Innovation in Language Learning

Given the great demands for oral communication skills among non-English major undergraduates, much attention is paid to the effective English education in China.

The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate Student Teams Achievement Divisions (STAD) strategy to inform the implementation of cooperative learning within EFL oral communication classroom. The research aims to probe the STAD cooperative strategy towards improving non-English major undergraduate oral competence in order to explore the effectiveness of the teaching and learning mode. This paper also discusses how to improve oral English instruction to motivate undergraduates with practical oral capability from the perspective of teacher professional development at key universities.

Case study is employed to give an in-depth investigation of the research problem. The mixed-method design involves: action research design with interviews, surveys and observations; quasi-experimental design with experimental group and control group pre-post test, which is adopted to measure the effectiveness of the model treatments. Survey questionnaires and classroom observations are used to investigate the factors that influence the implementation of STAD cooperative learning strategy and academic achievement in language classrooms. The teachers’ interviews and classroom observations are used to examine the factors that need to be addressed in teacher professional development programs in order to facilitate cooperative learning in language speaking classrooms.

The outcome of this research is a model consisting of two sets of criteria to inform the successful implementation of cooperative learning in EFL instruction. The first set of criteria is intended for proposers and developers of professional development programs. The second set of criteria is for language teachers to facilitate the implementation of cooperative learning in their classrooms. The research outcome also indicates that the attainment of STAD cooperative learning strategy have a positive impact on the students’ competence and performance of FL academic oral communication.

The discussions and findings of the study propose the effective mode to the oral English teaching and learning in higher institutions. The classroom instruction mode of peer tutoring and peer assessment has led the new focuses in ELT field. And the implications of the research shed light on the design of language teacher professional development programs in China.

Key words:  Student Teams Achievement Divisions; peer assessment; cooperative learning; oral communication skills; teacher professional development