Experimental Study Of Impact Of Cooperative Learning On English Reading Instruction Of Art Students At Senior High School

With the development of society and the expansion of enrollment of higher art institutes, the quantity of art students in senior high school also increased in recent years. However, as most art students are weak in English learning and their English reading ability is generally poor, their English learning is worrying. Reading plays an important role in English learning at senior high school, and it is also a difficult part for students. Teachers spend lots of time and energy in promoting students’reading ability, but the effect is not obvious. How to inspire art students’interest in English reading class and promote their reading ability according to their characteristics and cognitive level is a question that needs thinking about for an English teacher of an art class.Based on the theory of cooperative learning (CL) and relevant theories and in view of art students’characteristics and cognitive level, this study applies CL to the teaching practice of art students’English reading, aiming at exploring whether it is an effective way to stimulate art students’interest in English reading class and improve their English reading performance. The author also hopes the study can enlighten the reading instruction of art students at senior school to some degree.There are two problems to solve in this research:(1) Can CL method improve art students’interest in English reading class in senior high school?(2) Can CL method improve art students’English reading performance in senior high school?The author carried out a four-month experimental research in two art classes of Grade Two at an ordinary high school in Heyuan, Guangdong province. Class33is the experimental class while Class34is the control class. The pre-test and post-test were respectively conducted before and after the experiment in both classes, and the data was processed by the software SPSS. The instruments of questionnaire and interview were also used to see the changes of students’interest in English reading class and the attitude toward CL after the experiment. The results shows that after four months of CL, the English reading performance of students in experimental class got significant improvement and their interest in English reading class also increased. By implementing CL, students’negative attitude towards English learning got transferred and their participation in English class was greatly improved. The students spoke and discussed enthusiastically and group members helped each other during CL activities. The boring reading class became lively and students’confidence in English learning was also enhanced.