Developing students’ learning autonomy through project work at a secondary school in hanoi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* NGUYỄN HỒNG NHUNG DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ LEARNING AUTONOMY THROUGH PROJECT WORK AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HANOI (Phát triển tính tự chủ học tập học sinh thông qua làm việc dự án trường cấp hai Hà Nội) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology (applied programme) Code: 8140231.01 HANOI - 2019 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* NGUYỄN HỒNG NHUNG DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ LEARNING AUTONOMY THROUGH PROJECT WORK AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HANOI (Phát triển tính tự chủ học tập học sinh thông qua làm việc dự án trường cấp hai Hà Nội) Field: English Teaching Methodology (applied programme) Code: 8140231.01 Supervisor: Dr Huỳnh Anh Tuấn HANOI – 2019 DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY I, Nguyễn Hồng Nhung, declare that this thesis and the work presented it are my own and have been generated by me as the result of my own original research It has not been submitted to any other university or institution wholly or partially Hanoi, July 2019 Nguyễn Hồng Nhung i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor Dr Huynh Anh Tuan, who gave me a lot of valuable guidance, encouragements, criticisms and correction throughout my thesis writing He consistently allowed this paper to be my own work, but steered me in the right direction whenever he thought I needed it I would also like to thank fifty grade six students at a secondary school in Hanoi Without their passionate participation and input, the research could not have been successfully conducted Last but not least, my sincere thanks go to my family, my colleagues and my friends for their support and encouragement that help me to complete my work ii ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to address two issues: investigating the influence of project work on students‟ learning autonomy and exploring students‟ evaluations of the using project work in developing their learning autonomy The instruments employed for data collection and analysis of the study included two questionnaires, an interview with ten students, students‟ diaries, and observation The findings showed that project work was beneficial to help students to improve their learning autonomy It also revealed that students highly recommended doing projects to enhance learning autonomy though they faced up with some difficulties in doing the projects Based on the findings, some implications would be suggested for both the teacher and the students With all this information, this study is expected to be significant to both teachers and students in teaching and learning process iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES vii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Statement of the problem and rationale for the study 1.2 Aims, objectives, and research questions of the study 1.3 Significance of the study 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Methods of the study 1.6 Organization of the thesis .4 1.7 Summary CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Learning autonomy .5 2.1.1 Definition 2.1.2 Types of autonomy 2.1.3 Characteristics of autonomous learners 2.1.4 Roles of learning autonomy 12 2.2 Project work 13 2.2.1 Definition .14 2.2.2 Types of project work 15 2.2.3 Features of project work 17 2.2.4 Stages of project work .18 2.2.5 Roles of project work 23 2.2.6 Roles of project work in developing students’ learning autonomy 24 iv 2.3 Related studies in promoting students‟ learning autonomy through project work 27 2.4 Summary 29 CHAPTER RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 31 3.1 Research approach: Action research 31 3.2 Research questions .33 3.3 Participants 33 3.4 English textbook, English syllabus and the projects used in the study 34 3.5 Procedure of the study 37 3.6 Instruments for data collection 41 3.6.1 Questionnaire 41 3.6.2 Semi-structured interview .42 3.6.3 Students’ diaries 43 3.6.4 Observation .43 3.7 Data collection procedure 45 3.7.1 Questionnaires 45 3.7.2 Semi-structured interview .45 3.7.3 Students’ diaries 46 3.7.4 Observation .46 3.8 Data analysis procedure 47 3.8.1 Data from the questionnaires 47 3.8.2 Data from the semi-structured interview 48 3.8.3 Data from the students’ diaries .49 3.8.4 Data from the observation 50 3.9 Summary 52 CHAPTER FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 53 4.1 The extent to which the students‟ learning autonomy can be enhanced through project work 53 4.1.1 Findings from the questionnaires 53 4.1.2 Findings from the interview 58 v 4.1.3 Findings from students’ diaries 60 4.2 The students‟ evaluations of the projects assigned to them to develop their learning autonomy 61 4.2.1 Findings from interview 61 4.2.2 Findings from observation 63 4.3 Discussion 64 4.4 Summary 66 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 68 5.1 Major findings of the study 68 5.2 Implication 69 5.3 Contribution of the study 70 5.4 Limitations of the study 71 5.5 Suggestions for further studies 71 5.6 Summary 72 REFERENCES 73 APPENDICES I APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR ENGLISH LEARNING PROCESS I APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PROJECT WORK V APPENDIX DATA FROM QUESTIONNAIRES V APPENDIX SAMPLE OF A PROJECT PLAN VIII APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS XI APPENDIX INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS XII APPENDIX T-TABLE XXVI APPENDIX SAMPLE OF TEACHER‟S FIELD NOTE FROM OBSERVATION XXVIII APPENDIX SAMPLES OF STUDENT‟S DIARY XXIX vi LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: The project used in the study 35 Table 3.2: Procedure of the study 38 Table 3.3: Overview of the questionnaires 42 Table 4.1: Statistical test result in determining objectives 54 Table 4.2: Statistical test result in choosing contents 55 Table 4.3.: Statistical test result in selecting methods and techniques to be used 56 Table 4.4: Statistical test result in monitoring acquisition procedure 56 Table 4.5: Statistical test result in evaluating what has been acquired 57 Table 4.6: Students‟ activities in the project work 60 Table 4.7: Students‟ attitudes and behavior when doing the projects 63 Table 5.1: Problems and solutions in doing project work 69 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1: Action research cycle 32 Figure 3.2: One tailed test distribution 48 Figure 3.3: Data analytical framework 51 Figure 4.1: Mean scores of students‟ learning autonomy in 54 Figure 4.2: The extent of the changes of students‟ learning autonomy 58 after doing the projects 58 vii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION In this chapter, the background to the problem and the reasons for choosing the topic are mentioned As a result, the necessity of delivering the research as well as the importance of the application of project work in teaching and learning process is revealed The aims and the significances of the study are also stated The final section will present the scope, methods and organization of the study 1.1 Statement of the problem and rationale for the study Being a part of Eastern culture with the great influence of Confucianism, the Vietnamese traditional pedagogy emphasizes on absorbing and memorizing rather than experimenting and producing knowledge (Dang, 2012: 6) In other words, the students‟ ability in applying knowledge learnt at school to real life situations is not the main aim of schooling In traditional classrooms, teachers are the class authorities, and students who are known as passive learners are expected to obey their teachers Standardized examinations are an important feature of the education system that shapes classroom interactions Several standardized examinations are run by the Department of Education and Training in each local area every semester Therefore, classroom teaching and learning activities are often regulated by these examinations Teachers are normally required to follow certain classroom procedures and students are expected to learn from textbooks and their teachers As a result, negotiations and collaborations between teachers and students or among students are rarely seen (Pham, 2010: 51) Consequently, there is no opportunities for learners to be more independent in the learning process Referring to the issue above, students‟ learning autonomy, which is defined as the responsibility for all the decisions concerned with a student‟s learning and the implementation of those decisions (Dickinson, 1987: 11), is considered an important aspect of successful learners in globalized world, has been a new terminology to Vietnamese learners ... classroom interactions Several standardized examinations are run by the Department of Education and Training in each local area every semester Therefore, classroom teaching and learning activities are... indicates learning autonomy is where learners work on learning tasks and activities and largely independent of the teacher who acts as a manager of the learning program and resource person In addition,... acquisition procedure and to evaluate what has been acquired Similarly, Bergen (1990: 102) states that learning autonomy is characterized by a readiness to take charge of one‟s own learning in