S (1992) Group learning Executive educator, 14(9), 18-20 Blatchford, P., Kutnick, P., Baines, E., Galton, M (2003) Toward a social pedagogy of classroom group work International Journal of Educational Research, Blatchford, P., Galton, M., Kutnick, P., Baines, E Improving theEffectiveness of Pupil Groups in Classrooms, ESRC End of Research Report, Biggs, J B (1995) What inventories of students’ learning processes really measure? 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Expanding cooperative learning through group investigation New York: Teachers College Press Silverman, D (2000) Interpreting Qualitative Data, London: Sage Slavin, R E (1990) Cooperative learning: ... implementing educational innovation: The case of implementing cooperative learning in Vietnam Asian Social Science Thanh-Pham, T H, Gillies, R., & Renshaw, P (2009) Cooperative learning (CL) and academic