Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to assess the practices and challenges in implementing cooperative learning strategies in EFL classrooms. The study focused on the types of collaborative strategies used students’ reaction towards the strategies and the determinants to use the strategies in grade 10 students at Ambo Secondary School. In the view of a mixed research approach, a descriptive research design was used. Stratified sampling technique employed toselect 165 students and a purposive sampling technique appliedto select2 EFL teachers who are teaching English language and also the researcher himself at the school. The datawere collected using questionnaire, classroom observation, and interview and analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The finding of this study showed that EFL teachers at Ambo Secondary School did not apply Cooperative Learning Strategies because their low initiation/motivation, unavailability of resources, and students’ language deficiency and reluctance in the communications communication. Not only these, they were adapted to teacher centre teaching learning method and it didn’t ask them much effort to do their routine work. Based on the major findings teachers and students should promote the effective implementation of cooperative language teaching strategies
