TOWARDS THE EXPLOITATION OF PROJECT – BASED LEARNING FOR GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE THE ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILL OF THE THIRD – YEAR ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS AT HONG DUC UNIVERSITY Nghiên cứu việc khai thác phương pháp dạy học theo dự án thông qua các

ABSTRACT Focusing on learning and teaching English speaking skill at the Foreign Language Department, Hong Duc University, this action research is aimed at working out an effective suppl

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

MAJORED STUDENTS AT HONG DUC UNIVERSITY

Nghiên cứu việc khai thác phương pháp học theo dự án thông qua các hoạt động nhóm nhằm nâng cao kỹ năng nói tiếng Anh cho sinh viên năm

thứ ba chuyên ngành tiếng Anh tại trường Đại học Hồng Đức

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111

Hanoi, 2014

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

MAJORED STUDENTS AT HONG DUC UNIVERSITY

Nghiên cứu việc khai thác phương pháp học theo dự án thông qua các hoạt động nhóm nhằm nâng cao kỹ năng nói tiếng Anh cho sinh viên năm

thứ ba chuyên ngành tiếng Anh tại trường Đại học Hồng Đức

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111

SUPERVISOR: Dr NGÔ HỮU HOÀNG

Hanoi, 2014

DECLARATION

This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education I certify that the thesis is the report of my own research, and that it has not been submitted for any other university or institution

Thanh Hoa, September, 2014

Signature

Lê Thị Thanh Hương

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr Ngô Hữu Hoàng -

my supervisor for his invaluable advice, constructive criticism, precious correction and helpful encouragement in the completion of my minor thesis

My thanks also go to all of the lecturers and the staff of the Department of Graduate Studies at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their valuable lectures and supports

Post-I am also thankful to all the English teachers and students of Foreign Language Department at Hong Duc University for answering the questionnaires and interviews, which are indispensable for the analysis and discussion in my study Last but not least, I greatly appreciate the support and encouragement from my family and friends

ABSTRACT

Focusing on learning and teaching English speaking skill at the Foreign Language Department, Hong Duc University, this action research is aimed at working out an effective supplementary learning activity to improve students’ speaking competence After carrying out preliminary investigation and literature review, it is found out that project based learning is one of the effective methods used largely by teachers to teach speaking skill in English language learning In an attempt to examine the best way to apply PBL to teach speaking skill to the second year English majored students at Hong Duc University, the study focuses on issues

(1) Students’ difficulties in learning speaking English (2) Factors motivating students in speaking lesson-using project work (3) How project work improved students’ English speaking competence? The speaking guide project was then

designed and implemented in the second semester of the school year 2011-2015 with the participation of 30 students from K15 The data was collected by a number

of instruments including questionnaire for students, teacher’s observation, and pre – test and post – test The result of the study indicates that most of the students had positive attitudes towards the application of PBL activities in speaking lessons PBL activities have big attributions in creating contexts atmosphere for students to practice speaking in English As a result, there was great improvement in their speaking performance

LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES, AND CHARTS

Figures

Figure 1: Steps in the action research cycle

Figure 2: Steps in the action research cycle in the current research

Tables

Table 1: Project topics

Table 2: Students’ result in the pre– oral test

Table 3: Students’feeling about topics of project carried out in this semester

Table 4: Students’ result in the post – oral test

Charts

Chart 1: The role of speaking skill

Chart 2: Students’ interest in speaking skill

Chart 3: Student’s unwillingness to speak English in class

Chart 4: Students’ problems in speaking skill

Chart 5: Teacher’s activities in speaking lesson

Chart 6: The factors motivating students in speaking lesson by using project work Chart 7: The improvement of students’ English speaking competence by using project work

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

HDU: Hong Duc University

PBL: Project – based learning

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES, AND CHARTS iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale of the study 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Research questions 2

4 Significance of the study 2

5 Scope of the study 3

6 Methods of the study 3

7 Design of the study 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 4

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

1 Speaking skill 4

1.1 Definitions 4

1 2 Characteristics 4

1.3 A successful speaking activity in the classroom 5

1.4 Problems with speaking activities 6

2 Group work 7

2.1 Definition of group work 8

2.2 Group size 8

2.3 Group work activities 9

3 Project – based learning (PBL) 9

3.1 Definition of PBL 9

3.2 Characteristics of PBL 11

3.3 Advantages of PBL and disadvantages of PBL 11

3.3.1 Advantages of PBL 11

3.3.2 Disadvantages of Project-based Learning 12

3.4 Rationale for implementing PBL in speaking lesson 12

3.5 A framework for PBL 14

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 17

2.1 Action research 17

2.1.1 What is action research? 17

2.1.2 Key elements of an action research 17

2.1.3 Rationale for the use of an action research 19

2.2 Context of the study 20

2.3 Participants 21

2.4 Data collection 21

2.4.1 Questionnaires 21

2.4.2 Teacher’s observation 22

2.4.3 The pre – test and post test 22

2.5 Data analysis 22

2.6 The action research procedure 23

2.6.1 Initiation 23

2.6.2 Preliminary investigation 23

2.6.3 Hypothesis 23

2.6.4 Intervention 23

2.6.5 Evaluation 27

2.6.6 Dissemination 27

2.7 Summary 28

CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 29

3.1 Findings from preliminary investigation 29

3.1.1 Students’competence and attitudes towards on speaking skill 29

3.2 Findings from evaluation 35

3.3 Further findings from the teacher’s classroom observation 39

PART C: CONCLUSION 41

1 Summary of the study 41

2 Major findings and discussion of the research 43

3 Limitations of the study 43

4 Suggestions for further studies 44

REFERENCES 45 APPENDIX I

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study

Undeniably, English is a global language crossing many international boundaries It needs to be taught for four skills (listening, speaking, writing, and reading) in the light of communicative language teaching (CLT) Among these skills, speaking is the most important skill However, there exists some weakness in the teaching and learning of the speaking skill in major courses at colleges and universities I realize that the common teaching approach applied is teacher – centered and lecture – oriented, which normally results in learner passiveness and non – involvement in English speaking activities Over the past years, as a teacher for English – major students at Hong Duc University (HDU), Faculty of Foreign Language, I found that English majored students have also faced many challenges

in learning speaking skills To meet the diverse needs of learners, the teaching English speaking skill in Vietnam as well as at HDU has been changing By applying various new approaches, methods, and techniques, English speaking skill teaching has shift from the traditional grammar translations approach to communicative approach In the view of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach, the learner is considered the center of the learning process; the teacher

serves as a facilitator, allowing students to be in charge of their own learning

Project –based learning (PBL), which has been strongly promoted in recent years, encompasses all the core features of CLT approach As Thomas J.W (2000) summarizes, research has indicated clearly the benefits of PBL: (i) gains in student achievement, (ii) gains in students’ problem – solving capabilities, (iii) gains in students’ understanding of the subject matter, and (iv) gains in understanding relating to specific skills and strategies introduced in the project However, PBL has not been popular in Vietnam Particularly, it has not been applied to the teaching of speaking English as a foreign language

The facts above explain the reasons why I conduct this study “Towards the

exploitation of project – based learning for group work activities to enhance the

English speaking skill of the third - year English majored students at Hong Duc University” which try to introduce some changes into my speaking course with the

hope to improve third - year English majors’ speaking skill

2 Aims of the study

This study is aimed at:

- finding out some problems in speaking lessons

- exploring the PBL for group work activities as an intervention in speaking lessons

to improve English majors’ speaking skill

- Exploring how PBL improve in third - year English majored students’ speaking

competence

3 Research questions

In order to achieve these aims, the study is carried out with an attempt to answer the following four questions:

1 What are the students’ problems regarding their English speaking skill?

2 To what extent PBL bring about any effectiveness in English speaking skill?

4 Significance of the study

Several studies found that PBL is challenging for teachers to enact despite its positive benefits PBL may not work well with students who do not take readily to this new approach (Felix,1999; Levy, 1997), and a great deal of guidance and intervention may be required to avoid potential problems with group dynamics, assessment and time commitment Due to above caution, the study provide an insight into the effectiveness of applying project – based learning in English

speaking skill of the third - year English majors The study will result some

improvement in theoretical understanding of PBL of the researcher, her colleagues, and her students at HDU They will make appropriate decisions on how to use PBL

effectively In addition to this, the findings of the study will help the third - year

English majors to enhance their English speaking skill by using PBL

5 Scope of the study

This study mainly focuses on improving third - year English majors’

speaking skill at Hong Duc University by exploring PBL for group work activities

It involves the participants of 30 third - year English majors who are in their second

semester at HDU The findings and recommendations most appropriately applied to

the teachers of English as well as the third - year English majors at HDU

6 Methods of the study

This study is conducted in the form of an action research The data serving the research analysis and discussion were collected by means of:

- Questionnaires for students

- Classroom observation

In addition, to make the data collected more reliable an authentic, qualitative method was applied

7 Design of the study

The study is divided into three parts

Part A - Introduction shows the rationale for the research, the aims, the research

questions, the significance , the scope, the methods and the design of the study

Part B - Development consists of three chapters

Chapter 1 - Literature review, not only deals with an overview of background to

the study, including key concepts and theories to the research topic but also discusses previous studies of the field to reveal the research gap which needs filling

Chapter 2 – Methodology introduces the participants, instrumentation, research process and plan of action

Chapter 3 – Results and discussion gives a detailed presentation of data and a

detailed description of data analysis Some explanations and interpretations of the findings of the study are also presented

Part C Conclusion presents the summary of major findings, points out the

limitations of the study and provides the suggestions for implication of project – based learning

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

1 Speaking skill

1.1 Definitions

Speaking is a natural people’s ability which was founded since they were born, and a lot of researches on it have been done to work out various definitions One of the definitions is speaking considered as “the productive skill in the oral

mode (sil.org/lingualinks/languagelearning) In addition, according to Bygate

(1997, p.3), speaking is often thought of as a popular form of expression which uses the unprestigious colloquial register” It means that students must speak so as to carry out many transactions and speaking skill is a medium of communication which languages are learnt through To speak a language, especially a foreign language, learners need to know “not only the linguistic knowledge” but also “the culturally acceptable ways of interacting with others in different situations and relationship” (Hymes, 1971) It is assumed that speaking a language requires more than the language’s knowledge itself; speakers must learn the way which native speakers use the language to speak fluently and accurately Nowadays the goal of teaching speaking is to improve learner‟s communication skill “Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving and processing information” (Brown, 1994; Burn & Joyce, 1997) Speaking needs that learners not only should know how to produce specific points of language such as grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary but also understand when, why and in what ways to produce language communicatively

It cannot be denied that speaking deserves as much attention as or even more attention than written skill In order to carry out many of the most basic transactions, it is necessary for learners to speak with confidence

1 2 Characteristics

Bygate (1987) suggests that conversation can be analyzed in terms of routines which are “conventional ways of presenting information because they are

conventional, they are predictable and help ensure clarity There are two main kinds

of routines: information routines and interaction routines

With regards to information routines, we mean frequently recurring types of information structures, including stories; descriptions of places and people; presentation of facts, comparison, and instruction Broadly speaking, information routines can be defined as “expository and evaluative” Expository routines involve factual information hinging on questions of sequencing or identity of the subject Brown and Yule (1983) suggest that the principal types of expository routines are

narration, description, and instruction Meanwhile, evaluative routines involve the drawing of conclusion, usually requiring the expression of reasoning

Concerning interaction routines, they are routines based not so much on

sequences of kinds of terms occurring in typical kinds of interactions Thus, these routines can be characterized in broad terms including the kinds of turns typically occurring in given situations and the order in which the components are likely to occur So telephone conversations, interview conversations, casual encounters, conversations at parties, conversations around a table at a dinner party, lessons, radio or television interviews, all tend to be organized in characteristic a way (Bygate, 1987)

1.3 A successful speaking activity in the classroom

Spoken language is the primary objective in language teaching Giving speaking classroom activities that develop learners‟ ability to express themselves through speech is important According to Ur (1996:120), a successful speaking activity requires four typical characteristics: learners talk a lot; participation is even; motivation is high; and language is of an acceptable level These characteristics are closely related to the theme of this study in hope that learners involve much more, more actively and enthusiastically in speaking lessons First and foremost, they need a motivation to be eager and encouraged to speak, for example, they have something new to share, want to contribute to the task achievement or just they are fond of the topic Then, when taking part in speaking practice, learners, on the one

hand, should try their best to talk as much as possible in an available period of time;

on the other hand, opportunities to raise their voices should be fairly equal to every learner Besides, learners can express themselves in relevant and comprehensible ways with acceptable accuracy

However, if students cannot communicate in reality, they will not be supposed to be successful Thus, Pattison (1992:7-8) lays great stress on four conditions to develop speaking ability as follows:

to correct mistakes or errors

1.4 Problems with speaking activities

Classroom activities that develop learners‟ ability to express themselves through speech are an important component of a language course where CLT is applied However, it is more difficult to design and administer such activities than

to do so for listening, reading or writing According to Ur (1996, p.121), teachers often come across the following problems:

* The first is “inhibition” It is explained that unlike reading, writing and listening activities, speaking requires some degree of real-time exposure to an audience Learners are often inhabited about trying to say something in a foreign language in the classroom because they are worried about making mistakes, fearful of criticism

or losing face, or simply shy of the attention that their speech attracts

* Nothing to say is the second problem Teachers often hear learners complain they can not think of anything to say They may have no motivation to express themselves beyond the guilty feeling that they should be speaking The problem is also mentioned by Lawtie (2004) and it is necessary to be tackled

* Moreover, uneven or low participation is among the teachers‟ obstacles Only one participant can talk at a time if he or she is to be heard In a large group, this means that each one has only very little time for talking This problem is compounded by the tendency of some learners to dominate the group, while the others speak very little or not at all

* Last but not least, mother-tongue use is also problematic When all, or a number

of the learners share the same mother tongue, they may tend to use it This happens because it is easier, because it is unnatural to speak to one another in a foreign language and because or because learners feel less „exposed‟ if they are speaking their mother tongue Lawtie (2003, p.2) also states that the problem would happen if the task or activity is not “pitched at the right level for the students” If the language

is pitched too high they may revert to their first language, likewise if the task is too easy they may get bored and revert to the first language, too To deal with the problems, Lawtie (2004) believes that as a teacher maybe you need to take a closer look at the type of speaking activities in order to make the activities interesting enough to capture students‟ interest and create a real need for communication In a word, overcoming these obstacles in speaking class to create successful speaking activities where learners talk a lot, participation is even and motivation is high certainly Requires a lot of teachers‟ efforts in designing and carrying out speaking activities

can create a comfortable atmosphere and the intimate community necessary for learners to take risks in speaking

2.1 Definition of group work

Rod Killen (2004) indicades that “ Group work occurs when you ask two or more

students to work together” Davis (1993) sorts out three types of group work which

are called: informal learning groups, formal learning groups, and study teams

Informal learning groups are ad hoc termporary clusterings of students within a

single class session Informal learning groups can be initiated, for example, by asking students to turn to a neighbor and spend two minutes discussing a question you have posed You can also form groups of three to five to solve a problem or pose a question You can organize informal froups any time in a class of any size to check on students’ understanding of the material, to give students an opportunity to

apply what they are learning, or to provide a change of pace Formal learning

groups are teams established to complete a specific task, such as perform a lab

experiment, write a report, carry out a project, or prepare a position paper These groups may complete their work in a single class session or over several weeks Typically, students work together until the task is finished, and their project is

graded Study teams are long – term groups (usually existing over the course of a

semester) with stable membership whose primary responsibility is to provide members with support, encouragement, assistance in completing course requirements and assigments Study teams also inform their members about lectures and assignments when someone has missed a session The larger the class ans the more complex the subject matter, the more caluable study teams can be

2.2 Group size

It seems prudent to keep groups as small as possible to promote positive interdependence, yet as large as necessary to provide sufficient diversity of opinions and backgrounds as well as resources to get the job done The size of groups formed

is directly dependent on the activity to be pursued and the length of time the group will stay together Typically, for in-lecture informal activities, group size is often

kept small (in the range of two to four students) since larger groups have insufficient time to become cohesive In contrast, a complex semester long project may require the resources of a larger group (four to six students) and there is enough time for the group to become effective

2.3 Group work activities There are some activities for group work activities:

ii) it is cross-curricular

iii) it allows learners to set their own targets as they proceed

Moss, D and Duzer, V.C (1998, p.1) defines "PBL is an instructional approach

that contextualizes learning by presenting learners with problems to solve or products to develop"

Accordingly, the essential feature of project-based approach is a tangible and visible result such as a product or a solution to a defined problem Jones, Rasmussen and Moffitt (1997, cited in Thomas, 2000) and Thomas, Mergendoller and Michaelson (1999) to provide a synthesis features of PBL on the tasks, the students' activities,

the time and the result Thomas (2000) writes, "PBL is a model that organizes

learning around projects … projects are complex tasks, based on challenging questions or problems, that involve students in design, problem-solving, decision making, or investigative activities; give students the opportunity to work autonomously over extended periods of time; and culminate in realistic products or presentations" (p.1) In Thomas' point of view, PBL is understood as a systematic

teaching method that engages students in learning knowledge and skills through an extended inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designed products and tasks It seems to be the most suitable and clearest

in the context of this study The author of this study also supports five features of PBL proposed by Thomas (2000, pp.3-4) as follows:

1 PBL projects are central, not peripheral to curriculum In other words, all

aspects of learning, such as objectives, teacher, and student activities, time allocation, materials should focus on or aim at fulfilling the project, which contributes to the accomplishment of learning outcomes stated in the curriculum

2 PBL projects are focused on questions or problems that "drive" students to

encounter the central concepts and principles of a discipline It means that the

question or problem here must include the learning objectives or concepts and

principles of a subject

3 Projects involve students in a constructive investigation This is characterized in

accumulative progress students make during the completion of the project

4 Projects are student-driven to some significant degree This emphasizes the

importance of students' participation during different stages of a project Students should have certain autonomy in doing the task

5 Projects are realistic, not school-like Projects should offer students real-life

problems or situations to deal with rather than a repetition of school drills

3.2 Characteristics of PBL

Sarah North (1990) classifies projects into four categories based on the primary sources of data

1 Community projects, in which students derive their information largely from

local community, using methods such as observation, questionnaires, interviews and letter writing

2 Case studies, in which students are provided with specific documents (real or

imaginary) relating to a particular problem which has to be solved

3 Practical projects, in which students are required to carry out practical work to

reach their objectives, for example, producing a design, building a model or real object, carrying out an experiment, or the form of equipment and material

4 Library projects, in which the main resource base is a library Typically, students

are expected to take a particular topic, read about it, and produce some kind of written work

3.3 Advantages of PBL and disadvantages of PBL

3.3.1 Advantages of PBL According to Gallacher (2004), PBL has the following

advantages:

1 Increased motivation - learners become personally involved in the project

2 All four skills are integrated

3 Autonomous learning is promoted as learners become more responsible for their own learning

4 There are learning outcomes - learners have an end product

5 Authentic tasks are given to learners

6 Interpersonal relations are developed through working as a group

7 Content and methodology can be decided between the learners and the teacher and within the group themselves so it is more learner-centered

8 Learners can get help from parents for the project work thus involving the parents more in the child's learning

9 A break from routine and the chance to do something different

10 A context is established which balances the need for fluency and accuracy Fried-Booth (1997), taking a more practical view of PBL, emphasizes that project work is a bridge between using English in class and using English in real life situations outside of class From a learner-centered perspective, Thomas et al (1999) claim that the PBL can respond effectively to the needs of learners with varying skill levels and learning styles

3.3.2 Disadvantages of Project-based Learning

Gallacher (2004) has pointed out that despite its advantages; PBL has some drawbacks, especially in a language class such as the excessive use of the first language, the different speeds of different students and the control on actual learning with lazy students when they have much freedom in doing project

According to Thomas (2000), there are three kinds of challenges involving students, teachers and school factors However, the author only focus on the students' problems as it is the centre of discussion in this study The first challenge encountered by learners is the students' failure to work in a team The second is the students' lack of skills to conduct a scientific study such as generating meaningful scientific questions, managing complexity and time, transforming data, and developing a logical argument to support claims

In conclusion, students will face many challenges in doing a project However, being aware of these challenges will help them minimize the intervention

of these challenges to the success of a project

3.4 Rationale for implementing PBL in speaking lesson

Since the mid-seventies, as speaking class has espoused principles of centered teaching, learner autonomy, the negotiated syllabus, collaborative learning,

learner-and task-based learning, English language educators have explored learner-and exploited the tradition of project work and it is now part of the curriculum in many contexts Numerous advantages of using project work in the English language classroom are well-documented in literature Fried-Booth (1997) feels that project work within speaking lesson has gained currency in recent years as a way of encouraging

students to use “real life” language in authentic situations Zakari K in his article

“Incorporating project work into the classroom” points out some advantages of using project work in an speaking classroom as follows:

Fried-Booth in her “Project work” also describes in details the “layer

approach” to show that “project work can provide a useful way of integrating the four skills” (Fried-Booth, 1986, p.8) She explains that however long or short the

project may be, it will pass through certain stages of development, each of which involves some or even the combination of all language skills The initial stages of the project, for example, may provide learners with an opportunity to develop speaking and listening skills rather than reading and writing However, once the project is under way, the learners will use all four skills simultaneously She also

points out that project work helps to “bridge the gap between language study and

language use” (p.7) Therefore, it can be a valuable means of extending the

communicative skills acquired in the classroom Beckett G H and Slater T in their article “The Project Framework: a tool for language, content, and skills integration”

believe that “project-based instruction is a valuable way to promote the

simultaneous acquisition of language, content, and skills” (ELT Journal Vol 59/2

April 2005: 108) They even introduce a methodological tool called “the Project

Framework” which is influenced by Mohan‟s Knowledge Framework (Mohan: 1986) with the purpose of showing students the language, content and skill development occurring through project work

In the previous parts of the thesis, it has been pointed out that an ESP course requires a methodology that allows the combination of language, subject matter, and communicative skills necessary for the learners‟ specialist field Obviously, taking a constructivist point of view, project work should be incorporated into the English class in general and speaking class in particular However, teachers should

bear in mind that project work is not a “replacement for other teaching methods” but rather “an approach to learning which complements mainstream methods and

which can be used with almost all levels, ages and abilities of students” (Haines,

1989, p.47)

3.5 A framework for PBL

Project work is multi-staged and the division of stages may vary from researcher to researcher Stoller (2002) divides the process of project work

development into five stages: Selection of topic and idea generation, organisation

of ideas and identification of areas of enquiry; research and information gathering; compilation and analysis of information; publication, presentation and evaluation

of project Hedge (1998) gives very clear guidance on how to carry out a practical

project which include six stages: orientation; preparation and planning;

implementation; collation; presentation; and reflection Within the context of

English language teaching, I take Diana Curtis‟ view which divides the project into three phases: orientation and planning; research and implementation; sharing

results

Phase 1: Orientation and planning

According to Curtis (2001), this phase involves initial discussion of a topic in certain groups All students are involved by brainstorming, sharing ideas related to the topic, making the final decision During this phase, new issues and topics that are appropriate for language learning may arouse (Moss & Van Duzer, 1998) and it

is these ideas that help them to study the language better Gallacher (n.d) proposes some guidelines that teachers can use to help their students work out their plan:

Phase 2: Research and implementation

After making the final decision on the project topic and working out a plan for the project, students move on to the next phase This phase involves mostly such activities as research, fieldwork, sessions with experts and various aspects of gathering information, reading, writing, drawing, and computing (Curtis, 2001) This is an important stage for language learning and skill development as various skills will be needed for the completion of the project Although students work mostly on their own or in their group, the teacher must be aware of and perform their role as an instructor, a consultant, a facilitator, and even a group member He/She must decide on when, where and how much he/she should support the students This support, in Moss and Van Duzer‟ s view, may take the form of language structures and skills, problem-solving strategies, and methods for developing plans (Moss and Van Duzer, 1998)

Phase 3: Sharing results

This is the final phase occurring when students have accomplished their project and

it can be in the form of group presentation or disseminating the results in the larger community (Moss and Van Duzer, 1998) Hedge (1998) uses other terms,

presentation and reflection, and makes a clear distinction between these two ways

of sharing results Students will „listen‟ to others presenting in the former and

„read‟ other writing in the latter However, these authors and some others such as Curtis (2001), Gallacher (n.d) share a belief that the most common way of sharing results is the presentation of the project to an audience This is the last but not least

important stage as students, by giving their own presentation, can improve their presentation skills and, by attending other groups‟ presentation, can learn a lot from others The teacher, again, plays an important role as it is he who will make a summary and comment on the presentation By doing so, he will help enhance students‟ process of language learning and knowledge widening What‟s more, an evaluation will be made by the teacher after the presentation of the project and this

is one of the main sources of motivation for students

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

This chapter first provides information about the context of the study This is followed by participants, then the presentation of research methods including the instruments used for the study and the methods of data analysis

2.1 Action research

2.1.1 What is action research?

In the literaturem action reasearch had been defined in many ways Corey (1953) defines action research as “a way in which teachers try to study their own problems scientifically, in an effort to evaluate, guide and correct their procedures” Looking at the effectiveness of action research, Tsui (1993) states that: “Action research is a very effective way of helping teachers to reflect on their teaching and

to come up with their own alternatives to improve their practice” (Tsui, 1993, p.33)

Grebhard and Oprandy (1999) define action research at two levels, the inside classroom level and the outside classroom level: “ At one level, action research is about teachers identifying and posing problems, as well as addressing issues and concerns related to the problem It is about working toward understanding and possibly resolving these problems by setting goals and creating and initiating a plan

of action, as well as reflecting on the degree to which the plan work At another level, it can be about addressing aductional practices that go beyond each teacher’s classroom (p.12)

2.1.2 Key elements of an action research

Action research should be used not only by the researcher but also by students The more students were familiar with action research, the more they could further develop into autonomous learners Nunan (1992, p.19), Nunan (1993, pp.41 - 42) and Curtis & Nunan (2001, p.137) described the process of action research as a series of steps

Figure 1: Steps in the action research cycle

Step 1: Problem identification The researcher identified the problems that had

occurred in the classroom from previous experience

Step 2: Preliminary Investigation The researcher further investigated students’

feelings towards their problems and consulted other classes about their problems

Step 3: Hypothesis The researcher formed the hypothesis that most students had

low motivation in speaking skill because they had developed negative attitudes towards speaking skill learning in previous classes and teacher’s normal teaching method

Step 4: Intervention After observing the class and forming the hypothesis, the

researcher planned the lessons and identified techniques which may solve the problem defined by the hypothesis

Step 5: Evaluation In this step, the researcher’s observer colleagues and her

worked through the stages of: act, observe, reflect and revise to evaluate the outcomes in terms of activities, materials, classroom atmosphere and teacher’s role

Step 6: Dissemination Reporting the results was the focus of this step

Step 7: Follow – up The researcher investigates the alternative methods of

motivating students

Although there are seven steps in an action research cycle, because of the

limited time of study, the researcher conducted her research within 6 steps: Problem

Identification, Preliminary Investigation, Hypothesis, Intervention, Evaluation and Dissemination

Step 1: Problem identification

Step 2: Preliminary investigation

Step 3: Hypothesis

Step 4: Intervention

Step 5: Evaluation

Step 6: Dissemination

Figure 2: Steps in the action research cycle in the current research

2.1.3 Rationale for the use of an action research

As defined by Milss (2003:4), an action research is “any systematic inquiry conducted by teacher researchers to gather information about the ways that their particular school operates how they teach, and how well their students learn The information is gathered with the goals of gaining insight, developing reflective pratice, effecting positive changes in the school environment and on educational practice in generals, and improving student outcomes” Kemmis and Mc Taggart (1998) identify three characteristics of an action research, which are: “carried out by practitioners”, “collaborative” and “aimed at changing things

Action research in schools, colleges or universities solves everyday practical problems experienced by teachers, rather than the “theoretical problems” defined by non – teaching researcher It should be carried out the teachers themselves or by someone they commission to carry out for them

If the teacher was trained to conduct action research, he could sovle his problems on his own or in collaboration with other teachers Tsui (1993) gave three reasons why a teacher needed action research:

- To solve own problems in a scientific process and improve own practice

- To adapt theory (findings of conventional research) to practice (own problems)

- Share the results of action research with other teachers

Moreover, action research was also for teachers’ professional developments

He would become a better teacher because he knew how to find out and solve his problems in teaching scientifically on his own This also showed his dynamic, actveness and imagination is his teaching

As stated in Chapter 1, the purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which the application of PBL approach to teaching speaking skill helps to enhance students’ competence communication The research conducted by me as a classroom teacher with my own students, and in my own classrooms The results of the study would be helpful to my own teaching and professional development Therefore, an action research approach is appropriate to the purpose and the nature

of the study

2.2 Context of the study

The study was conducted at Hong Duc University in Thanh Hoa province This is a multi – discipline university in which English is one of the majors Students at Foreign Language Department are trained to become teachers of English for secondary schools in Thanh Hoa Teachers of English course K15, to which the

study is targeted, is in its third - year in the academic year 2011- 2015

In the second semester, speaking is designed as a separate subject which delivered within 15 weeks with 4 periods a week The course book being used is

“Let’s talk 2” by Leo Jones, Cambridge University Press 2002

My observation at the first and second week of the semester showed that students faced many problems in their speaking skill I tried to solve these challenges However, students seemed so solidly stuck to their speaking skill Therefore, I decided to provide them with proper training using PBL for group work activities that are vivid enough to change and enhance their competence communication

2.3 Participants

The researcher is a teacher of Foreign Department at Hong Duc University The students participating in the research were 30 third year English majors from K15 – teacher training course, academic year 2011 – 2015 of Foreign Language Department at Hong Duc University They consist of 28 girls and 2 boys, who are between 18- 20 years old of age They come from different districts in Thanh Hoa and have learned English for 7 years or more They must get at least mark 5 for English in order to pass the entrance exam Therefore, it can be assumed that these students are quite homogeneous in their level of English proficiency

2.4 Data collection

The results of the study were based on data collected through questionnaires, teacher’s observation, pre – test and post test The stage of data collection happened during the second semester of the school year

2.4.1 Questionnaires

This research adopts an action research Questionnaire was employed during the process of data collection Specifically, questionnaires were distributed to 30 third year English majors from K15 – teacher training course, academic year 2011 –

2015 of Foreign Language Department at Hong Duc University It contained 8 questions in 2 parts in order to find out students’ attitude towards speaking skills and PBL applied in speaking lessons after 8 weeks of implement, the factors of PBL affects students’ interest in speaking English To make sure that the students understood clearly the questions, the questionnaire was translated into Vietnamese

2.4.2 Teacher’s observation

Along with questionnaires, classroom observation was also done to collect data for the study The observation covered the classroom procedure as well as the students’ behavior and performance in the speaking lessons During the research period, the research acted as a non – participant observer and her observation was noted down in the teaching journals after each lesson

2.4.3 The pre – test and post test

- The pre- test was conducted to check students’ speaking level in the previous oral test

- The post –test was conducted to check students’ speaking level after applying PBL in speaking skill lesson through group work activities Then I compare the results of pre – test with the results of post – test in order to know how effective the use of PBL in speaking skill lesson was The post – test was carried out at the end

of the second semester of the school year

- I invited one of my colleagues who named Lê Thị Hương C as an outside researcher She took part in pre – test and post – test with me in oral exam to check students’ speaking level

2.5 Data analysis

Data collected from questionnaires, observation were synthesized and applied Microsoft Excel, Descriptive Statistics, including, means, and percentages, and SPSS for calculating figures including the students contributions in group work

activities, effects of PBL on their speaking skill, techniques applied by the researcher to enhance students’ speaking level Recorded tapings and videos were analyzed in combination with data from questionnaire so as to have analysis in more depth correctness

2.6 The action research procedure

2.6.1 Initiation (week 1,2)

As a teacher of English at HDU, from my own experience and doing several observations of the first two speaking lessons in the last module at class K15, the writer realized some problems encounter with her students in speaking lessons I recognized my students were reluctant to speak English in the classroom They did not seem interested or motivated in speaking lessons Most of them kept silent and just talked if they were asked by the teacher; they did not want to participate in speaking activities or their participations in the speaking activities were not frequent Few of them seemed more active

2.6.2 Preliminary investigation (week 3, 4)

To confirm the problems, I gave the pre- questionaire to thirty students in my class The questionnaire was conducted to find out what caused the silience in the speaking lessons It focused on the importance of speaking skills and what prevented them from joining speaking activities

2.6.3 Hypothesis

The analysis and discussion of the initial data led to the following hypothesis:

The using PBL for group work activities in speaking lesson will be able to enhance the English speaking skill of the third - year English majored students at Hong Duc University

2.6.4 Intervention (the implementation of PBL in form of group work in speaking lessons) (week 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12)

More than ¾ of the time of the current syllabus was taught with the PBL approach to develop the English speaking communication ability and improve their

attitude to speaking skill of third - year English major students After having