An investigation into the implementation and assessment of project work in the new english textbook series at upper secondary schools in thua thien hue province

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, HUE UNIVERSITY HO THI NGOC HAN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IMPLEMENTATION AND ASSESSMENT OF PROJECT WORK IN THE NEW ENGLISH TEXTBOOK SERIES AT UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCE MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, Hue University of Foreign Languages HUE, 2019 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, HUE UNIVERSITY HO THI NGOC HAN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IMPLEMENTATION AND ASSESSMENT OF PROJECT WORK IN THE NEW ENGLISH TEXTBOOK SERIES AT UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCE MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING SUPERVISOR: PHAN QUYNH NHU, D.Ed HUE, 2019 BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ HỒ THỊ NGỌC HÂN KHẢO SÁT VIỆC THỰC HIỆN VÀ ĐÁNH GIÁ DỰ ÁN HỌC SINH TRONG CHƯƠNG TRÌNH SÁCH TIẾNG ANH MỚI TẠI CÁC TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG TRÊN ĐỊA BÀN TỈNH THỪA THIÊN HUẾ LUẬN VĂN THẠC SỸ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP GIẢNG DẠY BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 8140111 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: TS PHAN QUỲNH NHƯ HUẾ, 2019 STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP The work contained in this thesis has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any universities I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, my thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where the reference is made in this thesis itself Thua Thien Hue, December 2019 Candidate’s statement Ho Thi Ngoc Han i ABSTRACT This Master thesis investigates the implementation and assessment of project work at four upper secondary schools in Thua Thien Hue Province It specifically explores how the teaching, learning and assessment of project work have been implemented at this site and what factors influence the implementation and assessment To go in depth and breadth of the experiment, the mixed methods was used with the participation of 22 English language teachers and 322 students at 04 selected upper secondary schools in Thua Thien Hue Province The findings showed that the practice of project work is much more different than the ideal aims of project-based learning Project work implementation and assessment have not been conducted in an earnest way due to such major challenges as the lack of training on project-based learning and assessment, limited time to implement this activity in the school schedule and the students’ low English proficiency level The findings suggest a need for a specific guideline and professional training for teachers on how to implement and assess project work This study adds to the literature base by describing the current practice of project-based learning in the Vietnamese context ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many people to whom I should acknowledge for their support and assistance during the completion of this thesis First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to my supervisor, Dr Phan Quynh Nhu for her consistent guidance and precious comments throughout my research She has continuously guided me with her enthusiasm, motivation and great knowledge Besides my supervisor, I would like to thank my all respected teachers who helped me much by their teaching, giving me valuable knowledge to start this thesis I am also highly indebted to all of the teachers and students who agreed to give responses to my questionnaire and participate in the interviews They gave me important information to help me complete the study Most of all, I am heartily thankful to my family and my friends for their valuable support they gave to me day after day iii TABLES OF CONTENTS CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Problem Statement 1.3 Research objectives and research questions 1.4 Organization of the study CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW I Overview Of Project-Based Learning Definition of project-based learning Features of project-based learning 2.1 Teacher’s roles in project-based learning 2.2 The relationship between characteristics of high school students and project-based learners Benefits of project-based learning and project work Challenges of implementation of project work 4.1 Challenges encountered by learners 4.2 Challenges faced by teachers Stages of project work 10 II Assessment For Project Work 11 Summative vs Formative assessment 11 Types of assessment strategies and tools 13 2.1 Self and peer assessment 13 2.2 Portfolios 13 2.3 Journals 14 2.4 Rubrics 14 2.5 Checklist 16 2.6 Project team plan 16 Assessment procedure 16 Current implementation and assessment of project work at upper secondary school in Vietnam 17 Benefits and challenges of applying project-based assessment in English teaching and learning at upper secondary schools in Vietnam 18 CHAPTER RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 20 Research Design 20 Pilot Study 21 Participants 21 Data Collection Tools 22 iv Data Collection Procedure 23 Data Analysis 23 Ethical Considerations 24 CHAPTER FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 25 I Findings 25 Teachers’ and students’ perceptions on project-based learning 25 1.1 Students’ perceptions on project-based learning 25 1.2 Teachers’ perceptions on project-based learning 28 The practice of project work at the sample schools 29 2.1 The implementation of project work 29 2.1.1 The frequency of project work implementation 29 2.1.2 Project work activities 31 2.2 Teachers’ and students’ possible difficulties in implementing project work 32 Teachers’ perception of project work assessment 34 Teachers’ practice of project work assessment 36 4.1 The frequency of implementing project work assessment 36 4.2 The implementation of project work assessment 37 4.3 Use of Assessment tools and techniques 40 4.4 Difficulties of project assessment 41 II Discussion 42 Teachers’ and students’ perceptions on PBL 42 Implementation of project work 43 Assessment of project work 44 Difficulties in implementing project work 45 Chapter summary 47 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 49 6.1 Summary of key findings 49 6.2 Implications for teaching and assessing project assignment 50 6.2.1 Implications for leaders of different educational levels 50 6.2.1 Implications for English teachers at upper secondary schools 50 6.3 Limitations of the current study and recommendations for future research 51 REFERENCES 53 APPENDIX v LIS OF TABLES Table Students’ responses on the skills achieved from PBL 26 Table Teachers’ responses on the benefits of project-based learning 28 Table Difficulties in implementing project work 33 Table Benefits of project assessment 35 Table Frequent use of assessment tools 40 Table Difficulties in implementing project assessment 41 vi LIS OF FIGURES Figure Students’ interest in project work 27 Figure Teachers’ answers on the frequency of project work application 30 Figure Sts’ answers on the frequency of project work application 30 Figure Teachers’ responses on project work activities 31 Figure Teachers’responses on the place where project work is taken 31 Figure Students’ responses on How project work is carried out? 32 Figure Students’ responses on Where project work is carried out? 32 Figure Students’ response on the frequency of implementing PWA 36 Figure Teachers’ responses on the frequency of PWA 37 Figure 10 Students’ response 48 Figure 11 Teachers’ response 48 Figure 12 Teachers’s response on how PW is marked 39 Figure 13 Sts’s response on how PW is marked 39 vii APPENDIX A.2 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHER (English version) The aim of this survey is to collect the information on implementing and assessing the small-scale project in the new English textbook series at upper secondary schools in Thua Thien Hue Province The collected information is merely served for this research and will not be used for other purposes Please share your opinions by answering the questions below Personal Information You are working/teaching at:………………………………………………… What grade are you teaching? I have taught English for and have been using the new English books since Your email address (you can leave your email address here if you are willing to join in another interview in the future): ………………………………………………………………………………… An overview of this research The aim of this research is to investigate the practice of teaching and learning projects (Project - the last lesson of each unit in the new English textbooks published by the MOET) at upper secondary schools within Thua Thien Hue Province Please put a tick (√) in the best answer to the questions below Do you often conduct the projects in the new English books? a  Usually c  Sometimes b  d  Rarely Often e  Never How you organize the projects in the new English books? a  Teamwork b  Individual c  Both c  Both Where you carry out these projects? a  Inside the class b  Outside the class Do you think that projects in the new English textbooks are suitable for high school students? a  Yes b  No c  No opinion In your opinion, which benefits can students gain from these projects? Benefits Yes No No opinion Stimulating learning Developing some life skills such as: teamwork skill, planning skill, etc Helping students put theory into practice effectively Improving students' self-study and research abilities Other benefits: Some difficulties you may face to when implementing project section in the textbooks: (You can choose more than one answer) Difficulties Yes No opinion No It costs a lot of time and effort 16 17 18 It is difficult to control the information found by students 19 20 21 I/We not have a thorough grasp of the related problem 22 23 24 There are too many stages in the assessment activity, which is extremely complicated 25 26 27 I/We have not had an opportunity to be trained professionally in assessment methods 28 29 30 Other difficulties: Do you often assess the projects at the end of each unit in the new English book?) a  Usually c  Sometimes e  Never b  Often d  Rarely In your opinion, what benefits you might gain from students’ project work? Benefits Agree Disagree No opinion Knowing students' ability in putting what 16 17 they have learnt into practice Illuminating the level of efficiency of 19 20 proposed teaching objectives Discovering my/our shortcomings, 22 23 strengths, weaknesses then bettering my/our teaching methods in a positive way Discovering students' strengths and 25 26 weaknesses then adjusting my/our teaching methods Other benefits: 28 29 How you assess students' projects? a  Students' process b  Final products c  Both 10 The scores of the project are recorded as the scores of: a  15-minute test b  45-minute test c  None d  Others: 11 Which methods of assessment have you used to assess students' projects? Degree Methods of Usually Often Sometimes Rarely Never assessment Assessment from teacher Assessment from students Assessment from group members Assessment from both teachers and students 18 21 24 27 30 12 Which assessment toolkits have you used to assess students' projects? Degree Assessment Usually Often Sometimes Rarely Never tools Rubrics Rubric is a tool used to give score by listing all the criteria on assessing lessons, exercises, tasks or work that learners have to carry out, which ranks in order (According to Heidi Goodrich) It is commonly called "Criteria evaluation form" Portfolio Portfolio is a collection of a student's learning products on a specific subject, which includes the comments and feedbacks upon these products from both his/her teacher and himself/herself Journals Journal is daily notes including the noticeable events or circumstances that teachers remark when interacting with students Other toolkits: If your answer is "never" for Rubrics in the above question, please skip the questions 12, 13 and then answer the question 14 13 Which criteria have you used to design your assessment toolkit for students? Criteria Yes Teamwork Searching information and Creativity Problem-solving Planning Communication Presentation processing No No opinion 14 Which stages have you performed to assess students' projects? Stages of assessment Usually Often Sometimes Rarely Never Introducing the assessment criteria to students before carrying out the project Giving feedbacks to students' progress of project (two or three times, depending on the scale of the project) Keeping interacting with students during their process and offering suggestions for them if they make any mistakes Assessing students' presentation for their products Assessing students' results depending on their self-reflection reports on the work 15 Some difficulties you may face to when assessing the projects: Difficulties The results are diverse, which surprises the assessment The assessment among students has not been serious and honest yet It is really difficult to evaluate each member's contribution to the groupwork It costs a lot of time and effort to instruct the assessment criteria and assessment plan for students The duration for projects is not long enough to carrying out all of the assessment stages There have not been any rubrics yet Other difficulties: Yes No No opinion 11 Some of your suggestions to the Leaders of different levels (Leaders of your School, Department of Education and Training and Ministry of Education and Training) for the more effective application and assessment of project 12 Could you please share more about your own experience in assessing the projects in the new English books? Thank you for your cooperation! APPENDIX A.3 PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA DÀNH CHO NGHIÊN CỨU DÀNH CHO HỌC SINH (Vietnamse version) Phiếu điều tra nhằm mục đích thu thập thơng tin việc áp dụng đánh giá dự án nhỏ chương trình Tiếng Anh trường cấp thuộc tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế Những thông tin thu thập phục vụ cho nghiên cứu khơng dùng cho mục đích khác Xin vui lịng chia sẻ ý kiến bạn thơng qua việc trả lời mục sau Thông tin cá nhân Tên trường bạn học:……………………………………………………… Bạn Học lớp mấy? Bạn học Tiếng Anh năm: sử dụng sách tiếng Anh từ năm nào: Địa email bạn (bạn để lại địa email bạn sẳn sàng tham gia vấn sau này): …………………………………………………… Giới thiệu sơ lược nội dung nghiên cứu Cơng trình nghiên cứu thực nhằm khảo sát thực trạng việc dạy học đánh giá việc học theo dự án (Project - phần cuối đơn vị học sách sách Tiếng Anh Nhà xuất Giáo dục) trường Trung học Phổ thông thuộc tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế Bạn vui lòng đánh dấu chọn (√) vào đáp án thích hợp câu Bạn có thường xuyên thực dự án sách tiếng Anh theo chương trình khơng?  Rất thường xun  Thỉnh thoảng  Chưa  Thường xuyên  Ít Các dự án chương trình sách tiếng Anh thường thực theo hình thức nào?  Nhóm  Cá nhân  Cả hai Khác: Bạn thường thực dự án nhỏ đâu?  Ở lớp học  Ngoài lớp học  Cả hai Thời gian trung bình thực dự án nhỏ thường kéo dài:  tuần  1-2 tuần  tháng  Khác: Bạn có thích thực dự án nhỏ chương trình sách tiếng Anh khơng?  Rất thích  Khơng có ý kiến  Khơng thích  Thích  Hơi thích Theo bạn, việc học tập theo dự án giúp bạn phát triển kỹ sau đây? Khơng có ý Những kỹ Có Khơng kiến Làm việc nhóm Lập kế hoạch Giải vấn đề Giao tiếp Ứng dụng thực tiễn Tư sáng tạo Kỹ khác: Các dự án bạn nhóm thực có thường xuyên đánh giá hay khơng?  Rất thường xun  Ít  Chưa  Thường xuyên  Thỉnh thoảng Các dự án bạn giáo viên đánh nào? a  Đánh giá trình thực b  Đánh giá kết sản phẩm c  Cả hai Kết đánh giá dự án học sinh Thầy/Cơ tính vào cột điểm chương trình?  Điểm kiểm tra 15 phút b  Điểm kiểm tra tiết c  Khơng tính 10 Bạn vui lịng cho biết giáo viên thường tổ chức đánh giá hoạt động dự án chương trình sách tiếng Anh nào?  Giáo viên đánh giá học sinh  Các nhóm đánh giá lẫn  Học sinh tự đánh giá  Đánh giá từ thành viên nhóm Khác: 11 Bạn sử dụng “Phiếu đánh giá” (Một danh sách tiêu chí giáo viên đặt nhằm đánh giá xem dự án học sinh đạt mức độ nào) để đánh giá dự án hay chưa?  Có  Không 12 Khi thực đánh giá dự án, giáo viên có sử dụng “Phiếu đánh giá” khơng?  Có  Khơng 13 Các tiêu chí đánh giá có giáo viên phổ biến trước thực dự án hay khơng?  Có  Khơng 14 Bạn có đồng ý với quan điểm đánh giá dự án sau không? Hãy chọn trả lời câu hỏi tuỳ theo mức độ đồng ý bạn (1: Hoàn tồn đồng ý; 2: đồng ý; 3: Khơng đồng ý Mức độ đồng ý Để đánh giá kết dự án hiệu quả, giáo viên nên Đánh giá sản phẩm cuối nhóm Hiểu rõ đóng góp thành viên nhóm Để thành viên nhóm đánh giá kết dự án nhóm Để nhóm khác đánh giá kết dự án nhóm Xây dựng tiêu chí đánh giá rõ ràng Cơng bố tiêu chí đánh giá cần trước triển khai dự án Giúp học sinh hiểu rõ tiêu chí đánh giá Giải thích rõ cách đánh giá thông qua học tập theo dự án Cần phải giúp học sinh làm quen với thái độ làm việc nghiêm túc, khách quan, công tâm đánh giá a Các ý kiến khác 15 Những khó khăn bạn thực đánh giá dự án? 16 Các ý kiến đề xuất khác cho giáo viên đánh giá dự án: Xin cảm ơn hợp tác bạn APPENDIX A.4 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENT (English version) The aim of this survey is to collect the information on implementing and assessing the small-scale project in the new English textbook series at upper secondary schools in Thua Thien Hue Province The collected information is merely served for this research and will not be used for other purposes Please share your opinions by answering the questions below Personal Information You are studying at:…………………………………………………………… What grade are you in?:………………………………………………………… I have learnt English for and have been using the new English books since Your email address (you can leave your email address here if you are willing to join in another interview in the future): …………………………………… An overview of this research The aim of this research is to investigate the practice of teaching and learning projects (Project - the last lesson of each unit in the new English textbooks published by the MOET) at upper secondary schools within Thua Thien Hue Province Please put a tick (√) in the best answer to the questions below Do you often carry out the projects in the new English books?  Usually  Sometimes  Never  Often  Rarely How you carry out the projects in the new English books?  Teamwork  Individual  Both Others: Where you carry out these projects?  Inside the class  Outside the class  Cả hai The average time to carry out these projects usually lasts:  one week  approximately two weeks  one month  Others: Are you interested in carrying out the projects in the new English books?  Very interested  Neutral  Not interested  Interested  Fairly interested In your opinion, carrying out project work help you improve the skills: Skills: Yes No No opinion Teamwork Planning Problem-solving Communication Practical Application Creativity Other skills: How often are your projects assessed?  Usually  Rarely  Never  Often  Sometimes How your teacher assess your projects? a  The whole process b  The final products c  Both The score (s) of the project are recorded as the score (s) of:  15-minute test b  45-minute test c  None 10 In which way your teachers organize the assessment activities for the projects in the new English books?  Assessment from teacher  Assessment from group members  Self-assessment  Assessment from both teachers and students Others: 11 Have you ever used "Rubric / Criteria assessment form" (A list for the criteria set up by teachers with a view to assessing the efficiency degree of students' projects) to assess the projects?  Yes  No 12 Do teachers use the "Evaluation Form" when assessing the projects?  Yes  No 13 Are the assessment criteria disseminated by the teachers before carrying out one project?  Yes  No 14 Do you agree with the below statements on assessing the project work? Rating your degree of agreement from 1-4 (1: Absolutely agree; 2: Agree; 3: Disagree) Degree of agreement Effective assessment approach Assess the final products of the groups Thoroughly understand the contribution of each member in the groups for the project Allow the members in the groups assess their own products Allow the members in other groups assess their products Establish clear assessment criteria Promulgate the assessment criteria before carrying out the projects Help students understand thoroughly the assessment criteria Clearly explain the methods of assessing project-based products Help familiarize students with serious working and objective, fair assessment b Other opinions 15 Some difficulties in assessing project-based products: 16 Some of your suggestions to the teachers for the more effective application and assessment of project: Thank you for your cooperation APPENDIX B INTERVIEW QUESTIONS  Phần thực sau có kết bảng hỏi, số câu hỏi khác bố sung thêm Thầy/Cô thực phương pháp dạy học theo dự án rồi? (How long have you been experimenting with PBL?) mn Thầy/Cơ tham gia khóa đào tạo nâng cao trình độ chun mơn liên quan đến dạy học dự án nào? (What types of professional development on PBL have you had?) Quan điểm Thầy/Cô dạy học thơng qua dự án chương trình sách tiếng Anh gì? Thầy/Cơ đưa ví dụ thực tế q trình giảng dạy để chứng minh cho quan điểm (What is your attitude towards PBL? Can you describe some example to support your opinions? ) 3.1 Các hoạt động dự án sách giáo khoa có phù hợp với trình độ với học sinh hay khơng ? Ví dụ minh họa 3.2 Các chủ đề dự án sách giáo khoa có thú vị hay khơng? Ví dụ minh họa 3.3 Việc dạy học dự án thực hiệu hay chưa? Ví dụ minh họa Thầy/Cơ giải thích Thầy/Cơ ít/thỉnh thoảng/thường xun thực đánh giá dự án chương trình sách tiếng Anh mới? (Can you explain why you are rarely/sometimes/often assess project work in the new English book?) Thầy/Cơ đưa tình thực tế chứng minh (1 Đánh giá học sinh chưa nghiêm túc xác, Sản phẩm đa dạng gây bất ngờ khó khăn cho việc đánh giá, 3., ) (Describe a situation where )  Ở phần này, câu hỏi chi tiết bám sát vào đáp án mà Thầy/Cô chọn Thầy/Cô xây dựng đánh giá cho loại hình dự án chương trình sách giáo khoa hay chưa? Thầy/Cô tự biên soạn đánh giá tiêu chí đánh giá cho dự án hay có hỗ trợ khác? (Have you established an assessment toolkit for each type of project in the new English textbook? The assessmet tookit is designed by yourself or with other support? ) Thầy/Cô tiếp cận văn hướng dẫn đánh giá áp dụng cho dự án? Các văn có phổ biến rộng rãi cho giáo viên hay không? (Which types of guidance documents or circular on project-based assessment have you used for your reference? Have they been dissiminated?) Ngồi mục đích dự án đánh giá q trình, Thầy/Cơ có cho điểm dự án hay khơng? Nếu có, cách tính điểm số nào? (bao nhiêu phần trăm điểm số dành cho dự án tính thang điểm trung bình cộng mơn học đó) (Apart from the focus on formative assessment, you score the project product? If yes, how you give score?) Một số kiến nghị Lãnh đạo cấp để việc áp dụng đánh giá thực hiệu hơn? (Some of your suggestion to the Leaders of different levels for the more effective application and assessment of project) 10 Những khó khăn thầy/cơ thường gặp thực hoạt động dự án gì? 11 Những khó khăn Thầy/ Cô thực đánh giá dự án học sinh gì? 12 Theo nhận định quý Thầy cơ, việc dạy học theo dự án có tác động tích cực đến kết học tập mơn tiếng Anh học sinh hay ko? Khả giao tiếp học sinh có nâng cao ko? APPENDIXC LIST OF TEACHERS PARTICIPATING IN THE INTERVIEWS No Name Ms An Ms Thu Ms Trinh Ms Nga Ms Van Ms Thuy Ms Giang Ms Ha School Interview data A A B B C C D D 20/6/2019 20/6/2019 15/6/2019 15/6/2019 28/6/2019 28/6/2019 25/6/2019 25/6/2019