An investigation into project based learning and its effect on upper secondary school teachers cognition using new english textbooks in vietnam

Northumbria University School of Arts and Social Sciences Department of Humanities Master’s Dissertation MA TESOL Module Code: EL7005 Supervisor: Graham Hall AN INVESTIGATION INTO PRO

Northumbria University School of Arts and Social Sciences Department of Humanities

Master’s Dissertation

MA TESOL

Module Code: EL7005 Supervisor: Graham Hall

AN INVESTIGATION INTO PROJECT-BASED LEARNING AND ITS EFFECT

ON UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ COGNITION USING NEW

ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS IN VIETNAM

© Le Thi Thu Huong 22nd April 2019

Northumbria University School of Arts and Social Sciences Department of Humanities

Master’s Dissertation

MA TESOL

Module Code: EL7005 Supervisor: Graham Hall

AN INVESTIGATION INTO PROJECT-BASED LEARNING AND ITS EFFECT

ON UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ COGNITION USING NEW

ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS IN VIETNAM

© Le Thi Thu Huong 22nd April 2019

ABSTRACT

The research investigated upper secondary school teachers’ cognition on based learning which has been applied in the new English textbooks The main areas of study related to teachers’ perceptions consist of project based learning’s definitions, the teacher’s roles in project based learning implementation, the benefits and challenges of project based learning in language teaching and learning The results from questionnaires and interviews show that most high school teachers have general understanding of project based learning and reveal a positive support to applying teaching project in language learning for students Moreover, the findings from the research appear that teachers have to confront with 3 major difficulties when carrying out project based learning: students’ competency, preparation time and facilities From these results, some improvements are suggested to reinforce the advantages and the success of project based learning in the language teaching and learning in general and in the new English text book in particular

project-ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all, I would like to give my deepest gratitude to my supervisor as well as tutor, Dr Graham Hall who assisted me when I was carrying out my study This dissertation would not be finished without his encouragement and enthusiastic guidance as well as his constructive comments

I am also indebted to all my respectful lecturers of MA TESOL at the School of Arts and Social Sciences of Northumbria University, United Kingdom for their valuable lectures and providing me with a lot of knowledge and good environment to fulfill my dissertation Especially, I would like to express my sincere thanks to my friends in 6 high schools in the North of Viet Nam for their willingness to participate in my study

Last but not least, a special thanks is given to my family who are always behind with their understanding, sharing and support my confidence to overcome all challenges in studying abroad

CONTENTS

Abstract Error! Bookmark not defined Acknowledgement Error! Bookmark not defined Contents III Abbreviations V Figure and table VI

PART I

INTRODUCTION 1

1.Background for the research 1

2 Research aims 2

3 Research questions 2

4 Research outline 2

PART II CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 3

1.1 Project-based learning (PBL) 3

1.1.1.PBL definitions 3

1.1.2.PBL features 4

1.1.3 The role of teachers in PBL 5

1.1.4 The Advantages of PBL 5

1.1.5 The Disadvantages of PBL 7

1.2 Teacher Perceptions………9

1.2.1 Teacher’s cognition definition 9

1.2.2 Teacher’s cognition and its importance 9

1.3.The previous research using PBL 10

1.4 English textbooks overview 12

1.5 The current issues of English teaching and learning in Vietnam……… 16

CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY 19

2.1 Research context 19

2.2 Research questions 19

2.3 Study aims 19

2.3.1 The Volunteering Participants: 19

2.3.2 Data Collection Techniques 20

2.3.3 Collecting the Data: Error! Bookmark not defined.21 CHAPTER III: FINDINGS 23

3.1.Findings drawn from the questionnaires………23

3.1.1.Background information 23

3.1.2.Thoughts and Issues with PBL 24

3.2 Interview findings 32

CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION 37

4.1 Findings Summary 37

4.2 Recommendations 39

4.3 Study limitations 40

4.4 Areas for future research 40

4.4 In summary……….41

REFERENCES 42

APPENDIX 1 ……… 46

APPENDIX 2 50

APPENDIX 3 51

ABBREVIATIONS

PBL: Project-based learning

MOET: The Ministry of Education and Training

FIGURES AND TABLES

Figure 1: Teaching experience 23

Figure 2: Knowledge about PBL 23

Figure 3: Possible ratings for Cronbach’s Alpha Output……… 24

Table 1: The new textbooks objective performance 12

Table 2: Definition of Project -based learning 25

Table 3: Project based learning benefits 26

Table 4: Students’ benefits in improving language skills using PBL 27

Table 5: Improving Independent learning 28

Table 6: The enhancement of group work 29

Table 7: Participants roles 29

Table 8: Participant issues……….30

PART I INTRODUCTION

1 Background for study

The English language is known to be the most widely spoken around the whole world Its importance on the world stage has not gone unnoticed by the human race, and is

of particular concern to the Vietnamese government Knowledge of English is an important for enabling communications between different people around the globe and is seen as a vital key to success in a number of different fields English is also the primary means of communication for the global business area as well and so is essential learning for any wishing to engage in this market be it as part of the workforce or engaging in research within it Vietnamese educators have therefore prioritized the teaching of English language by making it a mandatory subject in all educational levels from primary, secondary and up to university level education Having knowledge of other languages like this has become a necessity for potential employees seeking jobs

As a result of the perceived importance of this, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has in recent times issued the following legislation: Decision 5209/QĐ- BGDT on November 23rd 2012 for “Approval of Pilot English Curriculum for Vietnamese high Schools” - in which three new English texts English 10, English 11 and English12 were designed for teaching in high schools by MOET with the aim of enhancing language abilities and competence in communications in English through the four main skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening The format and content of the new texts differ somewhat from the texts they replaced by focusing on task-based approaches Project work and reflective learning is part of each learning unit - which is new to both teacher and student alike Project work focuses on the students working in groups, which sees the students cooperating on solving problems together with groups of their friends Once completed, then the students are required to present their results as reports or presentations, which could well involve the use of presentation software such as Powerpoint The teacher role in this is an officiator and guide - not as the traditional one-way transferor of knowledge in the old methods To find out if this sort of approach is going to be effective

in the classroom, it is essential to carry out a study into the perceptions of the teachers into this new project-based learning approach This is important as these perceptions may well have quite an effect on teaching these classes in the future The teacher perceptions to look

at are: knowledge, attitude, evaluation and ideas about project-based learning (Borg 2006)

In truth many such studies have taken place already, however studies relating to teachers perceptions on this approach when concerning the teaching of second languages are very limited This is why the author of this study has chosen to investigate this with high school teachers looking at its definition, benefits, roles and issues for the implementation of project-based learning

2 The aims of the study

The research focuses on investigating project based learning and its effect on upper secondary school teacher’s recognition in teaching new English textbooks The results of the research will address some challenges the teachers have to encounter and suggest some teaching approaches of project based learning (PBL) applied for teachers in their teaching contexts As a result, it helps to reinforce the success of English language teaching and learning in high school level

3 Research questions

The following research questions were raised for the purposes of this study:

1 What challenges exist when making use of project-based learning?

2 What are the teaching professionals’ cognitions on using project-based learning?

in relation to the new texts for teaching English?

4 Research outline

The research is consisted of three major parts:

Part 1: Introduction reveals the background for research, the aims of the study, research

questions and research outline

Part 2: Development covers three parts as the following:

Chapter I: Literature review relates to theoretical background of the research including

project-based learning, teachers’ cognition on PBL, new English textbooks overview Chapter II: Methodology covers the context and the methodology utilized in the research Chapter III: Results presents comprehensive data analysis

Part 3: Conclusion summarizes the results, limitations, recommendations and some

suggestions for further research

PART 2 CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW

This study reveals the theoretical backgrounds relating to the research including the concepts of project based learning, teacher cognition, new textbooks overview, and current issues of English teaching and learning in Viet Nam

1.1 Project based learning (PBL)

1.1.1 Definition of PBL

Haines (1989) defines project-based learning as a multi-skilled set of activities based on some focused topic or scenario They also stress the importance of students having a key role in the initial choice of the subject area, and that they should make decisions themselves about the appropriate working methods to be used in conducting the project, scheduling and what the end-product may be As the students have not been directed to use any particular linguistic approach, they can concentrate on coordinating their efforts to reach their required goals In doing this, students have a great opportunity to reuse their already known language skills in a natural situation Projects can be short and intense, or can take an extended amount of time - from a few hours to several weeks Additionally, Skehan (1998) emphasizes that this approach allows a gradual enhancement of independent learning with greater and greater responsibility being taken by the learners and that project work is a great structure for getting learners to look at learning in their own way depending on their own abilities, styles and preferences One definition by Hedge (1993) defines it as an extensive activity involving the combination of the students’ language skills in working towards an agreed goal with planning, and acquiring information via listening, speaking, reading, discussion, problem solving and presentation Another definition by Thomas (2000) states that project-based learning is a method that centres learning activity around projects This author also goes on to look at definitions from other works too, especially those to be found in teaching guides, i.e complex tasks based on given problems or goals that get students to involve designing, problem-solving, researching and decision making through independent learning over an extended period of time to produce real-world like products or findings presentations Fried-booth (2002) states that project-based learning is a student-centred approach dedicated to producing some “end product” The route taken to get from the start to completion is the most

worthwhile part - allowing students to increase their confidence, independence and world style work in a realistic scenario by collaborating with their peers

real-To draw from the abovementioned definitions, PBL creates the means for engaging in, real-world and complex tasks through which students can apply and develop existing knowledge and skills The results are identified beforehand but may only be experienced

by the allocation of time and maternal resources

3 Working in collaboration is encouraged rather than competitive

4 Allows the students to combine their base skills together - and so mimics real-world tasks

5 Their work ends up at an end-product - oral presentation, poster sessions, report and/or other performance from stage to film etc

6 Highly beneficial for motivating, encouraging, challenging, confidence building, independent learning as well as improving student core language skills etc

These key features of project-based learning provide a huge range of benefits for students and teachers alike The approach is supported in an ever-growing area of academic research studies looking at using it to engage students in schools, which help to reduce student absence, boost teamwork skills and their overall academic performance (George Lucas Educational Foundation 2001)

To students, PBL helps to enhance the high relevance of having a real-world work-like experience using this approach - maybe producing a documentary on a topic, writing a brochure or developing interesting multimedia content, students can take part in things that can take them beyond the classroom

There are many benefits for teachers too such as enhancing professional development including collaboration between academics and building far better relations with the students themselves (Thomas 2000) The method is also very good for a better mix of

student abilities within groups, and increasing the learning opportunities available for classroom use

1.1.3 The role of the teacher in PBL

According to Levy (1997), the teacher can take over a different role if the PBL is implemented effectively The dominant role of the teacher can be shifted into a coordinator, advisor, guide, or facilitator (Papandreou, 1994) Expressed in another way, when PBL is applied, main focus through the process of learning is given to the students who are active in joining teamwork or groupwork Additionally, Gallacher (2004) lists the stage by stage role of the teachers in project-based learning: First of all, the teacher should

be able to encourage student interest in the discussion of project themes, methodologies, scheduling and the required end-product and any necessary materials and resources Then, the teacher takes the role of a facilitator, an organiser and evaluator for displays and other presentations Project-based learning can only be really successful if backed up by sufficient guidance and feedback from the teacher facilitating All tasks and activities need

to be thoroughly explained on how to develop the project and then be on hand in the classroom when needed for additional guidance All must be well- planned for in advance

by the teacher and inbuilt flexibility often can be found themselves as learning peers with the students at times

Projects can be assessed in a variety of ways - objective tests, marking schemes and task lists The inclusion of reflective writing is also necessary for students to carry out self-assessment

1.1.4 The Advantages of PBL

There are a lot of benefits of PBL in English language teaching and learning Beckett (2002) emphasizes the statement that instruction by project-based learning allows for greater motivation for acquiring knowledge, to enhance their problem-solving skills and to better their collaborative and independent learning skills Thomas (2000) states that the approach caused increased attendance, increased self-reliance and a greatly improved attitude towards learning itself Hilton-Jones (1988) set up a six week long English language course based around project-based learning They were extremely satisfied with the results Learners were highly motivated, and really engaged with enhancing their reading, writing, spoken and listening skills which also led them to understand their own needs for learning through this approach Moreover, Filippatou & Kaldi (2010) point out

that the encouraging performance of using project-based learning during an eight week long project addressing issues faced by a primary school was really effective The project activities related to “sea creatures” and the ninety-four participating pupils said they preferred this to their ordinary style lesson because they were able to converse more, be creative and responsible for their learning According to Thomas (2000), professional collaboration between teachers is also improved with greater opportunities to build good relations with the students, and teachers come to realise that traditional methods are not as effective as they first thought compared to these greater learning approaches for their classes Hedge (2000) does indicate that project work can enhance imagination and creativity, discipline, collaboration, responsibility, research skills and utilisation of skills from other curricula that they study It should really be added that Legutke & Thomas (1991) do emphasize the benefits of this approach - in particular the multidisciplinary nature of project-based learning which give the learners themselves so much control about how they reach their end target goal Particularly:

- Real-life topics

- Building action plans

- Improving self-learning skills

- Putting multidisciplinary skills in to put the project into a desirable direction

- Involving self-control and self-management

- Improving collaboration skills between their peers

- Acquiring individual cognitive learning style

- Learner-centred principles keeping the student more interested in what they are doing

- The importance of the end-product and project overall success

- Experiencing the different roles of both student and teacher and their relationship

- Learners become partners - all contribute to the process and end result

Gallacher (2004) brings together the advantages of project-based learning These are:

- Increased motivation for learning

- Complete integration of the four base skills of reading, writing, spoken and listening

- The encouragement of independent learning

- The end learning outcomes are actual end-products

- Learners get original tasks

- Interpersonal skills are enhanced

- Student-centred learning so methodologies can be decided in-group with the teacher

- There can be parental involvement

- It is the chance for students to do something different

- A context can be set to assist the need for fluency and accuracy

Moreover, Fried-Booth (2002) says project-based learning is a stepping-away from more traditional teacher-centred to student-centred learning which allows for greater independent learning development, letting students pick their own topics which interest them and providing the opportunity to develop leadership skills with full responsibility for their own learning Students have the added opportunity to shape the projects including themes, products, procedures and roles and responsibilities assignment for group members This all contrasts with the traditional teacher-centred approach with its rather more democratic learning characteristics as students can make their own educational decisions - picking, planning and implementing their own choice of project This greatly pushes students to be independent learners He does point out that the amount of student involvement directly affects the beneficial outcomes There needs to be outside-class activities to really make this work well, and involve community members This means that social skills are also developed

To put in a nutshell, there is a large range of benefits for both teachers and students alike with project-based learning Such benefits have been cited in many areas of relevant literature Researchers throughout this field expound the virtues in using the project-based approach as self-esteem, stimulation, motivation, independent learning and social awareness

1.1.5 Disadvantages of using project-based learning

For all its recorded benefits, there are still a few perceived issues with project-based learning These problems were encountered by students and teachers alike Hutchinson (1992) stated that mixed ability levels amongst students was an issue with project-based learning The more able students tended to monopolize the attention of the teacher because

of their greater self-confidence meaning those who really need the teachers guidance - didn't get it Marx et al (1997) mention the issues faced by teachers too Such as

preparation time, class organisation, subject breadth and how to assess the student end results Eyring (1997) similarly highlights that if the core curriculum is based on project-based learning, then absence, late attendance, quietness in more nervous students, the knowledge gap between brighter and lesser students, lack of the will to cooperate in student groups and a general lack of initiative from some will end up being a real problem Some students are simply lazy and won't pull their weight in groups In these situations the students will end up depending on the teachers too much - teachers roles will be discussed further on

Doherty & Eyring (2006) aimed to explore the opinions of staff teaching multidisciplinary projects in adult ESL classes highlighted a number of issues including problems with

“sociocultural and pedagogical insights” - they drew the conclusion that the implementation of projects required a more flexible attitude towards planning from instructors

Eleven highly experienced science teachers from the United States were involved in a study by Krajcik et al (1994) to look at the common issues while usin project-based studies Students needed to broaden their minds towards the wider world rather than staying narrowly focused as the project went on This often stopped them from making firm topic decisions and sometimes completely losing out on some details it was observed Filippatou & Kaldi (2010) pointed out some more unwanted issues with project-based learning The class size of 94 students of somewhat mixed learning abilities often ended

up debating rather than discussing or collaboration which set back the work Other unexpected challenges in implementation are shown by Westwood (2008) below:

- There is a general lack of student ability for doing research or information

gathering

- Student contributions can be rather lacking in volume

- Weak understanding of the project topics causes major challenges for students planning their presentation of results

- Individuals in groups often don't have enough understanding of the topic provided

by the teachers

In summary, together with benefits, the PBL application in language teaching and learning encounters a lot of obstacles from both teachers and students that needs to be seriously considered during the process of implementation

1.2 Teacher Perceptions

This section looks at current literature concerning a working definition of teachers provided cognitive offerings which form the baseline of this study An analysis of teachers’ thoughts and their importance follows on from this

1.2.1 Teacher cognition/perception definition

It is not easy to give the definition of some abstract concepts such as teachers cognition

or teacher’s knowledge… Actually, the terminology “teacher perception” or “teacher recognition” has been attempted to define by some research According to the global dictionary, teacher’s cognition is defined as the thinking or mental concepts of the teachers about their students and professional activities, which are formed by their living experience, background knowledge and have a big influence on their teaching activities

Borg (2003) says that this as an aspect of teaching which is unobservable and covers teachers knowledge, beliefs and thoughts When applied more specifically to language teachers this is divided into linguistic knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, assumptions, principles, theories, conceived ideas, thoughts, decisions and; and along with this ideas about teaching, learning, subjects, curriculum, activities, tasks, self, colleagues, assessment, and base contexts (Borg 2006) This long list does indicate the full breadth of the cognition range of a language teacher which has been given by Borg (2006) as simply

“teacher cognition” As a result of this definition, the author of this study will aim this work towards the gathering of data and an analysis and interpretation of this process However, why is this being explored? This is covered in this next section

1.2.2 Teacher Cognition and its Importance

Teachers cognitions/perceptions and beliefs hold considerable importance in research Firstly, these have a very powerful influence over how a teacher will engage in their instructional practices (Phipps 2009) Their beliefs are hugely influential when planning and decision making in their lesson preparation Secondly, these thoughts will be deeply ingrained and will likely influence them throughout their working lives (Borg 2003) Thirdly, beliefs like these are very difficult to change and may instinctively filter out changes suggested by research Like most other students, they tend to see new things coloured by their existing perceptions and will unwittingly modify and interpret new ideas based on what they already think they know In which case beliefs will always affect the

way teachers assimilate new knowledge and information about new teaching methods (Phipps 2009)

So, understand how teachers think is really important for us to see what they perform their teaching activities in general and project based learning in particular

1.3 Previous research works in English Language teaching using Project-based learning

This section of the literature survey looks at published work involving the use of the project-based learning approach in the teaching of English as a foreign language It includes the impact it has on the developing learner and also the angle seen by teachers making use of such an approach

The Achievements of Students Learning a Second Language:

Gardner (1995) set up a project to produce a video documentary which was designed to get students to make use of and enhance their listening comprehension and their transcription skills There were positive outcomes from this in that it was not just their listening and language transcription that improved, but also their writing skills too Wanchid & Wattanasin (2015) carried out a similar video project with the results from this study shown that the students were most enthusiastic towards this video project as they saw it giving them a lot of benefits in terms of improving teamwork and enhancing independent learning The students said that they thought the project was very useful, allowed them to show creativity with the technology used and allowed them make use of and practice their English more whilst working with their friends

A six-week long project was set up by Hilton-Jones (1988) which involved a group of teenagers who were practicing their speaking, listening, writing and reading English skills The outcome of the project was a significant increase in their learning of the language skills

In another project set up by Eyring (1997) the students were most satisfied particularly the opportunities that they had to talk about word meanings directly with native English speakers and being in charge of their own learning direction The only thing they thought was negative about the project was the stress-inducing heavy workload that went with it Within this study, projects were classified using the students TOEFL scoring In addition

to this all project students were given teaching in interpersonal skills, making peer

assessments, collaborative leaning, negotiation and what the role of the teacher was in relation to themselves

Project-based Learning - the Teachers Perspective:

The research into teachers perspectives on delivering language classes has become a commonly investigated area of enquiry (Borg 2006) the part of this area which deals with teachers opinions on project-based learning is still under-investigated The rareness of

these studies in project-based learning and and student perceptions of it are talked about by

Fried-Booth (2002) where she shows that her two participant ESL teachers carrying out this work in a Canadian high school were quite impressed by their students advances in creativity whilst evaluating the effects of project-based learning This evaluation was highly favourable as it allowed the students to combine all their linguistic skills alongside critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork skills They were also able to make their own assessment of their own strengths and weaknesses along the way

However, Eyring (1997) shows some rather more negative results in their study One teacher was the coordinator for project-based learning in the context of an ESL university

in the United States The final result was impressive but there were problems with the process of conducting the project It was found to be extremely challenging to have to negotiate the curriculum with the students as their reaction to the project was less than enthusiastic The teacher thought they had tried their best to guide the students in their work but did not either understand or take the advice being offered in anywhere democratic manner They also showed quite a degree of disrespect towards her which forced her to conclude that going back to a teacher directed traditional approach being a necessity in this case

Middle school teachers perspectives were examined by Harris (2014) while implementing project-based learning He examined the issues faced by teachers when implementing this approach, their reponse to those issues and how they thought project-based learning fitted into 21st Century language teaching The study took place at a middle school in Pittsburgh

PA with over 40 participants Questionnaires were used to gather the data for this The results of this survey found that teachers were aware that time, state accountability, standards, fitting projects into school schedules and designing the actual project lessons were the foremost issues when implementing project-based learning in their institution In addition teachers were either fine with confronting those issues or were a bit concerned

about the implementation As for where this approach fits into 21st century learning, it was seen as being the definite way forward as opposed to more traditional approaches Teachers cited that there were significant gains for students in creativity, building teamwork skills, critical thinking, innovation and problem-solving

1.4 The New English Textbooks’ overview

This part seeks to supply overview information concerning the new standard English textbooks: English 10, English 11 and English 12 being tried out in 6 different chosen high schools within Vietnam In essence, these new English texts seek to adopt a communicative approach for teaching language to promote student learning (including vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar) for the enhancement of communicative competence via listening, spoken word, reading and writing (MOET 2012) For the achievement of those goals, the textbooks aims are listed as performance objectives - reading, writing, listening and speaking This is laid out in table 1 below in more detail:

Reading Text passages from

200- 260 words in

length

-To be able to

understand the main

ideas from short pieces

of text on current affairs

and common topics

to comprehend general meaning of the whole passage

-To be able to understand feelings, situations and wishes in

Text passages from 300

- 350 words in length

-To be able to understand the describing of happenings, feelings and wishes in some messages and letters or texts,

-To be able to comprehend the plot of

a story and find out the most significant points

of the happenings or events

-To speed-read or scan short pieces of text, stories, news to pinpoint appropriate facts and information

Writing Written text in length

between 100 – 150

words

-To be able to write

personal short messages

or text to classmates or

colleagues to provide

them with news or

describe events, convey

experience

-To be able to write

simple linked passages

on personal interests or

well-known topics

Written text in length between 150 - 200 words

-To be able to write an email, blog, letter which describe some experiences on well-known topics

- To be able to write replies in written form for advertisements and request more additional information on some products

Written text in length between 200 - 250 words

Writing simple linked pieces of text on different topics related

to personal interest, ideas or feelings

To be able to write an explanation of a table or

a graph

To be able to write a

CV, applications letter for jobs

Listening The recording is

between 180- 230

words in length

-To be able to listen to a

The recording is between 230 - 280 words in length

-To be able to

The recording is between 280 - 350 words in length

-To be able to

daily conversation, with

the understanding that

students may be asked

to repeat some certain

words or phrases

-To be able to

comprehend some main

ideas from chosen TV

programmes with slow

and clear voice on

in a standard dialect

-To be able to listen to a short story and form an idea about prediction what may occur next

comprehend the main ideas of clear spoken words on well-known topics such as work, habits, free time…

-To be able to comprehend the main ideas presented in some radios, TV programmes with moderately slow and clear speech

Speaking Carry out basic face to

face conversations on

well-known topics

-To be able to convey

and express different

-To be able to provide accurate directions

-To be able to express personal feelings and

-To be able to cope with most conversation that may appear when encountering English-speaking travellers

-To be able to join in discussions on unprepared topics related to daily life

To be able to impart

-To be able to show a

polite agreement or

disagreement and offer

advice

opinions in an informal conversation with friends

encounters and events, dreams and aspirations using linked phrases in a coherent manner

Provide short reasons and explanations for ideas and plans

(MOET 2012)

The texts themselves are compiled as follows: 10 taught units with 4 accompanying reviews in each volume Each taught unit contains eight set lessons the duration of which should be 45 minutes long Also each of the taught units has eight sections within it -

“Getting Started” followed by a section on Language (which encompasses vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar), then sections for reading, spoken word, listening, writing, cultural communications, then a summary and project section Each starts with an explanation in details about the topic which includes lexical and phonological terms relevant to that topic as well as particular structures in grammar, functions and ideas Then lessons go on to the four main skills of listening, spoken word, reading and writing This is followed up by relevant cultural knowledge related to the content of the topic used All units end in the delivery of a project which allows students to practice with the linguistic skills that have been taught so far, at an appropriate level of difficulty depending on the level of the unit

As aforementioned, in the introduction earlier these project lessons require students to work closely in groups with their friends and colleagues The final results of which can be presented in a variety of different forms These could be written articles or papers or could

be a presentation using suitable authoring software such as Powerpoint In doing so they are expected to combine all four of the main skills of listening, spoken word, reading and writing to achieve this in delivering their results in front of the class They are also expected to include aspects of what they have learned, including words and grammar, from previous class sessions in their projects

1.5 The current issues of English teaching and learning in Vietnam

All education levels in Vietnam have a requirement for developing English language teaching very clearly embedded in the curriculum English has become an extremely popular subject in lower and upper secondary education Even primary schools now teach English as a mainstream subject as per the Primary Education Department report to the National Foreign Language 2020 Project (MOET 2012)

Test system

A tricky subject at any level of education, which unfortunately generates attitudes which are decidedly negative from the student point of view, and heavily influences the teachers approach to assessment and grading ( MOET 2012) With the exception of those schools for gifted individuals, teachers in Vietnam continue to concentrate on grammar, reading and writing skills to make them ready for mid-term or final term tests This is because institutional and national tests are still designed with an emphasis on testing grammar and written form Ta (2012) said that less than 45% of teachers use up a great deal of time in developing a four skill approach for the delivery of English language to their students This primary technique for teaching grammar and preparation for tests is so concentrated

on that it has lead to over 50% of students not actually being capable of using English to communicate - even after seven years of learning English in secondary school and their subsequent years at college or university He also states that some Vietnamese teachers concur that most of these students learning English across that amount of time, cannot communicate in English at the desired effective level

Teaching Materials resources

At many vocational schools, English is a compulsory subject but equipped with materials assembled by teachers who have had no instruction on producing those materials (Nguyen 2012) There appears to be no research into the relationship between these materials and the students ability to develop any English language proficiencies, the shortfall in teachers with the correct experience levels to create these materials is quite apparent, which causes difficulties for schools needing to change such materials quickly

Curriculum system

English has been a mandatory subject at secondary level for some considerable time but has not had any official direction Doan Do Quy, the Minister of Information and

Communication stated that Vietnam had no strategy for the teaching and learning of English for quite some time The curriculum was not at all consistent amongst the multidisciplinary standards andhas not really been Linked to any of the international standards at all In fact on the official side there is no apparent coordination of curriculum content at different levels causing materials to be repeated unnecessarily in different positions and in different levels In recent times MOET issued guidelines to aid the creation of a consistent approach between English language courses to clearly provide officially sanctioned requirements for teaching periods, for each education level (MOET

2012)

Teacher Training issues

The actual numbers of teaching staff for English language classes in Vietnam needs to be considered Capacity unfortunately is much lower than the ideal required standard in Vietnam This does make it difficult to meet the demand for teaching English language in this current decade This has become the norm throughout even the urban areas of the country The proficiency level for teachers of English is 12 % below the required standard for qualified staff 18 % of them have had no formal pedagogical training at all (Nguyen 2012) MOET have been setting up arrangements to retrain staff so that they can better help their students meet their goals within society as well as meeting the needs of the regional integration programme Reporting after looking at the National Foreign Language

2020 Project, MOET found that after examining 10161 English teacchers from all levels in

10 regions, found 97 % of primary level staff, 93% lower secondary and 98% or upper secondary school staff did not make the grade for English competency as stipulated in the

Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR) In upper Secondary schools level only 3% of staff had attained C1 level, half of the staff had achieved B1

level, which is actually the minimum qualified level for primary teaching ( MOET 2012) However, many members of English language teaching staff in Vietnam have been attempting to implement new methodologies and new techniques in their teaching areas While it is highly feasible for teachers to do this in urban areas, it is more problematic for those in more rural areas to make use of such techniques, particularly when making use of new technologies, access to which is more of an issue to rural schools These difficulties also apply to staff trying to learn new teaching techniques and to implement new methods

of teaching The opportunities to up-skill are not the same in different country areas

There are always far greater possibilities for additional training in updated teaching methods so thar more innovative techniques and practices can be implemented, more than those in the more rural situations Many rural teachers are not aware of or can employ more modern and innovative methods There are also those in urban areas though, who despite having access to advanced teaching equipment, still do not want to change away from the traditional approaches There is a reluctance to change away from what is familiar to them, or they are not prepared to spend any time retraining

CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY

The sections below provide detailed information on the context, research questions, subjects and details of data collection and its data analysis

2.1 Context:

This study was carried out at 6 upper secondary schools from different areas in the North

of Viet Nam where new text books were piloted for teaching and learning activities These areas include the capital itself – Hanoi, and the provinces of Thai Nguyen, Nam Dinh, Vinh Phuc & Bac Giang Thus, project-based learning is new to many teachers which does raise some challenges when attempting to implement it in their classes

Under the regulations of MOET’s National Foreign Languages 2020 Project – the high schools must have a suitable environment for making use of the text books – including highly competent teachers, students and working facilities All of the schools chosen for the study at least partially conform to these requirements Some of these schools are very well equipped with IT facilities, a good library and projection equipment which supports teaching and learning using the new textbooks - in addition to other subjects

2.2 The Research Questions:

The following research questions were raised for the purposes of this study:

1 What challenges exist when making use of project-based learning?

2 What are the teaching professionals’ cognitions on using project-based learning in relation to the new texts for teaching English?

2.3 Study Aims:

In this section there are details about the volunteering participants within the study The data collection techniques and interview procedures are also discussed

2.3.1 The Volunteering Participants:

30 members of teaching staff were selected to take questionnaires from the 6 teaching establishments referred to before To contact with them, the researcher had to ask some help from old friends, old students, colleagues teaching in 6 different high schools that were piloting the new English textbooks Fortunately, there were 30 teachers willing to participate in my survey Some of these were city-based whilst others were in rural community areas Those chosen were of good standing and had achieved the C1 level for teaching competency in foreign languages (MOET, 2012) These teachers had a varying number of years teaching experience Some had been teaching for under 4 years, some

under 10 years and the rest were seasoned teachers with over 10 years of experience Out

of the 30 teachers, only 4 were happy to be interviewed Most of the others declined the interviews on account of them being too busy with other important matters In the end only two teachers actually took part in the interviews as one was ill at the time and the other had been called away to an overseas conference

2.3.2 Data Collection Techniques

As alluded to in the last section, the two techniques used to gather data were interviews and questionnaires and the primary technique chosen was data collection by questionnaire

In a relatively short amount of time data can be collected using this method, then processed and analysed which would form the subject matter with a good background and understanding (Dornyei 2003) It is a good way for the author to collect the thoughts and ideas from the teachers about project-based learning and to look at their difficulties and concerns on implementation The questionnaire was based upon the framework established by Dornyei (2003) This framework details the general attributes of questionnaires such as their length, layout and topic choices, and other questionnaire attributes such as titles, instructions to the respondent, the question styles, other information and how to finish off a questionnaire appropriately

After good consideration, 40 question items (written in English) were added to the questionnaire and in two sections The first section consisted of 2 questions which were aimed at ascertaining information about teaching experience and knowledge of project-based learning

The second section contained the remaining 38 questions The first of which asked about the definition of project-based learning, and the next three taking the literature into consideration when looking at the aspects of project work

The next 23 questions made use of the Likert scale (5 grades from strongly agree to strongly disagree) about the benefits of project-based learning These were successfully borrowed from work by Wanchild & Wattanasin (2015) and suitably adapted to fit the subject matter

The remaining 11 questions were aimed at the difficulties and problems associated with project-based learning using a ranked approach These questions were based on work by Harris (2014)

To ensure the questionnaire was suitable for its purpose, the author needed to “pilot” the questionnaire This was done by means of sending it to a volunteer teacher by email to get some idea of how long it took to take, if the content, structure and instructions were clear enough and understandable to a participant Due to this process 2 of the intended questions were removed to avoid possible confusion about them with teachers trying to answer the questionnaire

As a result of the pilot study, the layout and style of the questionnaire was updated to be more appealing to the potential participant Hopefully this would result in better quality of response and a great quantity of participant returns for the questionnaire (Dornyei 2003) There had to be some means of checking the reliability of the information returned by the volunteer participants Therefore, it was decided that Cronbach’s Alpha would be used as

a measure of the consistency with the questionnaires (Pedhazur & Schmelkin (1991)), This was calculated by the use of suitable computer software

The secondary data collection technique was the use of interviews These were for the purposes of acquiring far more depth of information from respondents about their problems and concerns with problem-based learning Especially for capturing information otherwise missed from the questionnaires

The interview questions were formulated by the author by consulting the Hatch’s framework (Hatch,2002) This allowed the author to conduct formal, semi-structured and in-depth interviews – making sure that there was space allowed for issues that arose from the interviewees in the progress of the interview itself All the questions were asked in English and the author took good advantage of social media by conducting the interviews through Facebook and Skype

2.3.3 Collecting the Data:

Once set up, all 30 of the questionnaires were printed and then distributed to the teachers in their different schools Once the questionnaires had been completed, they, for convenience and efficiency, were scanned and emailed to the author The return of the questionnaires took around 2 weeks to complete The author then made use of the SPSS software to enter the results and analyse the data collected From this data the frequency, mean and standard deviation was calculated for each question The author analysed the qualitative data gathered from the two interviews separately Each interview took approximately 10

minutes to complete Once the interview content had been transcribed, the answers to questions were sorted into the categories of project work that were looked at in the questionnaires The categories were – benefits, roles and concerns of project-based learning while making use of the new English text books

CHAPTER III: FINDINGS

This chapter reports on the findings drawn from the questionnaires and interviews carried out as mentioned in the previous chapter Details of the questionnaire and interview questions can be found in Appendix 1 and 2

3.1 Results drawn from the questionnaires

There were two sets of findings from the questionnaires – those that look at the background of the participants and those looking at their thoughts and issues

3.1.1 Background information

As we have seen in the previous chapter, there were 30 participants in all, and each one was asked about the length of their teaching experience and their existing knowledge of project-based learning

Figure 1: Teaching Experience

As can be seen from figure 1 above, 76.7% of the participants have over 10 years of experience 13.3% of them had 5 or more years of experience, whilst only 10% had experience of less than 5 years This shows that the majority of the participants in this survey were very experienced practitioners

Figure 2: Knowledge about Project-based Learning