Cooperative Learning in English Language Teaching: Teachers' Perspective on the Challenges to Effective Implementation

Abstract

Empirical studies are consensual in their claims that one of the most effective student- centered approaches in teaching is the cooperative learning (CL) approach. This study is an attempt to investigate, examine and reveal the challenges inherent in the CL approach and provide empirical data to policy makers, curriculum planners and teachers on the impediments to the effective implementation of the CL. The study was set in the Agona West Municipality. 20 teachers of English language, two each from 10 basic schools participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews and classroom observations were the primary data and teachers' lesson plans and students' assessment reports were the secondary data for the study. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of learning was adopted as the theoretical framework. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The outcome of the study reveals six fundamental challenges inherent in the CL approach. These are low individual accountability, time consuming and low teaching efficiency, heterogeneity of the classroom, difficulty with balancing subject content and social skills, lack of curriculum provision and negative interdependence among students. Based on the findings, the study recommends that curriculum planners should incorporate CL in the language curriculum to serve as a blueprint for the teachers to adopt in their teaching.