Enhancing secondary school students’ english presentation skills through project based learning

LE THI YEN ENHANCING SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ENGLISH PRESENTATION SKILLS THROUGH PROJECT-BASED LEARNING MASTER THESIS THAI NGUYEN, 2023... LE THI YEN ENHANCING SECONDARY SCHOOL STUD

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

Information is communicated to an audience through the presentation Presentations might take place in a classroom, at work, or in public Speaking out loud is a part of a presentation, but it's also about utilizing your listening, critical thinking, and nonverbal communication skills to convey your ideas

Effective presenting abilities are a crucial life skill that will aid a person in their future employment and in their further education (Dolan, 2017) A great approach to enhance someone's English language learning experience is through presentations They allow him or her to practice all aspects of language (including vocabulary, phonology, and grammar) and skills (speaking, reading, writing, and listening) They also help him or her to get more comfortable speaking in front of an audience However, it might be challenging to speak in front of a class in a language that is not one's native language (Alsalihi, 2020) Presenting in or out of the classroom while studying can be extremely difficult for students Speaking in front of audiences might make some people feel less confident Presentations can be stressful and many students do not enjoy them and feel nervous when asked to present

To help the audience comprehend the talk's aim and maintain their attention from the start to the completion of the presentation, one has to be properly planned Students will gain confidence and improve their future achievements if they can put together an easy-to-follow presentation Therefore, before beginning industrial training or a full-time job, students must understand the value of presentation skills Through the use of practical, meaningful tasks, project-based learning motivates students to learn It is an inquiry-based, student-centered learning approach In project-based learning, students collaborate in groups over a predetermined time period on a project that is intended to address a pressing issue or provide an in-depth response Students demonstrate their knowledge and skills by creating a product or presentation for a public audience Deep content knowledge may be developed by students through project-based learning activities The development of 21st-century abilities like critical thinking, cooperation, creativity, and communication are also supported through project-based learning, which is important Project-based learning education is used across various learning environments

With such obvious benefits of project-based learning, we can see that it is necessary to use project-based learning to enhance students' presentation ability Students can express their ideas, and their options in front of their group, thus, they would have more confidence when they have to present their idea in front of a big audience

In the school where the researcher works as an English teacher, according to the general assessment of all English teachers, students’ average presentation abilities were still low In addition, not many students are confident in their presentation skills After being given a topic, students often write their ideas in Vietnamese and then translate them into English The situation raises the need for findings effective ways to improve students’ presentation skills Therefore, the author has chosen the topic

“Enhancing secondary school students’ English presentation skills through project- based learning” to investigate.

Aims and Objectives

The study aimed at finding ways to enhance English presentation skills for secondary school students through the use of project-based learning

More specifically, the study was expected to:

- Examine the students’ difficulties when making a presentation in English

- Determine the effects of project-based learning in enhancing secondary school students’ presentation skills.

Scope of the Study

The study focused on 33 eighth graders at a secondary school These students were in their second term of the school year 2022-2023 The research only concentrated on determining the effects of using project-based learning in improving presentation skills Project-based learning in this research means an oral tasks in which students would be given and present their own work in front of the class.

Research Questions

The study aimed to answer the following questions:

1) What are the difficulties that secondary students often have when making a presentation?

2) To what extent does the use of project-based learning enhance secondary school students’ presentation skills?

Significance of the Study

The study is of great significance to the following subjects:

Firstly, the study is expected to help secondary school students to improve their presentation skills in English through the use of project-based learning This can be attributed to the overall improvement in their English speaking communication skills

Secondly, it can be used as a reference for teachers in implementing project- based learning to enhance students’ presentation skills It is hoped that this study will be a beneficial guidance for teachers who would like to apply project-based learning in their English classrooms to improve their students’ presentation skills in particular and speaking skills in general

In addition, this study is a reference to further researchers who are interested in project-based learning and/or improving students’ presentation skills

Finally, the study is expected to be a valuable document for educational policymakers or school board of managers who would like to make positive changes in English teaching and learning by introducing new approaches in improving students’ spoken communication at schools.

Organization of the study

LITERATURE REVIEW

Theoretical background

Presentation is defined as the act of showing something or of giving something to someone, especially as part of a formal ceremony (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2005, p.1190)

Oral presentations, as defined by Ming (2005), are brief forms of communication that include spoken and visual elements and are common in professional contexts High school classrooms routinely require students to give oral presentations These presentations can have a variety of functions, including serving as a formal oral assessment of students' progress toward course objectives (Morita, cited in Chen, 2011) Because they are planned, oral presentations are more "writing- like," which is beneficial for fluency and for avoiding hesitation, gaining time, etc., as stated by Harmer (2007) Oral presentations are unique in that the audience cannot correct the speaker for any linguistic error except for misconceptions (Leaver, Madeline, & Boris, 2005)

A presentation is a form of oral communication that is typically adapted to match the needs of different speaking situations, such as making an announcement, introducing a speaker, or briefing a group

Depending on the topic, the size of the class, the objectives, and the course, students may be assigned to work on their oral presentations individually, in pairs, or in small groups

Al-Issa and Redha (2010) classify presentation into three types, controlled, guided, and free presentation a Controlled presentation

The teacher assigns topics related to the textbook or whatever else comes to mind that can be delivered readily by his or her students whose language proficiency lies in the elementary school range The presentation's duration, grammar, and vocabulary should all be tailored to the student's level of proficiency Additionally, simple instruments are used in conjunction with the oral presentation when making this type of presentation Presenters might print out handouts for attendees to read

To help young children obtain the courage to speak up in class, maximize their meaningful classroom participation, and advance their acquisition of the target language, teachers often have them do controlled oral presentations b Guided Oral Presentation

Students at a lower-intermediate or intermediate level of language proficiency are guided by themes that are at their proficiency level Also, instead of encouraging them to be sophisticated, teachers should focus on teaching these children the basics of grammar, vocabulary, and time management The use of PowerPoint and slides for overhead projectors (OHPs) has become increasingly commonplace in this type of oral presentation Students are also required to create a classroom handout c Free Oral Presentation

A student oral presentation at the advanced and upper-intermediate levels Students are expected to select themes in which they have a genuine interest and to carefully arrange their presentations, drawing on a variety of resources Students are also expected to use advanced grammar and vocabulary in addition to presenting for an extended period of time Therefore, students can utilize PowerPoint slides to display a high level of skill and confidence before replying to questions from their peers, whether they are working alone, in pairs, or in small groups

According to Powell (1996), there are many aspects that contribute to the success of a presentation, such as fresh and engaging material, an organized structure, the right amount of time spent on each section, effective use of visuals, and the ability to make the audience laugh and think However, enthusiasm is unparalleled to any of these other qualities

Duddley-Evans and Maggie (1998, p 112), mentioned "Structuring, visuals, voice, and advance signaling as well as language" as criteria for a good presentation a Structuring a presentation

A presentation, like any other form of written communication, is most effective when it provides the audience with a clear beginning, middle, and end There is an infinite variety of middle ground strategies that can be employed, depending on the presentation's goals and subject matter However, the introduction and the ending can only have a certain number of steps The following are the steps that Duddley- Evans and Maggie list in the beginning and end of oral presentations (p 112):

Table 2.1 Moves in the introduction and conclusion in oral presentations

Introduction Conclusion establish credentials state purpose and topic summarize indicate time make recommendations outline what is to come call for action

According to Anderson, Juan, and Tony (2004, p 39), the information should be organized in a natural and logical order so that listeners may understand it with little effort This method of information organization involves:

 most important to least important

 one point of view compared with another point of view b Visual

Ming (2005) argues that presentations that make effective use of visual aids are more convincing, more professional, more engaging, and more informative since they are just as important in oral communication as they are in written communication Since a picture is worth a thousand words, Duddley-Evans and Maggie (1998) also highlight the importance of visuals But if they are put to good use and explained in terms of the verbal language linked with the images they depict:

 signal that a visuals aid is coming

 say what the visual represents

 explain why the visual is being used

 highlight what is most significant c Voice

According to Duddley-Evans and Maggie (1998), presenters need to pay attention to their phrasing, pauses, delivery speed, volume, and tone change in oral presentations Powell (1996) stresses the need of presenters controlling their voice through stress, pauses, intonation, loudness, and quiet in order to have an impact with their audience d Advance Signaling

Kane (1988) divides waypoints into two categories:

 Intrinsic signposts: are those that the speaker includes in the text themselves

 Extrinsic signposts: provide clues about how the text is structured Allen (2008) argues that using signs to indicate where you are in relation to where you want to go is an effective way to reinforce transition and highlight the presenter's progress through the presentation e Language

According to Bert (2009), there is a need to carefully select and report vocabulary in oral presentations because the language is composed of both words and nonwords

2.1.1.4 Students’ difficulties in oral English presentations a Difficulties due to personal traits

Research into the effects of anxiety on students' performance in oral examinations has shown mixed results at best (Joughin, 2007) To learn how students' status and English proficiency affect their anxiety levels, Elliot and Chong (2004) questioned the opinions of first-year Australian university students to examine the impact of personality attributes on performance They found that one-third of the group suffered from moderate to severe presentation jitters Two-thirds of the students speculated that their anxiety level had an effect on their grades Finding out that international students have higher anxiety levels was an interesting finding

Anxiety over giving presentations in front of an audience has been noted among both graduate and undergraduate students For instance, Zappa-Hollman

(2007) was interested in studying how giving a presentation in front of an academic audience influenced the socialization of discourse among international graduate students in Canada Students were shown to be nervous and shy when presenting in front of a large group Students disliked oral presentations since they needed a wide range of skills Similarly, Chen (2009) investigates the roots of and the extent to which Taiwanese graduate students fear public speaking The results showed that students had moderate levels of anxiety The bulk of stated challenges were attributable to what people regarded to be flaws in their personalities

Chuang (2010) investigated the origins of anxiety, focusing on both external factors (such as traumatic experiences) and internal factors (such as English language proficiency) The results showed that undergraduates worried even when they were well-prepared, thought their classmates spoke better English than they did, were uncomfortable speaking in front of their peers, and worried that their teacher would point out their mistakes in the language

Previous Studies

A lot of researchers are interested in using PBL in teaching

Firstly, Simbolon, Haryudin, & Efransyah, (2019), conducted classroom action research The respondents were 30 students in the tenth grade and were using the speaking rubric by Brown (2004) The research results show that the technique is effective in improving students’ speaking skills

Secondly, Dewi (2016) also concluded that PBL is helpful in improving students’ speaking skills The data collection instruments were observation sheets, tests, and questionnaires The results also showed the students’ positive responses to the PBL technique in the process of teaching-learning speaking

Rustan (2016) also conducted a study to determine the effect of Project Based Learning to improve students’ speaking skills Based on the test results, the researcher concluded that PBL can help improve students’ speaking skills, especially the present tense and past tense at a low level

Dung (2018) conducted a study to determine the causes of students' presentation anxiety, investigate the attitudes of students and teachers regarding project-based learning, and investigate how project-based learning classes aid tenth- grade students' English presenting skills The study's findings indicate that PBL can assist students in gaining confidence in their ability to present in English

The above-mentioned studies are some representatives, there are still a number of researchers holding an interest in this topic However, for over ten years working as an English teacher at the current school in Quang Ninh, I have yet to find any researches related to this field carried out and applied in our province; meanwhile, our students may have various difficulties to make better presentation which need to investigate with the hope to deal with these obstacles and boost their presentation skill.

Summary

The chapter has presented the relevant literature that helps form the theoretical and conceptual framework for the study First, a set of concepts of English presentation skills according to some leading authors is given and then the types of presentation; criteria of a good presentation; students’ difficulties in oral English presentation as well as teaching presentation Second, Project-based learning are discussed, including features of PBL, advantages of PBL, the types of PBL and a PBL framework Finally, an overview of previous studies related to the research area of the dissertation is given to give the readers an overview and research gap between the study and the previous ones.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research design

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not project-based learning may improve students' presentation skills and how they feel about participating in such studies at the secondary school level It was developed utilizing an action research strategy for use in the classroom

Action research is a powerful method for making changes and improvements on the ground, say Cohen et al (2005) In order to better understand our roles as educators, our classrooms, and our students, Burns (2010) argues that we can employ classroom action research as a tool Kemmis and McTaggart (1988) define action research as a type of collective self-reflective inquiry undertaken by participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of these participants' own social or educational practices, as well as their understanding of these practices and the situations in which they are carried out

Nunan (1992) introduced seven steps in the action research cycle

Initiation: The researcher attempts to solve an issue Unfortunately, the students lack curiosity and motivation Where do we go from here?

Preliminary investigation: To provide a starting point, the researcher spends time observing and recording classroom interactions

Hypothesis: After reviewing the available evidence, he or she hypothesized that the students lacked motivation

Intervention: The study's author devises a variety of strategies for making the lesson's content more accessible to the class

Evaluation: After a few weeks, the classroom is videotaped again All over, there is a lot more engagement and complexity in the students' interactions with one another and the language they use

Dissemination: In addition to presenting a paper at a language conference, the researcher also hosts a workshop for his or her peers

Follow-up: The study investigates a number of motivational techniques

The current study adopted the action research model proposed by Kemmis and McTaggart (2014) In this model, an action project comprises of four steps which are Plan, Act, Observe, and Reflect The present study followed one cycle in the spiral

Figure 3.1 The action research spiral applied in the study (Adopted from Kemmis and MacTaggart, 2014, p.19)

One cycle of action research is represented by the model as consisting of four distinct phases: preparation, implementation, and evaluation Each cycle has the potential to evolve into an endless reiterative loop until the researcher is content with the results and decides to end the process

The conceptual framework for this action research project is based on the four phases of the action research model presented by Kemmis and McTaggart (2014) To begin with, researchers can iteratively apply project-based learning through action research until optimal outcomes are reached Second, because the project is carried out over a longer period of time, the action research model can aid the student in becoming proficient in the usage of strategies and their transferability to new problems a, Planning : While teaching students at the current school, the author realized that students’ presentation skill in English is limited, which deterred their comprehension and mastery of all English skills Therefore, the researcher tried to read journal articles with ideas, suggestions, techniques or strategies related to presentation skill enhancement that might do wonder for my students Of all the strategies claimed to be effective to improve students’ oral presentations, the author decided to apply project-based learning in her teaching for several times However, the author had not yet measured how well students performed after the teaching period or whether the hypothesis on the effects of PBL was supported in this context Therefore, this study was carried out to find the answer for the question b, Action : At the beginning of my research, students were asked to do the pre-test with the purpose of checking students’ presentation skills At the same time, a survey was also done to ask for students’ difficulties and problems related to their presentation skills The next phrase was devoted to implementing project-based learning in teaching presentation skills in 8 weeks After the experimental period, a post-test was delivered to see if students had any improvement in their oral presentation skill In addition, a post-questionnaire was delivered to students to see if they were interested in the approach applied during the trial teaching c, Observation : During the intervention, the research as a teacher experimenting teaching English presentation skills using project-based learning and at the same time as an observer paying attention to students’ participation, and interest in studying this skill with the trial approach so that appropriate changes can be made to the teaching and learning of presentation skills with this approach in the future d Reflection : After the experimental teaching period and data analysis and interpretation, the author summarized the results and give some suggestions regarding the use of project-based learning in teaching English oral presentations

If the hypothesis is supported, the researcher would reflect on her teaching and would subsequently recommend the use of this technique to my colleagues in Quang Ninh province.

Respondents and locale of the study

The respondents were 33 students in a secondary school They are at 8 th grade, and at the same age The class consists of 17 girls and 16 boys who participated in action research project where project-based learning was applied to enhance their presentation skills The study was carried out at a private school in Quang Ninh province at the second term of the school year 2022-2023.

Data Collection Instrument

Students did two questionnaires, a prequestionnaire, and a post-questionnaire The questionnaires included both close-ended and open-ended questions so that the respondents could provide the information in detail

The prequestionnaire consists of three main sections In the first section, students provided their personal information, including gender, years of studying English, GPA in the first term, and GPA in English The second section was divided into three sub-sections, with thirty items in total Students provided their responses by selecting the most suitable level of agreement based on the Five-Point Linkert Scale as follows:

This section investigated the students’ difficulties in oral presentations in terms of personal traits (questions 1-12), oral presentation skills (questions 13-23), and audience and instructor (questions 24-30) The questionnaire items were developed based on Al-Nouh et al (2015) in which the author find the same obstacles that her secondary school English learners are facing by observing their daily performances and interviewing some of the worst presenters after a few sessions; furthermore, the respondents in the research of Al-Nouh et al were also the English learners coming from a non-native English speaking country and with a reserved lifestyle in which is, to some extents, like the way that the the author’s Vietnamese students often have This is an implication for the fact that the same difficulties that may arise in Al-Nouh’s research should be considered in this study In the final section, the students gave their opinions on whether they were interested in using project-based learning to improve their presentation skills by selecting the most suitable option

There were 31 items in the post-questionnaire, which was divided into two sections In the first section, students expressed their perceptions of project-based learning activities in terms of general impressions (questions 1-5), teacher’s activities (questions 6-14), and students’ activities and competences (questions 15-22) by indicating their levels of agreement with each item based on the Five-Point Linkert Scale In the second section, the students gave opinions on how project-based learning could improve their presentation skills by selecting the corresponding options There is also room for them to give extra ideas All question items were translated into Vietnamese to make it easier for the students to complete the questionnaires

The researcher conducted the pre-test before intervention and the post-test after that Both tests are in the form of group presentation The researcher evaluated the students’ performance in terms of structuring, style, presentation, content, personal appearance, verbal interaction, objectives, communication aids, body language, and significance The performance was assessed based on the presentation assessment sheet (Appendix C).

Data collection procedure

Firstly, the researcher let the students complete the pre-questionnaire to identify their difficulties in making presentations and their willingness to apply PBL to improve their presentation skills Before treatment, the researcher let students take the pre-test During the test, teacher noted down some difficulties students often have when delivering oral presentation After collecting needed information, the researcher made appropriate lesson plans in 8 weeks (one lesson each week) At the end of the action plan, the researcher let the students do the postquestionnaire survey to find out about their perceptions on project-based learning activities and their presentation skills In addition, the researcher let students take the post-test to see how the students improved their presentation skills after the intervention time The results from the questionnaires and tests were analyzed and compared to draw a conclusion on the effects of PBL on improving students’ presentation skills

Table 3.1 below presents the action plan for the research

Table 3.1 Action plan for the research

The teacher made preparation for materials, facilities; identified PBL activities currently used by the students through group interviews and investigated the students’ presentation skills before actions through pre-tests The student’s preferences were also considered in choosing PBL materials

The teacher then designed PBL lesson plans to enhance students’ presentation skills Each lesson usually lasts from 12-15 minutes and can be longer or shorter depending on the purpose and requirements of the lesson “In detail, to carry out the treatment, PBL activities were prepared and introduced in each speaking lesson, and respondents would practice presenting different topics after being exposed to PBL activities

At first, the pre-test in the form of a presentation in English was

Introduce and implement the lessons administered to the subjects “After finishing and submitting the pre-test to the researcher, the subjects were introduced to the research program They had some background knowledge of project-based learning activities Then, the subjects were asked to give their opinions on difficulties when making a presentation in English

The intervention teaching started The researcher applied project- based learning to teach students presentation skills During this period, the subjects gradually got familiar with PBL activities The procedures of teaching in a PBL lesson suggested by Stoller (2006) as follows:

Firstly, based on the textbook, the subjects participated in activities involving activating prior knowledge, making predictions, and reviewing key vocabulary at pre-teaching stage The activities might be ready in the textbook or designed by the researcher to be suitable for the subjects and the topic

Secondly, the while-teaching stage focused on presentation skills through exercises that required students to give ideas on certain topics Finally, students introduce their products to the whole class in forms of presentation

Week 8: the effects of PBL activities on the students’ presentation skills were evaluated by a post-test in which students were required to make a presentation in groups After that the subjects were asked to fill in the second questionnaire

The teacher walked around the classrooms to observe and encouraged students to participate in PBL activities and be confident in making presentations in English During these activities, teachers observed students’ participation and improvements in their presentations

Reflecting: The teacher gave feedback and comments on the students’ presentations The main point here was to bring out the best in the learners and showed them that everything they had done and experienced with the language has been enjoyable.

Data analysis

The researcher collected the responses and input data into Excel spreadsheet The data then were processed, analyzed and presented based on descriptive methods.

Summary

In this chapter, the methodology for the study, which is action research, has been presented The researcher has provided a description of data collection tools and procedures as well as data analysis procedures After eight weeks of intervention, the results of questionnaires and tests were collected and analyzed.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

Findings from pre-questionnaire

The pre-questionnaire aimed to investigate the students’ perceptions of presentation skills and difficulties in making presentations The students responded to the questions by selecting their levels of agreement with each statement based on the scale below:

There were thirty-three students in grade 8 participating in the research, consisting of 17 girls and 16 boys Their GPA was from 5.7 to 9.2 and their GPA in English was between 5.1 to 9.6 The majority of them (72.7%) studied English for three to five years The rest studied English for more than five years

4.1.2 Students’ perceptions on and difficulties in presentation skills

4.1.2.1 Difficulties according to personal traits

The following table illustrates the students’ difficulties according to personal traits

Table 4.1: Students’ difficulties according to personal traits

Difficulties according to personal traits

No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%)

1 I don’t like the idea of oral presentations

2 I prefer to be assessed by written exams rather than oral presentations

3 I like to do an oral presentation with a group

4 I hate oral presentations because of a past negative experience

5 I find an oral presentation exam difficult because I have low self- confidence

6 I’m worried because of my low

7 I feel very anxious before an oral presentation exam

8 I feel worried even if I have prepared well beforehand

9 When I start my oral presentation, I forget everything I wanted to say

10 I feel shy and embarrassed when

I do an oral presentation in

11 I’m afraid of making mistakes during oral presentations

12 I’m afraid of failure in oral presentations

When surveying the difficulties faced by students, the researcher obtained the following results and classified them according to personal traits:

When it comes to students' preferences for oral presentations, 29.4% of students surveyed said that they did not like this type of presentation; 18.2% of them said the opposite, and the rest were neutral Since the majority of students gave a neutral opinion on the question of whether they like oral presentations or not, the researcher can draw the conclusion that oral presentations attract the majority of students

In terms of testing and assessment, 18.2% of the respondents did not prefer to be assessed by written form, and 57% of students gave the opposite opinion, that is, they liked the written test form The remaining 24.2% gave a neutral opinion From the above data, we can draw the conclusion that the written test is preferred by most students

When it comes to the form of oral presentation preparation, 18.3% of the students confirmed that they did not like working in groups, and 33.4% of the students confirmed the opposite 45.5% of the remaining students gave neutral opinions From that, we can see that most of the students do not voluntarily participate and help complete the oral presentation

When investigating whether any bad experiences influenced students' interest in oral presentations, 72.7% of the students confirmed that they were not affected by bad past experiences Only 15.2% confirmed that they had such experiences affecting their interest in doing an oral presentation The rest (12.1%) gave a neutral opinion From this data, we can see that the majority of students are afraid of oral presentations not because they had bad experiences in the past

39.4% of the students surveyed found it difficult to take the oral presentation test simply because they lacked confidence, as opposed to 21.3% of the total students The remaining 39.4% gave neutral opinions From this, we can see that the lack of confidence is not necessarily the main obstacle preventing students from participating in the oral presentation test

27.3% of surveyed students blamed their weak English-speaking ability for being nervous about oral presentations, 42.4% of students gave a neutral opinion, and the remaining 30.3% did not find it difficult to do so just because their English- speaking ability is poor This also shows that weak English-speaking ability does not hinder whether or not they want to give an oral presentation

When asked if they were anxious before oral presentations, 21.2% confirmed that they were not nervous, while 33.4% of the students confirmed that they were before oral presentations 45.5% of them gave a neutral opinion

Even having prepared well before each oral presentation, 36.4% of the students surveyed still felt nervous about their presentation Meanwhile, 27.3% confirmed that they did not feel anxious and the remaining 36.4% of the students gave a neutral opinion This shows that the oral presentation itself caused anxiety and put some pressure on students

30.3% of the students surveyed confirmed that they forgot everything they wanted to say in their oral presentation right at the beginning, 36.4% of the students confirmed they did not suffer from this condition, and the remaining 33.3% gave a neutral opinion This shows students' low performance sometimes results from students’ personal traits

More than a third of students surveyed (equivalent to 36.4%) confirmed that they felt shy when they had to give oral presentations in English, while 24.3% disagreed with this view 39.4% gave a neutral opinion This shows that a timid personality also hinders students from giving oral presentations

36.4% of students surveyed were afraid of making mistakes in their oral presentations Meanwhile, 24.2% confirmed that they were not afraid of this 39.4% gave a neutral opinion Fear of making mistakes is a common psychology of students when they have to present their opinions; as the above data shows, more than one- third of students are afraid of making mistakes

27.3% of students feared failure in oral presentations, and 39.4% of students are not afraid of this The remaining 33.3% of students gave neutral opinions This shows that most students are not afraid to fail in oral presentations

4.1.2.2 Difficulties according to oral presentation skills

Table 4.2 below summarizes the students’ difficulties according to oral presentation skills:

Table 4.2: Students’ difficulties according to oral presentation skills

Difficulties according to oral presentation skills

No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%)

13 I need to read from my notes or screens during oral presentations

14 I prefer to memorize the topic of the oral presentation rather than understand it

15 I care about grammar more than fluency in oral presentation

16 I find it hard to find the suitable word to express my meaning

17 I have a problem with oral fluency and pronunciation during oral presentation

18 During oral presentations, I think in Vietnamese then translate it into

19 I find it difficult to organize my ideas logically during oral presentation

20 I find it difficult to abide by the time constraints of the presentation

21 I don’t know how to use technology in my oral presentations

22 Not knowing how to do an oral presentation is the reason behind my poor performance

23 Not having enough presentation-based activities in classrooms is the reason behind my poor performance

Regarding the difficulties that students often meet when making oral presentations, through the survey questionnaire, the researcher obtained the data in the table above and analyzed it as follows

Nearly 40% of the students surveyed needed to read information from their notes during a presentation 27.3% did not need to do this, and 33.3% were neutral This shows that students were dependable on their notes when giving oral presentations in English

Findings from post-questionnaires

4.2.1 Students’ general impressions on project-based learning activities and their presentation skills

The following table gives summary of the students’ general impressions of project-based learning activities and their presentation skills:

Students’ interests in applying PBL in improving their presentation skills

Uninterested Not sure Interested Very interested

Table 4.4: Students’ general impressions of project-based learning activities and their presentation skills

No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%)

1 I am interested in participating in project-based learning activities

2 The class has an exciting atmosphere

3 I found project- based learning activities interesting

4 The project- based learning activities were suitable for my

5 Project-based learning activities have helped me improve my

When studying the students' general impressions of their project-based learning activities and presentation skills, the researcher collected the data presented in the table above, and the researcher had the following analyses:

Up to 87.9% of surveyed students were interested in participating in project- based learning activities The remaining 12.1% gave a neutral opinion and no surveyed students were not interested in such activities This shows that most of the students are interested in project-based learning activities

Most of the students who participated in the survey found the classroom atmosphere to be enjoyable in the lessons using project-based learning activities with 78.8% of the students in the survey agreeing with this view, only 1 student disagreed with the above opinion, and the remaining 18.6% gave a neutral opinion

68.8% of surveyed students found project-based learning activities interesting

No student disagreed with this view Only 21.2% of the students surveyed gave a neutral opinion

The appropriateness of the application of project-based learning activities is also important in maintaining student interest and participation in the lesson Up to 84.9% of students felt these activities were suitable for their English level Only 1 student felt incompatible with his/her English level The remaining 12.1% gave a neutral opinion

The application of project-based learning activities has helped improve students' oral presentation ability in English Up to 90.9% of surveyed students agreed with this view Only 3 students (9.1%) gave a neutral opinion and no student found that applying project-based learning activities did not improve their oral presentation in English

4.2.2 Students’ perceptions of teacher’s activities

Table 4.5 illustrates students’ perceptions of teacher’s activities

Table 4.5: Students’ perceptions of teacher’s activities

No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%)

6 The teacher instructs students in detail on the necessary knowledge and skills for each project-based learning topic

7 The teacher instructs students in detail on how to complete project- based learning topics

8 The teacher specifies requirements for each project

9 The teacher discusses with students the sample presentation

10 Teachers instruct students on how to present in each part of the presentation

11 The teacher organizes variety of activities to develop students’ confidence

12 The teacher instructs students on how to use visual aids

13 The teacher encourages students to communicate and interact in English more

14 The teacher assesses the presentation of each project fairly

When talking about students' feelings about the teacher's activities, 90.9% of surveyed students agreed that teachers gave detailed instructions on the knowledge and skills needed for each project-based learning topic The remaining 9.1% of the students gave a neutral opinion, and no student gave an opinion that disagreed with the point of view

84.9% of students surveyed agreed that teachers had given detailed instructions on how to complete each project-based learning topic The remaining 12.1% of students gave a neutral opinion, and only 1 student gave an opinion that disagreed with the point of view

All the surveyed students claimed that the teacher had specified all the requirements for each project

69.7% of the surveyed students agreed that the teacher had discussed with students about sample presentations of each project-based learning topic The remaining 24.2% of the students gave a neutral opinion, and only 2 students gave an opinion that disagreed with the point of view

81.9% of the surveyed students agreed that the teacher guided the students on how to do the different parts of the presentation (greeting, introduction, conclusion, and so on) The remaining 18.2% of the students gave a neutral opinion, and no student gave an opinion that disagreed with the point of view

72.7% of the surveyed students agreed that the teacher had organized a variety of activities to develop students' confidence The remaining 21.2% of the students gave a neutral opinion, and 6.1% of the students gave an opinion that disagreed with the point of view

81.9% of surveyed students agree that the teacher had instructed students on how to use visual aids The remaining 18.2% of the students gave a neutral opinion, and no students gave an opinion that disagreed with the point of view

87.9% of the surveyed students agreed that the Teacher had encouraged students to communicate and interact in English more The remaining 12.1% of the students gave a neutral opinion, and there were no students who disagreed with the point of view

90.9% of surveyed students agree that the teacher had assessed the presentation of each project fairly Only 9.1% of the remaining students gave a neutral opinion, and there were no students who disagreed with the point of view

4.2.3 Students’ perceptions of activities and competences

Students’ perceptions of their activities and competences are summarized in the table below:

Table 4.6: Students’ perceptions of their activities and competences

No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%) No (Students) Percentage (%)

16 I have good time-management skills

17 I know how to make a plan and brainstorm ideas for the project

18 I know how to search for information from various sources

19 I can be creative in doing the projects

20 I know how to apply IT applications to

21 I speak English more actively and frequently in project-based learning activities

22 Project-based learning activities enable me to speak and make presentations in

After observing students' perceptions of their activities and competencies, the researcher obtained the data in the above table and made the following analysis:

82.8% of surveyed students admitted that they had good teamwork skills Only

2 students gave neutral opinions and no student confirmed that they did not have good teamwork skills

69.7% of surveyed students admitted that they had good time management skills 21.2% of the students gave neutral opinions and there was 1 student who confirmed that he/ she did not have good time management skills

63.7% of surveyed students admitted that they knew how to make a plan and brainstorm ideas for the project 21.2% of the students gave neutral opinions and 6.1% of the students confirmed that they did not know how to make a plan and brainstorm ideas for the project

Findings from tests

The presentation assessment sheets (Appendix C) was used to evaluate students’ performance before and after the action plan Meaningful numbers were given to illustrate the students’ competence (1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = acceptable; 4 = good; 5

= very good) The legend to interpret test results are as follow:

Students’ performance in terms of structuring was compared in the Table 4.8

Table 4.8: Students’ performance in terms of structuring

Mean Scores Pre-Test Post-Test Difference

- captures the audience’s attention and interest

- states the purpose and topic clearly

- indicates time and outlines what is to come

2 The presentation is logically organized 2.4 3.8 1.4

- provides a good summary of the presentation

- makes recommendations and/or calls for action

In terms of structuring, the development was from 1.2 or more In the introduction, students were better at capturing the audience’s attention and interest, indicated by an increase of 1.5 points Besides, there was also improvement in stating the purpose and topic clearly and indicating the time and outlining what is to come Secondly, the students also know how to organize the presentation logically Specifically, their skills improved from 2.4 (poor) to 3.8 (approximately good) For the conclusion, students could provide a better summary of the presentation (a 1.2 increase compared to the post-intervention), and make better recommendations and call for action (a 1.2 increase compared to the post-intervention) Overall, the skills of structuring develop from acceptable to good levels

In addition, Table 4.9 presents the students’ performance in terms of presentation styles before and after intervention

Table 4.9 Students’ performance in terms of presentation styles

Mean Scores Pre-Test Post-Test Difference

1 Presenter was well prepared and confident 2.6 4.1 1.5

2 Presenter did not read either from papers or slides 2.2 4.0 1.8

3 Presenter was comfortable presenting in front of the audience 2.5 3.8 1.3

4 Presenter could be heard by all 2.7 4.2 1.5

5 The presentation was paced for audience understanding 2.3 3.9 1.6

As shown in the table, before intervention, students had poor presentation styles, which developed to an acceptable level after intervention Firstly, the aspect that students improved the most was delivering presentations (from 2.2 – poor to 4.0 – good) After 8 weeks, they hardly read the content from papers or slides The second most enhanced aspect was pacing the audience understanding (from 2.3 – poor to 3.9 – acceptable) Overall, the students’ presentation styles gained from poor to good levels

Students’ performance in terms of delivering presentation is illustrated in the table below:

Table 4.10 Students’ performance in terms of delivering presentation

Mean Scores Pre-Test Post-Test Difference

1 Presenter followed clear lines of thought, and projected good knowledge of topic

2 The presentation kept the audience’s attention and interest 2.0 3.7 1.7

3 The presentation organized to fit within time allotted 3.1 4.4 1.3

Students’ presentation style was by far improved, from poor (mean score 2.55) to good levels (mean score = 4.05) Specifically, there was an improvement in students’ presentation, particularly they were much better at keeping the audience’s attention and interest, indicated by 1.7 points higher than pre-intervention Moreover, relating the content of the presentation, even when they dealt with unfamiliar topics, they were more willing to understand (1.6 points higher) and could deal with them better (increasing 1.3 points) Concerning students’ personal appearance, if we just looked at the difference of 0.7 points, we could suppose that there was not much change However, students were highly evaluated at this part before intervention (3.6 points) and they need to dress under the school’s regulations

Students’ presentation skills in terms of content are demonstrated in Table 4.11 as follow:

Table 4.11 Students’ performance in terms of content

Mean Scores Pre-Test Post-Test Difference

1 Research project dealt with an important issue in his or her field of study

2 A person unfamiliar with the specific topic could readily understand what was done and why

After intervention, students develop their skills of dealing with important issue in his or her field of study and understanding what was done and why Generally, the content aspect enhanced from poor to good levels

Table 4.12 below compares students’ present skills in terms of personal appearance

Table 4.12 Students’ performance in terms of personal appearance

Mean Scores Pre-Test Post-Test Difference

Personal appearance was appropriate for the audience and the occasion

Before intervention, students’ appearance was at a good level, which enhanced to a very good level after 8-week intervention

The development in verbal interaction was summarized in the following 4.13:

Table 4.13 Students’ performance in terms of verbal interaction

Mean Scores Pre-Test Post-Test Difference

2 Presenter consistently clarified, restated and responded to questions 2.3 3.8 1.5

3 Presenter summarized key points when needed 2.4 4.0 1.6

Relating to verbal interaction, the difference is from 1.2 or more, especially the ability that presenters could summarize key points when needed, increases the most with a difference of 1.6 The mean difference was 1.4, and the level was improved from poor to good levels

The following table gives a summary of students’ performance in terms of specifying presentation objectives

Table 4.14 Students’ performance in terms of specifying presentation objectives

Mean Scores Pre-Test Post-Test Difference

1 The presentation fulfilled the project objectives as defined by the presenter in the project description

2 The arguments were supported with reasons and examples 2.5 3.9 1.4

Besides, regarding the presentation's objectives, the average difference is 1.3, from poor to good levels

The following table present students’ performance in terms of communication aids:

Table 4.15 Students’ performance in terms of communication aids

Mean Scores Pre-Test Post-Test Difference

1 Communication aids enhanced the presentation 3.0 4.5 1.5

2 Aids were prepared in a professional manner 2.7 4.3 1.6

3 Font on visuals was large enough to be seen by all 2.5 4.5 2.0

4 Information was organized to maximize audience understanding

5 Details were minimized so points stand out 2.5 3.8 1.3

In terms of communication aids of the presentation, the mean difference is from 1.42 and the level increasing from acceptable to good levels Especially, the use of font on visuals increases the most with the difference ratio of 2.0, followed by preparing aids professionally (mean difference = 1.6) and using communication aids (mean difference = 1.5)

Students’ performance in terms of body language was presented in the following table:

Table 4.16 Students’ performance in terms of body language

Mean Scores Pre-Test Post-Test Difference

The presenter projected a professional posture, both in appearance and performance

The presenter maintained good eye contact with the audience 2.1 4.3 2.2

The presenter kept smiling when presenting and answering questions from the audience

Concerning using body language when making a presentation, the difference is from 1.2 Especially, the ability of the presenter to maintain good eye contact with the audience increases the most with a difference of 2.2 The ability to use body language improved from acceptable to good levels

Table 4.17 gives information of students’ performance in terms of significance

Table 4.17 Students’ performance in terms of significance

The significance of the project to the discipline was conveyed 2.7 3.9 1.2

Finally, the significance of the project to the discipline was conveyed, increases with the difference of 1.2, developing from acceptable to good levels.

Summary

This chapter presents the findings from the data collected The pre- questionnaires shed light on students’ difficulties in presentation skills In terms of personal traits, students like to do presentation in forms of writing rather than speaking They did not feel confident when making oral presentations Regarding presentation skills, students had problems in finding the suitable word to express the meaning and with oral fluency and pronunciation during oral presentation Concerning difficulties according to audience and instructor, students were affected the most by being interrupted by teachers The data collected from the post- questionnaire and tests showed that students developed their skills from poor to acceptable or good levels Students also expressed their positive attitudes towards using project-based learning to improve their presentation skills.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusions

5.1.1 The students’ difficulties when making a presentation

The data collected students’ problems when making a presentation in terms of personal traits, oral presentation skills, and instructor and audience

Regarding personal traits, the data collected found that students had difficulties at an average level The data collected students’ problems when making a presentation in terms of personal traits, oral presentation skills, and instructor and audience Regarding personal traits, the data collected found that students had difficulties at an average level Based on the results of the study, the problems listed in the questionnaires were selected by 15.2% to 39.4% of the students To be more specific, 39.4% found it challenging to take the oral presentation test simply because they lacked confidence Besides, 36.4% of the students admitted that they felt uncomfortable giving English-language oral presentations The same number felt anxious about their oral presentations despite having prepared thoroughly and were concerned about making errors during oral presentations 30.3% of them said that they completely forgot what they were going to say in their oral presentation right at the start Other difficulties were faced by less than 30% of the students

In addition, a large number of students had difficulties in a presentation because of oral presentation skills More than half (54.5%) of the students had difficulty choosing the right word to express their meaning Besides, 48.5% of surveyed students encountered problems as they had to translate from Vietnamese to English before they could make an oral presentation The students also had poor presentations due to the lack of presentation-based activities in classrooms The same number had difficulties presenting ideas logically in oral presentations, being fluent, and having correct pronunciation Although students lacked some oral presentation skills, there were good signs that most of them did not care more about grammar than fluency during their presentations and technology was not a big problem for them

Relating problems caused by instructors and audience, students’ psychology was much affected (more than half of the students) by the audience's reaction, by the instructor's interruptions for questions, comments, or criticism, and by late students coming to class 36.4% of the surveyed students felt frightened when too many people looked at them Besides, students feared being laughed at by audiences when they were giving oral presentations in English (27.3%), and 21.2% tried to avoid eye contact with their instructors or classmates

In summary, although students had various challenges making presentations, most of them were affected by their instructors and audience, followed by the lack of oral presentation skills, and their personal traits As students understood their difficulties in making oral presentations, more than 60% of them were interested in applying PBL in improving their presentation skills

5.1.2 The effects of project-based learning in enhancing secondary school students’ presentation skills

Firstly, students had positive attitudes toward using project-based learning 87.9% of surveyed students were interested in participating in project-based learning activities, 78.8% found the classroom atmosphere to be enjoyable in the lessons using project-based learning activities, and 68.8% found project-based learning activities interesting No student disagreed with this view Regarding the appropriateness of the application of project-based learning activities, 84.9% of students said these activities were suitable for their English level More importantly, more than 90% of the students thought that project-based learning activities helped them improve their oral presentation ability in English

Secondly, students also highly evaluated the teacher’s activities All the surveyed students claimed that the teacher had specified all the requirements for each project 90.9% of surveyed students agree that the teacher had assessed the presentation of each project fairly More than 80% of the students agreed that teachers had given detailed instructions on how to complete each project-based learning topic, teacher guided them on how to do the different parts of the presentation and how to use visual aids, and encouraged them to communicate and interact in English more Other activities were also appreciated by at least 69.7% of the students

In addition, students also recognized the improvements in their activities and competencies Over eighty percent of them said that they had good teamwork skills and knew how to apply IT applications to complete the project More than 70% claimed that they knew how to search for information from various sources, spoke English more actively and frequently in project-based learning activities, and became more confident in speaking and making presentations in English Other aspects were also agreed with by more than fifty percent of the students

Moreover, students make a lot of improvements in their presentation skills Students proved to be improved in many aspects, especially in the way they could maintain eye contact with the audience, demonstrated by the increase of 2.2 points compared to pre-intervention The second greatest improvement was the font on visuals that students displayed to the audience, with an increase of 2.0 points, followed by professional posture, both in appearance and performance (1.9 points), presenting without reading from papers or slides (1.8 points), and other aspects

In summary, the use of project-based learning proved to be an effective way to help students in improving presentation skills Not only did the students improve different aspects of the presentation but they also developed positive attitudes toward presentation skills.

Limitations

Because of the time frame and resource limitation, the study was conducted with only 33 students in eighth grade The fact that these students represented secondary students can cause some subjectivity If the research could be conducted on a larger scale, with the participants of all grades 6,7,8, and 9, the results could be more precise However, the limitation of this research can be a suggestion for other researchers who also hold interests in this subject matter This study will be a good source for reference before the researchers decide to investigate deeper and further.

Recommendations

The findings of the study indicate that instructors must provide a more encouraging and supportive environment for students to deliver presentations Students should be allowed to choose their own topics because it improves their comprehension and decreases their anxiety In order to aid their preparation, students must also be apprised of the criteria used to evaluate their oral performances Before delivering their own presentation, students must witness a presentation by a classmate as a model According to teachers, a unified criterion should be considered for evaluating oral presentations It is suggested that a course in oral presentation be included in the curriculum in order to equip students with the necessary skills To assist students in developing their oral communication skills, the department should establish additional conversation courses and language laboratories

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Chào các em học sinh,

Như các em đã biết, tuy thuyết trình là một nhiệm vụ quan trọng, được học sinh thực hiện thường xuyên nhưng học sinh vẫn gặp nhiều trở ngại trong việc thuyết trình, đặc biệt là thuyết trình tiếng Anh Đề tài nghiên cứu Nâng cao kỹ năng thuyết trình bằng Tiếng Anh cho học sinh cấp hai thông qua việc học tập theo dự án” được thực hiện nhằm giúp các em học sinh cải thiện kỹ năng thuyết trình

Khảo sát này nhằm mục đích năm được chi tiết những khó khăn học sinh thường gặp khi thuyết trình và thực tế học tập thông qua dự án Vì vậy, cô mong các em hãy trả lời đúng, đầy đủ, và chi tiết các câu hỏi trong khảo sát này Mọi thông tin các em cung cấp sẽ được bảo mật và chỉ được phục vụ cho mục đích nghiên cứu mà thôi

Cám ơn các em rất nhiều!

Presentation, as you know, is a task that you are required to do in many subjects However, as a teacher, I know that you have encountered a lot of challenges when making and delivering a presentation, especially making a presentation in English Therefore, I have been conducting a study “Enhancing Secondary School Students’ English Presentation Skills Through Project-Based Learning” to help you with feasible solutions for your problems To do so, I need to collect information on the difficulties that you have had in making a presentation and the situation of your project-based learning You can help me a lot by answering the questions in this survey in detail All of the information you provide will be confidential and serve the research purpose only

I Personal information/ Thông tin cá nhân

Thông tin của học sinh

Gender/ Giới tính _ Male/ Nam

_ Female/ Nữ Years of studying English/ Số năm học Tiếng Anh _ 1-3 years

Your grade point average in the first term (GPA)/ Điểm trung bình học kỳ 1

Your grade point average in English Điểm trung bình môn Tiếng Anh

II Students’ perceptions of difficulties in presentation skills/ Nhận thức của học sinh về những khó khăn gặp phải trong kỹ năng thuyết trình

Những khó khăn (nếu có) mà em gặp phải khi tham gia thuyết trình Tiếng Anh là gì? (What difficulties (if any) do you have when making presentation in English?

1 Hoàn toàn không đồng ý/ Strongly disagree

3 Không chắc chắn/ Not sure

5 Hoàn toàn đồng ý/ Strongly agree

A Difficulties according to personal traits

Khó khăn do đặc điểm cá nhân

1 I don’t like the idea of oral presentations

Em không thích thuyết trình

2 I prefer to be assessed by written exams rather than oral presentations

Em thích được đánh giá bằng hình thức kiểm tra viết hơn bằng thuyết trình

3 I like to do an oral presentation with a group

Em thích thuyết trình theo nhóm

4 I hate oral presentations because of a past negative experience

Em ghét thuyết trình vì trước đây em đã từng thuyết trình không thành công

5 I find an oral presentation exam difficult because I have low self-confidence

Em thấy kiểm tra bằng hình thức thuyết trình khó bởi vì em thiếu tự tin

6 I’m worried because of my low English- speaking ability

Em lo lắng vì kỹ năng nói tiếng Anh của em không tốt

7 I feel very anxious before an oral presentation exam

Em thấy lo lắng trước mỗi bài kiểm tra thuyết trình

8 I feel worried even if I have prepared well beforehand

Em thấy lo lắng ngay cả khi đã chuẩn bị trước rất kỹ càng

9 When I start my oral presentation, I forget everything I wanted to say

Khi bắt đầu thuyết trình, em quên hết những gì mình định nói

10 I feel shy and embarrassed when I do an oral presentation in English

Em thấy ngại và lúng túng khi thuyết trình bằng tiếng Anh

11 I’m afraid of making mistakes during oral presentations

Em sợ mắc lỗi trong khi thuyết trình,

12 I’m afraid of failure in oral presentations

Em sợ thất bại khi thuyết trình

Khó khăn do kỹ năng thuyết trình

13 I need to read from my notes or screens during oral presentations

Em cần đọc từ bản ghi chép hoặc màn hình máy chiếu trong khi thuyết trình

14 I prefer to memorize the topic of the oral presentation rather than understand it

Em thích học thuộc chủ đề thuyết trình hơn hiểu rõ nó

15 I care about grammar more than fluency in oral presentation

Em để tâm đến ngữ pháp hơn là sự lưu loát trong khi thuyết trình

16 I find it hard to find the suitable word to express my meaning

Em gặp khó khăn trong việc tìm từ thích hợp để diễn đạt ý tưởng

17 I have a problem with oral fluency and pronunciation during oral presentation

Em gặp khó khăn trong việc phát âm và duy trì sự lưu loát trong khi thuyết trình

18 During oral presentations, I think in

Vietnamese then translate it into English

Trong khi thuyết trình, em suy nghĩ bằng tiếng Việt, rồi dịch nó sang tiếng Anh

19 I find it difficult to organize my ideas logically during oral presentation

Em gặp khó khăn trong việc sắp xếp ý tưởng hợp lý khi thuyết trình

20 I find it difficult to abide by the time constraints of the presentation

Em gặp khó khăn trong việc tuân thủ đúng thời gian giới hạn của bài thuyết trình

21 I don’t know how to use technology in my oral presentations

Em không biết cách sử dụng công nghệ thông tin vào bài thuyết trình

22 Not knowing how to do an oral presentation is the reason behind my poor performance

Em thuyết trình không tốt là do chưa biết cách làm bài thuyết trình

23 Not having enough presentation-based activities in classrooms is the reason behind my poor performance

Em thuyết trình không tốt là do trên lớp chưa có đủ các hoạt động học tập sử dụng thuyết trình

C Difficulties according to audience and instructor Khó khăn do người xem và người hướng dẫn

24 I feel frightened when a lot of people are watching me

Em thấy lo sợ khi có nhiều người nhìn mình

25 I worry that students will laugh at me when I present in English

Em lo lắng các bạn sẽ cười khi em trình bày bằng tiếng Anh

26 Students’ reactions affect my performance in oral presentations

Phản ứng của các bạn ảnh hưởng đến khả năng thuyết trình của em

27 When late students enter class or talk to each other during oral presentations, I lose my ideas

Khi có bạn vào lớp muộn hoặc nói chuyện với người khác khi em thuyết trình làm em quên mất các ý tưởng của mình

28 The instructor’s interruption with questions or criticism affects my performance

Giáo viên ngắt lời để đặt câu hỏi hoặc nhận xét ảnh hưởng đến việc thuyết trình của em

29 I try to avoid the instructor’s and students’ eyes during oral presentation

Em cố tránh ánh mắt của giáo viên và các bạn trong khi thuyết trình

30 I am afraid that the instructor and students will ask me difficult questions

Em sợ giáo viên và các bạn khác sẽ hỏi em những câu hỏi khó

(adjusted from Al-Nouh et al., 2015)

III Students’ interests in applying project-based learning to improve your presentation skills (Sự quan tâm của học sinh về việc áp dụng học tập qua dự án để nâng cao khả năng thuyết trình)

Are you interested in applying project-based learning to improve your presentation skills?

(Em có muốn học tập qua dự án để nâng cao khả năng thuyết trình không?)

 Rất không thích/ Very uninterested

Chào các em học sinh,

Sau một thời gian học tập theo dự án, cô giáo muốn khảo sát ý kiến của các em về việc học tập theo dự án và những tác dụng của việc học tập theo dự án trong việc cải thiện kỹ năng thuyết trình của các em Mong các em trả lời thật chi tiết tất cả câu hỏi trong khảo sát nhé!

After a period of applying project-based learning, I would like to collect your ideas on project-based learning and its effects on improving your presentation skills Please complete all of the questions in this survey

A Nhận xét của em sau khi tham gia học tập theo dự án? Em hãy lựa chọn ô tương ứng với mức độ

(What do you like about project-based learning? Put a tick  in the box to specify your answer.)

1 Hoàn toàn không đồng ý/ Strongly disagree

3 Không chắc chắn/ Not sure

5 Hoàn toàn đồng ý/ Strongly agree)

Students’ perceptions on project-based learning activities and their presentation skills

I General impressions (Cảm nhận chung)

1 I am interested in participating in project-based learning activities

Em thấy hứng thú khi tham gia các hoạt động học tập theo dự án

2 The class has an exciting atmosphere

Em thấy không khí lớp học sôi nổi

3 I found project-based learning activities interesting

Em thấy các hoạt động học tập theo dự án rất thú vị

4 The project-based learning activities were suitable for my

Các hoạt động học tập theo dự án vừa sức với trình độ của em

5 Project-based learning activities have helped me improved my

Các hoạt động học tập theo dự án giúp em cải thiện kỹ năng thuyết trình bằng tiếng Anh

6 The teacher instructs students in detail on the necessary knowledge and skills for each project-based learning topic

Giáo viên đưa ra những chỉ dẫn chi tiết về những kiến thức và kỹ năng cần thiết trong từng chủ đề học tập theo dự án

7 The teacher instructs students in detail on how to complete project-based learning topics

Giáo viên hướng dẫn cụ thể về cách thức thực hiện các chủ đề học tập theo dự án

8 The teacher specifies requirement for each project

Giáo viên đưa ra những yêu cầu kết quả cần đạt được của mỗi dự án

9 The teacher discusses with students the sample presentation

Giáo viên thảo luận về bài thuyết trình báo cáo kết quả dự án mẫu với học sinh

10 Teachers instruct students on how to present in each part of the presentation (greeting, introduction, conclusion …)

Giáo viên gợi mở cho chúng em cách trình bày từng phần của bài thuyết trình (lời chào, giới thiệu, thân bài, kết luận …)

11 The teacher organizes variety of activities to develop students’ confidence

Giáo viên tổ chức các hoạt động theo dự án nhằm phát triển sự tự tin cho học sinh

12 The teacher instructs students on how to use visual aids

Giáo viên hướng dẫn cách sử dụng phương tiện minh họa cho bài thuyết trình

13 The teacher encourages students to communicate and interact in English more

Giáo viên khuyến khích chúng em tăng cường sử dụng và tương tác bằng tiếng Anh

14 The teacher assesses the presentation of each project fairly

Giáo viên đánh giá kết quả bài thuyết trình của mỗi dự án một cách công tâm

III Students’ activities and competence

Em thấy kỹ năng làm việc nhóm được cải thiện

16 I have good time-management skills

Em biết quản lý thời gian tốt hơn

17 I know how to make a plan and brainstorm ideas for the project

Em biết cách lập kế hoạch, lên ý tưởng cho dự án

18 I know how to search for information from various sources

Em biết tìm kiếm thông tin từ các nguồn tài liệu khác nhau

19 I can be creative in doing the projects

Em được sáng tạo theo ý thích

20 I know how to apply IT applications to complete the project

Em biết sử dụng các ứng dụng công nghệ thông tin để hoàn thành dự án

21 I speak English more actively and frequently in project-based learning activities

Em đã tích cực và chủ động nói tiếng Anh hơn khi tham gia các hoạt động theo dự án

22 Project-based learning activities enable me to speak and make presentations in English confidently

Các hoạt động học tập theo dự án giúp em tự tin hơn khi nói và thuyết trình bằng tiếng Anh

B How can project-based learning improve your presentation skills? You can select multiple options

Phương pháp học theo dự án có tác dụng gì đối với kỹ năng thuyết trình của em? Em có thể chọn nhiều phương án

1 Students can select ideas for the presentation

Em biết cách lựa chọn ý tưởng cho bài thuyết trình

2 Students can discuss and support their ideas

Em biết cách tranh luận và bảo vệ ý kiến của mình

3 Students can use appropriate language for different parts of the presentation

Em biết cách sử dụng ngôn ngữ phù hợp trong các phần khác nhau của bài thuyết trình

4 Students can reasonably distribute time for every part of the presentation

Em biết phân bổ thời gian hợp lý cho từng phần của bài thuyết trình

5 Students can deliver the whole knowledge in the presentation

Em có thể truyền đạt đầy đủ kiến thức của mình về chủ đề

6 Students can use appropriate volume in their presentation, and use it to emphasize important ideas

Em biết cách sử dụng âm lượng phù hợp khi thuyết trình, tăng hoặc giảm âm lượng giọng nói để nhấn mạnh những ý quan trọng của bài thuyết trình

7 Students present their ideas clearly and fluently

Em trình bày ý tưởng của mình rõ ràng, lưu loát

8 Students can make use of body language and maintain eye contact with the audience

Em biết sử dụng ngôn ngữ cơ thể một cách phù hợp, giao tiếp bằng mắt với khán giả thường xuyên

9 Students are more confident in making presentations in English

Em thấy tự tin hơn khi thuyết trình bằng tiếng Anh

APPENDIX C: PRESENTATION ASSESSMENT SHEET 1: very poor 2: poor 3: acceptable 4 good 5: very good

- captures the audience’s attention and interest

- states the purpose and topic clearly

- indicates time and outlines what is to come

2 The presentation is logically organized

- provides a good summary of the presentation

- makes recommendations and/or calls for action

1 Presenter was well prepared and confident

2 Presenter did not read either from papers or slides

3 Presenter was comfortable presenting in front of the audience

4 Presenter could be heard by all

5 The presentation was paced for audience understanding

1 Presenter followed clear lines of thought, and projected good knowledge of topic

2 The presentation kept the audience’s attention and interest

3 The presentation organized to fit within time allotted

1 Research project dealt with an important issue in his or her field of study

2 A person unfamiliar with the specific topic could readily understand what was done and why

Personal appearance was appropriate for the audience and the occasion

2 Presenter consistently clarified, restated and responded to questions

3 Presenter summarized key points when needed

1 The presentation fulfilled the project objectives as defined by the presenter in the project description

2 The arguments were supported with reasons and examples

1 Communication aids enhanced the presentation

2 Aids were prepared in a professional manner

3 Font on visuals was large enough to be seen by all

4 Information was organized to maximize audience understanding

5 Details were minimized so points stand out

The presenter projected a professional posture, both in appearance and performance

The presenter maintained good eye contact with the audience

The presenter kept smiling when presenting and answering questions from the audience

The significance of the project to the discipline was conveyed

APPENDIX D: LESSON PLAN LESSON PLAN: WEEK 1 (TOPIC FOR PRE-TEST)

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

- enrich the background knowledge related to the topic of leisure activities

- enhance soft-skills (team-work skills, problem-solving skills …)

- Aim: to help Ss describe their leisure activities

Teacher’s and Students’ activities Contents required

- T has Ss work in groups of 5-6 and then decide on a leisure activity that they would like to organize It could be a team sport, or a craft-making activity Plan a poster advertising their activity Include the following on your poster:

- Explain the activity and include some pictures

- Explain why this activity is fun /exciting/ interesting

- Give information about the meeting time and place

- Tell classmates what they should bring to do the activity

- Guide Ss to use the mind-map or the following map to details their ideas:

Students introduce their favorite activities in their leisure time with the explanation, examples and details

Use the poster to present the activity to the rest of the class See how many classmates will sign up to your activity

- Ss talk with their partners

- Ss may use some pictures to advertise their activities

3 Comment on students’ learning task performance

- T asks Ss to give comments first

LESSON PLAN: WEEK 2 TOPIC: LIFE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

- enrich the background knowledge related to the topic of life in the countryside

- enhance soft-skills (team-work skills, problem-solving skills …)

- Aim: to help Ss describe their planning trip to the countryside

Teacher’s and Students’ activities Contents required

- T has Ss work in groups of 5-6 and then discuss and complete the following outline about their planning trip

- T has Ss to draw the things they can do in their picture then show the drawing to the class and talk about it

▪ Introduction: greeting the audience, introducing themselves and the topic

▪ Main body: presenting the main points (students can build up the main points by answering the questions and organising the answers in a logical way)

Students present their plan to the countryside with activities and explanation

▪ Conclusion: summarising the main points, inviting questions from the audience and thanking the audience for listening

- Greeting (Hello/ Hi/ Good morning/ Good afternoon)

- Introducing themselves (My name is… These are my team members: ……)

- Introducing the topic (Today we are going to talk about…/ Have you ever thought about…?/ Have you ever seen…?/ Have a look at this picture It shows…/ How does the picture make you feel?)

- Presenting the main points (Firstly/ Secondly/ Another point is…/ In addition…)

- Summarising the main points (To sum up/ To conclude/

In short/ All in all…)

- Inviting questions (Are there any questions?/ Does anyone want to know more about…?/ Feel free to ask us anything./ Is there anything you would like to ask? )

- Thanking the audience (Thank you/ Thanks for listening/ Thanks for your time./ Thank you for your attention…)

- Ss talk with their partners

- Ss may use some pictures to advertise their plans

3 Comment on students’ learning task performance

- T asks Ss to give comments first

LESSON PLAN: WEEK 3 TOPIC: LIFE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

- enrich the background knowledge related to the topic of life in the countryside and make comparison between life in the city and life in the countryside (the advantages and disadvantages)

- enhance soft-skills (team-work skills, problem-solving skills …)

- Aim: to help Ss have more understanding about the advantages and disadvantages of life in the city and life in the countryside

Teacher’s and Students’ activities Contents required

- T has Ss work in groups of 5-6 and then discuss about the advantages and disadvantages of life in the city and life in the countryside