The implementation of group learning in university EFL teachers’ classrooms in China has involved students in learning more academically and socially. It is a reaction to the EFL curriculum reform and a reaction to the rapid development of information technology as well. In the light of the previous studies on group learning and learner identity construction, the purpose of the present study is to report on university EFL learners’ perception of the relationship between group learning and their EFL learner identity construction. A qualitative survey study was conducted by randomly selecting nine university EFL learners for in-depth interviews about their experiences in that particular group learning context. Grounded theory procedures that involve open coding, axial coding, and selective coding were used to analyze the data gathered through interviews so as to identify the categories and findings. The results reveal that group learning employed in EFL teaching at universities has the practical value of facilitating EFL learners to construct the identity as learners with higher learning motivation, better critical thinking skills, more skilled at group cooperation or collaboration, and more aware of getting focused in learning.
References
[1]
Abulhassan, A. B. A., & Hamid F. I. A. (2021). A Nexus of Group Learning and Collaborative Learning Facilities in Stimulating Oral Interaction of Learners: A Case of Saudi Arabia. International Education Studies, 14, 101-107. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v14n7p101
[2]
Alhabeedi, E. (2015). Increasing Students’ Participation by Using Cooperative Learning in Library and Research Courses. Master’s Thesis, The University of New York at Fredonia.
[3]
Almulla, M. (2017). An Investigation of Cooperative Learning in a Saudi High School: A Case Study on Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions and Classroom Practices. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Leicester. https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2016.s21.715737
[4]
Anwaruddin, S. M. (2012). Learner Identity in Second Language Education. 3L: The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 18, 13-23. https://ejournals.ukm.my/3l/article/viewFile/931/850
[5]
Barkley, E. F., Cross, K. P., & Major, C. H. (2014). Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. John Wiley & Sons.
[6]
Bay, D., & Pacharn, P. (2017). Impact of Group Exams in a Graduate Intermediate Accounting Class. Accounting Education, 26, 316-334. https://doi.org/10.1080/09639284.2017.1292465
[7]
Bruner, J. (1991). Self-Making and World-Making. The Journal of Aesthetic Education, 25, 67-78. https://doi.org/10.2307/3333092
[8]
Cao, Y. W. (2020). The Possibility of the Adjustment of the Local Contexts to the Marginality: The Implementation Effect and Meaning Generation of Group Learning. Journal of Yunnan University, 42, 134-138.
[9]
Chee, A. E. L. (2003). Identity Politics and Accessing Discourses: SLA Narratives of Korean Immigrants. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Southern California.
[10]
Collazos, M. M., & Gómez, R. L. (2019). English Learners’ Identity Formation as Low and High Investors in Their Learning Process. Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal, 21, 165-178. https://doi.org/10.14483/22487085.13239
[11]
Erdem, A. (2009). Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitudes towards Cooperative Learning in Mathematics Course. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1, 1668-1672. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2009.01.295
[12]
Flórez González, A. (2018). Strengthening Local Identity by Writing Chronicles in the EFL Classroom. Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal, 20, 195-208. https://doi.org/10.14483/22487085.13121
[13]
Gautam, N. (2018). Importance of Group Learning and Its Approaches in Teacher Education. Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, 5, 822-828. https://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1804363.pdf
[14]
Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and Self-Identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Stanford University Press.
[15]
Gillies, R. M., & Boyle, M. (2011). Teachers’ Reflections of Cooperative Learning (CL): A Two-Year Follow-Up. Teaching Education, 22, 63-78. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043790701433343
[16]
Gunderson, D. E., & Moore, J. D. (2008). Group Learning Pedagogy and Group Selection. International Journal of Construction Education and Research, 4, 34-45. https://doi.org/10.1080/15578770801943893
[17]
Jacobs, G., Power, M., & Inn, L. (2016). The Teacher’s Sourcebook for Cooperative Learning: Practical Techniques, Basic Principles, and Frequently Asked Questions. Skyhorse Publishing.
[18]
Janzen, K. (2021). The Perceived Efficacy of Cooperative Group Learning in a Graduate Program. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 12, Article No. 6. https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2021.1.14206
[19]
Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2008). Social Interdependence Theory and Cooperative Learning: The Teacher’s Role. In The Teacher’s Role in Implementing Cooperative Learning in the Classroom (pp. 9-37). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-70892-8_1
[20]
Koutselini, M. (2008). Teacher Misconceptions and Understanding of Cooperative Learning: An Intervention Study. The Journal of Classroom Interaction, 43, 34-44. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23869676
[21]
McKeachie, W. J. (2002). McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers (11th ed.). Houghton Mifflin Company.
[22]
Norton, B. (2006). Identity as a Sociocultural Construct in Second Language Education. In K. Cadman, & K. O’Regan (Eds.), TESOL in Context [Special Issue] (pp. 22-33). Australian Council of TESOL Associations. https://faculty.educ.ubc.ca/norton/Norton%202006%20in%20Australia%20TESOL.pdf
[23]
Norton, B. (2011). Identity. In J. Simpson (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Applied Linguistics (pp. 318-330). Taylor & Francis.
[24]
Ortiz-Medina, J. M. (2017). Shaping Your Identity as a Speaker of English: The Struggles of a Beginner Language Learner. Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal, 19, 250-262. https://doi.org/10.14483/22487085.10238
[25]
Peirce, B. N. (1995). Social Identity, Investment, and Language Learning. TESOL Quarterly, 29, 9-31. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587803
[26]
Rau, W., & Heyl, B. S. (1990). Humanizing the College Classroom: Collaborative Learning and Social Organization among Students. Teaching Sociology, 18, 141-155. https://doi.org/10.2307/1318484
[27]
Rudina, V. (2011). Effects of Group Learning on the Academic Performance of University Students. Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 33, 111-1117. http://www.scientiasocialis.lt/pec/files/pdf/vol33/111-117.Vrioni_Vol.33.pdf
[28]
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of Qualitative Research Techniques. Sage Publications.
[29]
Swann Jr., W. B., & Ely, R. J. (1984). A Battle of Wills: Self-Verification versus Behavioral Confirmation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 1287-1302. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.46.6.1287
[30]
Teng, F. (2019). Learner Identity and Learners’ Investment in EFL Learning: A Multiple Case Study. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 7, 43-60. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1201791.pdf
[31]
Teng, F., & Bui, G. (2020). Thai University Students Studying in China: Identity, Imagined Communities, and Communities of Practice. Applied Linguistics Review, 11, 341-368. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2017-0109
[32]
Timpson, W. M., & Bendel-Simso, P. (1996). Concepts and Choices for Teaching: Meeting the Challenges in Higher Education. Magna Publications.
