The Application Of Cooperative Learning To L2 Acquisition In Chinese Vocational College Context

This paper reports a study about the effects of cooperative learning on oral English learning and teaching in Chinese vocational college context. It aims at exploring whether CL is helpful in improving oral English of vocational college learners, whether CL is as effective to the low achievers as it is to the high in terms of improving their oral English, what attitudes the learners adopt toward CL and what their opinions are about the effects of CL.In this study, two research designs were adopted: the quantitative and the qualitative. In the quantitative design, in order to find out whether CL was more efficient and effective than the traditional one in oral English learning and teaching in CVC context, an experiment was conducted with two intact classes of participants totaling 82. The participants were the first-year learners of Business English program in Yangzhou Vocational College of Environment and Resources. Of the two classes, one was an Experimental Class, the other was a Control Class, each with 41 learners involved in the oral English course over a period of sixteen weeks. In CC, the researcher still employed the traditional method-teachers' spoonfeeding or one-way transmission with little or no time for the participants to practice together. In EC, the researcher employed CL-learning cooperatively. In the qualitative design, the interviews were employed to find out the subjects' attitudes towards CL and their opinions about its effects. The researcher then quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed all the data collected in the course of her study. Detail analyses of all the data yield the findings as follows:1. CL has positive effects on the oral English learning and teaching in CVC context. Quantitatively, there were no significant differences between EC and CC in the pre-test. After CL had been used in EC for sixteen weeks, the results of thepost-test showed significant differences between the two classes and the mean of the post-test in EC was higher than that in CC. Qualitatively, the researcher found that the climate of EC was more animate than before and the subjects participated in oral English practice more actively and confidently.2. CL is more effective to the low achievers than it is to the high in terms of improving their oral English, because there are greater differences for the low achievers between the post-test and pre-test than there are for the high achievers. In other words, the low achievers benefit more from CL than the high do.3. The subjects' attitudes towards CL are mainly positive. Most of the average and low achievers have a preference for CL. They think CL has the following advantages: 1) helping them solve learning difficulties; 2) reducing anxiety in the oral English classroom; 3) arousing their interest in oral English learning; 4) enhancing their self-confidence; 5) motivating them to work harder. However, there are some high achievers who think differently. To their mind, CL has the following disadvantages: 1) dampening their enthusiasm for oral production; 2) limiting their creativity in oral production; 3) the low achievers' over-dependence on the high. There are still some high achievers who take a neutral stance, with likes and dislikes mixed up.4. The subjects, especially those who speak positively of the effects of CL in CVC context, admit that CL, in addition to its academic effects, is also helpful in improving their interpersonal relationship, that is to say, it can help the subjects to develop mutual tolerance, acceptance, closeness and solidarity.It is proved that CL is efficient and effective in improving oral English learning and teaching in CVC context. However, it needs further studies on how to improve CL and make all the learners benefit from it.