A Study Of Collaborative Learning Out Of Class

In this thesis the problem of facilitating English majors' out-of-class learning is examined. Out-of-class learning is an indispensable part of English teaching and learning and is of vital importance in promoting student's development. However, researches have long been focused on the classroom since English is foreign language in China. The situation leads to lack of all-around knowledge and practical ability of English majors who can not meet the requirements of the 21^st century. China is now undergoing teaching reform in which the emphasis is shift from teaching to learner learning both in and out of class.In the light of constructivism, an action research was conducted by implementing the Constructivist model of collaborative learning in English out-of-class learning, which intended to investigate its influence on out-of-class learning. The study mainly aimed at finding out whether and how the application of collaborative learning out-of-class might influence English majors' use of metacognitive strategies, motivation and attitude toward out-of-class learning and hence the oral proficiency in academic achievement. The study adopted quantitative and qualitative methods of experimental and control groups of 48 English sophomores during a sixteen-week period. Quantitative measures included questionnaires administrated before and after the experiment and terminal oral examination at the beginning and the end of the term. Data was analyzed by Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) 13.0. Qualitative measures included student interviews (post-experiment), weekly journals and student self-reflection reports.Findings reveal that the sixteen-week out-of-class collaborative learning program was helpful in involving students into employing metacognitive strategies more frequently. It was also effective in strengthening their intrinsic motivation, helping them form positive attitudes towards English out-of-class learning, and ultimately improving their English academic achievement in terminal oral examination. The results indicate that students in the experimental group believed collaborative learning was beneficial to English out-of-class learning.The obtained results also reveal that it facilitates English majors to become autonomous learners through implementing a Constructivist model of collaborative learning in out-of-class situation.