Does the co-trainers learning model improve English proficiency? Evidence from vocational high school students across different study programs

Ratini Setyowati (Universitas Duta Bangsa Surakarta)
Intan Oktaviani (Universitas Duta Bangsa Surakarta)
Indra Hastuti (Universitas Duta Bangsa Surakarta)

Bulletin of Educational Management and Innovation
Vol. 4 No. 2 (2026): In Progress

Background: English proficiency has become an essential competency for vocational high school graduates to meet the communication demands of an increasingly globalized workforce. However, English instruction in vocational education is still predominantly delivered through General English approaches, which often fail to accommodate the diverse communication needs of different vocational study programs. Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of the Co-Trainers Learning Model by examining the English proficiency profile of vocational high school students, comparing English proficiency across different vocational study programs, and identifying the study programs demonstrating the highest English proficiency based on the English Proficiency Test (EPT). Method: A quantitative study employing a posttest-only comparative design was conducted involving 888 students from six vocational high schools in Central Java, Indonesia. Participants had completed English learning through the Co-Trainers Learning Model before undertaking the English Proficiency Test (EPT). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test to identify significant differences among vocational study programs. Findings: The findings revealed that students generally demonstrated a moderate level of English proficiency, with listening performance exceeding reading performance. Among the participants, 288 students were enrolled in health- and pharmacy-related study programs, while 600 students represented non-health vocational programs. Significant differences in English proficiency were identified across vocational study programs, with health-related programs consistently achieving higher proficiency than several other programs. Implication: These findings suggest that the effectiveness of the Co-Trainers Learning Model is closely associated with the contextual characteristics and communication demands of individual vocational disciplines, supporting the integration of collaborative learning and English for Vocational Purposes to strengthen workplace-oriented English instruction in vocational education.