Abstract:
This study was aimed at investigating the EFL teachers’ awareness and practice of cooperative
language learning methods in teaching speaking skills. To this end, 30 English language
teachers of grade ten and 265 students of the same grade level were randomly selected and
involved in the study. A mixed-method research approach was used to collect the data. The
questionnaires, classroom observations, and grade ten English student text book analyses were
employed for data collections. The quantitative data were analyzed through frequency,
percentage and mean while the qualitative data were analyzed in words. The results of the
quantitative data were triangulated with the qualitative data and analyzed based on their
categories. The findings of the study revealed that teachers had conceptual awareness of the
advantage of cooperative language learning method in enhancing students’ spoken language
proficiency through interaction. However, the results of the implementation of CLL analysis
revealed that teachers’ level of awareness could not match with the actual implementation of the
method. In other words there is little use of the techniques of CLL; many of the elements of
cooperative language learning are not yet practiced. The commonly revealed factors for the
low implementation of cooperative language learning principles were rushing to cover the
contents of the portion, teachers’ incompetency in CLL principles, students’ unwillingness to
cooperate with each other and teachers’ communicative language incompetency were
mentioned. Thus, English teachers have to facilitate effective use of English for communicative
purpose rather than focusing on language from through cooperative method. Accordingly, it is
recommended that teachers have to work hard to improve their interactive teaching skills, and
to give greater opportunities for students by using cooperative work in line with CLL
principles. In doing so, the mismatch between awareness and practice of cooperative language
learning method would be resolved.
