Using project based approach to enhance writing skills for 11th graders at tran van quan senior high school in ba ria vung tau master of TESOL

1 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY - THESIS NGUYEN THI HAN USING PROJECT- BASED APPROACH TO ENHANCE WRITING SKILLS FOR 11TH GRADERS AT TRAN VAN QUAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN BA RIA VUNG TAU Ba Ria-Vung Tau – 2022 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY - THESIS USING PROJECT- BASED APPROACH TO ENHANCE WRITING SKILLS FOR 11TH GRADERS AT TRAN VAN QUAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN BA RIA VUNG TAU Submitted to the Postgraduate Institute in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL Course code: 8140111 By Nguyen Thi Han Supervised by Assoc Prof Ph.D Pham Huu Duc Ba Ria-Vung Tau – 2022 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY  I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled: USING PROJECT- BASED APPROACH TO ENHANCE WRITING SKILLS FOR 11TH GRADERS AT TRAN VAN QUAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN BA RIA VUNG TAU In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee of Postgraduate Institute, Ba Ria Vung Tau University Ba Ria Vung Tau, May 2022 Nguyen Thi Han              RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS  I hereby state that I, Nguyen Thi Han, being a candidate for the degree of TESOL accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan, and reproduction for theses Ba Ria Vung Tau, May 2022 Nguyen Thi Han  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My special thanks are due to all those who have made great contributions to my thesis completion First and foremost, I would like to express my profound gratitude to Assoc Prof Ph.D Pham Huu Duc, my supervisor, for his valuable comments and suggestions during the whole research process His dynamism, enthusiasm, vision as well as his patience have deeply inspired me Without his support and guidance, this thesis would never have been completed Secondly, I am very grateful to the Postgraduate Institute of Ba Ria – Vung Tau University who have supported me much time to implement this thesis My sincere thanks also go to my friends and colleagues for all her help and encouragement I would like to thank the research participants who have contributed to this study Last but not least, I warmly thank my family for their countless support, greatest sympathy and unconditional love CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS .4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .5 ABSTRACT……………………………………… ………………………… CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study 1.2 Statement of the problems .14 1.3 The aims of the study .15 1.4 Significance of the study 15 1.5 In sum up 16 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 17 2.1 The theoretical review 17 2.1.1 The nature of writing 17 2.1.2 Teaching Writing in English as a foreign language 23 2.1.3 Project-Based Learning 25 2.2 Related studies .32 2.3 Conceptual Framework 33 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 36 3.1 Research methods 36 3.2 The research Setting .37 3.3 Participants 37 3.4 Data Collection and Data Analysis 37 3.5 The instruments 39 3.6 The data analysis 39 3.7 The data Validity 40 3.8 The data Reliability 42 3.9 The research Procedure 43 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSIONS .46 4.1 Describe the Problems 46 4.2 The process of the study .52 4.2.1 Report the cycle one 52 4.2.2 Report the cycle two 66 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 76 5.1 Conclusions 76 5.2 Recommendations .77 ABSTRACT In the contemporary period, there has been a growing understanding of the importance of learners' roles in the learning process, shifting from teacher-centered to learner-centered approaches Learners are no longer seen as passive consumers of knowledge, but rather as active participants in the process of knowledge exploration The same learner autonomy was given to this transition in learners' roles as responsible controllers of their own learning Despite the obvious significance of developing writing skills, pupils' writing abilities are far from sufficient Writing is regarded as the most challenging skill for second language learners to acquire It might be termed thus since various issues and problems develop during the writing teaching and learning process in the EFL classroom According to early observations made at Tran Van Quan Senior High School in grade 11, where students learn English as a foreign language, there were several obstacles in the teaching and learning process of writing This study uses project-based learning method to test whether the students can change their behaviors and improve their writing skills After doing some projects-based learning, the researcher sees that most of them improve their writing skills and they are interested in joining writing class CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study In the contemporary period, there has been a growing understanding of the importance of learners' roles in the learning process, shifting from teacher-centered to learner-centered approaches Learners are no longer seen as passive consumers of knowledge, but rather as active participants in the process of knowledge exploration The same learner autonomy was given to this transition in learners' roles as responsible controllers of their own learning In ESL education research from the late 1970s and early 1980s, a lot of attention has been dedicated to the notion of learner autonomy (Dickinson, 1978) Locally, there has been an increase in interest and activity to encourage learners to learn independently in order to enhance language learning quality (Le, 2013) Gradually, literature on this learning trait has grown in tandem with development in journals, international conferences, and other venues, and there is no evidence that this trend will ever end in order to meet the need to improve human autonomy in learning Writing ability is highly important in all language skills since people nowadays utilize non-verbal communication as well as verbal communication to interact with one another In other words, writing is an important method of communication that is utilized to link individuals regardless of time and location A solid writing skill allows pupils to express their thoughts and share their ideas in a way that others can understand As a result, one of the most important abilities that English language learners must acquire is writing In addition, writing capability is vital since it impacts students’ success in learning English Writing ability, on the other hand, is one of the markers that may be used to assess a student's English aptitude Kingston et al (2002:3) support this 10 idea by stating that students' achievement in learning English is measured by their productive skills, particularly their writing performance ESL students, according to Ferris (2002:328), will not be able to succeed outside of the ESL classroom unless they can generate a strong written product and learn how to eliminate their writing faults As a result, students learning English as a foreign language must be able to write in English in order to absorb the language Despite the obvious significance of developing writing skills, pupils' writing abilities are far from sufficient Writing is regarded as the most challenging skill for second language learners to acquire (Richards 2002:303) It might be termed thus since various issues and problems develop during the writing teaching and learning process in the EFL classroom According to early observations made at Tran Van Quan Senior High School in grade 11, where students learn English as a foreign language, there were several obstacles in the teaching and learning process of writing At least three things contributed to the difficulty in writing:  Factors related to the teacher The teacher was one of the factors that led to the pupils' difficulties in writing The teacher used a typical approach to teaching the information He or she did not encourage pupils to actively participate in teaching and learning activities When teaching writing, the teacher employed a straight Vietnamese to English translation approach He/she frequently requested that the pupils use their dictionary, gadget, or cell phone to interpret the terms The students' tools, on the other hand, were unreliable and ineffective since they only translated words by word, and the result of the translation was not always appropriate for the context of the writing This type of instructional method will not assist pupils in improving their writing skills or reducing errors when writing Furthermore, the teacher rarely assigned writing assignments to the pupils Writing activities were given less attention than speaking ones She valued speaking 73 into final work These activities were incorporated into the project's development to provide students more opportunity to practice and deepen their grasp of writing Students were given opportunities to experiment with the usage of language and grammatical rules to create a hortatory text when creating the drafts They were not frightened to make mistakes in their writing because they were supervised by the researcher Furthermore, as they were drafting the draft, their writing was not evaluated Rather, students would receive comments on their writing so that they could improve it and make it better The pupils noticed that they had made some development and improvements in their writing They were willing to put up the effort to develop their writing abilities They stated that including project-based learning into the instructional process would increase their drive to write and make writing simpler since they would be able to debate their ideas with their classmates It influenced their attitudes and behaviors toward writing in a favorable way During the lesson, the pupils enthusiastically engaged They appeared enthused and intent on writing  QUESTIONS FOR THE COLLABORATORS How you think about project-based learning? It’s practical for teaching writing in English Are your students’ writing ability improved after the 2nd cycle? Yes, I think so They perform well in their writing What are the drawbacks in this 2nd cycle? There are some students who are not still familiar with the project-based learning There were a few difficulties to implementing project-based learning in the classroom It was expensive, took too long, and occasionally made a lot of noise when dealing with group projects 74 Do you think that the activities carried out in cycle have been done good? Yes, I think so Most of them well the activities in cycle How you rate the use of project-based learning to improve students' writing skills in this 2nd cycle? Although the project doing time is short, it shows positive advantages for learning how to write English effectively Do you think that project-based learning can improve student's writing ability? Yes, I think so What are the disadvantages of project-based learning during learning English activities, especially in teaching writing skills? The class is quite crowded, so the teacher finds so hard to organize the class Tables and chairs are traditional, so it’s difficult to move them  QUESTIONS FOR THE STUDENTS What you think about the activities in the writing class? They are so interesting and useful What difficulties you face with in 2nd cycle? Sometimes, we don’t know some English words to express our ideas What you think about using project-based learning, especially in writing skills? We think that it’s great for learning English writing skills Do you feel that the use of project-based learning can improve your writing skills in English learning? Yes, I find it is not difficult to write English as I thought What you think about providing feedback? 75 The teacher is very kind to help us correct our errors What progress did you feel during the implementation? writing activities through project-based learning? We know how to discuss and share information about the topic as well as we can join with funny emotion together when we work in group  COMMENT After cycle and the interview, the researcher sees that they improve their writing skills and their behaviors in learning English writing They are happy and satisfied with what and how the teachers suggest them to in classroom’s activities However, we must spend a lot of energy, time and money to organize project activities 76 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Conclusions This was an action research project It was held in Tran Van Quan high school's 11th grade It took place in February and March of 2022 The researcher, a researcher's colleague who served as a collaborator, and pupils from class 11A1 were all participating in the study After doing projects, we go to the following conclusions - Although there were a few difficulties to implementing project-based learning in the classroom such as it was expensive, took too long, and occasionally made a lot of noise when dealing with group projects, it made the classroom interesting - During the introduction of project-based learning, students were given frequent feedback Throughout the project's progress, the researcher oversaw and monitored them Aside from that, the learners expressed their thoughts and opinions with the rest of the group Peer feedback was generated as a result of this circumstance The students also received comments on their writing, which allowed them to have a deeper grasp of the many parts of writing - The use of the teaching aids and various activities were interesting for students so that it could drive students’ attention towards the lesson The students did their best in doing the activities in the classroom They were involved actively in every activity during the teaching and learning process It helped the students to understand the language meanings and constructions easier 77 - During the implementation of project-based learning, the students' engagement in teaching and learning activities was positively influenced by group discussions and group work Students with varying degrees of skill made up the group It allowed them to complement one other based on their respective areas of competence It also helped pupils form healthy relationships - The use of project-based learning in the English writing teaching and learning process was shown to be effective in improving students' writing abilities The pupils' writing improved in terms of grammar, vocabulary, fluency, and form or organization, according to the qualitative results - When students were included in the project development phase of the English teaching and learning process, their motivation was increased Their attitudes and behaviors regarding writing have been altered They appeared to be eager to write and unafraid to get started writing 5.2 Recommendations 5.2.1 To the teachers - For successful learning, the instructor should assign appropriate assignments and practices to the pupils - The instructor should offer pupils with knowledge by providing them with a thorough explanation and background on the subject they are studying - The teacher should think about offering pupils feedback The importance of feedback in the learning process of students cannot be overstated It is preferable if the teacher offers pupils with frequent feedback - Because they learn best when they encounter the language on their own, the instructor should provide chances for them to practice their writing abilities 5.2.2 To the students 78 - To improve their writing abilities, they should have more opportunities to practice writing both within and outside of school - The students must be engaged and confident in the classroom so that they can receive clear explanations regarding the lesson if they encounter any challenges throughout the teaching and learning process - The students should improve vocabulary, grammar and writing organization 79 REFERENCES [1] Bell Stephanie (2010) Project-based learning for the 21th century: skill for the future The Clearing House, (pp.39-43) Routledge: [2] Brown, H Douglas (2001) Teaching by Principles: and Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy New York: A Pearson Education Company [3] Brown, H Douglas (2004) Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices White Plains, New York: Pearson Education [4] Burns, A (2010) Doing Action Research in English Language Teaching A Guide for Practitioners New York: Routledge [5] Burns, Anne (1999) Collaborative Action Research for English Language Teacher.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press [6] Ferris, D (2002) Teaching students to self-edit In Richards J C & Renandya W A (eds.) Methodology in language teaching: An anthology of current practice (pp 328-34) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press [7] Fragoulis, L (2009) Project-Based Learning in Teaching of English as A Foreign Language in Greek Primary Schools: From Theory to practice (A Journal) English Language Teaching Vol September 2009 [8] Harmer, Jeremy (1998) How to Teach English Essex: Pearson Education Limited [9] Harmer, Jeremy (2004) How to Teach Writing Essex: Pearson Education Limited [10] Harmer, Jeremy (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching Essex: Pearson Education Limited 80 [11] Herrington, J., Reeves, T C., & Oliver, R (2014) Authentic learning environments Handbook of research on educational communications and technology, 401-412 [12] Hughes, A (2003) Testing for language teachers Cambridge university press [13] Hyland, K (2019) Second language writing Cambridge university press [14] Krauss, J., & Boss, S (2013) Thinking through project-based learning: Guiding deeper inquiry Corwin Press [15] Phillips, D., Burwood, S., Dunford, H., & Maley, A (1999) Projects with young learners Oxford University Press [16] Solomon, G (2003) Project-based learning: A primer Technology and learning-dayton-, 23(6), 20-20 81 APPENDIX AT CYCLE THE INTERVIEW FOR THE TEACHER Do the students like study English, namely writing skills? Do you think writing skills are important for students? What problems you often encounter in the teaching process, especially in writing classes? In your opinion, how is the student's writing ability? What difficulties students often encounter in writing skills? What activities are usually done in writing class? What efforts have you made to improve your skills student writing? What you think about using project-based learning to improve students' writing skills, especially in writing expository text? THE INTERVIEW FOR STUDENTS Do you enjoy learning English, especially your writing skills? Why? Do you find writing in English easy? Do you often writing activities in English? Do you feel confident to write in English? Do the teacher facilitate you with helpful activities in writing English? What difficulties you face in learning English, especially in writing? What you to overcome difficulties in writing English? 82 What have you encountered while learning to write in English? Do you like being corrected for your writing? Why? 83 APPENDIX AFTER THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTIONS FOR THE COLLABORATORS In your opinion, how are the students' abilities in writing after 1st cycle? What is your opinion about the activities carried out and using project-based learning in 1st cycle? In your opinion, what are the shortcomings in 1st cycle? What advice can you give for the next cycle? Are students' writing skills progressing? FOR THE STUDENTS What you think about your writing class? What you think about the assignment of projects given by teacher? What are the difficulties that you encountered during doing projects? How is the material delivered by the teacher? Is it easy to understand? What shortcomings you encounter in doing projects? What you think about your teachers’ giving feedback? What kind of activities you expect in writing class? 84 APPENDIX AT CYCLE I, FOR THE COLLABORATORS 1, How you think about project-based learning? 2, Are your student's writing ability improved after the 2nd cycle? What are the drawbacks in this 2nd cycle? Do you think that the activities carried out in cycle have been done good? How you rate the use of project-based learning to improve students' writing skills in this 2nd cycle? Do you think that project-based learning can improve student's writing ability? What are the disadvantages of project-based learning during learning English activities, especially in teaching writing skills? 2, FOR THE STUDENTS 1, What you think about the activities in the writing class? What difficulties you face with in 2nd cycle? What you think about using project-based learning, especially in writing skills? Do you feel that the use of project-based learning can improve your writing skills in English learning? What you think about providing feedback? What progress did you feel during the implementation? writing activities through project-based learning? 85 APPENDIX 4: CONSENT FORM Title of Research Project: Using project- based approach to enhance writing skills for 11th graders at Tran Van Quan senior high school in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Name of researcher: Nguyen Thi Han Email of researcher: hannttvqmtesol@gmail.com Phone number of researcher: 0967876699 PROCEDURES If you agree to participate in my research, I will conduct an interview with you at a time and location of your choice The interview will last about 15 minutes With your permission, I will record the interview and take notes during the interview The recording is to accurately record the information you provide, and will be used for transcription purposes only If you agree to being recorded but feel uncomfortable or change your mind for any reason during the interview, I can stop the interview at your request at any time I expect to conduct only one interview; however, follow-ups may be needed for added clarification If so, I will contact you by mail/phone to request this PURPOSE The application PBL was presented as a viable method to improve 11th graders' learning autonomy and overall writing success in this study The researcher was specifically interested in the extent to which PBL facilitated learner autonomy feature BENEFITS 86 There is no direct benefit to you from taking part in this study However, it is hoped that the research results of the study finding analysis will provide teachers and students with project-based learning in the context of Tran Van Quan high school In addition, findings from the study will provide practical suggestions on what strategies and how these strategies can be effectively integrated into PBL to promote the effectiveness of students’ writing in the high school context CONFIDENTIALITY Your study data will be handled as confidentially as possible If results of this study are published or presented, individual names and other personally identifiable information will not be used To minimize the risks to confidentiality, we will transcribe the recordings as soon as possible after the interview, and then destroy the recordings When the research is completed, I will save the transcriptions and other study data for possible use in future research done by myself I will retain these records for up to months after the study is over The same measures described above will be taken to protect confidentiality of this study data COMPENSATION You will not be paid for taking part in this study However, a gift voucher will be given as an incentive for your participation RIGHTS Participation in research is completely voluntary You are free to decline to take part in the project You can decline to answer any questions and are free to stop taking part in the project at any time Whether or not you choose to participate in the research and whether or not you choose to answer any questions or continue participating in the project, there will be no penalty to you or loss of benefits to 87 which you are otherwise entitled QUESTIONS If you have any questions about the study, please contact the researcher via the phone number 0967876699 or the email address: hannttvqmtesol@gmail.com ... MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY - THESIS USING PROJECT- BASED APPROACH TO ENHANCE WRITING SKILLS FOR 11TH GRADERS AT TRAN VAN QUAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN BA. .. Ba Ria- Vung Tau – 2022 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY  I certify my authorship of the Master? ??s Thesis submitted today entitled: USING PROJECT- BASED APPROACH TO ENHANCE WRITING SKILLS FOR 11TH GRADERS. .. GRADERS AT TRAN VAN QUAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN BA RIA VUNG TAU In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master? ??s programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee of Postgraduate Institute,