The application of project based learning in learning english at vung tau secondary school EFL student’s prospects and challenges (master’s thesis)

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BARIA-VUNGTAU UNIVERSITY TRAN THI THU HUYEN THE APPLICATION OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT VUNG TAU SECONDARY SCHOOL: EFL STUDENT’S PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES MASTER’S THESIS Ba Ria - Vung Tau, March 2023 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BARIA-VUNGTAU UNIVERSITY TRAN THI THU HUYEN THE APPLICATION OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT VUNG TAU SECONDARY SCHOOL: EFL STUDENT’S PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES MASTER’S THESIS Submitted to the Postgraduate Institute in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL Course code: 8140111 SUPERVISOR: DUONG MY THAM, PH.D Ba Ria - Vung Tau, March 2023 ABSTRACT The objective of this research is to explore the views of Vung Tau secondary school students on the potential benefits and difficulties of using project-based learning in their English language classroom A mixed research approach was utilized, combining qualitative and quantitative methods, to gather data from 298 students across all eight classes The researcher employed questionnaires and semistructured interviews to collect data, with the former focusing on students' opinions on the advantages and challenges of using project-based learning in English language learning The semi-structured interviews were used to validate the results obtained from the questionnaires The collected data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0, generating mean scores and standard deviation The findings revealed that most of the students were in favor of project-based learning in English language learning, citing teamwork, problem-solving, student-centeredness, high-tech utilization, information collection, analysis ability, collaborative skills, and activeness as the main advantages However, some challenges were also identified, including time management and a lack of experience in project design The students had neutral opinions on translation from Vietnamese to English, computer skills, domination, interaction, and information collection The study concludes with a recommendation Keywords: challenges, prospects, secondary school students, PBL, Vung Tau secondary EFL context i TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF CONTENTS PAGES ABSTRACT .i TABLE OF CONTENTS ii APPENDICES v LIST OF FIGURES vi LIST OF ABBREVIATION viii STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS x RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS xi CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY .xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study 1.2 Statement of the problem 1.3 Rationale for the study 1.4 Research aim(s) and objectives 1.5 Research questions 1.6 Significance of the Study 1.7 Definition of terms 1.8 Organization of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 10 2.1 Definition of projects 10 2.2 The concept of Project-based learning (PBL) 11 2.2.1 Definition of PBL 11 ii 2.2.2 2.3 Phases of a project-based lesson 13 The application of PBL in EFL education 16 2.3.1 Prospects in the application of project-based lessons 16 2.3.2 Challenges in the application of project-based lessons 20 2.4 Previous studies 22 2.4.1 Previous studies in the international contexts 22 2.4.2 Previous studies in the Vietnamese EFL context 25 2.5 Conceptual framework of the study 26 2.6 Summary 27 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 28 3.1 Research design 28 3.2 Research setting 29 3.3 Participants 30 3.4 Research instruments 32 3.4.1 Questionnaire 32 3.4.2 Semi-structured interview 35 3.5 Data collection procedure 36 3.5.1 Questionnaire 36 3.5.2 Semi-structured interview 36 3.6 Data analysis procedure 37 3.6.1 Questionnaire 37 3.6.2 Semi-structured interview 38 3.7 Validity and reliability 38 3.7.1 Questionnaire 38 iii 3.7.2 Semi-structured interview 39 3.7.3 Questionnaire piloting 39 3.7.4 The result of pilot questionnaire with students 40 3.8 Summary 40 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 41 4.1 Results 41 4.1.1 Prospects of Vung Tau Secondary School Students in EFL Classrooms with Project-Based Learning 41 4.1.2 Challenges of Vung Tau Secondary School Students in EFL Classrooms with Project-Based Learning" 44 4.2 Discussion 47 4.3 Summary 48 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION 49 5.1 Conclusion 49 5.2 Pedagogical implications 50 5.3 Limitations 51 5.4 Recommendations for Further Research 52 REFERENCES 54 iv APPENDICES LIST OF APPENDICES PAGES APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNAIRE (English version) 60 APPENDIX B: BẢNG HỎI KHẢO SÁT DÀNH CHO HỌC SINH (BẢN TIẾNG VIỆT) 65 APPENDIX C: INTERVIEW (English version) 70 APPENDIX D: CÂU HỎI PHỎNG VẤN DÀNH CHO HỌC SINH (BẢN TIẾNG VIỆT) 73 APPENDIX E: THE APPLICATION OF PBL IN THE GLOBAL SUCCESS ENGLISH TEXTBOOK FOR VIETNAMESE SECONDARY SCHOOLS 76 APPENDIX F: SEVERAL PROJECT BASED LEARNING EXERCISES FOR 8TH GRADE STUDENTS ARE PRACTICED IN ENGLISH CLASS AT VUNG TAU SECONDARY SCHOOL 80 APPENDIX G: THE SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS TO INVESTIGATE STUDENTS' PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES IN PBL (VIETNAMESE VERSION) 95 v LIST OF FIGURES PAGES Figure Seven phases of PBL model (Nizwardi & Ramli, 2016) 14 Figure 2 Conceptual framework of the study 27 vi LIST OF TABLES PAGES Table Demographic information of the students 31 Table 2: Questions in the questionnaire 33 Table 3 Agreement Rating Scale 37 Table Descriptive statistics of the students’ prospects of the application of the project-based learning in EFL classroom ……………………………………….42 Table Descriptive statistics of the students’ challenges in applying project-based learning in EFL classroom 45 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATION EFL English as a Foreign language IOE Internet-Based Olympiad of English Exam M Mean score N Number PBL Project-based learning SD Standard deviation 4C’s Four Cs skills: Critical thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity viii 81 (Real-life image: 8th-grade students telling the fable "The bird and the fox" in English through the form of drawing comic strips) 82 (Image caption: Students telling the story of "The Little Match Girl" in English through drawing comic books.) 83 Image description: A group of 8th-grade students creating and presenting their own story "The man and the Snake" in English using hand-drawn illustrations.) 84 Exercise 2: Guide students to practice English presentation skills through the use of technology applications based on the lessons in the textbook The teacher guides the students to create English presentations at a higher level based on the lesson topics using Microsoft Powerpoint, Google Slides, or the website Canva.com This helps the students become more confident and interested in learning English 85 (Images and illustrated works of 8th-grade students on Microsoft Powerpoint) For 8th-grade students participating in the "Science and Technology Research" competition, those who have the ability to present in English, the teacher guides them to prepare their presentation in English at a level that they can accomplish This helps students become more confident if they participate in future science research competitions at the international level (Picture and QR code of the 8th-grade student's work in the "City-level Technical and Scientific Research" competition for the academic year 2021-2022 in Vung Tau city) 86 (Picture and QR code of the 8th-grade student's work in the "City-level Technical and Scientific Research" competition for the academic year 2022-2023 in Vung Tau city) Exercise 3: Guiding students to develop English speaking skills through short drama performances Students will be guided by the teacher to develop their creativity by constructing short drama scripts in English based on familiar fairy tales, fables, and moral lessons (Picture illustration: Students practicing their speaking and acting skills in a performance of "Cinderella" play in English) 87 (Illustration: Students practicing their speaking and acting skills in the play "The Sleeping Beauty" in English) 88 (Image illustration: Students practicing their speaking and acting skills in the play "Little Red Riding Hood" performed in English) (Image: Students discussing in groups in English on the school playground) 89 Exercise 4: Guiding students to develop English speaking skills through creating animated films in English Students will be guided to practice using Microsoft Powerpoint, Google Slides, and Microsoft Teams to create their favorite animated films in English They will then record their voices to produce the desired animated films (Link code of the animated film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in English created by 8th grade students) 90 (Link code to the animated film "Little Red Riding Hood" in English created by 8thgrade students.) (Link code to the animated film "Tam Cam" in English created by 8th-grade students.) 91 (Link code to the animated film "The smart baby goat" in English created by 8thgrade students.) (Link code to the animated film "Cinderella" in English created by 8th-grade students.) 92 Exercise 5: Guiding students to develop their creativity through creating their own comic book content and design on Canva The teacher will guide students in coming up with ideas for stories and ethical lessons they have learned, and teach them how to choose character images and settings from Canva and Google, and write the story content in English (Image illustration and QR code: Grade students creating their own comic book content and design on Canva.) 93 Exercise 6: Guiding students to develop their English speaking and presentation skills through presenting their practical products The teacher will guide the students to present their practical products and give a presentation in English (Image illustration and QR code: 8th-grade students practicing speaking and presenting skills in English by presenting the steps and final product of dishes they made themselves.) 94 APPENDIX G: THE SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS TO INVESTIGATE STUDENTS' PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES IN PBL (VIETNAMESE VERSION) 95