Assessing Students’ participation and Teachers’ Practice of Cooperative Learning in English Class: a case of EFL students and teachers in Amuma Hena High school Grade 9 in Focus

Abstract

The study attempted to assess why the participation of students and practicing of teachers during cooperative learning in English class was not effectively performed with reference to grade 9 students in Amuma Hena high school. The main aim was to assess to what extent the students were participated and the teachers were practiced cooperative learning in English class. The subject of the study was grade 9 students and English teachers at Amuma Hena High School. 90 students were selected as sample by a random lottery method from three sections and two English teachers to fill the questionnaire. Also the two English teachers were interviewed and two sections in which these two teachers taught were observed. Questionnaire was used to collect data on students’ participation of cooperative learning and was also employed to assess the extent of teachers’ practice of CL in English classes. Also a face to face semi structured interview was conducted with two English teachers to identify the situation of students’ participation and to get information on teachers’ practices of CL. Next structured classroom observations were used to triangulate the teachers’ actual practices in the class room with data gathered from the questionnaire and from the interview. The result obtained from questionnaire, interview and observation were considered together in the analyses. The analysis of the data show that students’ participation of CL during discussion, debating, conversation, listen and speak or read and write together and giving information, communicating by using language were very low. Similarly the practices of teachers at using CL was weak for they do not make learners practice activities based on cooperative elements and strategies during discussion, debating, doing project together, reading, giving information or reporting about events and so on, that in turn let the students not to be active in English class performances. From these findings it was concluded that students’ participation and teachers’ practice of CL was getting low for they were not using principles and strategies in a well manner. Therefore, teachers should take great responsibility for themselves as well as for their students to be effective in practicing & to alleviate their students and concerned administrators also maximize teachers’ capacity.