luận văn thạc sĩ using project based learning to improve the 10th graders english paragraph writing skills at a high school in hung yen province

VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES TRẦN MẠNH HÙNG USING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING TO IMPROVE THE 10TH GRADERS’ ENGLISH PARAGRAPH WRITING SKILLS AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN HUNG YEN PROVINCE MA THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE HANOI, 2021 n VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Trần Mạnh Hùng USING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING TO IMPROVE THE 10TH GRADERS’ ENGLISH PARAGRAPH WRITING SKILLS AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN HUNG YEN PROVINCE Field: English Language Code: 8220201 Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Hoàng Tuyết Minh, HANOI, 2021 n DECLARATION BY AUTHOR I, the undersigned, thusly guarantee that the thesis named “Using project-based learning to improve the 10th graders’ English paragraph writing skills at a high school in Hung Yen province " is the aftereffect of my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts in English Language The substance of the thesis has not, wholly or in part, been submitted for any other degree to any other universities or institutions Except where reference has been made in the text, this thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person The study reported in this thesis was approved by Graduate Academy of Social Sciences Author’s Signature Trần Mạnh Hùng i n ACKNOWLEGDEMENTS Although only one name appears as the author of this work, writing a thesis is indeed a collaborative effort I would like to express my sincere thanks to the many people who made it possible First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my M.A thesis’s supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Hoàng Tuyết Minh, for her kind consultation, invaluable encouragement as well as thorough correction in the process of completion But for her helpful guidance, this study would not have been achieved Next, I would like to convey my sincere appreciation and thanks to Dr Đặng Nguyên Giang - Dean of the Department of Foreign Languages and the other staff at Graduate Academy of Social Sciences the Department of Foreign Languages, Graduate Academy of Social Sciences for granting me the honor of writing this thesis as well as their assistance and most valuable comments Especially, millions of my special thanks go to the teachers and students of my High School in Hung Yen, who participated in this study for their kind and patient co-operation and encouragement They helped provide me with valuable data for the study so that I could have a better view of activities in English writing classes at my High School in Hung Yen province Last but not least, I am deeply indebted to my family for their sympathy and support during all the time I was studying for M.A degree at Graduate Academy of Social Sciences Without their unconditional love and sincere contribution, I could not have overcome my difficulties and concentrated on my studies ii n TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DECLARATION BY AUTHOR i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT vi LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES & CHARTS viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims of the Study 1.3 Research Questions 1.4 Scope of the Study 1.5 Significance of the Study 1.6 Research Methods 1.7 Structure of the Study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Concepts of writing 2.1.1 Definitions of writing 2.1.2 Characteristics of writing 2.1.3 The importance of teaching writing 2.1.4 Teacher’s roles in teaching writing 11 2.2 Concepts of paragraph 12 2.2.1 Definitions of paragraph 12 2.2.2 Structures of paragraph 13 iii n 2.2.3 Approaches to teaching paragraph writing skills in foreign 14 language 2.3 Project-based learning 17 2.3.1 Definitions of project-based learning 17 2.3.2 Types of projects 20 2.3.3 Key features of Project-based learning 20 2.3.4 Advantages and challenges of project-based learning 23 2.3.5 Process of Project-based learning 25 2.4 Previous studies 28 2.5 Summary 29 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 31 3.1 Research Setting 31 3.2 Participants 32 3.2.1 The researcher 32 3.2 The teachers 33 3.2.3 The students 33 3.3 Design of the study 34 3.3.1 Action research 34 3.3 Procedures of the study 35 3.3.2.1 Phase 1: Planning 36 3.2.2.2 Phase 2: Action 37 3.3.2.3 Phase 3: Observation 39 3.3.2.4 Phase 4: Reflection 40 3.3.3 Data collection instruments 42 3.3.3.1 Pre-test and post-test 42 3.3.3.2 Questionnaires 43 iv n 3.3.3.3 Semi-structured interview 45 3.4 Data analytic method 46 3.5 Summary 48 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 49 4.1 Data Analysis from Tests 49 4.2 Analysis from the survey Questionnaires 53 4.3 Analysis from the Interview 63 4.4 Discussion of findings 66 4.5 Summary 68 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 71 5.1 Recapitulation 71 5.2 Concluding Remarks 72 5.3 Implications 73 5.4 Limitations and Suggestions for Further Studies 74 References APPENDIX 1: Pre-test for students I APPENDIX 2: Post-test for students II APPENDIX 3: Rating scale for Writing test III APPENDIX 4: Survey questionnaire IV APPENDIX 5: Post- survey questionnaire VI APPENDIX 6: Interview XII APPENDIX 7: Transcripts of interviews XIII APPENDIX 8: Sample project plans XVI v n luan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.province ABSTRACT In a diligent attempt to investigate the impacts of PBL on students’ paragraph writing skills and their attitudes towards the new approach in my own teaching conditions to see whether it is applicable at my school or not, this research addressed two issues: (1) the effectiveness of using PBL on students’ paragraph writing Learning in their English optional lessons; (2) students’ attitudes toward the use of Project-based learning Especially, an action research project was carried out with the participation of 40 students in Class 10A11 at a High School in Hung Yen province as a research class as a compared class by dint of the same age, level and size of students The study lasted 12 weeks and involved some data, pre- test, post-test and interviews Research findings showed that students had positive attitudes towards the use of PBL in their English lessons It was also acknowledged that the PBL was beneficial for helping students improve their performance in writing lessons Based on the findings, some implications would be given for both the teachers and the students With all these information, this study is expected to be useful to both teachers and students in teaching and learning English writing skills vi luan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.province n luan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.province LIST OF TABLES Page Table 2.1: Assessing Writing Performance- Level B1 (CEFR) 10 Table 2.2: Observation Checklist 37 Table 3.1: Procedures of the study 41 Table 4.1: The results of pre-test and post-test 50 Table 4.2: Students’ responses to the questionnaire 54 vii luan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.province n luan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.province LIST OF FIGURES & CHARTS Page Figure 2.1: Stages of the process approach to writing 16 Figure 3.1: Action Research Cycle 34 Chart 4.1: Students’ mean score of average mark 50 Chart 4.2: A comparison of mean scores on pre-test and post-test 50 by five criteria Chart 4.3: Students’ opinions of being afraid of writing English 52 lessons in class Chart 4.4: Students’ opinions of difficulties in English writing 53 lessons Chart 4.5: Frequency of practicing writing English lessons 54 Chart 4.6: Students’ being active in English writing lessons 54 Chart 4.7: Students’ interest in writing English lessons in class 55 Chart 4.8: Students’ attitude towards PBL 58 Chart 4.9: The benefits of PBL 59 Chart 4.10: The benefits of PBL in learning paragraph writing 60 skills Chart 4.11: Students’ difficulties when implementing PBL viii luan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.provinceluan.van.thac.si.using.project.based.learning.to.improve.the.10th.graders.english.paragraph.writing.skills.at.a.high.school.in.hung.yen.province n 60