Impacts of cooperative learning: A qualitative study with EFL students and teachers in Vietnamese colleges

Bui Phu Hung
Van Hien University, Vietnam

This study aims to investigate the positive impacts and challenges of cooperative learning as a pedagogical practice in teaching English as a foreign language. It applied the social theoretical frameworks by Dansereau and Johnson (1994) and by Johnson and Johnson (2009). Fifty participants (twenty EFL teachers and thirty EFL students) from several different colleges in Vietnam were interviewed. The results showed that students gained group work skills, problem-solving skills, and confidence. However, they suffered challenges in report making and relationships. While some students reported benefits in communication, others revealed that it was challenging. The benefits or challenges were mainly the results of the participants' compliance with the five principles of cooperative learning. It is implied from the study that EFL teachers applying cooperative learning should play their key role as counsellor and supervisor to help students overcome problems arising from the tasks and socialisation. It is also important to structure interdependence and mutual respect among group members before cooperative learning commences. Further studies can explore the impacts of cooperative learning in other disciplines and contexts.
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Author: Bui Phu Hung is Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Van Hien University, Vietnam. He has several publications indexed in Scopus and Web of Science. He is currently involved in a government-funded study on EFL classroom discourse. His research interests include cognitive linguistic approaches to English language teaching, learning strategies, EFL curriculum development, cooperative learning, content-based instruction, and classroom discourse. Email: buiphuhung@yahoo.com Please cite as: Hung, B. P. (2019). Impacts of cooperative learning: A qualitative study with EFL students and teachers in Vietnamese colleges. Issues in Educational Research, 29(4), 1223-1240. http://www.iier.org.au/iier29/hung.pdf