English-language gifted students' attitudes towards project-based approach to learning writing Nguyễn Thị Thu Huyền Trường Đại học Ngoại Ngữ Luận văn ThS. Chuyên ngành: English Linguistics; Mã số: 60 22 15 Người hướng dẫn: M.A. Lê Văn Canh Năm bảo vệ: 2010 Keywords: Tiếng Anh; Phương pháp dự án; Kĩ năng viết; Học sinh Content: PART ONE: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale Three educational approaches that are considered to be the dominant approaches to teaching of the 21st century are (i) constructivist approaches; (ii) problem-solving approaches; and (iii) collaborative learning approaches. All these have a feature strongly in common: a move away from the static transmission models for skill and knowledge acquisition that are based on traditional cognitive learning approaches which emphasize learning as an incremental mathematically-facilitated process (Hannafin, 1997). The new approaches, which draw upon situated learning and social cognition theories (Hannafin, 1997), emphasize dynamic, situated learning environments in which knowledge and the conditions under which it is constructed are inextricably linked. It is interesting to note that these new learning approaches have three characteristics in common with the origination of communicative approaches to language teaching (Widdowson, 1978) - namely, that tasks have to be contextualized, authentic and meaningful to the students. Project-based learning, which has been strongly promoted in recent years, encompasses all the core features of the three approaches mentioned above. However, this approach to learning has not been popular in Vietnam. Particularly, it has not been applied to the teaching of writing English as a foreign language. This study is an attempt to explore the application of the project-based approach to teaching Vietnamese high school students how to write English for academic purposes, and more importantly, the students' attitudes towards this new teaching approach to writing. 2. Aims of the study The study is aimed to find out students' strategies in project-based writing and their attitudes towards this approach to writing. In order to achieve the aims mentioned above, the study seeks to answer the following two questions: 1. What strategies do the students use in their project-based writing? 2. What are their attitudes towards project-based approach to learning writing skills in English? 3. Scope of the study The study limits itself to the investigation of the strategies the high school students used in carrying out writing projects as well as their attitudes to a project- based approach to writing. The number of participants of the study is quite small and these participants are those who had been selected for intensive training before six of them were selected for the national English language contest held by the Ministry of Education and Training annually. Therefore, no generalization is intended in this study. 4. Methods of the study The study is a descriptive one, and it is an action research in nature. That is to say to purpose of the study is to improve the researcher’s own classroom practice. The only instrument used in the study is the questionnaire developed by the researcher herself. Then data were analyzed statistically. The intervention described in the study was made with an intact group of students. Since the purpose of the study was to investigate the students’ strategies and their attitudes related to project-based writing, no pretest and post test was used. 5. Significance of the study Some researchers have cautioned that project-based learning 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. Given this caution, the study is a contribution to an understanding of the applicability of the project-based approach to the teaching of English in general and the teaching of writing for academic purposes in particular in the context of a Vietnamese high school. Specifically, the findings of the study will help the researcher and perhaps her colleagues to make appropriate decisions on how to use project-based writing in her teaching to improve the students’ writing proficiency. 6. Structure of the thesis The thesis is composed of three parts. Part I is the introduction in which the rationale, the aims, the scope, the methods, the significance and the structure of study are presented. Part II consists of two chapters. Chapter I is the literature review. In this chapter, the literature on project-based learning as well as on writing English as a second or foreign language is reviewed. Chapter II presents the study in which information about the context of the study, the participants, the research procedures and the results is provided. Part III is the conclusion which summarizes the major findings of the study. Also in this part, the implications for classroom practice, the limitations of the study and suggestions for further studies are presented. REFERENCES 1. Britton, T. et al. (1975) The development of writing abilities. London: Mc Millan Education Ltd. 2. Byrne, D. (1991). Teaching writing skill - Longman handbooks for language teachers. Longman: London. 3. Candlin, C.N. & Hyland, K. (1999). 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Teaching Language as Communication. Oxford: OUP. 33. William, J.D. (1998). Preparing to teaching writing: Research, theory and practice (2nd ed.) Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Association. 34. Wrigley, H.S. (1998). Knowledge in action: The promise of project-based learning. Focus on Basics, 2 (D), 13-18. . attitudes towards this new teaching approach to writing. 2. Aims of the study The study is aimed to find out students' strategies in project-based writing and their attitudes towards this approach. English-language gifted students' attitudes towards project-based approach to learning writing Nguyễn Thị Thu Huyền Trường Đại học. project-based writing? 2. What are their attitudes towards project-based approach to learning writing skills in English? 3. Scope of the study The study limits itself to the investigation of the strategies