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 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 projectbased 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 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 I 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 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 II CONTENTS Abstract Error! Bookmark not defined Acknowledgement Error! Bookmark not defined Contents III Abbreviations V Figure and table VI PART I INTRODUCTION 1.Background for the research Research aims Research questions Research outline PART II CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Project-based learning (PBL) 1.1.1.PBL definitions 1.1.2.PBL features 1.1.3 The role of teachers in PBL 1.1.4 The Advantages of PBL 1.1.5 The Disadvantages of PBL 1.2 Teacher Perceptions…………………………………………………………………9 1.2.1 Teacher’s cognition definition 1.2.2 Teacher’s cognition and its importance 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 III 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 ……………… 46 APPENDIX 50 APPENDIX 51 IV ABBREVIATIONS PBL: Project-based learning MOET: The Ministry of Education and Training V 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 VI PART I INTRODUCTION 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 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 Research questions The following research questions were raised for the purposes of this study: What challenges exist when making use of project-based learning? What are the teaching professionals’ cognitions on using project-based learning? in relation to the new texts for teaching English? 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 their interest and get for them to get themselves involved in developing their language skills This will in the end make project-based learning ever more effective On another very important point, the Ministry of Training and Education in Vietnam really needs to re-examine the lesson project timings which could with being set longer durations in the texts 4.3 Limitations of this Study There are two main limitations arrived at for the study undertaken here: 1) The survey that was undertaken here only really focuses on the participant views, ideas, feelings and personal knowledge (Borg 2006) of the project-based learning method This was in terms of looking at student motivation, linguistic improvement, independent learning and team building skills (Freid-Booth 2002; Thomas 2000; Hedge 2000; Haines 1989), though it fails to gain any actual student opinions on these matters It could be highly conceivable that student opinions could vary greatly from those of the teachers expressed here in relation to their personal achievements as is also mentioned in the literature (Wanchid & Wattanasin 2015; Gardner 1995; Hilton-Jones 1988) The other factor being that this survey only looks at teaching issues, preparation time, student ability levels and resourcing challenges (Harris 2005; Westwood 2008; Hutchinson 1992;) without any recourse to exploring the student issues and challenges as well (Westwood 2008) 2) This research was conducted using a mixture of questionnaire and interview, but there were limitations on the numbers of participants - 30 for the questionnaire but only for the interviews If there had been a much larger sample of individuals taking part in these two exercises then any results would have been much more significant and reliable Particularly as three questions had to be dropped due to poorer Cronbach’s Alpha scores 4.4 Areas for further/future investigation As implied earlier on of the suggestions is that the student body should be able to present their perceptions and views in addition to that of the teachers This would allow for a comparison between the opinions of those teaching versus those being taught Another suggestion would be to undertake actual class observations to clarify any possible differences and/or reinforce the teachers perceptions versus their actual practice in the classroom This study has not been able to these things 4.5 In Summary 40 This concludes this report into this investigation into project-based learning, this final chapter has summarised the findings drawn from the literature, the questionnaire and the interviews followed by suitable recommendations and limitations of the study with a clear idea of where the study could progress if carried on in the future 41 REFERENCES  Beckett, G H (2002) Teacher and Student Evaluations of Projectbased InstructionTESL Canada Journal, 19(2), 52-56  Borg, S (2003) ‘Teachers’ Cognition in Language Teaching: A Review of Research on What Language Teachers Think, Know, Believe and Do’ TESOL: 36:81-109  Borg, S (2006) Teachers Cognition and Language Education: Research and Practice London: Continuum  Doherty, D., & Eyring, J (2006) Instructor experiences with project work in the adult ESL classroom Project-based Second and Foreign Language Education: Past, present and future, 95-122  Dörnyei, Z (2003) Questionnaires in second language research: Construction, administration, and processing Mahvah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates  Eyring, J L (1997) Is project work worth it? Eric Digest (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No ED407838 Elementary School Journal, 94(5), 341 - 358)  Filippatou, D., & Kaldi, S (2010) The Effectiveness of Project-Based Learning on Pupils with Learning Difficulties Regarding Academic Performance, Group Work and Motivation International journal of special education, 25(1), 17-26  Fried-Booth, D.L (2002) Project work (2nd ed.) New York: Oxford University Press  Gallacher, L (2004) Project work with teenagers Retrieved on 12 March 2019 from: http://www.teachenglish.org.uk/think/methodology/project_work.html  Gardner, H (1995) Reflections on multiple intelligences myths and messages Phi Delta Kappan, 77, 200-203, 206-209  George Lucas Educational Foundation (2001, November 1) Project-based learning research Edutopia (retrieved from www.edutopia.org*.)  Hatch, J A (2002) Doing qualitative research in education settings Albany, NY: State University of New York Press  Haines, S (1989) Projects for the EFL classroom: Resource material for teachers Walton-on-Thames, UK: Nelson 42  Harris, M.T (2014) The challenges of implementing project-based learning in middle schools Unpublished doctoral dissertation The University of Pittsburgh, America  Hedge, T (1993) Key concepts in ELT ELT Journal 47 (3) 275-277  Hedge, T (2000) Teaching and learning in the communicative classroom Oxford: Oxford University Press  Hilton-Jones, U (1988) Project-based learning for foreign students in an Englishspeaking environment Washington DC: US Department of Education  Hutchinson, T (1992) Introduction to Project Work 1991 Oxford: Oxford University Press  Joseph, A.G, & Rosemary, R.G (2003) Calculating, Interpreting, and Reporting Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Coefficient for Likert-Type Scales Retrieved from http://www.ssnpstudents.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Gliem-Gliem.pdf  Krajcik, J S., Blumenfeld, P C., Marx, R W., & Soloway, E (1994) A collaborative model for helping middle grade science teachers learn project-based instruction Elementary School Journal, 94, 483-497  Lan, N.T.P &Thuy.P.N(2015) Innovation in English Language Education in Vietnam for ASEAN 2015 Integration: Current Issues, Challenges, Opportunities, Investments, and Solutions- TESOL conference in Phnompenh 2015  Legutke, M & Thomas, H (1991) Process and Experience in the Language classroom New York: Longman Group UK Limited  Levy, M (1997) Project-based learning for language teachers: reflecting on the process In R Debski, J Gassin, & M Smith (Eds.), Language learning through social computing, (pp.181-191) Melbourne:Applied Linguistic Association of Australia and Horwood Language Center  Marx, R et al (1997) Enacting project-based science: Challenges for practice and policy Retrieved March 13, 2019 from: http://cell.uindy.edu/docs/PBL%20research%20summary.pdf 43  Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) 2012 Decision 5209/QĐ- BGDT on November 23rd 2012 for “Approval of Pilot English Curriculum for Vietnamese Upper Secondary Schools”  Nguyen, N (2012) How English has displaced Russian and other foreign languages in Vietnam since ―Doi Moi.‖ International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2(23), 259-266 Available athttp://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_2_No_23_December_2012/29 pdf  Papandreou, A., P (1994) An application of the projects approach to EFL English teaching Forum, 32(3), 41-42  Pedhazur, E J., & Schmelkin, L P (1991) Measurement, design and analysis: An integrated approach Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates  Phipps, S (2009) The Relationship between Teacher Education, Teacher Cognition and Classroom Practice in Language Teaching: A Case Study of MA Students' Beliefs about Grammar Teaching Unpublished doctoral dissertation The University of Leeds School of Education  Skehan, P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning Oxford: Oxford University Press  Stoller, F L (2007) Project-based learning: An effective means for promoting purposeful language use In Selected Papers from the 16th International Symposium on English Teaching  Ta, Thuy (2012, May 29) Dạy học ngoại ngữ: Còn nhiều bất cập [Foreign language teaching and learning: Many shortcomings] Retrieved from http://giaoduc.net.vn/Cung-lam-bao/Cuoc-thiPhong-vien-tre/Day-va-hoc-ngoaingu-Con-nhieu-bat-cappost61123.gd  Thomas, J W (2000) A Review of Research on Project-based learning San Rafael, CA: Autodesk  Xuyen, H.T.H (2017) High school teachers’ perception of PBL in the new Engish text books MA Thesis, Ha Noi National University  Wanchid, R & Wattanasin, K (2015) The Investigation of Students’ Attitudes toward Project Work in Enhancing Independent Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, Vol 6, No (2015)581-192 44  Westwood, P (2008) What teachers need to know about teaching methods Camberwell, Vic.: ACER Press 9780864319128 (pbk.) Retrieved March 25,2019 fromhttp://albaniarsimin.wikispaces.com/file/view/What_teachers_need_to_know_ about_Teaching 45 Appendix 1: The Questionnaire Dear Volunteer, The purpose of this questionnaire is to examine your use of project-based learning whilst using MOET new English text books There are 40 questions to answer and your responses will be extremely useful for the completion of my MA dissertation at Northumbria University Your personal details will remain private and undisclosed from any 3rd party If you have any questions, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch Thank you in advance for your help! About you: a How many years have you been teaching? ⃝ less than years ⃝ less than years, or ⃝ 10 years or more b Please indicate how long you know about/use Project-based Learning? Learning with the new texts for English using project-based learning is very helpful for students The new texts encourage students to be more creative in their work when using project-based learning The new texts increase student participation in class activities when using project-based 46 Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Statement Disagree Strongly Disagree Question Main Survey: Answer the following questions Please indicate which of the following matches the definition of project-based learning – ring the appropriate letter – you can ring more than one answer: a A method that arranges learning about projects b A project for student to plan and research into c A method where teachers help students design a real-world experience d Problem solving exercises in teams of students facilitated by a teacher e A long-term task, which integrates together a number of language skills and related activities f A method which establishes student-led group work to gain scientific knowledge and gain leadership/teamwork abilities In the following table, place a tick in the box which you feel most matches your ideas on the benefits of project-based learning: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 learning The new texts greatly increase a student’s own confidence when using project-based learning Project-based learning with the new texts greatly enhances their skills at reading Project-based learning with the new texts allows students to greatly enhance their spoken language skills The listening skills of students are enhanced by using project-based learning with the new texts The writing skills of students are enhanced by using project-based learning with the new texts The project-based learning with the new texts increases student vocabularies The project-based learning helps students more successfully combine skills, vocabulary and grammar with the new texts Project-based learning makes the use of the new texts more eager for students studying English The project-based learning approach with the new texts allows for greater student activity when in class Using the new texts with project-based learning allow students to be more relaxable in the classroom environment Using the new texts with project-based learning encourages students to read more around the subject when not in the classroom Using the new texts with project-based learning allows students to become better independent learners This approach allows students to take more responsibility for their own learning The approach increases student ability to apply the knowledge learned in the classroom to their project work Project-based learning with the new texts enables students to acquire skills in evaluating their personal development and self-assessment Project-based learning causes students to require more help from teachers during their project tasks The approach allows students to create better team relationships during project work The approach creates strong team-building skills in the students 47 22 23 Project-based learning allows for much better information exchanges between their fellow students The approach allows for enhanced abilities for students to be involved in better interactions with their colleagues outside the classroom Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Statement Disagree Strongly Disagree Question In the following table, place a tick in the box which you feel most matches your ideas on your role in PBL: Maintaining class order and organization My role is for facilitation and guidance during the project My role is to encourage and motivate students during the project It can be quite a challenge to guide students on how to run their projects Organising all the student projects can be very difficult Materials development is difficult when having to use the new English texts The objective assessing of the student projects is difficult Managing a student group is a problem Collaboration with other members of staff is difficult Project-based learning uses up a lot of time in planning and development Students don’t engage in enough time to complete their project work I don’t have the necessary training in implementing 48 Major Issue Moderate Issue Minor Issue Statement No Issue Question In the following table, place a tick in the box which you feel most matches your ideas on your issues with implementing project-based learning: 10 11 project-based learning Exemplars of best practice in project-based learning are not available School resources are insufficient to support projectbased learning in my school If you would like to engage further in this survey by taking part in an interview, please give your contact details below: Name School Mobile number THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION! 49 Appendix 2: Interview Questions Please define what you understand as PBL.? When using the new English texts with PBL, are students more motivated to study English? If so, then why? Does PBL help students in improving their language skills? If yes, which skills? improve the best and which skills the least? Why is this you think? Does PBL help students to be better independent learners? If so, why you think that is? Does PBL help students to better their skills in working in teams? If so, why is that? What role you yourself have in facilitating PBL? What are the main issues that you face in getting PBL implemented? 50 Appendix 3: Sample Interview Transcript Interview Details Date of Interview: Duration: 15 minutes Interviewer: Participant: Questions & Responses Interviewer Question Please define what you understand as PBL Participant Response PBL is a method of delivering the necessary skills, abilities and core knowledge of a course module Teachers assign particular activities or tasks, which could be a group task, to solve a problem using appropriate research Students would apply learning from their real-life situations to generate questions, investigations and research – maybe using interviews Students will then create presentations and deliver them in front of the rest of the class During these activities, the teacher should guide the students in dividing tasks between their group colleagues, and aid them throughout the duration of their project Students are also encouraged to divide work between themselves in their groups and build teamwork Interviewer Question When using the new English texts with PBL, are students more motivated to learn English? If so, then why? Participant Response From personal experience, those students of greater ability are motivated, but it is maybe not suitable for those of lesser ability as they tend to be embarrassed when having to present in front of the rest of their fellow students Interviewer Question Does PBL help students in improving their language skills? If yes, which skills improve the best and which skills the least? Why is this you think? Participant Response From experience students must use a number of resources when working on their projects, like reading literature, searching on the web and then presenting their findings in front of the class From this their spoken and reading skills improve more than other skills, but they tend to learn more new English words in the process Though one frustration is that often students will copy whole passages rather than paraphrase them properly – so writing skills don’t really improve Interviewer Question Does PBL help students to be better independent learners? If so, why you think that is? Participant Response I believe it does help them as independent learners, because they need to apply their new knowledge and linguistic skills for reading around the different subjects, read materials and investigate for more information, including gaining findings through interviews to complete their projects on time The Internet has been a great help to students in acquiring suitable material for their subjects Interviewer Question Does PBL help students to better their skills in working in teams? 51 Participant Response Interview Question Participant Response Interviewer Question Participant Response Interviewer Question Participant Response If so, why is that? Absolutely yes as students are encouraged to work in groups to complete their project work They then have the ideal opportunity to cooperate with each other and practice with their friends The students in these groups often form close friendships and the cohesion within the groups is much improved What role you yourself have in PBL? My role is that of guidance and generating a comfortable and appealing atmosphere for students carrying out project work It is very different from traditional teaching methods that were used before What are the main issues that you face in getting PBL implemented? There are three main issues that I face in the implementation of this method Firstly, the student ability level – if they have poor knowledge and vocabulary in the language and have low skill in grammar and pronunciation – they struggle to collect information correctly and scientifically Secondly, the time allocated for doing the projects may be insufficient for students to be able to complete their tasks before presenting it As a result I was a bit hard on them Thirdly, there has been a lack of sufficient facilities as there are no computers available in my classroom If access to IT facilities is needed, we have to go to the IT room which is too small for efficient group work Do you wish to add anything more to this interview? No thank you Interview Details Date of Interview: Duration: 15 minutes Interviewer: Participant: Questions & Responses Interviewer Question Please define what you understand as PBL? Participant Response PBL is a learner-centred approach facilitated by a teacher These students will attempt to achieve a set goal via some individual research and collaboration with their colleagues They will report by presentation in front of the class They would also apply “peer assessment” to evaluate their teammates Interviewer Question When using the new English texts with PBL, are students more motivated to learn English? If so, then why? Participant Response I think PBL using the new texts is potentially very useful and very practical as students can draw together all their skills that have been learned in prior lessons, all with developing other skills such as communications skills, presentation skills and working as part of a team However, making this a realistic for students of lesser ability is problematic if they are feeling too worried about being called to present in front of others 52 Interviewer Question Does PBL help students in improving their language skills? If yes, which skills improve the best and which skills the least? Why is this you think? Participant Response Of course, the spoken English skills of the students develops well because they are having to use their own words to their presentations in front of the other students - and in front of myself their teacher They have to read a lot of associated literature which can certainly improve their English vocabulary Unfortunately, the listening and written English skills receive poorer attention due to the sometimes noisy class environment - and because they are not listening to their fellow group members They sometimes don’t come up with their own written passages and would rather copy or learn by heart instead - particularly those in the class who are of lesser ability Interviewer Question Does PBL help students to be better independent learners? If so, why you think that is? Participant Response Students directly engage with the tasks they take on, assembling, designing and evaluating their products themselves The teacher is only acting as a guide and assistance for the students They must learn to work with their group peers to reach their project goals If a student does not learn independently, then they are removed from their group Interviewer Question Does PBL help students to better their skills in working in teams? If so, why is that? Participant Response The project is the product of the students collaborating with each other to achieve the project goals Interview Question What role you yourself have in facilitating PBL? Participant Response Myself I consider a classroom guide I assign the student tasks and when they have completed their work my role is to assess, comment and award group marks Interviewer Question What are the main issues that you face in getting PBL implemented? Participant Response When student proficiency levels are low, it places a heavy burden on the students A lot of them are far too nervous and stressed to be able to their presentations There is a large quantity of good information in the new English texts but 45 minutes is far too short to be able to achieve a successful project lesson Another being the issue that the content of the project sessions did not relate to the preparation for tests and examinations My school needs to be much better equipped to handle project-based learning - facilities like computers, printers, projectors and good resource materials are needed for the students to be really successful with the approach Interviewer Question Do you wish to add anything more to this interview? Participant Response No thank you, that is all 53 54 ... implementation of project- based learning 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. .. 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... 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