A Case Study On The Application Of Cooperative Learning In Secondary Vocational School Oral English Teaching

English is playing an increasingly important role in people’s lives, at a time of rapideconomic and social development, speedy scientific and technological progress and faster andeasier information transmission and access. Learning English is the fundamental requirementfor students who receive secondary vocational education in the twenty-first century. A newround of education reform has attached great importance to a studying method whichadvocates experiencing, practicing, participating, cooperating and communicating. In thiscontext, the ideas of cultivating students’ social interaction skills through cooperative learningare still of great theoretical value and practical significance, playing a role of guidance andenlightenment in modern vocational education.Based on the fact that the English oral competence of students in secondary vocationalschools has remained at a low level, the application of cooperative learning in secondaryvocational school oral English teaching would promote the enthusiasm and initiative ofstudents’ learning, consequently, improve the teaching efficacy.This study is about the application of cooperative learning teaching method in secondaryvocation school oral English teaching. The participants of the study are all male students whomajor in mechanics in a secondary vocational school involving44students in two classes.Data were collected from questionnaire with all students who attended the classes; interviewswith students who volunteered to participate in the study; notes from classroom observation.Descriptive analysis method and content analysis method were used in this study to ensure itsauthenticity and viability. The analysis of the data showed that barriers to the implementationof cooperative learning in secondary vocational school oral English teaching were still outthere such as limited course schedule, large class sizes, and teachers’ lack of theory, and arange of stimuli including the recognition of the students and the support from the schoollevel were needed to facilitate the application of cooperative learning in secondary vocationalschool oral English teaching. It was found that the cooperative learning method was popularwith students and helped the teachers to achieve better teaching outcomes. The study contributes to the teachers’ increased awareness of shortfalls in their currentpractices, the adoption of cooperative learning as a teaching method in secondary vocationalschool oral English teaching, the increased confidence to try new activities in oral Englishclass, and the students’ growing understanding of cooperative learning.