Effects of cooperative learning on student teachers’ communicative competence in Indonesia

Cooperative learning is one of the instructional methodologies which have gained international attention in the globalization era. The approach has been found to be highly successful with over 900 research studies pointing to the effectiveness of cooperative learning over competitive and individualistic efforts (Johnson, Johnson & Stanne 2000). However, of the numerous studies that have attested to the benefits of cooperative learning, almost all have taken place in the western context. In Asia, admiration for this approach is a relatively recent phenomenon (Nguyen et al. 2009). Moreover, studies on cooperative learning in relation to communicative competence are hardly found in Indonesia‟s higher education context. The present study aimed to find out the effect (if any) of cooperative learning (CL) on student teachers‟ communicative competence in Indonesia and on how they perceive CL will impact on their future teaching practices. The present study also aimed at exploring the student teachers‟ perceptions on the implementation of cooperative learning in Indonesia‟s EFL classroom. A quasi-experimental research study was developed to answer the research questions. Sixty one second year student teachers (25 in the experiment class and 36 in the control class) at a private teacher education institute in Indonesia participated in the present study. A pre-test - post-test group design was used. One experiment class received instruction through cooperative learning and the other through control treatment. Data were collected by using paired-oral interview, questionnaire, learning diary, and group interview. The quantitative data were analysed using a combination of t-tests, Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), and Analysis of Variances (ANOVAs). The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke 2012). The results indicated that cooperative learning significantly improved participants‟ communicative competence. Their communicative competence improvements are even better compared to improvements gained by participants in the control class. Student teachers‟ perceptions of the application of CL in Indonesia‟s English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context are illustrated and organized through three central issues as suggested by the participants which include issues related to the implementation of CL, benefits of CL, and drawbacks in its implementation. The results suggest that there are opportunities for the implementation of CL in Indonesia‟s EFL classrooms. Based upon the findings, CL is thus recommended to be integrated into Indonesia‟s EFL classrooms and guidelines for effective implementation of CL in Indonesia‟s EFL classrooms are proposed. The present study continues significant contribution for researchers, teachers, and teacher educators as well as teacher education institutions in Indonesia and elsewhere in the efforts to improve education quality in Indonesia and internationally.