Nghiên cứu việc khai thác các hoạt động thực tiễn trong lớp học nói cho sinh viên năm thứ nhất khối không chuyên anh ở trường đại học

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -oOo - BÙI THỊ HUỆ APPLICATION OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING APPROACH IN TEACHING SPEAKING TO 11TH FORM STUDENTS: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN THAI BINH (ÁP DỤNG PHƢƠNG PHÁP HỌC THEO DỰ ÁN TRONG VIỆC DẠY KỸ NĂNG NÓI CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 11: NGHIÊN CỨU CẢI TIẾN SƢ PHẠM TẠI MỘT TRƢỜNG THPT Ở THÁI BÌNH) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Hanoi - 2018 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -oOo - BÙI THỊ HUỆ APPLICATION OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING APPROACH IN TEACHING SPEAKING TO 11TH FORM STUDENTS: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN THAI BINH (ÁP DỤNG PHƢƠNG PHÁP HỌC THEO DỰ ÁN TRONG VIỆC DẠY KỸ NĂNG NÓI CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 11: NGHIÊN CỨU CẢI TIẾN SƢ PHẠM TẠI MỘT TRƢỜNG THPT Ở THÁI BÌNH) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Supervisor: Dr Nguyễn Thị Hƣơng Hanoi - 2018 DECLARATION I certify that no part of the thesis entitled “Application of Project-Based Learning Approach in teaching speaking to 11th form students: An action research project at a High School in Thai Binh.” has been copied or reproduced by me from any other works without acknowledgement and that the thesis is originally written by me under strict guidance of my supervisor Hanoi, 2018 Student‘s signature Bùi Thị Huệ ACKNOWLEGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Nguyen Thi Huong for her enthusiastic support, helpful guidance and considerable encouragement Without her instruction, I could not complete the study Secondly, I would also like to thank my beloved students for their enthusiastic participation in the PBL lessons, the questionnaire as well as the interviews Without their passionate participation, the study could not have been successfully implemented Also, I want to send my sincere thanks to the headmaster of Dong Thuy Anh High School for permitting me to carry out the study in our school In addition, I am grateful to my colleagues who helped me in implementing the study in the school Finally, I must express my very profound gratitude to my husband and my family for their support and encouragement Without their help, I could not complete my master program or implement the study ABSTRACT This study is carried out to examine how Project-Based Learning affects students‘ speaking skills as well as students‘ opinions on Project-Based Learning implementation The study adopts action research with the use of both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, including pre- and post – tests, questionnaire, teaching journals and interviews The findings report that the students in the study made some significant improvement in their speaking scores More specifically, the average-level students are likely to benefit the most from this activity because their speaking scores are raisen the most In term of the speaking test criteria including grammar and vocabulary, pronunciation, discourse management and interactive communication, the students also made a lot of progress However, each level group of students did not make improvement equally; even there is a group which did not make any progress Apart from that, the results from the interviews and questionnaire with the students as well as the teaching journals reveal that a majority of students are in favor of PBL Despite the positive outcome of the research, there is still a need for further studies to assess more PBL‘s effects and the best way to apply PBL in official school curricula TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .1 ACKNOWLEGEMENTS .2 ABSTRACT .3 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study 1.2 Aims and objectives of the study 1.3 Significance of the study 1.4 Methods of the study 10 1.5 Structure of the study 10 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 12 2.1 Speaking in foreign language learning .12 2.1.1 Definition of speaking 12 2.1.2 Speaking skills 12 2.1.3 Principles of speaking teaching 13 2.2 Project-Based Learning 13 2.2.1 Definition of Project-Based Learning 13 2.2.2 Characteristics of Project-Based Learning .15 2.2.3 Benefits of Project-Based Learning 16 2.2.4 Theoretical framework: PBL approach to teaching speaking 17 2.3 Related studies .19 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 21 3.1 Research methodology 21 3.2 Setting of the study .23 3.3 Participants 23 3.4 Research design .23 3.5 Data collection procedure 24 3.6 Data analysis 27 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 29 4.1 Research question 29 4.1.1 Classification of the students‘ levels based on the pretest results 29 4.1.2 Effects of PBL on the students‘ overall speaking skills 30 4.1.3 Effects of PBL on the students‘ grammar and vocabulary 33 4.1.4 Effects of PBL on the students‘ discourse management 35 4.1.5 Effects of PBL on the student‘s pronunciation 38 4.1.6 Effects of PBL on the students‘ interactive communication 39 4.2 Research question 41 4.2.1 Students‘ opinions on PBL .42 4.2.2 Student‘s perception of the PBL speaking lessons 44 4.2.2.1 Lesson topics 45 4.2.2.2 Teacher‘s instruction 48 4.2.2.3 Learning activities 50 4.2.2.4 Language resources 53 4.2.3 Conclusion 54 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION .56 5.1 Major findings of the study 56 5.1.1 The effects of PBL on students‘ speaking skills 56 5.1.2 Students‘ opinions on PBL implementation in class 57 5.2 Reflection .58 5.3 Pedagogical suggestions .60 5.4 Suggestions for further studies 60 5.5 Limitations of the study 61 REFERENCES I APPENDICES IV APENDIX A: PRE AND POST SPEAKING TEST IV PRE-SPEAKING TEST IV POST SPEAKING TEST V SPEAKING TEST CRITERIA VII APENDIX B: LESSON PLANS VIII PROJECT VIII PROJECT XXII PROJECT XXXII APENDIX C: QUESTIONNAIRE XLVIII APENDIX D: INTERVIEWS LI LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: The number of students in each group arranged by their pretest speaking scores29 Figure 2: Mean comparison of overal pretest and posttest scores 30 Figure 3: Students' perception on their speaking skill improvement after PBL lessons 31 Figure 4: Students' perception on PBL's boosting their confidence 32 Figure 5: Mean comparison of grammar and vocabulary scores of the pretest and posttest 34 Figure 6: Students' perception on their improvement in grammar and vocabulary after PBL lessons 34 Figure 7: Mean comparison of discourse management scores of the pretest and posttest 36 Figure 8: Students' perceptions on their fluency and coherence improvements after PBL lessons 37 Figure 9: Mean comparison of pronunciation scores of the pretest and posttest 38 Figure 10: Students' perception on their pronunciation improvements after PBL lessons 38 Figure 11:Mean comparison of interactive communication scores of the pretest and posttest 40 Figure 12: Students' opinions on their improvement in interactive communication after PBL lessons 40 Figure 13: Students' opinions on their involvement in PBL class 42 Figure 14: Students' opinions on the unncessity of PBL in English speaking classroom 43 Figure 14: Students' opinions on carrying out more PBL activities in the future 44 Figure 15: Students' opinions on the appropriateness of PBL in English speaking classroom 44 Figure 16: Students' opinions on the appropriateness of the project topics 45 Figure 17: Students' opinions on the appropriateness of the teacher's instruction 49 Figure 18: Students' opinions on the appropriateness of time allocation for each project 50 Figure 19: Students' opinions on the stimulation and engagement of PBL in comparison with other speaking activities 51 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION In this chapter, the rationale, aims and objectives, significance of the study are presented Also, the research questions, chosen research methods and structure of the researcher are put forward 1.1 Rationale of the study The need for acquiring good communicative skills in English has been increasing in everyday and work situations So speaking has played an increasingly essential role in second language learning settings It is also the reason why Dong Thuy Anh High School, a prestigious state high school in Thai Binh province, has been paying more attention in teaching speaking skills for students recently However, being orally competent in English has still been a far-fetched dream among most of students In the researcher‘s real teaching context, it is noticed that the majority of the researcher‘s students really want or need to be fluent in speaking English In spite of their desires, many of them cannot perform the speaking tasks successfully Surprisingly, they actually have good ideas since they can express their opinions cogently on the papers but when being asked to speak, they become nerve-racking, hesistant and disorganized Some even not feel elated and enthusiastic when participating in oral activities and tend to work independently in pair or group work This is due to such possible reasons as tension, shyness and/ or lack of confidence, and effective communication skills in English Besides, the teaching strategies used, the uninteresting activities in the text book or lack of opportunities to communicate orally also make students stay passive in speaking lessons This problem urges the researcher to find suitable methods in order to help students take part in communicative tasks actively and gregariously The researcher thinks that authentic learning experience can be a solution Bringing the real world problems into the classroom can encourage students‘ engagement, curiosity, inquiry, which could motivate them to participate actively in speaking lessons Project-Based Learning (PBL), which has been strongly promoted in recent years, university + Presenting their own opinions about choosing a university/ college + Concluding and thanking the audience (15 mins x groups =135 mins) - mins: preparing for presentation Assessing students‘ presentations and noting down the strong and weak points of students -10 mins: delivering presentation - mins: teacher’s and peers’ comments After each group‘s presentation, asking other groups to give comments Finally, giving some suggestions/ recommendations (8 mins) HOMEWORK - Giving overall comments on the groups‘ presentation and give suggestions - Drawing on experiences for delivering a presentation - Asking students to draw on experiences for delivering a presentation TEACHING JOURNALS PROJECT TEACHING JOURNAL - Students tried to use the provided structures in the class However, in some groups, students seemed not be able to express their opinions succinctly and mumbled The researcher found that weak students often keep quiet in the discussions - Students managed to present their ideas and the crafts they prepared for the party were so creative They also have a lot of ―special‖ ideas for the party The invitation cards they made seem to be easy or they copied from online sources - Some groups had a little bit disorganized presentation XLVI - Students made a lot of pronunciation mistakes when they delivered presentation in front of the class - Students can use the provided structures for discussions and after using several times, they get familiar and use these structures so often - Students did not pay attention much to grammar, tenses, and their word choices are sometime unnatural and awkward PROJECT2 TEACHING JOURNAL - Students found difficulties in coming up with the ideas for their volunteering clubs and they seemed not to have many interesting ideas - Students tended to search the information in Vietnamese, which will narrow the scope of useful information - Students made smoother presentations than they did in the previous projects However, the ideas were quite short and some were not relevant or were redundant They seemed to get confused about the structures and missions/ visions of the volunteering clubs - The students made a lot of translation mistakes when they translated from Vietnamese to English - Students attempted to correct their pronunciation mistakes - Students got used to use the discursive language PROJECT TEACHING JOURNAL - Students seemed to enjoy the topic a lot because it‘s something related to them They used a lot of structures in the discussion and they could introduce/ end / invite friends for talking in the presentation more smoothly - Students encountered a lot of difficulties in translating the information from Vietnamese to English - Students made a lot of pronunciation mistakes to pronounce the long words or long phrases - Students used discursive languages so often and more easily, without hesitance - Students still had unnatural word choice They need to pay more attention to collocation - Students could present their presentation more smoothly - Some of the students improved a lot while some seemed to still struggle a lot in speaking English XLVII APENDIX C: QUESTIONNAIRE Phiếu điều tra dành cho học sinh An investigation on the 11th grade students' opinions about the use of Project-Based Learning in English speaking class Instructions Before taking part in the questionnaire, please carefully read the instruction below: (Trước bắt đầu trả lời câu hỏi, xin đọc kỹ dẫn đây) The questionnaire is not a test so there are no right or wrong answers Please respond truthfully! (Bảng câu hỏi kiểm tra, khơng có câu trả lời hay sai Xin trả lời thật!) Terminology: (Thuật ngữ) Project-based learning is 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 (Project-based learning hệ thống phương pháp giảng dạy giúp học sinh đạt kiến thức kĩ thơng qua q trình tìm hiểu, nghiên cứu xung quanh câu hỏi phức tạp, thực tế, mẻ sản phẩm, tập thiết kế cẩn thận) For example: Project-based learning can be making an English menu for a restaurant, creating a map of your city in English, or design detailed plans for your club activities, etc (Ví dụ: Project-based learning việc làm menu tiếng Anh cho nhà hàng, tạo đồ tiếng Anh miêu tả thành phố sống, đưa kế hoạch chi tiết cho hoạt động câu lạc bộ.) I get more involved in speaking activities with the use of project-based learning (Tôi tham gia nhiều vào hoạt động nói sử dụng project-based learning.) Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion Agree Strongly agree I want to have more project-based activities in my class (Tơi muốn có them hoạt động project-based learning lớp tôi.) Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion XLVIII Agree Strongly agree The use of project-based learning in English speaking classrooms is unnecessary because it is not related to the exams (Việc sử dụng project-based learning lớp học Nói tiếng Anh khơng cần thiết không liên quan đến nội dung thi) Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion Agree Strongly agree The use of project-based learning in English speaking classrooms is interesting (Tôi cảm thấy việc sử dụng project-based learning lớp học Nói tiếng Anh thú vị) Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion Agree Strongly agree The use of project-based learning in learning English speaking skills is appropriate for me (Việc sử dụng project-based learning việc học Nói tiếng Anh phù hợp với tôi) Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion Agree Strongly agree The project topics are appropriate for me (Các chủ đề project phù hợp với tôi) Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion Agree Strongly agree I think the time allocated for each project was appropriate (not too long / not too long) (Tôi thấy thời lượng cho project phù hợp ( không dài/ không ngắn)) Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion Agree Strongly agree I had no problem with the teacher‘s instruction (Tơi khơng có vấn đề để hiểu hướng dẫn giáo viên) Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion Agree Strongly agree I think project-based learning activities are more interesting and stimulating than other speaking activities (Tôi nghĩ hoạt động project-based learning thú vị so với hoạt động nói khác.) XLIX Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion Agree Strongly agree 10 I think I speak English better after participating in the project-based learning (Tơi cảm thấy tơi nói tốt hơn sau tham gia vào project-base learning) Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion Agree Strongly agree 11 I think I speak more fluently and coherently after participating in the project-based learning (Tơi cảm thấy tơi nói trơi chảy sau tham gia vào project-based learning) Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion Agree Strongly agree 12 I think I improved my pronunciation after participating in the project-based learning (Tôi nghĩ tơi cải thiện phát âm sau tham gia project-based learning) Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion Agree Strongly agree 13 I think I improved my grammar and vocabulary after joining in the project-based learning (Tôi nghĩ tơi cải thiện ngữ pháp sau tham gia project-based learning) Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion Agree Strongly agree 14 I think I am more confident to speak English in front of the class (Tôi cảm thấy tơi tự tin nói trước lớp) Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion Agree Strongly agree 15 I think I can communicate and discuss in English better after participating in the projects (Tôi cảm thấy giao tiếp thảo luận tốt tiếng Anh sau tham gia vào projects) L Strongly disagree Disagree No strong opinion Agree Strongly agree APENDIX D: INTERVIEWS A Participant 1 What did you like and dislike about the project-based learning you have experienced? For example, you like the topics and so on? I was quite excited when participating in the project-based learning and activities because I like learning and speaking English But you know, in our school, speaking activities are hardly implemented in the class My parents have to send me to English centers so that I can learn speaking and practice there So I was so much eager when you said that we would learn something new and it is about speaking I‘m fed up with learning only grammar and doing exercises I think the topics are close to us I enjoyed discussing with friends and making some artful things such as decorative stuffs to deliver the presentation about parties We talked and laughed a lot We became close after carrying out the projects together + What about the things you dislike in the project-based learning? Or you like it at all? I think I enjoyed PBL a lot because it‘s very new to us We did something totally new such as making a video or survey But I saw that a lot of my peers didn‘t like this activity because they think we don‘t have speaking exams so we should cut these off and focus on studying to get a high score at the end of the semester How about the instruction steps and the time schedule of the projects? Do you have any difficulties in understanding the instruction, communicating with your peers and so on? I think overall, everything is ok We had some difficulties in the first project because we hadn‘t done anything like this before We had to discuss and try to arrange a suitable appointment for everyone so that we can discuss and carry out the preparations for the project I think the most difficult thing is communicating with one member in my group because it takes him a lot of time to express his opinions in English in class discussion + Do you find it difficult to follow my instruction and requirements about the projects? I get no difficulty at all I think the objectives and your instruction are very clear We know what we have to + Do you try to apply the structures and vocabulary provided in the lessons? Yes, I think the structures and vocabulary are handy and easy to our level so there is no difficulty at all LI How is the project-based learning compared with other learning activities that have been used in your speaking class? As you know, we have few speaking activities and normally, we just talk or discuss about some topics in the textbook I feel that being involved in the projects, I became more active in preparing ideas and presentations Normally, we didn‘t have to prepare much like that I felt like I was engaged more and understand the topics as well as the projects better The most thing I like about project-based learning is working with my friends Even though sometimes we had arguments and felt hard to reach an agreement, I felt that we overcame all the difficulties and had a lot of fun together I also got some more close friends after these projects What did you learn from the project-based lessons? I think I learnt a lot from the lessons I learnt to shoot videos and interview my peers in project That‘s what I have never done before It‘s so much fun I also came to know how to edit the videos and prepare the PowerPoint Also, it‘s the first time I came to know about gap year Before I always think that after high school, every student must take the entrance exam to universities but after the project 3, I think gap year is an interesting idea I want to try that But I guess my parents will kill me if they come to know that I want to take a year off + You must think very carefully I don’t encourage or discourage you but you need to plan very carefully if you take a gap year By the way, what else did you learn from the projects in term of languages and speaking skills? Yes, teacher I had more chances to practice speaking so I felt I get used to speak English more and be quicker to react to my friends‘ questions I learnt some ready-to-use discursive sentences You know, when I came to the English center where I attend extra English courses, I also use those sentences in my discussion with my peers there In short, I think I speak English better There are a lot of new words I learnt when I had to translate the information from Vietnamese to English and you still remember ―translation disaster‖ we made in our presentation? But I learnt a lot from that + How about pronunciation? Do you think that your pronunciation is improved after the projects? I think yes, because in our group, we correct our pronunciation mistakes for one another Also, after you told us that before delivering a presentation, we need to check the words in dictionary to assure that we pronounce them correctly So, my friends and I made that habit and we came to know that we mispronounced a lot of words before but we didn‘t know it + How about expressing your ideas? Do you find it difficulty discussing with your friends and delivering presentation in English? LII I find it ok to express my ideas in English because I practice speaking in my extra class in the English center Ah, as you commented at the end of the presentation, I think I‘m trying to pay more attention to grammar when speaking What you think could be done to enhance the effects of using project-based learning in speaking class? Why? I think you can reduce the amount of homework in our in-class lessons so that we can have more time preparing for the projects Please, teacher? + Sorry, I can’t So, you felt that you not have enough time for the projects? To some extent We have too much homework so we could not focus much in the projects There are more things we want to but we could not I like the projects a lot because they r so refreshing and new to us It‘s not the old boring tasks B Participant What did you like and dislike about the project-based learning you have experienced? For example, you like the topics and so on? I think project-based learning is good We have more activities to rather than just studying and doing exercises Completing projects requires a lot of work and other things such as art skills, PowerPoint skills I like making some handicrafts so I like the first topic a lot I hope next year, after completing the 12th grade, we will have a memorable graduation party I‘m so excited about it Oh, in the project 3, you know, we also learnt a lot about making a video, shooting video and editing it It‘s so much fun It‘s like we were real reporters on TV We like that activity a lot I think it‘s very close and updated to our generation when videos are so common on Facebook and other social networking sites Also, I have never paid attention to find out information about universities I just dreamt to pass the university entrance exam but I have no idea about the university I want to get in Via the project 3, I learnt more about things to consider when choosing a university also I learnt more about my dream university The second topic is so so, a little bit dry to me because we did not have any experiences or ideas about establishing an organization I felt this topic is a bit ―over‖ a bit ―grown-up‖ to us I think it‘s the most difficult topic How about the instruction steps and the time schedule of the projects? Do you have any difficulties in understanding the instruction, communicating with your peers and so on? The instruction is ok to follow because we were given the handout and topic beforehand so we grasped some ideas about the topics before going to class I guess at first, it was difficult to discuss with my peers because we have never talked much in English with one another But you walked around the class so we had to use English in in-class discussions So, we gradually get more familiar with using English in discussion But for at-home LIII preparation, we used Vietnamese Sometimes, we got crazy and used English, too I still feel it‘s more comfortable to use Vietnamese than English + Do you try to apply the structures and vocabulary provided in the lessons? Yes, I I find it useful in discussion Actually, the structures are easy in term of grammar, but at first, when I use them in speaking, I was not fluent It took me for a while to get familiar and say it in a fluent way Vocabulary is useful and we can use the new words immediately in our discussions or presentations How is the project-based learning compared with other learning activities that have been used in your speaking class? I think this activity is more creative and gives us more opportunities to discover something new than other speaking activities I also memorize the vocabulary and structures better I remember more about the topic because we really did something by ourselves such as video shooting, making crafts and so on What did you learn from the project-based lessons? I learnt more topic-related vocabularies and expanded my background knowledge a lot As I said, I have never done any research on universities, the project helps me to get a better insight into universities and my career Secondly, I felt my speaking skills have improved because I practiced a lot I also feel less nervous and trembling when delivering a presentation in front of our class As I mentioned earlier, I got used to discuss with my friends in English But I‘m still weak in pronunciation even I tried to look up the pronunciation in the dictionary as you said, I still forgot and mispronounced the words in the old way What should I teacher? - You should practice more and believe that you can change it What you think could be done to enhance the effects of using project-based learning in speaking class? Why? Well, I think the topic should be familiar with us Maybe we can delete the topic Furthermore, I hope we can use project-based learning as a graded activity So, students like us will pay more attention and be more serious to carry out the projects I see that some of my peers think that the activity is a waste of time because we would not use that for grading C Participant What did you like and dislike about the project-based learning you have experienced? For example, you like the topics and so on? Well, I think the project-based learning is very creative and enables us to a various range of tasks instead of only speaking I like doing the crafts or going out around the LIV school to shoot the videos and interviews It‘s fun You know, when we chose music for the graduation party, it is also a good time with members in my group But I not like delivering a presentation in front of the class I felt very nervous and shy when I talked in the public Furthermore, sometimes I feel so tired of discussing in English It‘s so really better to discuss in Vietnamese + I know but we are learning English so that’s why we need to use English Anything else you like or dislike about the project-based learning? The topics are ok with me But the second topic is quite difficult We have never carried out any volunteering activities or joined in any volunteering clubs so we did not have much ideas about organizing the club I feel like it‘s more ―macroscopic‖ to us I like the first topic most because I like food and party I want to be a wedding planner in the future so I particularly like this topic The third topic is ok because we also want to know more about universities because next year, we all have to apply to a university However, all the information we found out is in Vietnamese so it is so tiring and time consuming to translate them into English How about the instruction steps and the time schedule of the projects? Do you have any difficulties in understanding the instruction, communicating with your peers and so on? At the first project, I guess we had a little confusion about the instruction because it is totally new to us But then in the 2nd and 3rd one, we had no problem at all We already knew what to About communicating with my classmates, I guess in Vietnamese we not have any problems Actually, after completing the projects, we came to know better about one another and I have some new best friends However, in class discussion, when we have to use English, it is really tiresome and difficult because we did not get used to discuss all in English How is the project-based learning compared with other learning activities that have been used in your speaking class? Actually, I think it is more active than other speaking activities in our class We have to carry out more sub-activities rather than just talking But the projects required more preparation I guess at first, we did not use to prepare in advance and by ourselves like that so we were a bit passive But afterward, we got what we had to and be more active in preparation So, I think this is the biggest difference between project-based learning and other types of speaking activities What did you learn from the project-based lessons? Well, I learnt how to make some crafts I was not so talented in that so it is very interesting to me Moreover, I think I learn how to cooperate with my classmates At first, we had LV difficulties to find a common voice but later, things got better and we became to understand one another better I guess we became more active and creative in the project-based learning even though project-based learning is more difficult than other speaking activities In other activities, we normally had a topic and speak about it, or it is just make some conversation But in the project-based learning, we did a lot of things more than that I think this activity is suitable and better than others + I’m glad to know that What else did you learn from the lessons in term of language skills, especially speaking skills? Well, I just felt that at least I got familiar with presenting in front of my class even though my talk is still bad As other members in my group, I tried to correct my pronunciation a lot I think I become more confident when I speak English even I know I still have to try harder What you think could be done to enhance the effects of using project-based learning in speaking class? Why? Well, I think the topic should be familiar with us Maybe we can delete the topic Furthermore, I hope we can use project-based learning as a graded activity So, students like us will pay more attention and be more serious to carry out the projects I see that some of my peers think that the activity is a waste of time because we would not use that for grading D Participant What did you like and dislike about the project-based learning you have experienced? For example, you like the topics and so on? I think the project-based learning is good because we learnt something else apart from English We had a chance to learn and experience new things such as making crafts or survey However, PBL is time-consuming and speaking is not my forte so I‘m not so comfortable to speak English, especially in front of the public So, I am scared and hate delivering presentations That‘s what I hate the most in the project-based learning + So, you not like project-based learning at all? No, I like doing some crafts for the party or going out with my peers to survey and videos, which were much more fun But you know, we had to spend a lot of time completing the project so we were under time pressure If we not complete the homework of other subjects and get high scores, our parents will be angry and scold us so our top priority is getting high scores in class first So, we could not focus much in projectbased learning activities How about the instruction steps and the time schedule of the projects? Do you have any difficulties in understanding the instruction, communicating with your peers and so on? LVI Well, I understand the instruction steps because it‘s not so complicated I think I have no problem with them About time schedule, I felt a little bit tight and it made me be under great pressure I have a lot of extra classes so I always feel tired and short of relaxing time About communicating with my peers, I think I had a lot of difficulties because I‘m not good at speaking So, to express my ideas, it takes me a lot of times Furthermore, my pronunciation is not good so if you remember, in our group‘s presentation, you commented a lot about my pronunciation I know I have to improve it but it is kind of bad habit that I get used to the mispronunciation so I forgot the right way to say the words + Sorry to hear that but you know, it takes time to correct mispronunciation Just keep going, I believe you can it How about the topics of the projects? Do you think it’s appropriate? I think the topics are OK I like the ideas about organizing a party a lot because next year, we will have a graduation party and my class wants to make it memorable We are planning to make a special collection of graduation photos So, I guess everyone in my class was excited with that topic The second topic is quite difficult though because we did not have much experiences but I think it‘s good in term of being responsible to our community I hope when I go to university, I will join Youth Volunteering club there The third one is really hard even though it is necessary to us to know about universities so that we can make a better choice in the future but translating all the information about universities into English is so hard We had to use Google translate and you remember, there were a lot of disastrous mistakes How is the project-based learning compared with other learning activities that have been used in your speaking class? Actually, I‘m bad at speaking English so I often feel nervous and tensed in speaking activities I just want time to fly soon so the activities would end soon So, I am quite reluctant and did not like to participate in project-based learning at first Even though later I still had a lot of difficulties in participating project-based learning, especially in delivering a presentation, I felt it‘s less tensed to me in discussion with friends + How much engaged were you in discussion with your peers? Frankly speaking, I thought not as much as the other members in my group because they are much better than me in speaking However, I tried to give some ideas, especially in the topics I like, I have so many opinions My friends followed my ideas and to be honest, it‘s quite a ―cool‖ feeling when people like my ideas What did you learn from the project-based lessons? I learnt some useful and handy grammatical structures for in-class discussion Oh my god, there are also a lot of new vocabularies in each project Even though I cannot remember all of them but I felt at least I learnt and remembered some I felt that I made a little LVII improvement in speaking At least, I managed to stand up in front of the class and speak English, which I had never done before I could pronounce some words correctly now I did not notice that I mispronounced it for such a long time + What you think you need to improve in speaking skills? I guess it is giving response quicker, making sentences when speaking It takes me a lot of time to express my ideas What you think could be done to enhance the effects of using project-based learning in speaking class? Why? I think you have to reduce the amount of homework of other subjects or English in our class so that we would have time for completing the project-based learning Furthermore, I think you should provide more vocabulary in the difficult topic because translating them is a pain to us E Participant What did you like and dislike about the project-based learning you have experienced? For example, you like the topics and so on? Frankly speaking, I‘m bad at speaking so I am too scared to participate in any speaking class or activities Sorry teacher, :( I know that this is an extra class and it is just for your research but I really felt unwilling and reluctant to participate in the projects Especially, it was like a hell to me when I had to use English in discussion and presentation I‘m sorry, teacher + So you not like project-based learning at all? Well, I just like it a little bit, mostly about going out with friends for surveying my friends and use technology in making PowerPoint Or I can study vocabulary/ grammar or reading but about speaking, I always feel like fish out of water So you understand the instructions of the projects? Do you have any difficulties in understanding the instruction, communicating with your peers and so on? Did you participate much in the projects? Yes, I understand the instructions and your requirements But I had a lot of difficulties in communicating with my peers in English and delivering a presentation as I told you I‘m terrible at speaking Well frankly speaking, I participated but as much as my friends About preparation section, I think our group distributes the workload equally But about assigning presentation parts, my peers know that I am not good at speaking and often get nervous so I take the least amount of talking part I see But you know, learning a language means you can use it orally and in written form So, you must try harder How is the project-based learning compared with other learning activities that have been used in your speaking class? LVIII Ah, I can say project-based learning and other activities are both scary to me I just see that in project-based learning, we have to more than only mere talking There is more preparation than in other activities What did you learn from the project-based lessons? Well, I learnt something about making things in PowerPoint, decorations and so on + By the way, what else did you learn from the projects in term of languages and speaking skills? Do you feel your speaking skills improved after participating in projectbased learning? Well, I should say that I learnt some words About my speaking skills, I still feel it is very bad as before What you think could be done to enhance the effects of using project-based learning in speaking class? Why? I have no idea or suggestion I think maybe I should learn from the beginning with simple sentences Expressing a long idea or presenting a topic is too hard for me So these activities are too hard for me F Participant What did you like and dislike about the project-based learning you have experienced? For example, you like the topics and so on? Well, I not like or dislike the project-based learning I am so so with it There are something I like and something I not like + Can you specify your statement? I like participating in speaking activities but did not like spend much time on preparing crafts or menus I guess it is very time-consuming and I had less time to my homework which is already overloaded So you understand the instructions of the projects? Do you have any difficulties in communicating with your peers and carry out the projects? Did you participate much in the projects? Yes, I have no problem understanding the procedures and instructions of the projects Well, about difficulties in communicating with my peers, I guess I had a little bit There are many ideas that I feel easier to tell them in Vietnamese but in English, sometimes I felt I not have enough words I guess it‘s the same to my peers So in class, when you were in the class, we discussed in English but when we prepared stuffs at home, we mostly use Vietnamese and sometimes made fun by using English I think in our group, we share our workload equally so nobody envy with one another and all feel it‘s fair So I think I participated in the projects as equally as my friends did LIX I guess we had difficulties in translating Vietnamese information into English in the project And you remember, that day when we delivered the presentation we made a lot of ―disastrous translation‖ How is the project-based learning compared with other learning activities that have been used in your speaking class? I guess we had to more than just talking in the project-based learning However, as I said before, I had too much homework so somewhat I preferred just discussion in class For example, admittedly, I also had some fun participating in preparation crafts but at the same I was worried about the homework I had not completed yet, so I just wanted to make crafts fast and went home to finish my homework What did you learn from the project-based lessons in general? What did you learn from the projects in term of languages and speaking skills? Do you feel your speaking skills improved after participating in project-based learning? Well, I learnt some new words and new terms, for example ―gap year‖ I think it is very cool But I think I will follow the traditional way, trying to go to university first Also, I had to use English in discussion in class Well, frankly speaking, at first, we felt it‘s so hard, we just wanted to use Vietnamese But because you were in the class, we could not use Vietnamese We had to use English Gradually, we are not ―tongue twisted‖ when discussing with friends I corrected some pronunciation mistakes I had I guess my speaking improved a little bit but not much What you think could be done to enhance the effects of using project-based learning in speaking class? Why? Well, I think maybe we can carry out the project-based learning in another time, I mean not in the second semester because you know, students like us have a lot of homework to and exams to prepare Maybe in summer break? But teacher, actually I also not like to attend class in summer I have no idea when we should have the projects but I was really under pressure for completing homework when we carried out the project-based learning LX ... RESEARCH PROJECT AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN THAI BINH (ÁP DỤNG PHƢƠNG PHÁP HỌC THEO DỰ ÁN TRONG VIỆC DẠY KỸ NĂNG NÓI CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 11: NGHIÊN CỨU CẢI TIẾN SƢ PHẠM TẠI MỘT TRƢỜNG THPT Ở THÁI BÌNH) M.A MINOR... Thuy Anh High School Thus, it may be of considerable use for other teachers of English in Dong Thuy Anh High School or researchers who want to investigate more in applying PBL to high school... eleventh - grade students at Dong Thuy Anh High School 1.2 Aims and objectives of the study To begin with, the study is carried out in Dong Thuy Anh High School in order to find out whether PBL