Teachers and students attitudes towards project based learning in english for grade 11 at vung tau high school (master of tesol)

1 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY - VU THI HONG PHAN TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN ENGLISH FOR GRADE 11 AT VUNG TAU HIGH SCHOOL MASTER’S THESIS Ba Ria-Vung Tau, March 2023 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY - VU THI HONG PHAN TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN ENGLISH FOR GRADE 11 AT VUNG TAU HIGH SCHOOL MASTER’S THESIS Submitted to the Postgraduate Institute in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL Course code: 8140111 Supervisor’s name: Dr Nguyen Hoang Tuan Ba Ria-Vung Tau, March 2023 i CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled: TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROJECTBASED LEARNING IN ENGLISH FOR GRADE 11 AT VUNG TAU HIGH SCHOOL In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s programs issued by Higher Degree Committee of Postgraduate Institute, Ba Ria Vung Tau University, Ba Ria Vung Tau province, March, 2023 Ba Ria-Vung Tau, March 2023 VU THI HONG PHAN ii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Vu Thi Hong Phan, being a candidate for the degree of TESOL accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan, and reproduction for theses Ba Ria Vung Tau, March 2023 Vu Thi Hong Phan iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere thanks to those who have made great contributions to my thesis completion First and foremost, I would like to express my profound gratitude to Dr Nguyen Hoang Tuan, my supervisor, for his valuable comments and suggestions during the whole research process His dynamism, enthusiasm, vision as well as his patience have deeply inspired me Without his support and guidance, this thesis would never have been completed Secondly, I am very grateful to the school board staff including the principal and the foreign department of Vung Tau high school who have given me encouragement, support of time, and permission to complete the MA course and implement this thesis there Thirdly, I am very grateful to Dr Ho Van Han – my homeroom teacher and other teachers at Ba Ria - Vung Tau University who have given me support and encouragement to comlete this course My sincere thanks also go to my friends and colleagues for all their help and motivation I would like to thank the research participants who have contributed to this study Last but not least, I warmly thank my family for their countless support, greatest sympathy, and unconditional love who have provided me strong spiritual and material support iv ABSTRACT It is widely realized that Project-based learning (PBL) plays an innovative part in language teaching and learning process PBL has become more and more popular and effective in many countries with advanced education However, in Vietnam context, PBL is not considered as a crucial approach to improve students’ performance This study aims at defining EFL high school students’ and English teachers’ attitudes towards the implementation of PBL in teaching – learning processes at Vung Tau high school in Vung Tau city 93 grade 11 students and 10 English teachers at Vung Tau high school were involved in this study The students answered the questions in questionnaire and the teachers participated in the semi-structured to give the responses to the interview questions The researcher used qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze the outcomes through SPSS and excel software The finding of the study stated that EFL students and English teachers at Vung Tau high school have positive attitudes towards the implementation of PBL The outcomes of the study also showed the similarities and the differences between students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards the use of PBL The results are expected to make a contribution to improving understanding of present perception of implementing PBL in language learning in Vietnam context in order that PBL will be widely used in teaching-learning processes to improve the quality of teaching and learning in English language education in Vung Tau in particular, in Vietnam in general (132 words) Keywords: Project, Project-based learning, attitude, EFL students v TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ABSTRACT iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii LIST OF APPENDICES ix LIST OF TABLES x LIST OF CHARTS xi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 Statement of the problem 1.3 Aims of the study 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Scope of the study .4 1.6 Significance of the study .5 1.7 Definitions of the terms .5 1.7.1 Project 1.7.2 Project-based learning (PBL) .6 1.7.3 Attitude .6 1.7.4 Learning attitudes .7 1.8 Organization of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .9 2.1 Attitudes 2.1.1 Definitions of attitude 2.1.2 The components of attitudes 10 2.1.3 Attitudes towards language learning 13 2.1.4 Attitudes and achievement 14 vi 2.2 Project-based learning (PBL) 14 2.2.1 Definitions of project-based learning 14 2.2.2 The process of project-based learning .15 2.2.3 Principles to project-based learning 16 2.2.4 The major benefits of project-based learning 17 2.2.5 The challenges of project-based learning 20 2.3 Factors influencing students’ attitudes towards learning English .22 2.4 Materials and courses 23 2.5 Previous research 24 2.6 Conceptual framework 25 2.7 Summary 26 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 27 3.1 Research design 27 3.2 Research site 29 3.3 Sample and sampling procedures 30 3.4 The description of the projects 33 3.4.1 The first project (carried out online) 33 3.4.2 The second project (carried out offline) 35 3.5 Research instruments 37 3.5.1 Questionnaire .37 3.5.2 Semi-structured interview 39 3.6 Data collection procedures 41 3.6.1 Questionnaire .41 3.6.2 Semi- structured interview 42 3.7 Data analysis procedures 42 3.8 Validity and reliability 43 3.9 Summary 44 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS .45 vii 4.1 Results .45 4.1.1 EFL students’ attitudes towards PBL 45 4.1.2 EFL teachers’ attitudes towards PBL 53 4.1.3 The similarities and differences between students’ attitudes and teachers’ attitudes towards the application of PBL .62 4.2 Discussions of the findings .65 4.2.1 EFL Vung Tau high school students’ attitudes towards PBL 65 4.2.2 EFL Vung Tau high school teachers’ attitudes towards PBL 69 4.2.3 The similarities and differences between teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the application of PBL .74 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 77 5.1 Summary of the main findings of the thesis .77 5.1.1 Students’ attitudes towards PBL 77 5.1.2 Teachers’ attitudes towards PBL .78 5.1.3 The similarities and differences between students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards PBL 80 5.2 Pedagogical implications 80 5.2.1 PBL – a compulsory activity at high school in Vietnam 80 5.2.2 The positive changes in the roles of high school teachers and students 81 5.2.3 Sufficient training for high school teachers and students 81 5.3 Limitations 82 5.4 Recommendations for the further research .83 REFERENCES .84 APPENDICES 95 viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS DOET: Department of Education and Training EFL: English as a Foreign Language MOET: Ministry of Education and Training PBL: Project-based Learning SRLL: Self-regulated Language Learning 112 Table 4.6: Cognitive students’ attitudes towards PBL (social skills) N=93 No 10 11 12 13 Social skills PBL helps me improve my self-regulating skills when doing the project PBL helps me improve my decision-making skills when doing the project PBL helps me improve my critical-thinking skills when doing the project PBL helps me improve my problem-solving skills when doing the project PBL improves my ability to assess the presentations of myself and my classmates Total Note: M: mean; SD: Standard deviation M SD 4.28 883 4.10 883 4.10 831 4.19 849 4.18 866 4.17 862 113 Table 4.7: Cognitive students’ attitudes towards PBL N=93 No Cognitive component M SD PBL helps me expand my knowledge of the topic we choose when doing the project 4.28 693 PBL helps me enrich vocabulary relating the topic we chose 4.19 831 4.10 748 4.19 860 4.22 866 PBL helps me to improve my knowledge of English grammar when doing the project PBL helps me to improve my pronunciation when doing the project PBL helps me improve listening skills when doing the project PBL helps me improve speaking skills when doing the project 4.30 812 PBL helps me improve reading skills when doing the project 4.22 854 PBL helps me improve writing skills when doing the project 4.28 693 PBL helps me improve my self-regulating skills when doing the project 4.28 883 10 PBL helps me improve my decision-making skills when doing the project 4.10 883 11 PBL helps me improve my critical-thinking skills when doing the project 4.10 831 12 PBL helps me improve my problem-solving skills when doing the project 4.19 849 13 PBL improves my ability to assess the presentations of myself and my classmates 4.18 866 114 N=93 No Cognitive component Total M SD 4.20 821 Note: M: mean; SD: Standard deviation Table 4.8: Affective component N=93 No Affective component M SD 14 I find it enjoyable to cooperate with my classmates to the project 4.39 806 15 I feel confident to search for the information through different sources by my own when doing the project 4.14 812 16 I feel confident in taking part in learning activities with my classmates 4.25 686 17 I feel confident in presenting the project in front of the class 4.30 700 18 I feel comfortable exchanging ideas in doing the project 4.10 854 19 I find interested in performing a task in a real situation 3.96 854 4.19 785 Total Note: M: mean; SD: Standard deviation 115 Table 4.9: Behavioral component N=93 No 20 21 22 Behavioral component I would like to study English through project-based learning I would like to recommend project-based learning to others I would like many teachers to use project-based learning Total M SD 4.29 700 3.89 825 4.00 877 4.06 801 Note: M: mean; SD: Standard deviation Table 4.10: Cognitive component - Cultural language knowledge Students’ rank Statements Teachers’ rank 1 PBL helps me expand my knowledge of the topic we choose when doing the project 2 PBL helps me enrich vocabulary relating the topic we chose PBL helps me to improve my knowledge of English grammar when doing the project 4 PBL helps me to improve my pronunciation when doing the project 116 Table 4.11: Cognitive component - Language skills Students’ rank Statements Teachers’ rank PBL helps me improve listening skills when doing the project PBL helps me improve speaking skills when doing the project PBL helps me improve reading skills when doing the project PBL helps me improve writing skills when doing the project Table 4.12: Cognitive component - Social skills Students’ rank Statements PBL helps me improve my self-regulating skills when doing the project Teachers’ rank 10 PBL helps me improve my decision-making skills when doing the project 11 PBL helps me improve my critical-thinking skills when doing the project 12 PBL helps me improve my problem-solving skills when doing the project 13 PBL improves my ability to assess the presentations of myself and my classmates 117 Table 4.13: Affective component Students’ percent 81.7% 87% Statements Enjoyment in the implementation of PBL Confidence in the implementation of PBL Teachers’ percent 80% 80% Table 4.14: Behavioral component Students’ percent Statements Teachers’ percent 90.3% Continuous application 80% 67.7% Recommendation to others 100% 118 12 APPENDIX CHARTS Chart 4.1 Students' improvements in cultural and language knowledge 10 Topic Topic Vocabulary Pronunciation Grammar Vocabulary Pronunciation Grammar Topic Vocabulary Pronunciation Grammar Chart 4.2 Students' improvements in language skills 10 Speaking Speaking Reading Listening Writing 10 Reading 2.8 Listening Writing Speaking Reading Listening Writing 119 Chart 4.3 Students' improvements in social skills 10 Self-regulating Self-regulating Problem-solving Decision-making Assessing Problem-solving Decision-making Assessing Critical-thinking Self-regulating Critical-thinking Problem-solving Decision-making Assessing Chart 4.4: The usefulness of PBL agree not sure Critical-thinking 120 Chart 4.5: The efficiency of PBL 10 Active learning Active learning Social skills' improvements Confidence gaining Better learning Ability to choose outcomes information Confidence gaining Social skills' improvements Better learning outcomes Better learning outcomes2 Active learning Confidence gaining Social skills' improvements Better learning outcomes Better learning outcomes2 Chart 4.6: Students' motivation 10 Authentic situation Authentic situation Cooperation Better results Their own speed Cooperation Better results Their own speed Authentic situation Cooperation Better results Their own speed 121 Chart 4.7: Teachers' difficulties in applying PBL 10 Time consumi ng Time consuming Lack of adequat e material s Class manage ment Changing teachers' roles Lack of training Class management Lack of adequate materials Changing teachers' roles Lack of training Time consuming Class management Changing teachers' roles Lack of training Lack of adequate materials Chart 4.8: Support to PBL Support Maybe 122 Chart 4.9: Teachers' confidence in applying PBL Confidence No confidence Chart 4.10: Teachers' enjoyment in applying PBL Yes No 123 13 APPENDIX Some pictures when the projects were carried out 124 125 126