Developing learner autonomy through action projects

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* NGUYỄN THỊ PHƢƠNG ANH DEVELOPING LEARNER AUTONOMY THROUGH ACTION PROJECTS (Phát triển tính tự học học sinh thông qua dự án thực tiễn) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 HANOI - 2019 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* NGUYỄN THỊ PHƢƠNG ANH DEVELOPING LEARNER AUTONOMY THROUGH ACTION PROJECTS (Phát triển tính tự học học sinh thông qua dự án thực tiễn) Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01 Supervisor : Dr Huỳnh Anh Tuấn HANOI – 2019 DECLARATION I, Nguyễn Thị Phương Anh, declare that this thesis and the work presented it are my own and has 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, August 2019 Nguyễn Thị Phƣơng Anh i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor Dr Huynh Anh Tuan Vietnam National University, Hanoi – University of Languages and International Studies who gave me a lot of valuable guidance, encouragements, criticisms and correction throughout my thesis writing The door of Dr Huynh Anh Tuan‘s office was always open whenever I ran into a trouble spot or had a question about my research or 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 twenty-five 7th grade students at secondary school in Ha Noi Without their passionate participation and input, the validation survey could not have been successfully conducted My sincere thanks go to my family, my colleagues and my friends for their encouragement and support that help me to complete my work ii ABSTRACT Project-based learning is one of the approaches which is assumed to promote learner autonomy Since its implementation has not been effective, this study is aimed at investigating the current issues of how Project-based learning promotes learner autonomy in an EFL classroom Employing descriptive qualitative research design 25 participants who were grade of a secondary school in Hanoi The data collected through questionnaires and observation were chosen as the information of the study The results of data analysis led to the conclusion that project-based learning has promoted learner autonomy, which covers the criteria of self-instruction, self-direction, self-access learning and individualized instruction in each stage of project-based activity, namely the planning process, the implementation process and the monitoring process There are also some important findings Firstly, there is a linear relationship between learners‘ achievement and learner autonomy through popular and effective projects Secondly, the result showed students‘ attitudes toward action projects But if the teachers select suitable projects, learner autonomy is gradually improved It is worth noting that no one becomes one hundred percent autonomous Among the stages of the Project-based activity, the learners gain the highest degree of learner autonomy in the implementation process There are still constraints in enhancing learner autonomy Due to the constraints, this study recommends that promoting learner autonomy needs support in some specific areas, especially the professional treatment of the teachers and institutions iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims and objectives of the research 1.3 Research method 1.3.1 Research questions 1.3.2 Methods of the study 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Significance of the research 1.6 Structure of the thesis CHAPTER - LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Autonomy 2.2 Learner autonomy 2.3 Project-based learning 10 2.3.1 Definitions 10 2.3.2 The project as a process 12 2.4 Promoting learner autonomy by Project-based learning 13 2.5 Studies related to learner autonomy and project-based learning 13 2.6 Summary 14 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 16 3.1 Research Approach 16 3.2 Research design 17 3.3 Procedures of the study 18 3.4 Data collection instruments 26 iv 3.4.1 Questionnaire 26 3.4.2 Teacher Observation 27 3.5 Data analysis 27 3.6 Summary 28 CHAPTER - FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 29 4.1 The extent to which the action project improves the students‘ autonomy 29 4.1.1 Students’ autonomy before project work 29 4.1.2 Students’ autonomy after project work 32 4.2 The students‘ attitudes towards the projects carried out regarding the development of the learner autonomy 40 4.3 Summary 43 CHAPTER – CONCLUSION 44 5.1 Recapitulation 44 5.2 Implication 46 5.3 Limitation of the research 49 5.4 Suggestion for further studies 49 REFERENCES 50 APPENDICES I APPENDIX TEACHER’S OBSERVATION JOURNALS I APPENDIX 2: PRE-PROJECT SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE III PRE-PROJECT QUESTIONNAIRE (VIETNAMESE) VI APPENDIX 3: POST-PROJECT SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE IX POST-PROJECT SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (VIETNAMESE) XII RESPONSE TO PRE-PROJECT SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE XVI RESPONSE TO POST- PROJECT SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE XIX v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL : English as a Foreign Language LA : Learner autonomy PBL : Project-based Learning vi CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale Nobody can deny that English is not only an international language, but it is also seen as a vital tool for any global citizen In Vietnam, English is considered a foreign language (EFL) and all learners, parents, teachers, educators, leaders as well as politicians are interested in how learners are able to learn English independently and effectively In Vietnam, learner autonomy has been studied in many studies on the global scale over the last decades, but the application of this approach to teaching English as a foreign language in Vietnam is still not popular Nowadays, how to help students learn effectively is one the most important interests of learners, parents as well as teachers; especially in English foreign language environment as in Vietnam However, the most important factor is learners autonomy (LA) If a learner can raise his awareness about finding the best ways to learn English himself, what he can gain is much better than the ways he learns as guided There are four main advantages to becoming an autonomous learner Firstly, learners may not always have the support of their teacher, and they therefore need to be able to learn by themselves Secondly, autonomous learners are likely to be more efficient in their learning, because the learning is more personal and focused Thirdly, the skills required in autonomous learning are ones which is needed in future working Finally, since autonomous learners are more proactive in their learning, they will usually succeed even though they may not always feel positive towards their learning or may sometimes lack motivation Developing learner autonomy involves learning how to learn, and is a gradual and sometimes difficult process In order to become autonomous, learners need to be exposed to a range of useful learning activities, and have the opportunity to evaluate and reflect on these This will be achieved by a combination of efforts by the teacher, peers and the student Assessment of learning, by all three groups, will also be important Working with others in this way can be difficult for some students, who may not be used to viewing learning as a social activity, and the autonomous learner therefore needs to develop social skills such as empathy, tolerance and understanding of difference, as well as the ability to explain, discuss and negotiate with the teacher and other learners In short, developing learner autonomy means developing a wide range of academic, intellectual, personal and interpersonal skills, requiring engagement with cognitive, metacognitive, effective and social dimensions In Viet Nam many students seemed to follow the methods applied from primary schools to secondary schools Some students had to heavier and more difficult homework than their real levels because some parents expect their children to learn excellently in any subjects and any areas However, they mostly depended on teachers at schools and tutors at home Nowadays, things are changing, students are encouraged to learn autonomously inside and outside classes However, to evaluate the effective learning through autonomous learning, it needs to carry out a study in a concrete object This study planned to carry out with one class in grade at a secondary school in Ha Noi Students are controlled by teachers and parents through fixed syllabus and curriculum applied all over the country These seemed to lead them to the situation that they cannot sometimes anything without teacher‘s instruction that makes them change their learning style during Secondary school Holec (1981) confirms that some learners still largely see the teacher as an authority figure in the classroom to take most of the responsibilities and make most of the decisions about their learning in the classroom context This might be considered as the reason why some students cannot show autonomous behaviors positively and independently in the classroom là: thu âm lại giọng mình; luyện nói với người Tiếng Anh Tôi nên dành thời gian thư viện để học hỏi, tìm tịi mở mang vốn Tiếng Anh Tơi nên ghi lại lợi bất lợi việc học Tiếng Anh để tận dụng cải thiện chúng ngày tốt Ngoài nội dung học, nên đọc thêm tài liệu nâng cao Khi tơi thấy tiến bộ, tơi nên thưởng cho thân là: mua đồ vật mới, tổ chức bữa tiệc, vv Tôi nên sử dụng mạng xã hội máy tính để học cải thiện 10 Tơi phải có trách nhiệm cho việc tìm cách học ngơn ngữ phù hợp với thân 11 Tơi nên sử dụng tài liệu tự học để học Tiếng Anh 12 Tôi phải đánh giá thân để học Tiếng Anh tốt 13 Tơi nên có trách nhiệm cho việc học 14 Tôi nên đánh giá tiến 15 Tơi nên xếp thời gian học Tiếng Anh 16 Tơi nên tìm cách tốt để học Tiếng Anh 17 Tôi nên trao đổi ý tưởng với bạn bè giáo viên việc học Tiếng Anh mang lại hiệu 18 Tơi (chứ khơng phải giáo viên) nên có trách nhiệm việc nhận định xem học 19 Rất nhiều việc học thực mà khơng có giáo viên VII 20 Giáo viên phải có trách nhiệm giúp cho học sinh hiểu ngôn ngữ 21 Giáo viên nên sai sót cho học sinh 22 Giáo viên khơng phải dạy kiến thức Tiếng Anh đơn mà phải hướng dẫn học sinh cách học Tiếng Anh cho hiệu 23 Giáo viên nên để học sinh tự tìm lỗi sai 24 Giáo viên nên khuyến khích học sinh tham gia vào hoạt động nhóm để chúng hướng tới mục tiêu chung 25 Giáo viên người dẫn dắt, điều hành lớp học 26 Kiến thức thứ truyền tải giáo viên người học phát người học Cảm ơn em hợp tác! Xin vui lòng cung cấp số thông tin cá nhân bạn? Họ tên: ………………………………………………………………… VIII APPENDIX 3: POST-PROJECT SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE My name is Nguyen Thi Phuong Anh from QH 2017.D1-K26 at Post-graduate studies, ULIS, VNU At present, I‘m conducting my M.A thesis entitled ―Improving learner autonomy through action projects‖ This survey questionnaire is designed to collect data for the study which aims at finding out the students‘ autonomy and their attitude after doing projects Your responses to the questionnaire will be of great value to the thesis and kept confidentially Thank you! QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS Direction: Please check the one closest answer to the following questions according to your true cases Thank you very much for your help and patience 1= strongly agree 2= Agree 3= Unsure 4= Disagree 5= strongly disagree Section Content 1 I should make decisions and set goals of my learning I should make good use of my free time in studying English I should make notes and summaries of my lessons I I should practice English outside the class such as: record my own voice; speak to other people in English I should use library to improve my English I should note my strengths and weaknesses in learning English and improve them IX Besides the contents of the course, I should read extra materials in advance When I make progress in learning, I should reward myself such as: buy new things, celebrate parties etc I should use the internet and computers to study and improve English 10 I have to be responsible for finding my own ways od language learning 11 I should use self-study materials to learn English 12 I have to evaluate myself to learn better 13 I should be responsible for my own learning 14 I should assess my own progress 15 I should plan my time while learning English 16 I should look for better ways to learn English 17 I should exchange ideas with my friends and/or teachers on how to learn English 18 I (rather than the teacher) should be responsible for evaluating how much I have learnt 19 A lot of learning can be done without a teacher 20 Teachers have to be responsible for making students understand language 21 Teachers should point out students‘ errors 22 Teachers not only have to teach ―what‖ English is but should also teach ―how‖ to learn English 23 Teacher should let students find their own mistakes 24 Teacher should engage students in group work activities in which they work towards common goals X 25 The teacher is an authority figure in the classroom 26 Knowledge is something to be ―transmitted‖ by teachers rather than ―discovered‖ by learners themselves Section What you think about action projects? Increasing motivation for using English Creating an environment for authentic communication in English Helping students to self regulate learning Developing students‘ independence Raising awareness of self-study Providing a better way of learning English Developing responsibility for working in groups A waste of time Studying better without doing projects 10 Taking much of students‘ time - The end Thank you very much for your collaboration! Would you please provide your personal information? Full name: ……………………………… XI POST-PROJECT SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (VIETNAMESE) BẢN KHẢO SÁT Tên Nguyễn Thị Phương Anh, học viên cao học lớp QH 2017.D1-K26 Khoa Sau đại học, trường Đại học Ngoại Ngữ, ĐHQGHN Hiện tại, tiến hành nghiên cứu với đề tài ―Tăng cường tính tự học học sinh cấp thông qua dự án thực tiễn‖ Nghiên cứu thực với mục đích tìm hiểu khả tự học học sinh thái độ em sau áp dụng phương pháp dạy học dự án Sự hợp tác em với câu trả lời chân thực đóng vai trị quan trọng tới thành cơng nghiên cứu Những thông tin em cung cấp giữ kín dùng cho mục đích nghiên cứu Cảm ơn giúp đỡ em! BẢN KHẢO SÁT Hãy chọn đáp án gần với thân em Tơi xin cảm ơn đóng góp ý kiến bạn 1= Hoàn toàn đồng ý 2= Đồng ý 3= Không chắn 4= Không đồng ý 5= Hồn tồn khơng đồng ý Section Nội dung 1 Tôi nên tự đưa định đặt mục tiêu học tập Tôi nên tận dụng thời gian rảnh rỗi để học Tiếng Anh Tơi nên ghi mà tóm tắt lại học XII Ngồi việc học lớp, tơi nên luyện tập Tiếng Anh thêm là: thu âm lại giọng mình; luyện nói với người Tiếng Anh Tôi nên dành thời gian thư viện để học hỏi, tìm tịi mở mang vốn Tiếng Anh Tơi nên ghi lại lợi bất lợi việc học Tiếng Anh để tận dụng cải thiện chúng ngày tốt Ngoài nội dung học, nên đọc thêm tài liệu nâng cao Khi tơi thấy tiến bộ, tơi nên thưởng cho thân là: mua đồ vật mới, tổ chức bữa tiệc, vv Tôi nên sử dụng mạng xã hội máy tính để học cải thiện 10 Tơi phải có trách nhiệm cho việc tìm cách học ngơn ngữ phù hợp với thân 11 Tôi nên sử dụng tài liệu tự học để học Tiếng Anh 12 Tôi phải đánh giá thân để học Tiếng Anh tốt 13 Tôi nên có trách nhiệm cho việc học tơi 14 Tơi nên đánh giá tiến 15 Tơi nên xếp thời gian học Tiếng Anh 16 Tơi nên tìm cách tốt để học Tiếng Anh 17 Tôi nên trao đổi ý tưởng với bạn bè giáo viên việc học Tiếng Anh mang lại hiệu XIII 18 Tơi (chứ khơng phải giáo viên) nên có trách nhiệm việc nhận định xem học 19 Rất nhiều việc học thực mà khơng có giáo viên 20 Giáo viên phải có trách nhiệm giúp cho học sinh hiểu ngơn ngữ 21 Giáo viên nên sai sót cho học sinh 22 Giáo viên dạy kiến thức Tiếng Anh đơn mà phải hướng dẫn học sinh cách học Tiếng Anh cho hiệu 23 Giáo viên nên để học sinh tự tìm lỗi sai 24 Giáo viên nên khuyến khích học sinh tham gia vào hoạt động nhóm để chúng hướng tới mục tiêu chung 25 Giáo viên người dẫn dắt, điều hành lớp học 26 Kiến thức thứ truyền tải giáo viên người học phát người học Section Em nghĩ dự án tiết học tự chọn? Tăng động lực sử dụng tiếng Anh Tạo môi trường để giao tiếp tiếng Anh Giúp học sinh tăng khả tự học Phát triển tính độc lập học sinh Nâng cao nhận thức tự học XIV Tạo cách tốt để học tiếng Anh Phát triển trách nhiệm làm việc theo nhóm Lãng phí thời gian Học tập tốt mà không cần làm dự án 10 Tốn nhiều thời gian học sinh Cảm ơn em hợp tác! Xin vui lòng cung cấp số thông tin cá nhân bạn? Họ tên: ………………………………………………………………… XV RESPONSE TO PRE-PROJECT SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE Content I should make decisions and set goals of my learning I should make good use of my free time in studying English I should make notes and summaries of my lessons N % N % N % N % N % 0 24 14 56 20 0 12 28 11 44 12 0 16 16 64 20 0 16 24 15 60 0 0 0 20 12 48 20 12 0 32 17 68 0 0 28 16 64 0 0 10 40 15 60 0 0 12 48 11 44 0 0 I should practice English outside the class such as: record my own voice; speak to other people in English I should use library to improve my English I should note my strengths and weaknesses in learning English and improve them Besides the contents of the course, I should read extra materials in advance When I make progress in learning, I should reward myself such as: buy new things, celebrate parties etc I should use the internet and XVI computers to study and improve English 10 I have to be responsible for finding my own ways of language 0 36 16 64 0 0 0 12 19 76 0 32 16 64 0 12 32 14 56 0 0 0 20 14 56 24 0 24 18 72 0 0 10 40 12 48 0 36 10 40 20 0 0 16 18 72 12 0 0 20 16 64 16 0 24 13 52 24 0 0 learning 11 I should use self-study materials to learn English 12 I have to evaluate myself to learn better 13 I should be responsible for my own learning 14 I should assess my own progress 15 I should plan my time while learning English 16 I should look for better ways to learn English 17 I should exchange ideas with my friends and/or teachers on how to learn English 18 I (rather than the teacher) should be responsible for evaluating how much I have learnt 19 A lot of learning can be done without a teacher 20 Teachers have to be responsible for making students understand XVII language 21 Teachers should point out students‘ errors 20 12 15 60 0 28 16 64 0 0 32 12 48 12 32 12 48 20 0 0 24 18 72 0 0 20 10 40 24 16 0 22 Teachers not only have to teach ―what‖ English is but should also teach ―how‖ to learn English 23 Teacher should let students find their own mistakes 24 Teacher should engage students in group work activities in which they work towards common goals 25 The teacher is an authority figure in the classroom 26 Knowledge is something to be ―transmitted‖ by teachers rather than ―discovered‖ by learners themselves (1=strongly agree; 2=agree; 3=unsure; 4=disagree; 5=strongly disagree; N=number of student) XVIII RESPONSE TO POST- PROJECT SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE Section 1 Contents N % N % N % N % N % 12 48 28 20 0 16 16 64 20 0 0 I should make notes and summaries of my lessons I should practice English outside the class such as: record my own voice; speak to other people in English I should use library to improve my English I should note my strengths and weaknesses in learning English and improve them Besides the contents of the course, I should read extra materials 15 in advance When I make progress in learning, I should reward myself 18 such as: buy new things, celebrate parties etc I should use the internet and computers to study and improve 15 English 10 I have to be responsible for finding my own ways of language learning 11 I should use self-study materials to learn English 12 17 68 20 0 0 20 15 60 20 0 0 16 14 56 20 0 20 15 60 16 0 60 10 40 0 0 0 72 28 0 0 0 60 10 40 0 0 0 32 12 48 20 0 0 12 17 68 20 0 0 I should make decisions and set goals of my learning I should make good use of my free time in studying English XIX 12 I have to evaluate myself to learn better 13 I should be responsible for my own learning 14 I should assess my own progress 15 I should plan my time while learning English 16 I should look for better ways to learn English 17 I should exchange ideas with my friends and/or teachers on how to learn English 18 I (rather than the teacher) should be responsible for evaluating how much I have learnt 19 A lot of learning can be done without a teacher 20 Teachers have to be responsible for making students understand language 21 Teachers should point out students‘ errors 22 Teachers not only have to teach ―what‖ English is but should also teach ―how‖ to learn English 23 Teacher should let students find their own mistakes 24 Teacher should engage students in group work activities in which 15 they work towards common goals 25 The teacher is an authority figure in the classroom 26 Knowledge is something to be ―transmitted‖ by teachers rather than 20 18 72 0 0 24 16 64 12 0 0 16 12 16 64 0 20 17 68 12 0 0 36 13 52 12 0 0 28 15 60 12 0 0 10 40 12 12 48 0 20 15 60 20 0 0 32 24 10 40 0 20 12 15 60 0 12 28 20 10 40 0 20 11 44 24 12 0 60 10 40 0 0 0 24 32 28 16 0 12 20 15 60 0 XX ―discovered‖ by learners themselves (1=strongly agree; 2=agree; 3=unsure; 4=disagree; 5=strongly disagree; N=number of student) Section What you think about action projects? N % N % N % N % N % Increasing motivation for using English 2 Creating an environment for authentic communication in English Helping students to self regulate learning Developing students‘ independence 14 56 32 12 0 0 20 10 40 10 40 0 0 11 44 36 16 0 16 14 56 28 0 0 Raising awareness of self-study 12 13 52 32 0 Providing a better way of learning English Developing responsibility for working in groups 32 11 44 24 0 0 12 48 10 40 12 0 0 A waste of time 0 0 0 17 68 32 Studying better without doing projects 0 0 15 60 36 10 Taking much of students‘ time 0 0 13 52 10 40 (1=strongly agree; 2=agree; 3=unsure; 4=disagree; 5=strongly disagree; N=number of student) XXI ... between learners‘ achievement and learner autonomy through popular and effective projects Secondly, the result showed students‘ attitudes toward action projects But if the teachers select suitable projects, ... findings Firstly, learner autonomy differs among learners Secondly, there is a continuing relationship between learners‘ accomplishment and learner autonomy Thirdly, learner autonomy needs process,... study including Autonomy theory, the definition of learner autonomy and project-based learning, promoting learner autonomy by project-based learning and Studies related to learner autonomy and project-based