Luận văn thạc sĩ VNU ULIS developing students’ learning autonomy through project work at a secondary school in hanoi

INTRODUCTION

Statement of the problem and rationale for the study

Being a part of Eastern culture with the great influence of Confucianism, the Vietnamese traditional pedagogy emphasizes on absorbing and memorizing rather than experimenting and producing knowledge (Dang, 2012: 6) In other words, the students‟ ability in applying knowledge learnt at school to real life situations is not the main aim of schooling In traditional classrooms, teachers are the class authorities, and students who are known as passive learners are expected to obey their teachers Standardized examinations are an important feature of the education system that shapes classroom interactions Several standardized examinations are run by the Department of Education and Training in each local area every semester

Therefore, classroom teaching and learning activities are often regulated by these examinations Teachers are normally required to follow certain classroom procedures and students are expected to learn from textbooks and their teachers As a result, negotiations and collaborations between teachers and students or among students are rarely seen (Pham, 2010: 51) Consequently, there is no opportunities for learners to be more independent in the learning process Referring to the issue above, students‟ learning autonomy, which is defined as the responsibility for all the decisions concerned with a student‟s learning and the implementation of those decisions (Dickinson, 1987: 11), is considered an important aspect of successful learners in globalized world, has been a new terminology to Vietnamese learners and educators so far

There should be solutions to enhance Vietnamese students‟ learning autonomy One of the favorable answers for this problem is applying project work on the learning process According to Ramírez (2014: 56), project work fosters active roles for students in which the learners can engage in authentic and interesting tasks to achieve a common goal by means of collaborative work and the teacher provides them with opportunities to improve language skills for communicating successfully

Although a large body of research now exists on enhancing learners‟ autonomy through project work, relatively few researchers have explored this controversial issue in the subject of adolescent learners, especially in the context of Vietnam Drawing on previous studies, and based on the obvious concerns as mentioned above, the present study is undertaken to investigate how doing project work raises students‟ awareness of being responsible to take control their learning process.

Aims, objectives, and research questions of the study

This action research aims at examining whether secondary school students can develop their learning autonomy through participating in project work To achieve this aim, the study has to obtain the following two objectives:

- Investigate the extent to which the students‟ learning autonomy can be enhanced through their participation in project work

- Explore the students‟ evaluations of the projects assigned to them to develop their learning autonomy

In accordance with these two objectives, the research tries to answer the following research questions:

1 To what extent does project work enhance the students‟ learning autonomy?

2 What are the students‟ evaluations of the projects in view of the impact of the projects on developing their learning autonomy?

Significance of the study

Recently, research on learners‟ autonomy has been conducted in a variety of contexts all over the world, including some Asian countries (Barfield & Brown, 2007; Gardner, 2007; Lamb & Reinders, 2008; Miller, 2007), but the volumne of research in this field carried out in the Vietnamese context is not very substansive

Although it can be argued that the Vietnamese English-foreign-language classroom stereotype is rather similar to its Chinese or Japanese counterparts, it has its own educational context which makes it unique Furthermore, in Vietnam, there is no previous study thoroughly discussing the development of students‟ learning autonomy through project work among Vietnamese adolescents Therefore, this study potentially plays a role in contributing other understandings of the examined construct in education

It is hoped that secondary school teachers and students can get some insightful implications from the findings of the study, especially those who wish to choose project work as an alternative activity in their English teaching and learning practices.

Scope of the study

The research is carried out in eighteen weeks of the second semester in the school year 2018-2019 (from December 25 th to May 24 th ) The study limits itself to the investigation of the effects of project work on the students‟ learning autonomy as well as students‟ evaluations on developing their learning autonomy through project work The number of participants of the study is quite small – only fifty students in grade six

As a study on one teacher and one class at one school, the conclusion of the study may not be valid to be generalized to apply to any other contexts It may be useful to serve as an intensive source of information to refer to or to provide hypothesis for further studies.

Methods of the study

The study adapts action research approach According to Ferrance (2000: 1), action research is regarded as one of the most common research methods applied in instruments including questionnaires, artifacts, observation, and interview are used in order to have a deep investigation into what is being studied.

Organization of the thesis

This research consists of five chapters:

This chapter aims at stating the research problems, the significance, the aims, the scope, and the methods of the study

This provides elaboration of key definitions as well as the review on related studies

This chapter issues the description of research approach, research participants, data collection methods and data analysis methods

In this chapter, research findings and discussions are presented Besides, discussion on the comparison between the findings and reviewed literature is also drawn

This chapter includes the summary of the research, the implication, the limitation of the study and suggestion for further research.

Summary

The chapter has provided the rationale for the study by stressing the demand for confirming whether project work can help students enhance their learning autonomy The framework of the research has also been identified clearly with the two research questions and clearly defined scope The study‟s elaborations have not only justified the major contents and structure of the study but will also play the role of main guidelines for the rest of the paper.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Learning autonomy

As can be seen, the interest in learning autonomy has grown considerably in the past few decades; therefore, the definition of learning autonomy seems to interpret in many different ways Holec (1981: 3) defines the term as “the ability to take charge of one‟s own direct learning” In other words, it refers to learning activities which give learners more chances to determine the learning objectives, to choose the contents of the lesson, to select methods and techniques to be used, to monitor the acquisition procedure and to evaluate what has been acquired

Similarly, Bergen (1990: 102) states that learning autonomy is characterized by a readiness to take charge of one‟s own learning in the service of one‟s needs and purposes This entails a capacity and willingness to act independently and in cooperation with others, as a socially responsible person

Besides, view it as a process, Higgs (1988: 41) indicates learning autonomy is where learners work on learning tasks and activities and largely independent of the teacher who acts as a manager of the learning program and resource person

In addition, Joshi (2011: 14), defines an autonomous learner as “one who has capacity to make and carry out the choices which govern his or her actions independently” When autonomy is encouraged in the classroom, Joshi (2011: 14) suggests, the learners take on more responsibilities and make more of the choices about their learning, yet often with the guidance and support of their teachers

These above definitions provide a concise description of the characteristics of learning autonomy, including both individual and cooperative aspects That is to say, learner autonomy is not a totally individualistic process, rather it is a process which is also achieved through interdependence

According to Oxford dictionary, autonomy means the right or condition of self-government or the capacity of an agent to act in accordance with objective morality rather than under the influence of desires In moral and political philosophy, autonomy is often used as the basis for determining moral responsibility for one's actions The concept of autonomy is also found in education, medicine, psychology, and so on, to which it is applied to come up with its more precise criteria

In terms of moral autonomy, Kant (1956) developed correlative concepts of autonomy in the context of moral law Autonomy refers to a moral agent‟s capacity to freely and rationally adopt moral policies Kant believed that a person‟s moral principles, the internal authority which imposes restrictions on how that person acts, originate in the exercise of reason People are offered the choice of many possible principles, but they reject all principles which "cannot accord with the will‟s own enactment of universal law." Autonomous moral principles are laws which we, as rational beings, give to ourselves through consciously identifying ourselves with them

In political ethics, the concept of autonomy is used in efforts to define certain inalienable political rights, such as personal liberty, freedom of speech, and property ownership, which should be guaranteed to every citizen (Autonomy in moral and political philosophy, n.d.) Autonomy in this context implies that these rights are protected unless a citizen actively forfeits them, either by breaking a law and invoking punishment, or by consciously choosing to give up some of his liberty in exchange for some other advantage Autonomy implies respect for each person‟s ability to make decisions about his own life and absorb the consequences

Additionally, the promotion of personal autonomy has been identified as one of the aims of the philosophy of education (Personal autonomy, n.d.) A student is to be provided with access to a wide range of choices and experiences, at the same time as he or she is given the rational tools to evaluate these choices intelligently Upholding the autonomy of a student implies that the student will be allowed to experience the consequences of his choices with minimal interference Guidance and education will take the form of broadening the student‟s awareness and exposing him to additional choices Protecting the autonomy of a student is believed to encourage active thought and exploration, rather than mere acceptance of knowledge and ideas A student with autonomy feels more freedom to experiment with new ideas, but must also take responsibility to ensure that his contributions have value

When it comes to psychology, according to Frankfurt (1971), to be autonomous is to be directed by considerations, desires, conditions, and characteristics that are not imposed from without but are part of what can somehow be considered one's authentic self It implies a conscious intention to act in a certain way, and to take responsibility for any consequences of those actions In psychology, the issue is defining what is the "authentic self." Within self-determination theory in psychology, autonomy also refers to "autonomy support versus control," hypothesizing that autonomy-supportive social environments are inclined to facilitate self-determined motivation, healthy development, and optimal functioning Efforts to define autonomy in the context of the personality have given rise to two types of conditions required for autonomy: "Competency" and "authenticity." The definition of competency includes the capacity for various types of rational thought, self-control, and the absence of self-deception or pathological disorders which affect perception of the self "Authenticity" conditions involve the capacity to reflect upon one‟s desires and consciously endorse or reject them

Among several types of autonomy, this study focuses on autonomy in education; in other words, learning autonomy The students in this study are allowed to make choice and undergo experience They are also encouraged to have active thoughts and exploration when doing projects, which makes them feel free to experiement with new ideas, but must also take responsibility to ensure that his contribution is valuable

Many researchers in the relevant literature have suggested different characteristics related to autonomous learners Candy (1991: 459-466) states the characteristics of autonomous learners are as follows: methodical and disciplined; logical and analytical; reflective and self-aware; curious, open and highly motivated; flexible, interdependent and interpersonally competent; persistent and responsible; venturesome and creative; and self-sufficient, information seekers, knowledgeable and skillful about learning process and critical thinkers

According to Dickinson (1993: 330-336), although quite a lot of learners actually do not know what is going on in their classes, autonomous learners are able to identify what has been taught They are able to formulate their own learning objectives in collaboration with teacher, or as something that is in addition to what the teacher is doing In addition, autonomous learners can select and implement appropriate learning strategies consciously, and they can monitor their own use of learning strategies

Lastly, autonomous learners should monitor their own learning and self-assessment

Cotterall (1995: 199) agrees with Dickinson on self-assessment as she says “it is essential that learners be able to evaluate the quality of their learning An appreciation of their abilities, the progress they are making and of what they can do with the skills they have acquired is essential if learners are to learn efficiently.”

According to Holec (1981: 3), basically, autonomous learners are those who take charge of their own learning They are aware of their personal and educational needs and can determine the objectives and goals for their own learning They can also establish a link between what is to be learned, how to learn, and the resources available They develop a capacity that enables them to define the contents of their learning, select methods and techniques to be used, monitor the procedures of acquisition and evaluate what has been acquired

Briefly, as defined by different researchers, there are many characteristics of an autonomous learner After all, stated by Holec in 1981, learners who are autonomous will be able to:

Project work

There are several definitions regarding project work and it is relevant to distinguish some of them It is suggested that a “project is the development of an experience centered on the student and his environment, that it is a creative and enriching experience on the student‟s interest” (Jiménez Raya, 1994: 52) Secondly, project work “is a versatile vehicle for fully integrated language and content learning” (Stoller, 1997: 3) Students are invited to live a meaningful experience that goes beyond the syllabus and classroom walls This way, learners and teacher negotiate how they will implement a project in their own context based on their needs Regarding the previous definitions, project work can be understood as a successful way to provide learners with opportunities to create their own planning in the classroom It focuses on the learner, promotes the development of intrinsic motivation and positive attitudes towards learning; it increases student responsibility, fosters participation when making decisions concerning projects, facilitates the gradual acquisition of autonomy and the use of the language, and promotes interdisciplinary and cooperative work

Project work is an extended process of inquiry through which students investigate a complex question, problem or challenge as an extension of what has already been learned in class In project work, students work collaboratively, in pairs or teams, to develop a product or solve a problem by following some steps like planning, organizing, negotiating, arriving at a consensus about such issues as tasks to be performed, methods and materials to be used and responsibilities to be shared

Interaction, critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration are some of the benchmarks of project work The key components of project work were identified by Larner and Mergendoller (2010: 34-37) as significant content, a need to know, a driving question, student voice and choice, 21st century skills (collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creative thinking), inquiry and innovation, feedback and revision, and publicly presented report

Projects are in-depth investigations of real-world topics and issues that are worthy for students to know and understand They can do creatively reading/ writing projects, information-data organizing projects, major investigation projects, design projects, problem-solving projects, argumentation projects, and authentic projects (Seven types of projects that foster powerful learning, 2014)

Students read, comprehend and interpret specific books, novels, plays, poems, etc., often around themes Sometimes books are assigned, while at other times students select their own books Through reading/writing projects, students demonstrate comprehension, understanding, and ability to interpret the text

Reading/writing projects often include class discussions around dilemmas inherent in the reading and/or writing general reactions, interpretive essays, poems, stories and plays based on the material read

The goal of information-data organizing projects is for teachers to have students collect, sort and summarize information and data around a topic, question, theme or unit from multiple sources, such as textbooks, fiction, and non-fiction texts Students might synthesize articles and other readings around a topic of interest, analyze surveys and interviews designed to explore key questions or find ways to put information into a variety of formats, including graphs and charts

Sometimes information is represented in other formats, such as through artwork, crafts, and music Information-data-organizing project approaches are useful when students are studying a particular topic or question since this type of project helps students learn how to use multiple resources instead of solely using a textbook

Major investigation projects enable students to create their own questions around a topic, collect, organize, and evaluate information, draw conclusions and share results through presentations and explanations Students may demonstrate the results of their investigations through different types of products and experiences, including the writing of a paper, the development of artwork, oral presentations, audio and videotape productions, photographic essays, simulations, or plays

Sometimes students select their own topics for research projects based on their interests, while at other times research projects are focused around specific academic topics being studied in class In some senior project formats, students are free to select any topic of interest for an investigation project

While major investigation projects are often considered long-term activities, some investigation projects can be conducted over relatively short periods of time when adequate amounts of time are devoted to them each day

Students invent products and objects, design technology, or design artwork or models, for example, students might be asked to use scientific principles to design an object that will descend from a specific height at the slowest speed, to design artwork using artistic principles, or to design a house using the latest technological software

Students solve problems and make decisions by being given or creating specific situations and complex problems Problem situations around topics such as pollution, world events, health care, poverty, and economic issues are interesting and exciting areas of study and provide students with opportunities to learn about current and future complex issues and problems and to use creative problem-solving processes Complex mathematical problems are another source of problem-solving projects Decision- making projects through simulations of both historical and present-day decisions are worthwhile projects

After considerable research and discussion about an issue or dilemma, students write a persuasive essay or position paper giving their point of view, reasons, and evidence to support this point of view Some argumentation projects are built around debates or simulations

These provide students with the opportunity of conducting projects with direct links and potential payoffs either to themselves or to the outside world

Projects which lead to personal improvement, community involvement, and service, multicultural explorations in real-world settings, an understanding of careers and career options, cooperative work experience, internships, and a focus on health issues produce direct payoffs for students in a changing world

In conclusion, based on the conditions of the school, the students‟ level, and the purpose of fostering the students‟ learning autonomy, the teacher chooses information-data organizing project which students collect, sort and summarize information and data around a topic, and then present the information through posters or powerpoints

Related studies in promoting students‟ learning autonomy through project work

Yuliani and Lengkanawati conducted a case study which was about project- based learning in promoting learners‟ autonomy in an English classroom in a secondary school in 2017 This study employed descriptive qualitative research design at six participants at grade nine The results of data analysis led to a conclusion that project-based learning has promoted learners‟ autonomy, which covered the criteria of self- instruction, self-direction, self-access learning and individualized instruction in each stage of project-based activity, namely the planning process, the implementation process and the monitoring process

In the same line with these two authors above, Loi (2017) did a case study about promoting learners‟ autonomy through project work in a university Fifty English teaching-majored second-year students were in project work over two semesters Two instruments employed to assess their learner autonomy include a self-assessment questionnaire and two group interviews The results showed that the students gained a higher degree of learner autonomy after participating in project work However, the gain was largely due to increased self-decisions on learning

Other aspects of learner autonomy such as self- regulated learning actions, self- responsibility, and attitudes to social interaction remained unchanged

Ramirez (2014) conducted action research whose title is “Developing learner autonomy through project work in an ESP class” The study was conducted at a regional and public university with environmental engineering undergraduates in an English for Specific Purposes class The instruments for data collection were field notes, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, students‟ artifacts, and video recordings The results revealed that learner autonomy could be developed by means of cooperative work in order to achieve common interests and support each other Students also displayed self-regulation in regard to facing failures through learning strategies; furthermore, this study showed how intrinsic motivation implies the desire for accomplishment and knowledge to fulfill a learning goal

Recognizing the importance of project-based learning in developing learners‟ autonomy, Guven (2014) conducted a study to investigate the opinions of the English private school students about the Project Based Learning implementation they were involved in at the School of Foreign Languages in Turkey, in 2011-2012 academic school year The case study, one of the descriptive qualitative research models, was used as a method in the study Fifty randomly selected class students participated in the study voluntarily The data were gathered through face to face interviews and a semi-structured form with six open ended questions The findings revealed that Project Based Learning could be used as a means to guide learners advance towards autonomous learning It was also noteworthy that formative assessment should take place in the learning environment as involving learners in their own assessment will help them see their strengths and weaknesses

Similarly, Ying (2012) conducted research which focused on how the research projects promoted autonomous learning through a small-scale study in a university Both quantitative and qualitative methods have been employed to examine whether in the projects, learners exercised control over their own learning and evaluated its outcome The final results indicated that due to a flexible syllabus, highly motivating research topics and the network-assisted environment, learners did take responsibility for most aspects of learning and thus the projects proved to be a promising approach for autonomous training

What is more, Villa and Armstrong presented teacher and learners‟ experience implementing project work as a strategy the authors used in an undergraduate foreign language teaching program at an important public university in their action research in 2004 In order to find support for their view that project work is an effective approach to developing learners‟ autonomy, students who had participated in project work were interviewed and their responses were analyzed using Benson‟s contributions (1997, 2001) on autonomous learning, and Legutke and Thomas (1991) on project work as a framework The authors discussed the issues based on the students‟ experience: stages in the development of the project, characteristics of project work, and its relevance to developing learner autonomy

Although researchers studied about learners‟ autonomy, they did not investigate in lower secondary school but mainly focused on students in higher education Moreover, in the context of Vietnam, little research was conducted to find effective ways to enhance students‟ learning autonomy for students of grade 6

Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine whether project work can positively affect students‟ learning autonomy.

Summary

By reviewing many significant works that related to this study‟s topic, the chapter has provided the theoretical background for the whole paper through careful elaboration on many angels of the two key terms: students‟ learning autonomy and project work The review of a number of studies in this chapter indicated a research gap that the study would pursue to bridge.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research approach: Action research

Action research has been seen as a way to bridge the gulf between researchers and teachers (e.g., Brindley 1990: 25; Edge 2001: 3) and to encourage teachers to adopt an investigative stance toward their own classroom practices (e.g., Gebhard 2005: 54)

Although more complex and extended descriptions of the steps in action research have been proposed (e.g., Burns 1999; Cohen, Manion, and Morrison 2000: 226; Hopkins 1993; McNiff 1988), the most widely known model is that of

 Develop a plan of critically informed action to improve what is already happening

 Act to implement the plan

 Observe the effects of the critically informed action in the context in which it occurs

 Reflect on these effects as the basis for further planning, subsequent critically informed action and so on, through a succession of stages

Among the ways that action research has been oriented towards various purposes of teacher education in the second language teaching field are the following:

 To address and find solutions to particular problems in a specific teaching or learning situation

 To underpin and investigate curriculum innovation and to understand the processes that occur as part of educational

 To provide a vehicle for reducing gaps between academic research findings and practical classroom

 To facilitate the professional development of reflective teachers

 To acquaint teachers with research skills and to enhance their knowledge of conducting research

 To enhance the development of teachers‟ personal practical theories

Based on the definition and features above, the research was designed as action research because of three reasons Firstly, this study intends to be more of an approach to problem-solving, rather than a single method for collecting and analyzing data Secondly, this research is carried out by a practitioner (classroom teacher), not outside researchers It is collaborative (the researcher + practitioners) and aimes at changing things (students‟ learning autonomy) Lastly, this research is practical research, which is used to achieve both action (change or improve) and research (understanding), and bridge the gap between research and practice

Therefore, action research is inevitably a very common practice and the best choice for the study.

Research questions

1 To what extent does project work enhance the students‟ learning autonomy?

2 What are the students‟ evaluations of the projects in view of the impact of the projects on developing their learning autonomy?

The first research question is used to clarify the degree of the change of the learner‟s autonomy through project work, meanwhile the second research question mainly aims at investigating interesting and difficult things that students face when doing the projects The answers of these two questions are the keys for the researcher can find out the most suitable ways of carrying out projects so that students‟ learning autonomy can be fostered energetically.

Participants

The study is carried out in the second semester (from December 24 th to May

20 th ) of the school year 2018-2019 with fifty sixth-grade students at a secondary school in Hanoi, Vietnam At this school, there are three types of class for each student: Home-room class (H), Math class (M), and English class (E) Math and English classes are grouped based on students‟ level and ability Students who have the same Math class learn natural science subjects together Those who own the same English class learn social science subjects together The rest of the subjects (life skill, music, art…) are taught in home-room class

The fifty students from an English class are selected as the targeted population of the research They join the same English class but different home- room and math classes These students are of the same age, but a little bit different in English proficiency levels In terms of their results in the first semester of the school year, 18 students (36%) were classified as good at English Their final scores ranged from 8.0 to 8.5 30 students (60%) got the final from 6.5 to 7.9 and the rest 2 students‟ scores were from 5.0 to 6.4 None of them was below average (< 5.0) It could therefore be assumed that most of them were pretty good at English One more thing is that these students had no experience in doing projects

Dam (2011: 41) stated that promoting learners‟ autonomy is not age- restricted in anyway, and can thus be implemented with learners of all ages

Therefore, these participants were selected conveniently because the researcher was teaching them The researcher invited them to participate in the study and they were willing to accept

The population of the research interest is small Thus, as for choosing participants for the questionnaires, the researcher decides to take all of them as representative sampling of the subjects which means that all the population are considered as samples

However, as for choosing participants for the interview, it takes much time to interview all fifty students, so the researcher picks up ten students with the criteria that they are at different English levels in different groups.

English textbook, English syllabus and the projects used in the study

Almost all Vietnamese schools use English text books published by Vietnam Education Publishing House, including the school of this study Specifically, researched participants utilize English Book 6 (Part 2), which includes two big themes: Our world and Visions of the future Each theme includes three topics

(units) In other words, there are six units in the English Book 6 (Part 2), including

Television, Sports and Games, Cities of the world, Our houses in the future, Our greener world and Robots

In English textbook of grade six, there are seven lessons in each unit Lesson

1 is Getting started, which helps students have an overview of the topic and introduce what they will learn in this topic Lesson 2 is A closer look 1, which focuses on Vocabulary and Pronunciation Lesson 3 is A closer look 2, which is about Grammar Lesson 4 is Communication Lesson 5 and 6 focus on four basic skills of English Last but not least, lesson 7 is Looking back, in which students review what they have learnt in the unit and carry out a Project

In lesson 7, to be more specific, beside Looking back part, there is a Project section presented generally (just giving general clues and instructions), which is hard for students to foster their learning autonomy enormously As a result, by adapting the projects in textbook, this research is conducted to help students to enhance their learning autonomy in different five areas: Determining the objcetives, choosing the contents, selecting the methods and techniques to be used, monitoring the acquisition procedure and evaluating what has been acquired

The English course lasts thirty-six weeks with one hundred and five periods

Each week, teachers of English have three periods of forty-five minutes Each period is exactly equivalent to one lesson in the textbook Besides, students have two extra periods every week so as to consolidate and broaden knowledge they have learnt in the textbook

Based on the English syllabus of the school, the study was carried out in thirty- four extra periods and twelve periods of lesson 7 In other words, the researcher created six projects whose topics were based on the unit topics in the textbook The students worked in group in two weeks to complete a project That is to say, students had to do six two-week projects in a semester

Table 3.1: The project used in the study

- Use and pronounce correctly words about

TV programmes, people and things

- Use conjunction: and, but, so, because, although

- Guide students when setting objectives, making outline and synthesizing

- Selecting methods and techniques to be used -Choosing contents the topic, set objectives, search and collect needful information, well-prepare for presentation, present in front of the class, and self-evaluate strengths and weaknesses

- Listen to their presentation, and giving comments and feedback objectives

- Divide tasks and roles in each group

- Self- evaluate their strengths and weaknesses objectives

- Select methods and techniques to be used

- Evaluate what has been acquired

- Use and pronounce correctly words about sports and games

- Use past simple and imperatives

- Practice to choose the topic, set objectives, search and collect needful information, well-prepare for presentation, present in front of the class, and self-evaluate strengths and weaknesses

3 A city in the world that you want to visit

- Use and pronounce correctly words about continents, countries, cities and landmarks

- Use present perfect and superlatives of long adjectives

4 Your dream house in the future

- Use and pronounce correctly words about types of houses and appliances

- Use will and might to talk about the future

5 An environmental problem and solutions

- Use and pronounce correctly words about environmental problems and their effects and solutions

6 A type of robot that you want to own in the future

- Use and pronounce correctly words about robots and daily activities

- Use could and will be able to

- Practice to choose the topic, set objectives, search and collect needful information, well-prepare for presentation, present in front of the class, and self-evaluate strengths and weaknesses.

Procedure of the study

eighteen weeks during the second semester of the 6 th grader at a secondary school in Hanoi The action plan was done as follows:

Table 3.2: Procedure of the study

Time Phases of action research Instruments

Students did a questionnaire about their learning autonomy in studying English

Students did the first project about their favorite TV programs

At the end of week 2: Teacher checked students‟ diaries

Week 3+4 Students did the second project about their favorite sports/games

Week 5+6 Students did the third project about their favorite cities in foreign countries

Week 7+8 Revision, 45-minute test, mid-term test

Students did the fourth project about designing a type of house for their future life

Students did the fifth project about one problem and solutions for this problem to make the environment greener

Students did the last project about making a robot for their future life

Reflecting Students did a questionnaire about their learning autonomy in project work

Ten students were interviewed the action plan

Revision, 45-minute test, end-term test

During this phase, essential materials used in this study were prepared, including questionnaire, interview, and check list for teacher‟s observation and students‟ diary Then, the researcher asked the students to do a survey before the first week in order that she could assess the current students‟ learning autonomy

Besides, the course syllabus and lesson plans were built with a view to helping the students match the expected outcomes In short, the researcher prepared the teaching materials, designed lesson plans, instruments aids, and delivered a questionnaire to assess learners‟ autonomy before the intervention

In this phase, the researcher applied project work in teaching and learning process step by step The researcher used project-based learning in optional periods and lesson 7 in each unit during twelve weeks In these lessons, students could carry out the projects as well as make presentation Students were also asked to write diaries about their roles in the group, what they did, and the strengths and weaknesses when they carried out the projects and working in group

At the beginning of the second semester of the school year, the researcher provided a list of topics based on the themes of the textbook of the school curriculum “Tiếng Anh 6” from Unit 7 to Unit 12: Television, Sports and Games, Cities of the world, Our houses in the future, Our greener world, and Robots, and the students could think of possible topics for the projects

The projects were carried out for twelve weeks of the second semester of the school year 2018-2019 Each project lasted in two weeks The aim of the intervention was to help the students to enhance their learning autonomy thanks to both individual and cooperative learning method when doing projects By doing research, students can enlarge their vocabulary background knowledge I also hoped that project work could help develop soft skills like self-study, groupwork and presentation

The implementation of project work was nearly the same in six projects

Every two weeks, the groups carried out their projects with six stages of project- based learning:

Stage 1- Selecting topics and setting objectives

In the first period, the researcher divided the whole class into ten groups of five They could group themselves to make teams and then discussed together to choose their own topic and set the objectives by themselves The teacher observed and supported if necessary

Stage 2- Planning and language generation

Students in groups worked together to draw a plan and decide what kind of language needed to be used in each project topic They also discussed to split the tasks among themselves After that the groups had a check with the teacher to make sure that their plans were on the line with the objectives

Stage 3- Searching + Collecting information / details Learners found out then gathered required data and information from a number of sources They could read books, interview people, collect pictures and illustrations, record audio or video, surf the Internet, watch TV, etc After that they synthesized and summarized information to put it in the poster

Stage 4- Writing the script and designing poster

Having collected the required information and ideas, the learners worked individually to write script for presentation and worked in group to design the poster When both things finished, they could practice presenting

Stage 5- Presentation The goal of the whole project was reached when the learners working together to produce a report or do an activity as intended The learners here were asked to submit the poster to the teacher and make a presentation to the whole class in the lesson 7 Their final presentation must be informative, creative and persuasive to the teacher and other groups

Firstly, the learners reflected what they could get after doing the project

They also reflected on whether they achieved the objectives or not, and assessed their strengths and weaknesses when carrying out the project Then the teacher gave them comments and feedback on their contents and performance

This phase was the time for the researcher to analyze the data collected to evaluate the action plan

After implementation of the action plan, data were collected during the twelve weeks to answer the research questions In week 15, the second questionnaire was delivered to the students to investigate student‟s learning autonomy when running the projects

Regarding the procedure of interview, ten respondents were deliberately chosen for the interview in week 15 and 16 Students were informed that each interview would take about twenty minutes, would be conducted in Vietnamese, and would be confidential Moreover, they knew that the interviews would be recorded

Afterwards, the interviews took place in an informal atmosphere to minimize the participants‟ anxiety

The data collected during the weeks of action implementation (students‟ diaries and teacher‟s observation) and from the results of the questionnaires and the interview were utilized to draw conclusions, give suggested solutions in the plan action and some recommendations.

Instruments for data collection

In accordance with Brown‟s definition (2001: 6), questionnaire is “any written instruments that present respondents with a series of questions or statements to which they are to react either by writing out their answers or selecting them among existing answers" There are four main administration modes of a questionnaire: face-to-face, paper and pencil, computerized and adaptive computerized The number of participants of the research is fifty so it is time- consuming to apply the method of face-to-face with every one of them The difficult to administer if the participants do the questionnaire via email Hence, in this research, only paper-and-pencil is used combined with direct instruction and administration of the researcher during the time participants complete the questionnaire Questionnaire is applied at the beginning and at the end of the research to answer the first research question

Based on Holec‟s framework about characteristics of autonomous learners in

1981, the researcher designes two twenty-one close-ended question questionnaires

The twenty-one-item questionnaires are divided into five groups: 1) Setting the objectives (5 questions), 2) Choosing the contents (2 questions), 3) Selecting methods and techniques to be used (4 questions), 4) Monitoring the acquisition process (3 questions), and 5) Evaluating what has been acquired (7 questions) The table below shows five areas in the questionnaires and the number of the statements in each area

Table 3.3: Overview of the questionnaires

Selecting methods and techniques to be used 8, 9, 10, 11 Monitoring acquisition procedure 12, 13, 14 Evaluating what has been acquired 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

(Full form of questionnaires: See in Appendices 1, 2) 3.6.2 Semi-structured interview

In order to clarify the selected-response questions in the questionnaire and answer the second research question, the researcher conducts an interview at the end of the research Interviews are a useful strategy for finding out what individuals feel and prefer (Cohen et al., 2000: 29) The exploited interview in this research is constructed as the framework semi-structured interview According to Mackey &

Gass (2005: 173), in semi-structured interview, the researcher uses a list of questions as a core to develop the interview Besides the questions prepared beforehand, in this kind of interview, the researchers can add more questions depending on the participants‟ response to get more information Semi-structured interviewing “is best used when you won't get more than one chance to interview someone and when you will be sending several interviewers out into the field to collect data.” (Bernard 1988, cited in Cohen & Crabtree 2006)

The interview in this research includes six open-ended questions (see in Appendix 5) for the purpose of confirming the results from the questionnaires and answering the second research question

This study collects students‟ written artifact as diaries Artifacts in research are an extraneous and unintended factor affecting the results of research, especially one associated with the researcher (e.g., expectations, personality) or with the participant (e.g., awareness of the researcher's intent, concern about being evaluated) (Nugent, 2013) Artifacts are the symbols of a culture or group and can help researchers understand the belief, values, and behaviors of the group

Interpretation of the meaning of artifacts should be corroborated from observations and through interviews In this research, each diary note, which includes the project topics, the roles of that person in the group, the tasks he/ she has to do, and the strengths and weaknesses when that student carries out the projects and working in group, is used to certify the questionnaire and interview results

Since all the research questions require qualitative analysis, a well-structured observation instrument is recommended It is aimed at observing and understanding the natural environment as lived by the participants without altering or manipulating it (Gay et al., 2009: 381) Compared to survey and interview, observation stresses its focus on what really happens inside and outside the classroom which is not influenced by participants‟ opinions Therefore, the consistency and accuracy of the students‟ attitudes, opinions, and reactions regarding their project work so that the second research question can be replied In each project session, notes are filled out because it serves as a memory aid to register important events.

Data collection procedure

Firstly, the researcher prepared all needed material including pens or pencils (in case the participants do not have ones) and questionnaire sheets The questionnaire sheets were designed in a clear structure with appropriate font and word size, printed on high quality white paper to ensure the participants‟ comfort while doing the questionnaires

After giving brief description of the research including tittle, rationale, purpose etc., the researcher announced the number of questions, types of questions and the method that participants were supposed to follow The questionnaires were translated into Vietnamese The researcher also reminded the participants to feel free to ask if they were not clear about any detail of the questionnaire During the procedure, participants did not raise any questions about the questionnaires

After all participants fully completed the questionnaire, the researcher collected all the responses and checked all the fifty forms each time to see if there was anyone who did not complete all the questions On average, it took about ten minutes for the participants to complete the questionnaires Fifty questionnaires were given out and all of them were retrieved Finally, the researcher sincerely thanked the participants for their contribution

The interviews started with a brief introduction of the interviewer, the research topic, the confirmation of confidentiality and the researcher„s gratitude for participants‟ cooperation After that, the researcher asked for permission to record the interviews

The researchers explained the format, the length of the interview (about 20 minutes per interview session) as well as the main content of the interview During the interview, questions were asked one by one without time rushing Neutrality was kept so that personal viewpoints of the researcher did not affect the quality of the information Thorough responses were encouraged and the researcher asked extra questions to gain in-depth information from participants Vietnamese were used so that students would not mind sharing their ideas in case they found it difficult to express in English

After all the interviews had been conducted, the data collection process finished and the data were ready to be analyzed

Firstly, the researcher as the teacher asked each student to take out a notebook to keep a diary Students started keeping a diary at the beginning of the first project The researcher guided them what to write in their diaries They could write in both English and Vietnamese so long as it was convenient for them

Participants could also decorate the diary to make it impressive Students‟ diaries were checked at the end of each project to see whether they wrote regularly or not, and then collected at the end of the study

After collecting diaries, the researcher realized that most of the participants kept the diary uncarefully They just noted down in the diary in detail for the two first projects, and then from project three, they just wrote down three to four sentences for the whole project in their diaries Therefore, the researcher would only analyze the most high-quality diaries kept by seven researched participants

Observation was conducted from the beginning to the end of the study Since the researcher was also the teacher of the class, the researcher had to make sure that she did not have any interference in students‟ work when observing without their needs and requests Knowing that sometimes students discussed and worked in the break-out areas at break time (10a.m-10.45a.m); therefore, observation was conducted both inside and outside the class at the school In each observing time, notes were taken When this process finished, the data from notes were ready to

Data analysis procedure

In this research, the researcher decided to use inferential statistics as the key method for analyzing data collected from questionnaires The researcher would answer the first research question by comparing mean scores about students‟ learning autonomy in English learning process and project work and using one tailed test

There are four steps in using one tailed test:

- Null hypothesis: H 0 : it is assumed to be correct unless shown otherwise:

The result of test statistic is equal or not significantly different with the critical value

- Alternative hypothesis: H 1 : This is the conclusion that should be made if

H 0 is rejected: The result of test statistic significantly different with the critical value

Step 2: Determine significance level: The actual significance level is the probability of rejecting H 0 when it is in fact true ( = 5% = 0.05)

Critical region: The range of value which would lead H 0 to be rejected

- Degree of freedom: n 1 + n 2 - 2 = 50 + 50 – 2 = 98 (n: size of sample)

- Critical value for 5% (From t-table – See in Appendix 7: x = 1.663)

Step 4: Calculate “t” and determine conclusion: This is the statistic which is tested as the last part of the significance test ̅̅̅ ̅̅̅

𝑥 : mean score in English learning process

𝑥 ̅̅̅̅: mean score in project work s 1 : standard deviation score in English learning process

 If t < 1.663 or t > -1.663: There is no (significant) difference in students‟ learning autonomy before and after doing project wok => not enough evidence to reject H 0

 If t > 1.663 or t < -1.663: There is a significant difference in students‟ learning autonomy before and after doing project wok => enough evidence to reject H 0 and accept

Figure 3.2: One tailed test distribution

When the null hypothesis H 0 is rejected, the alternative H 1 is used to write the conclusion

After having the results from statistical tests, mean scores were used again to determine the extent of the development in learners‟ autonomy in each area which would be presented in pie charts

3.8.2 Data from the semi-structured interview

With the aim of this study, the researcher intended to gain five pieces of information from the interview, including:

 Reminding of what students had to do in the projects

 The teacher‟s role in the class

 Students‟ attitudes towards the projects

 Students‟ interests and difficulties when carrying out the projects

 Objectives that students achieved when doing the projects

To find out all the information above, the interviewees had to answers the following questions respectively in Vietnamese:

 What did you have to do in the projects?

 What was your teacher‟s roles in the class?

 Do you like doing the projects that you were assigned in the English class?

 What did you like best when doing the projects?

 What difficulties did you face up with when doing the projects?

 What objectives did you achieve when doing the projects?

(See the interview questions in Appendix 5)

Besides, the researcher also determined the reliability of the answers based on interviewees‟ eye contact and facial expressions

The data from interview were analyzed in several steps, as proposed by

 Firstly, the data were transcribed and converted in writing forms: After interviewing, the researcher transcribed the recordings to texts It took quite a lot of time to do that since each interview session lasted about twenty minutes

 Then the transcripts were read, paraphrased and abstracted into briefer statement to get the main ideas: In this step, the researcher read the transcripts, underlined and highlighted the related answers to get the main ideas

 Next, the data were categorized based on the criteria of learner autonomy stated by Holec in 1981: Based on key words from the answers, the researcher grouped the data into five areas of students‟ learning autonomy:

Determining the objectives, choosing the contents, selecting methods and techniques to be used, monitoring the acquisition procedure and evaluating what has been acquired

 Finally, the interview was interpreted to clarify the first research question and answer the second research question

3.8.3 Data from the students’ diaries

In the procedure of analyzing students‟ diaries, the researcher employed five steps: (Gay et al., 2009):

 Firstly, after collecting the students' diaries, the researcher chose the most high-quality diaries which had enough needful information of the seven participants and read carefully

 While reading, the researcher highlighted such kinds of words as “điểm mạnh”, “điểm yếu”, “làm tốt”, “làm chưa tốt” so as to find out the necessary data more easily

 Then based on the words highlighted, the researcher underlined key information in each sentence to get the main ideas For example: “Nhiệm vụ - Tìm thông tin”, “khó khăn trong việc tìm thông tin”, “thích nhất phần thuyết trình”, etc

 After that, the findings were classified according to five groups based on the criteria of learners‟ autonomy proposed by Holec in 1981: Determining the objectives, choosing the contents, selecting methods and techniques to be used, monitoring the acquisition procedure and evaluating what has been acquired

 Finally, the data were interpreted to clarify the first research question

Observations were held by the teacher as the researcher both inside and outside of the classroom The data of observation were supported by notes In each session, the notes were taken to get information about the students‟ behavior and attitudes during doing the projects There are four steps in analyzing the data of observation:

 Firstly, the researcher read the notes carefully and then highlighted the words and phrases that are related to students‟ behavior and attitudes during doing the projects and match with the research question Such words and phrases were highlighted as “do nothing”, “shout at weak students”, “angry”, “excited”, “find information from books in the library”, etc

 Secondly, all the words and phrases highlighted were divided into two

 Thirdly, the data from the table were categorized based on the criteria of learners‟ autonomy stated by Holec in 1981: Determining the objectives, choosing the contents, selecting methods and techniques to be used, monitoring the acq uisi tion pro ced ure and eva luat ing wh at has been acquired

 Last but not least, the data were interpreted to answer the second research question

In short, the data analytical method will be summarized in the hierarchy chart below:

After the data gains from questionnaires, diaries, observation and interview are analyzed, this study formulates the analysis results to draw conclusions and give recommendations

Developing learners' autonomy through project work

The extent of development of students' learning autonomy through project work

The students' evaluations of the impact of projects on developing their learning autonomy Interview

Summary

In this chapter, the researcher‟s purpose is to justify the methodology of the study Questionnaire, students‟ diaries, observation and interview were employed as the instruments for data collections More specifically, all of them were designed to answer the two research questions: the questionnaires, interview and diaries solved the first question, meanwhile the other part of interview and observation play role of handling question two Quantitative statistic and content analysis were the two methods used in the data analysis procedure The results from such analysis are going to be presented in the next chapter.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

The extent to which the students‟ learning autonomy can be enhanced through

The first objective is gained based on data from questionnaires, interview and students‟ diaries The questionnaires‟ result shows the changes and the extent of these changes of the students‟ learning autonomy after doing the projects among the five groups of learners‟ autonomy mentioned in chapter 3: determining objectives, choosing contents, selecting methods and techniques to be used, monitoring acquisition procedure, and evaluating what has been acquired After that, the results from the interview and students‟ diaries are utilized to check the questionnaires‟ result and find out more information and reasons for the changes of the participants‟ learning autonomy

4.1.1 Findings from the questionnaires 4.1.1.1 The changes of the students’ learning autonomy after doing project work

Figure 4.1: Mean scores of students’ learning autonomy in English learning process and project work among the five groups

Figure 4.1 shows the difference in mean scores of students‟ learning autonomy between English learning process and project work process among the five groups According to the bar chart, the students‟ learning autonomy increases in four areas, including determining objectives, choosing contents, selecting methods and techniques to be used, and evaluating what has been acquired when doing projects Meanwhile the learners‟ autonomy decreases in monitoring acquisition procedure, which means that there is reduction in students‟ ability in deciding and managing time and place when doing the projects Whether the project work has any effects on these changes of students‟ learning autonomy in each area will be presented below

Table 4.1: Statistical test result in determining objectives

Mean Standard Dev Statistical test

Choosing contents Selecting methods and techniques to be used

Evaluating what has been acquiredEnglish learning process Project work mean score of project work (13.44) is higher than that in English learning process (11.34) However, only mean scores cannot conclude that this improvement is statistically significant Therefore, a hypothesis test is conducted to get the test statistic The result from the table shows that the test result (2.941) is higher than the critical value (1.663), so there is a significant difference between learner autonomy in determining objectives during learning English process and when doing projects The result reveals that thanks to project work, students can enhance their learning autonomy in determining learning objectives In other words, students are able to set the objectives based on their needs and levels More specifically, students themselves can set targets on using a wide range of vocabulary, using grammar structures and pronounce words correctly They may also adjust these objectives if necessary

Table 4.2: Statistical test result in choosing contents

It can be seen from the table 4.2 that when it comes to students‟ learning autonomy in choosing contents, the mean score of project work (6.12) is much higher than the mean score of English learning process (4.1) However, it is inadequate to draw a conclusion without taking a test The result from the statistical test is 6.428 which is significantly higher than the critical value (1.663) Therefore, null hypothesis is rejected It also indicates that project work has a strong effect on this increase That is to say, thanks to project work, students have a potential capability for choosing learning contents and selecting the contents from different available sources

 Selecting methods and techniques to be used

Table 4.3.: Statistical test result in selecting methods and techniques to be used

The number in the table 4.3 points out that in terms of students‟ learning autonomy in selecting methods and techniques to be used, the mean score in project work process is pretty higher than that in English learning process (10.96 > 8.88) However, it is not enough to conclude that project work has a positive impact on the development of learners‟ autonomy in selecting methods and techniques until the difference is proved statistically significant As also illustrated in the table, the result of the test statistic is much higher than the critical value (3.744 > 1.663) As a result, it can be drawn a conclusion that these projects have an influence on the development of students‟ learning autonomy in this area In other words, thanks to the projects, students can be able to choose the most suitable methods and techniques to learn vocabulary, grammar, improve pronunciation and develop groupwork and presentation skills

Table 4.4: Statistical test result in monitoring acquisition procedure

As can be seen from the table 4.4, unlike the other areas, the learners‟ autonomy in this field has a big change of decrease after doing the projects The table shows that the mean score in English learning process was 8.84, meanwhile it is only 5.96 in project work The result of the test statistic is a direct answer for the question whether the project work has an impact on this change of students‟ learning autonomy in monitoring the acquisition procedure As presented in the table, the result of the test is -4.305, which is dramatically lower than the critical value (-1.663) Therefore, it should be concluded that learners‟ autonomy in monitoring acquisition procedure is gone down due to the project work

 Evaluating what has been acquired

Table 4.5: Statistical test result in evaluating what has been acquired

As illustrated from the table 4.5, when it comes to students‟ learning autonomy in evaluating what has been acquired, the mean score in English learning process (13.24) is lower than that in project work (16.38) However, only mean scores cannot conclude that this improvement is statistically significant Therefore, a hypothesis test is conducted to get the statistical test result The table shows the result of the test statistic, which is 2.91, is higher than the critical value (1.663) It means that thanks to the project work, students can develop their ability in checking whether they achieved their own objectives or not and self-evaluate their strengths and weaknesses after doing projects

In brief, to answer the first research question, five statistical tests were conducted to find out the influence of project work on students‟ learning autonomy in five categories After making these analyses, the researcher draws two conclusions Firstly, learners‟ autonomy can be enhanced in terms of determining objectives, choosing learning contents, selecting methods and techniques to be used, and evaluating what has been acquired through project work Secondly, there is a decrease in students‟ learning autonomy in terms of monitoring the acquisition procedure To be more specific, the extent of the changes of students‟ learning autonomy in five categories is presented in 4.1.1.2

4.1.1.2 The extent of the changes of the students’ learning autonomy after doing the projects

Figure 4.2: The extent of the changes of students’ learning autonomy after doing the projects

As can be seen from the pie charts, after doing the projects, students‟ learning autonomy increased by around 1% in determining objectives and selecting methods and techniques to be used, around 2.5% in choosing contents and evaluating what has been acquired Besides, students‟ learning autonomy decreased from 19% to 11% in monitoring the acquisition process

To check the result from the questionnairs and find out the reasons why there are the unforeseen changes, let have a look at the findings from the interview and students‟ diaries

In order to know the reasons why there is a decrease in learners‟ autonomy in monitoring the acquisition procedure, the researcher conducted a face to face

English learning process interview with ten participants The answer for this question was that all of interviewees had different timetables They just were in the same English class, so they only learnt English and social science subjects together It meant that they had very little same free time Moreover, these students spent the breaktime on finishing their own homework and exercises Consequently, it was hard for them to share time and find out a suitable place to work together

In the next session of the interview, the researcher focused on what participants themselves did and their teacher‟s roles in the project work Students answered that they chose their own team, decided the project topic from the big theme, divided tasks and responsibilities for all team members, prepared for presentation, presented in front of the whole class and self-evaluate their own contents, preparation and performance during and after doing projects Firstly, students chose their own group They said they often chose group by themselves, but sometimes the teacher chose One student confessed that he definitely preferred choosing group on his own; however, he still realized that whenever the teacher chose the groups, the groupwork was more effective and he could get higher scores

After having their own groups, they had to decide the project topic for their own group based on the big theme For example, the big theme is “favorite sport/game”, each group had to discuss and choose one kind of sport/game for their group When different groups had the same choice, the teacher would ask them to pick up randomly another sport/game to make sure that ten group presented ten different kinds of sport/game After that, each group divided tasks for all members in the group The tasks included searching information, synthesize information, and designing poster And then all members prepared their own part for presentation

Next, they had a rehearsal and then present in front of the whole class Finally, they self-evaluated and also received feedback from the teacher and noted down their own strengths and weaknesses in the diary The students‟ activities when doing the projects are summarized in the table below:

Table 4.6: Students’ activities in the project work Students’ activities Number of mentions

Deciding the project topics 10 Choosing contents

Selecting methods and techniques to be used

Self-evaluating strengths and weaknesses 10 Evaluating what has been acquired Noting down plus and minus points 2

The table 4.6 shows that there was learners‟ autonomy in determining objectives, choosing contents, selecting methods and techniques to be used and evaluating what has been acquired Students‟ learning autonomy strongly developed when deciding project topics, searching for information, choosing teams, dividing tasks, designing posters and self-evaluating strengths and weaknesses Meanwhile, there was a limitation in setting objectives, synthesizing information and noting down their own plus and minus points

The students‟ evaluations of the projects assigned to them to develop their learning

To find out the reasonable answer for the research question 2, the researcher did a comparative and contrastive data analysis from interview and observation

These two sources of data provided information about what the students liked and disliked, and their behavior and attitudes when doing the projects

In the next question of the interview, the researcher asked whether participants like doing the projects they were assigned in their learning process and why All of the students being asked stated “yes” in Vietnamese as their answer It was because project work helped them to be more comfortable and creative in learning They worked more with their friends than the teacher, and they themselves could make posters and power points, and design games which were suitable for their styles and interests Besides, students could gain much knowledge out of books by searching information in doing projects All of these reasons made students prefer doing projects to other learning activities Moreover, all the participants answered this question immediately with the eyes looked straight to the researcher‟s eyes This quick and confident reaction showed that the answer was their first thought and reflected their real thinking

In another part, the researcher asked participants for their interests and difficulties in doing these projects In terms of likes, four students said that they preferred to search information because it helped them to know more knowledge, remember knowledge better and get more interesting information about the topic

Meanwhile three other students enjoyed designing posters since they are good at drawing and they thought that making posters could foster their creative ability The rest of the interviewees liked presentation since they loved speaking activity and enjoyed showing off themselves When it comes to difficulties in project work, eight out of ten students felt hard to decide time and place to do project out of the class It was easy when working individually, but when working in group, it was difficult for students to find out the same free time of all members and the place where all of them could go and work together Moreover, there were lazy members who did not do anything in some groups, which could make these groups miss the deadline About presentation, some students liked this part whereas some students found it difficult The reason was that they lacked confidence and good preparation

Last but not least, the researcher really wanted to know whether project work brought any intermediate objectives to the students Ten out of ten participants answer that thanks to project work, they can improve their groupwork skills They supported each other, cross-checked their tasks and worked well with together though there were some conflicts Additionally, five of them could develop their presentation skills, and one member mentioned learner‟s autonomy development

From the interview, the researcher could collect the information about students‟ attitudes toward project work, their interests and difficulties when doing the projects and the objectives they achieved from project work More information will be shown in the findings from observation

During observation process about students‟ behavior and attitudes when doing the projects, the researcher saw that students enjoyed steps of selecting topics and designing posters most In these steps, participants discussed in group enthusiastically with nice facial expressions and focused on the work with one hundred percent effort

When students searched for the information from available sources, with the teacher‟s permission, they went to the school library and found out information from books Those who had good English level could do it easily, and their information were useful Nonetheless, weak students found out irrelevant information because they did not understand the contents of the text In this case, these students with discouraged face had to find the information again, but they got their groupmates‟ help

Moreover, good English students helped other members in their group to check spelling and grammar mistakes Whereas most of weak students, both boys and girls did not work actively They depended on the other members in the group and waited for their friends‟ helps At that moment, the leaders of the groups were very angry and shouted at those students

Table 4.7: Students’ attitudes and behavior when doing the projects

Attitudes Behavior Students’ learning autonomy

Nice facial expression (happiness, excitement)

Discoraged face Find out information

Angry Design posters Selecting methods and techniques to be used

Dependent Cross-check spelling and grammar mistakes

Wait for friends‟ help Shout at each other Table 4.7 shows the students‟ attitudes and behavior when they did the projects As can be seen, thanks to these projects, students could enhance their learning autonomy in terms of choosing contents and selecting methods and techniques to be used Moreover, not all students have developed a positive attitude towards project work

Finally, the second research question is addressed through the results of the interview and observation It can be inferred that students had a positive attitude towards project work Students adored doing projects and could achieve many objectives through project work like developing groupwork and presentation skills

There were some favorite activities of theirs in doing project, like searching for information, designing posters, and making presentation, which made them work actively without the teacher‟s request, so their learning autonomy could be fostered

However, there were also some problems in project work process such as finding time and place to work together and presenting that might prevent students from enhancing their learning autonomy.

Discussion

In comparison to previous research on developing students‟ learning autonomy through project work, the result of this study brought about similar conclusion as it confirmed that learners‟ autonomy could be fostered thanks to project-based learning at a secondary school in Hanoi The data presented above showed that after one semester doing projects, students‟ learning autonomy increased in terms of setting objectives, choosing contents, selecting methods and techniques to be used, and evaluating what has been acquired To be more specific, thanks to project work, the students upgraded skills in setting and altering objectives based on their own criteria, selecting topics and contents for their projects, choosing the most suitable ways to learn vocabulary and grammar, and improve pronunciation Moreover, students themselves could be able to check whether they through project work Meanwhile, it decreased in monitoring the acquisition procedure, which means that the students had difficulties in managing and dividing time and place for group work Such results may be due to two factors The first reason was that the students in this class have never experienced in doing projects before As a result, they were curious about doing this kind of activity They also were excited about learning without the direct control of the teacher, collaboration work with friends, and opportunities to make choice and self-assessment The other reason was that when working in group, students were hard to find out the same leisure time and places to work together because they had different timetables

In addition, as mentioned in chapter 2, autonomous learners can master at self-instruction, self-direction, self-access learning and individual instruction The research findings now are discussed according to four main ideas above to see how students can foster their learning autonomy through project work

In terms of self-instruction, which refers to a situation in which learners are working without the direct control of the teacher, the learners generally fulfilled the criteria of self- instruction Almost all learners involved in all activities, such as setting objectives, choosing topics, searching for the materials from various sources, designing posters and practicing presenting both in the classroom and outside the classroom without the direct control of the teacher The teacher just worked as a guide, helper and observer

Self-direction refers to situations in which learners accept responsibility for all the decisions concerned with learning Generally, three fourth of the learners fulfilled the criteria of self-direction They were responsible for their learning during doing projects They themselves carried out all activities They set the objectives and created a plan to achieve these objectives The results of this study also showed that most learners were aware of self-evaluation such as evaluating their strengths and weaknesses and attempting to understand the reasons behind their mistakes

Self-access learning refers to situations in which learners make use of self- access teaching material or instructional technology that is made available to them (Dickinson, 1987, as cited in Kumaravadivelu, 2003) Basically, the ability of the learners to make use of various material resources varies Students searched for the materials from from different kinds of sources like books, magazines, and Google

These findings are in line with Kim‟s finding (2014, as cited in Yuliani and Lengkanawati, 2017: 290) that the use of technology or other resources helps the students build learner autonomy successfully

As for individualized-instruction, the learners adapt their learning process to suit the specific individual characteristics The findings showed that learners took different way when they attempted to accomplish the task They indicated their individual way of learning in order to carry out the task well (searching in the Internet, reading different types of material, asking teachers and friends…)

Despite their differences, they tried to work together in harmony These findings are in accordance with Ramírez (2014: 2), who elaborates that cooperative work also has a positive influence on the increase of learner autonomy to discuss and exercise more choices and control over their learning process It fosters a high degree of autonomy because this type of work gives learners the freedom to explore their own preferences and to decide what activities are best for accomplishing their common goals

Besides, also stated in the second chapter, project work brought a great number of benefits to the researcher and researched participants Thanks to a semester doing the projects, the teacher as the researcher understood more about her students‟ ability and characteristics, which could help her build relationships with students and create suitable learning activities for them In terms of students, they could increase attendance, grow self-reliance and improve attitudes toward learning

What is more, they gained more knowledge and developed groupwork and presentation skills.

Summary

In this chapter, the answers for two research questions, which are obtained from the data in surveys, interviews, students‟ diaries and observation of the study, are clearly presented Major findings as detailed above will be summarized in the conclusion as the final chapter of this research paper.

CONCLUSION

Major findings of the study

On the whole, this research paper performed a fairly comprehensive study on students‟ learning autonomy of adolescent students The research was conducted among fifty students at a secondary school in Hanoi through means of questionnaires, interview, students‟ diaries and observation Significant findings concerning the two research questions were revealed as follows:

Firstly, the data collected from questionnaires, interview, and students‟ diaries fully answered the first research question The result brought about the confirmation on the development of students‟ learning autonomy through project work in an English grade-six class In addition, it also pointed out that participants were more active and independent in experiencing many types of activities in project work The result also indicated that no one was one hundred percent autonomous

Next, in order to find the proper answer for the second research question as well as better understand the students‟ attitudes toward project work, the researcher kept interviewing ten students and took an observation When being asked about their interests and difficulties when doing projects and the benefits that project work brought to them, the students answered that they loved searching for information from different available sources and designing posters or making power points, which made them become more knowledgeable and creative They could work actively without the teacher‟s request in these activities, so their learning autonomy could be developed What is more, project work helped students to develop their troubles in sharing time and places to work together Some students were difficult to present in front of the class Some other difficulties were searching for information because of new words and structures, and some group had lazy members Those troubles might prevent students from fostering their learning autonomy.

Furthermore, the results also showed that students had quite good attitudes towards project-based learning, and learners‟ autonomy depended on students‟ interests and English levels.

Implication

Depending on the results presented in the result of interview and observation session, the researcher also wants to propose some personal ideas to solve the students‟ difficulties when doing projects presented in the table below:

Table 5.1: Problems and solutions in doing project work

Being hard to share time and place together

- Use social network to discuss together and divide tasks

- Take use of time at the school to work together (After school time…)

Presentation (not good at speaking skill, lack of confidence when speaking in front of the class)

- Well-prepare for contents of presentation (understand what you are going to talk about.)

- Carefully rehearse before presentation (speaking individually in front of the mirror, speaking in front of close friends …)

Having a lot of new words and structures when searching for information

- Look up the meanings of new words and structures in the dictionary/ the Internet

- Ask friends/ teachers if necessary

Being hard to write scripts for presentation

- Use your own words and structures to write

- Look up the meanings of new words and structures you want to use carefully in the dictionary/ the Internet

- Ask friends/ teachers if necessary

Having some lazy members in the group

- Tell them the consequence of missing the deadline (have low mark,…)

- Tell the teacher if necessary

Besides, the teacher of course has a role to play in developing learner autonomy In the first instance, the learning environment needs to provide opportunities for the learner to take control of their learning, which could include opportunities for peer and self assessment or negotiating activities with students

Learners may initially not have an appropriate conceptual stance towards their learning, which means that the teacher will need to introduce and explain the importance of learner autonomy and the skills which are required Learners may initially lack the ability to identify goals or plan their learning, and the teacher can assist by scaffolding the learning, suggesting suitable goals, or setting or negotiating a timetable Reflection is also not a natural ability in most students, and reflection training is another area where the teacher can assist and support students As students develop the necessary skills, the support offered by the teacher can be gradually reduced It is important not to remove the support too quickly - or completely - as this can be demotivating if students are not ready.

Contribution of the study

First of all, this research has confirmed the positive effects of project work on learners‟ autonomy among students in a secondary school in Hanoi, Vietnam As learning is an unending process, it is important for students to know or aware of learning autonomy The readers who are students can use the scale in the questionnaire to calculate their own learning autonomy score In addition, readers who are teachers, lecturers or educators can consider the findings and discussions to make proper change to the curriculum as well as give instructions to help students develop their learning autonomy

Secondly, as mentioned in chapter 2, in theoretical knowledge, the research also provides a thorough overview on relationship between students‟ learning autonomy and project work in the subject of adolescents – the phenomenon that lack of attention in Vietnam‟s research field and thus, can ring an alarm about this issue as well as open a new era of studying this problem in education environment

In practical knowledge, the teacher and students in this study worked together through six projects to help students develop their learning autonomy Hopefully the research can be a valuable framework or reference source for other researchers who interested in the same topic.

Limitations of the study

Despite the researcher‟s efforts in justifying the methodology as well as collecting and analyzing data with careful consideration, certain limitations can be detected in this study The first limitation lies in the time when the research is conducted If the study had been conducted in longer time, the effects of project work on students‟ learning autonmy must have been stronger

In addition, as a case study conducted in a secondary school in Hanoi, Vietnam, this study is limited in its generalizability to other contexts, both inside and outside Vietnam It would have been useful, in this regard, to extend the context by involving student participants from other grades and schools The expansion of the number of students in the research would have enabled the researcher to draw quantitatively stronger conclusions about the effects of project work on students‟ learning autonomy

Besides, this study just focused on one type of project work called information-data organizing project Consequently, it was hard for students to enhance their learning autonmy the most enormously As a result, if there had been more various types of project work, the students could have developed not only their learning autonomy but also other types of autonomy.

Suggestions for further studies

With the result shown in the previous chapter, the researchers would like to provide some suggestions for further studies

Firstly, this study is limited to investigate the effectiveness of project work to foster learner autonomy for students in a secondary school in Hanoi, Vietnam

Therefore, further studies can be conducted to extend the scope in terms of students, schools, and locations so that comprehensive and far-reaching results can be obtained

In addition, future studies can also aim at investigating effects of the other types of project work on students‟ learning autonomy in language learning through a more prolonged period This can be done by using quantitative and qualitative instruments to measure the changes that the project work brings about in the students‟ learning autonomy in a study design.

Summary

Generally, the final chapter shows the conclusions of the study Therefore, the main findings are pointed out in the first section to illustrate the implications in the next section Although it was impossible to avoid limitations, they could be recommendations for further studies

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APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR ENGLISH LEARNING PROCESS

My name is Nguyen Hong Nhung, a master‟s student from the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies I am conducting a graduation paper on “Developing student‟s learning autonomy through project work at a secondary school in Hanoi”

The following statements describe some actions and feelings you might have experienced during English learning process Please select one number (0-4) that best fits your case

4= True of Myself 3= Mostly True of Myself 2= About Halfway True of Myself 1= Slightly True of Myself

0= Not At All True of Myself

1 I set my objectives for each unit

2 I alter the objectives if necessary

3 I will be able to use a wide range of vocabulary

4 I will be able to use correctly grammar structures

5 I will be able to pronounce correctly the words I use

6 I can decide my learning contents

7 I select learning contents from different available sources

8 I know the best way to complete my tasks and duties

9 I know how I can learn new vocabulary best

10 I know how I can learn grammar structures best

11 I know the best ways to improve my pronunciation

12 I can decide the most suitable time to learn

13 I can decide the most suitable place to learn

14 I know how much time I can focus on learning

15 I check whether I achieve my objectives after each unit

16 I check whether I use a wide range of vocabulary

17 I check whether I use correctly grammatical structures

18 I check whether I pronounce correctly the words I use

19 I check whether I achieve any intermediate objectives besides the final objectives

20 I can self-evaluate my strengths in my learning process

21 I can self-evaluate my weaknesses in my learning process

Vietnamese version Đánh dấu  vào ô phù hợp nhất cho mỗi câu

4= Hoàn toàn đúng 3= Hầu như đúng 2= Đúng một nửa

1= Đúng một phần 0= Hoàn toàn không đúng

1 Tôi đặt ra mục tiêu cho mỗi bài học

2 Tôi điều chỉnh mục tiêu nếu cần thiết trong quá trình học

3 Tôi đặt mục tiêu có thể sử dụng từ vựng một cách phong phú

4 Tôi đặt mục tiêu có thể sử dụng chính xác các cấu trúc ngữ pháp

5 Tôi đặt mục tiêu có thể phát âm chính xác các từ tôi sử dụng

6 Tôi có thể quyết định nội dung cho bài học của mình

7 Tôi lựa chọn nội dung cho bài học của mình từ các nguồn khác nhau

8 Tôi biết cách phù hợp nhất với mình để có thể hoàn thành các nhiệm vụ trong quá trình học

9 Tôi biết cách học từ vựng phù hợp nhất với mình

10 Tôi biết cách học ngữ pháp phù hợp nhất với mình

11 Tôi biết cách phù hợp nhất để cải thiện phát âm của mình

12 Tôi lựa chọn được thời gian học phù hợp nhất với mình

13 Tôi lựa chọn được địa điểm học phù hợp nhất với mình

14 Tôi biết được lượng thời gian mà mình có thể tập trung được khi học

15 Tôi kiểm tra xem mình có đạt được mục tiêu hay không sau khi kết thúc một bài học

16 Tôi kiểm tra xem mình có sử dụng từ vựng một cách phong phú hay không

17 Tôi kiểm tra xem mình có sử dụng chính xác các cấu trúc ngữ pháp hay không

18 Tôi kiểm tra xem mình có phát âm chính xác các từ mình sử dụng hay không

19 Tôi kiểm tra xem mình có đạt được mục tiêu nào khác ngoài những mục tiêu đã đề ra hay không

20 Tôi có thể tự đánh giá điểm mạnh của mình trong quá trình học

21 Tôi có thể tự đánh giá điểm yếu của mình trong quá trình học

APPENDIX 2 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PROJECT WORK

My name is Nguyen Hong Nhung, a master‟s student from the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies I am conducting a graduation paper on “Developing student‟s learning autonomy through project work at a secondary school in Hanoi”

The following statements describe some actions you might have experienced during doing projects Please select one number (0-4) that best fits your case

4= True of Myself 3= Mostly True of Myself 2= About Halfway True of Myself 1= Slightly True of Myself

0= Not At All True of Myself

1 I set my objectives for each project

2 I alter the objectives if necessary

3 I will be able to use a wide range of vocabulary

4 I will be able to use correctly grammar structures

5 I will be able to pronounce correctly the words I use

6 I can decide my project contents

7 I select project contents from different available sources

8 I know the best way to complete my tasks and duties

9 I know how I can learn new vocabulary best

10 I know how I can learn grammar structures best

11 I know the best ways to improve my pronunciation

12 I can decide the most suitable time to do projects

13 I can decide the most suitable place to do projects

14 I know how much time I can focus on doing projects

15 I check whether I achieve my objectives after each project

16 I check whether I use a wide range of vocabulary

17 I check whether I use correctly grammatical structures

18 I check whether I pronounce correctly the words I use

19 I check whether I achieve any intermediate objectives besides the final objectives

20 I can self-evaluate my strengths when doing projects

21 I can self-evaluate my weaknesses when doing projects

Vietnamese version Đánh dấu  vào ô phù hợp nhất cho mỗi câu

4= Hoàn toàn đúng 3= Hầu như đúng 2= Đúng một nửa

1= Đúng một phần 0= Hoàn toàn không đúng

1 Tôi đặt ra mục tiêu cho mỗi dự án

2 Tôi điều chỉnh mục tiêu nếu cần thiết trong khi làm dự án

3 Tôi đặt mục tiêu có thể sử dụng từ vựng một cách phong phú

4 Tôi đặt mục tiêu có thể sử dụng chính xác các cấu trúc ngữ pháp

5 Tôi đặt mục tiêu có thể phát âm chính xác các từ tôi sử dụng

6 Tôi có thể quyết định nội dung cho dự án của mình

7 Tôi lựa chọn nội dung cho dự án của mình từ các nguồn khác nhau

8 Tôi biết cách phù hợp nhất để có thể hoàn thành các nhiệm vụ của mình

9 Tôi biết cách học từ vựng phù hợp nhất với mình

10 Tôi biết cách học ngữ pháp phù hợp nhất với mình

11 Tôi biết cách phù hợp nhất để cải thiện phát âm của mình

12 Tôi lựa chọn được thời gian phù hợp nhất với mình để làm dự án

13 Tôi lựa chọn được địa điểm phù hợp nhất với mình để làm dự án

14 Tôi biết được lượng thời gian mà mình có thể tập trung để làm dự án

15 Tôi kiểm tra xem mình có đạt được mục tiêu hay không sau khi kết thúc một dự án

16 Tôi kiểm tra xem mình có sử dụng từ vựng một cách phong phú hay không

17 Tôi kiểm tra xem mình có sử dụng chính xác các cấu trúc ngữ pháp hay không

18 Tôi kiểm tra xem mình có phát âm chính xác các từ mình sử dụng hay không

19 Tôi kiểm tra xem mình có đạt được mục tiêu nào khác ngoài những mục tiêu đã đề ra hay không

20 Tôi có thể tự đánh giá điểm mạnh của mình trong quá trình làm dự án

21 Tôi có thể tự đánh giá điểm yếu của mình trong quá trình làm dự án

EALUATING WHAT HAS BEEN ACQUIRED Students Before After Before After Before After Before After Before After

APPENDIX 4 SAMPLE OF A PROJECT PLAN

Topic: Present your favorite sport/game Time Steps Students’ activities Teacher’s activities

- Make groups of five: Students themselves choose their group

- Based on the topic, students discuss with the other group members to choose a sport/game (Football, swimming, ….)

+ Use vocabulary and grammar in unit 8

+ Know more vocabulary about sports and games

+ Pronounce correctly all words in the presentation

+ Make as few mistakes as possible

- Let students choose group and topic on their own If there are many good or weak students in a group, ask them to swap among groups to balance the groups‟ level

- Set the objectives: Let students think what they should do in a project in terms of project contents and linguistics

+ Name of the sport/ game:

- Make an outline: Let students brainstorm what types of information should have in the project After all ideas are shared, the teacher

+ Reasons why you like this sport/game:

- Decide language and grammar to use

- Divide tasks and roles with students choose the suitable ones

- Search information from different sources

After dividing tasks and roles, let students search information and collect the necessary one at home with the Internet connection Then in the class, they will share, synthesize and organize their information After that, the teacher will check the information to make sure that they are correct and essential for their project

After having information, students are let write their transcript at home In the class, they will design poster and then, when they finish, they will have a rehearsal before the official presentation

+ The leader of each group

- Let each group leader draws their group‟s order of

Step 5 draws their group‟s order of presentation

+ Each group will be on the stage and present with their poster in the correct order presentation

- Let each group present in 3-

+ Self-evaluation: Strengths and weaknesses

+ Students write the comments and feedback in their diaries

- Firstly, let groups evaluate their own and their friends‟ strengths and weaknesses by themselves

- Next, ask them whether they achieve their objectives

- Lastly, the teacher gives them comments and feedback

1 Do you like doing the projects that you were assigned in my teaching? Why?

2 What did you have to do in project work?

3 What was the teacher‟s role when you did projects?

4 What did you like best when doing projects?

5 What difficulties did you face up with when doing projects?

6 What objectives did you achieve when doing projects?

1 Con có thích thực hiện các dự án mà con được giao trong kì vừa rồi không?

2 Con phải làm những công việc gì khi làm dự án?

3 Cô giáo có vai trò gì khi các con làm dự án?

4 Điều gì con thích nhất khi làm dự án?

5 Những khó khăn gì mà con gặp phải khi làm dự án?

6 Những mục tiêu gì mà còn đã đạt được khi thực hiện dự án?

- Người PV: Chào con Cô có thể phỏng vấn con một chút được không?

- Người được PV: Vâng, được ạ

- Người PV: OK Vậy cô xin phép được ghi âm cuộc phỏng vấn này nhé

- Người PV: Trong học kì vừa rồi con đã được làm bao nhiêu dự án của môn Tiếng Anh?

- Người được PV: Dạ, chúng con làm 6 dự án

- Người PV: Vậy con thích dự án nào nhất?

- Người được PV: Con thích nhất dự án về thiết kế một ngôi nhà trong tương lai

Con muốn ở trong một ngôi nhà như vậy

- Người PV: Vậy nhìn chung con có thích làm dự án không? Tại sao?

- Người được PV: Con thích làm dự án Vì con được thoải mái sáng tạo những thứ con thích

- Người được PV: Ví dụ như về ngôi nhà trong tương lai Con và các bạn trong nhóm thiết kế một ngôi nhà UFO có thể di chuyển khắp mọi nơi, kể cả ra ngoài vũ trụ

- Người PV: Vậy thì khi làm dự án các con phải làm những công việc gì?

- Người được PV: Bọn con chia nhóm, sau đó đặt tên nhóm và chọn chủ đề Khi cô đồng ý chủ đề rồi thì bọn con phân chia công việc Nhóm con có 5 người: 2 người tìm thông tin trên mạng hoặc sách báo, 1 người tổng hợp và 2 người thiết kế poster Sau đó bọn con chia phần thuyết trình rồi mỗi người tự chuẩn bị phần của mình Cuối cùng là lên thuyết trình Thuyết trình xong thì nghe góp ý rồi ghi lại vào vở

- Người PV: Thế con làm nhiệm vụ gì trong nhóm?

- Người được PV: Lúc thì con tìm thông tin, lúc thì thiết kế poster Những chủ đề nào khó quá thì tất cả phải cùng tìm thông tin

- Người PV: Thế con thích nhất công việc gì khi làm dự án?

- Người được PV: Con thích phần thiết kế poster Vì phần đấy dễ làm, vui, giúp con được sáng tạo Con còn chủ động hơn trong quá trình học nữa

- Người PV: Vậy những khó khăn nào con gặp phải khi làm dự án?

- Người được PV: Con gặp khó khăn trong làm việc nhóm Nhiều khi có bạn không làm nên những bạn còn lại phải làm nhiều việc hơn Với cả ngoài giờ học ra bọn con khó gặp nhau do học ở các lớp khác nhau Con cũng yếu phần thuyết trình Bài nói của con có lỗi sai về cấu trúc

- Người PV: Vậy con có nghĩ ra cách khắc phục nào không?

- Người được PV: Buổi tối lúc bọn con rảnh bọn con hẹn nhau lên mạng bàn bài, phân chia tiếp công việc rồi lại tự làm tiếp Còn về phần thuyết trình, con cần chuẩn bị kĩ hơn, nói chậm hơn

- Người PV: Cô thấy các con hầu hết làm các công việc của dự án Vậy các con có cần có cô giáo nữa không?

- Người được PV: Có ạ Bọn con vẫn cần sự hướng dẫn của cô, ý kiến tham khảo của cô và hỏi cô những thứ mình chưa hiểu

- Người PV: OK Vậy con đã đạt được những mục tiêu gì khi làm dự án?

- Người được PV: Con biết nhiều từ mới, phát âm tốt hơn, tự tin hơn khi thuyết trình, làm việc với bạn bè tốt hơn

- Người PV: Cảm ơn con về buổi phỏng vấn

- Người được PV: Vâng, được ạ

- Người PV: Vậy cô xin phép được ghi âm cuộc phỏng vấn này nhé

- Người PV: Các con có hay được làm dự án không?

- Người được PV: Dạ, chúng con có ạ

- Người PV: Các con được làm dự án những môn nào?

- Người được PV: Bọn con làm dự án môn Tiếng Anh thôi ạ

- Người PV: Vậy con có thích làm các dự án của môn học này không? Tại sao?

- Người được PV: Con thích làm dự án Vì con được thuyết trình Ngoài ra, con còn học được nhiều kiến thức khi làm dự án từ nhóm mình và các nhóm khác

- Người PV: Vậy thì khi làm dự án con phải làm những công việc gì?

- Người được PV: Bọn con chia nhóm, chọn chủ đề và thống nhất nội dung Sau đó bọn con phân chia công việc Người tìm thông tin, người làm slide hoặc poster Tiếp theo là bọn con viết bài thuyết trình và lên thuyết trình

- Người PV: Các con tự làm hết các công việc như vậy thì còn cần đến cô giáo nữa không?

- Người được PV: Bọn con có ạ Những gì chưa hiểu và chưa rõ về dự án bọn con vẫn phải hỏi cô Có mặt cô thì một số bạn lười lười mới tập trung làm, không thì các bạn sẽ không làm

- Người PV: Thế con thích nhất công việc gì khi làm dự án?

- Người được PV: Con thích phần thuyết trình Con rất tự tin khi nói trước đám đông

- Người PV: Vậy những khó khăn nào con gặp phải khi làm dự án?

- Người được PV: Con gặp khó khăn trong việc viết bài thuyết trình Phần ngữ pháp của con chưa chắc nên con hay viết sai

- Người PV: Vậy con có nghĩ ra cách khắc phục nào không?

- Người được PV: Con nghĩ là con phải học thêm ngữ pháp Chỗ nào con không biết con hỏi thêm thầy cô và bạn bè

- Người PV: OK Vậy con đã đạt được những mục tiêu gì khi làm dự án?

- Người được PV: Nhóm con hoàn thành bài đúng hạn, các bạn thuyết trình tốt nên được điểm cao Ngoài ra con còn phát triển được kĩ năng làm việc nhóm

- Người PV: Cảm ơn con về buổi phỏng vấn

- Người PV: Vậy cô xin phép được ghi âm cuộc phỏng vấn này nhé

- Người PV: Các con có hay được làm dự án trong quá trình học không?

- Người được PV: Bọn con được làm dự án trong môn Tiếng Anh thôi ạ

- Người PV: Thế các con đã được làm mấy dự án?

- Người PV: Con có thích làm các dự án này không? Tại sao?

Tiêu đề	Developing Students’ Learning Autonomy Through Project Work At A Secondary School In Hanoi
Tác giả	Nguyễn Hồng Nhung
Người hướng dẫn	Dr. Huỳnh Anh Tuấn
Trường học	Vietnam National University, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies
Chuyên ngành	English Teaching Methodology
Thể loại	thesis
Năm xuất bản	2019
Thành phố	Hanoi

Định dạng
Số trang	118
Dung lượng	2,46 MB