Exploring Collaborative Learning Experiences among Preservice English Teachers: A Qualitative Case Study

This qualitative case study examined a semester-long experience of collaborative learning among seven preservice teachers of English, highlighting their attitudes toward collaborative learning as a viable instructional approach and their perceptions of the successes and challenges during collaborative engagement. Data were gathered from the preservice teachers’ reflection papers, the final project, an interview, and the researcher’s reflective log, and analyzed qualitatively. The findings demonstrated that the preservice teachers regarded their collaborative learning highly as it allowed them to gain a deeper understanding of the course content and produce a more refined final project. They also appreciated their collaborative experience, recognizing the criticality of teachers’ collaborative competence in actual educational contexts, and considered their collaborative experience as the groundwork for the future. The preservice teachers credited their successful collaboration to active participation and effective communication among team members. They ascribed their smooth communication to attentive listening, respect for different opinions, and ongoing feedback. Despite their overall success, they also encountered some challenges, such as aligning schedules and harmonizing different perspectives. However, they effectively managed these difficulties. Future research across diverse sociocultural and educational settings would deepen our understanding of how collaborative learning is conducive to preservice teachers’ learning to teach.