The Effects Of Cooperative Learning On Senior High School Students’ Acquisition Of English Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs(PVs)are formed by verbs and particles(prepositions or adverbs).They are widely used in modern English.As an important part of English vocabulary,PVs have attracted scholars’ attention for a long time.Most studies have shown that PVs are a great challenge for language learners in China.Due to the differences in language and culture,learners’ memory on PVs cannot reach a satisfactory level,and may even avoid using them.Meanwhile,cooperative learning is more and more popular in various subjects,but in the practice of teaching and learning English PVs in senior high schools,cooperative learning is not generally accepted.Based on sociocultural theory,noticing hypothesis and involvement load hypothesis,this paper aims to explore the following two problems: 1)What are the effects of cooperative learning on senior high school students’ memory of PVs? 2)What are the effects of cooperative learning on senior high school students’ use of PVs?In this study,82 senior high school students were selected as the research subjects.The author used three tests,classroom observation and interviews to collect research data and the test results of experimental class and control class were analyzed by SPSS 22.The major findings are as follows: 1)Compared with the traditional teaching method,cooperative learning has a greater positive impact on students’ short-term and long-term memory on PVs;the results show that the memory performance of experimental class is better than that of the control class in the immediate and delayed posttest 2)Cooperative learning improves the students’ ability to use PVs significantly;in the immediate posttest and delayed posttest,students of experimental class remarkably enhanced the abilities to use PVs,and the performance was better than the control class in two tests.The research results are consistent with the theoretical bases of this paper.First of all,cooperative learning facilitates peer-peer scaffolding and activates students’ zone of proximal development(ZPD).Secondly,collaborative dialogue promotes the co-construction of knowledge about PVs,and the subsequent internalization on the individual level.In addition,cooperative learning increases students’ exposure and noticing to PVs,which provides conditions for learners to transform short-term memory into long-term memory.Not only that,the high involvement load level of cooperative learning task is more conducive to students’ memory and use of PVs,which also leads to vocabulary acquisition.Findings of this study shed light on the application of sociocultural theory to Chinese senior high school students and the practicality of cooperative learning in terms of the teaching and learning difficult linguistic structure like PVs.There are still many deficiencies in the study.First of all,the experimental tools get a bit monotonous.Second,the study needs to increase the types of PVs.Third,cooperative learning can be better integrated into classroom teaching.In short,although this study is tentative and exploratory,the relevant research will be more and more abundant in the future.