Abstract

FAMILIARITY AND PREVALENCE OF COOPERATIVE WRITING IN ETHIOPIAN PREPARATORY HIGH SCHOOLS

Assefa Chekol, Simeneh Wassie

Volume: 8 Issue: 4 2018

Abstract:

This study aimed to examine familiarity and prevalence of cooperative writing in Ethiopian preparatory EFL instruction. To this end, it employed mixed methods design. The participants of the study were grade 11 and 12 students and their EFL teachers at Debre Markos and Burie Shikudad Preparatory schools in Ethiopia. Using stratified random sampling, 292 students and all EFL teachers in Ethiopia Debre Markos and Burie Shikudad Preparatory high schools were selected to the study. The data were collected through questionnaire, interview and observation, and qualitative and statistical analyses were employed. Accordingly, the study found out that EFL teachers and preparatory students were slightly familiar to the characteristics, reasons and basic principles of cooperative writing, and the basic elements, positive interdependence, face to face interaction and social skills were less prevalent. On the other hand; two basic elements, individual accountability and group processing were not prevalent. It was also found that students’ interests and experiences to work in groups writing, large class size, nature of writing activities, the volume of text book and, time for writing lesson were some major factors that can impede familiarity and prevalence of cooperative writing. Therefore, syllabus designers, EFL teachers and academics experts should exert their efforts to familiarize cooperative writing in Ethiopian preparatory secondary schools to bring learners the center of learning.

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