Cooperative Learning in College English: Effects on Learning Motivation and Classroom Participation

Abstract

Against the background of student-centered reform in College English teaching, traditional lecture-dominated classrooms have long resulted in prevalent problems among non-English majors, including low learning initiative, insufficient classroom interaction, passive learning attitudes, and declining learning motivation. Cooperative learning, as a mature and student-oriented instructional strategy rooted in social interdependence theory, emphasizes peer interaction, collective responsibility, and collaborative knowledge construction, which effectively remedies the drawbacks of teacher-centered teaching modes. This study aims to explore the effects of cooperative learning on non-English majors’ English learning motivation and classroom participation in college English courses. Research instruments included the revised Foreign Language Learning Motivation Scale and the College English Classroom Participation Scale. Paired sample t-tests and independent sample t-tests were employed for quantitative data analysis, and classroom observation records supplemented qualitative analysis. The results demonstrate that after one semester of intervention, the experimental class shows significantly higher scores in learning motivation and active classroom participation than the control class.