Roject based learning application at high schools perspectives from teachers and students

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY VO THUONG PROJECT-BASED LEARNING APPLICATION AT HIGH SCHOOLS: PERSPECTIVES FROM TEACHERS AND STUDENTS MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATION Nghe An, 2018 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY VO THUONG PROJECT-BASED LEARNING APPLICATION AT HIGH SCHOOLS: PERSPECTIVES FROM TEACHERS AND STUDENTS MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATION Major: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching Code: 8.14.01.11 SUPERVISOR: TRAN BA TIEN, Ph D Nghe An, 2018 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that this thesis entitled “Project-based learning application at high schools: perspectives from teachers and students” is my own work Nghe An, 2018 VO THUONG i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not have been completed without the help of my teachers and friends during the time of my doing it First of all, I would like to express my sincere and deep gratitude to Dr Tran Ba Tien, my supervisor, for his invaluable guidance, comments, and corrections and for his kindly constant encouragement during the course of writing this thesis Second, I would like to thank all lecturers at the Foreign Languages Department, Vinh University for their valuable teaching and tremendous assistance that have enlightened my study path Third, I also would like to give my special thanks to the teachers and students at high schools in Ninh Thuan province who have actively participated in my study Without their help and cooperation, the research would have been made impossible Last but not least, my sincere thanks go to my leaders, my colleagues, my friends, my classmates at the Master Class, my family, especially my wife, who also encourages and shares the hardship with me ii ABSTRACT Project-based learning (PBL) is a new method which is supposed to be effective and successful in teaching and learning English PBL is a method focusing on the learner; the teacher only plays the role as a facilitator, motivator and inspiration for learners PBL is a learner-centered pedagogy which helps learners to achieve further knowledge through their active exploration of the surroundings Learners are very active, creative, positive and willing to cooperate They show their life skills such as problem-solving skill, interpersonal skill, leadership skills, etc quite well This study has paid attention to the theories of PBL included the definition and the goal, the characteristics of the approach, the advantages and disadvantages in adaptation From this viewpoint, a suggestion to investigate the way how to teach and learn PBL at high schools: perspectives from teachers and students have been brought out This method of the study adopts both qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection To ensure the validity of research, methods, including survey questionnaires, and interview, will be employed This study included students’ and teachers’ survey questionnaires and interview Qualitative and quantitative approaches were mainly used to form a realistic and detailed description of the real teaching and learning context and the attitudes, assessments of teachers and students involved The findings indicated that most of the teachers and students had a positive and clear attitude and motivation to the applying of PBL These findings also showed that the language teachers experience some practical difficulties with PBL because this is a new method Finally, some useful implications for its application are proposed based on the research findings in order to help the teachers and students to implement PBL more effectively and successfully in teaching and learning in their English classes iii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF FIGURES ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Method of the study 1.7 Organization of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 A historical overview of English teaching methods 2.1.1 The Grammar-Translation Method 2.1.2 The Direct Method 2.1.3 The Audio-Lingual Method 2.1.4 Communicative Language Teaching 2.2 Project-Based Learning 2.2.1 What is PBL? 2.2.2 Characteristics of PBL 10 2.2.3 Previous studies on the advantages and disadvantages of PBL 11 2.2.4 Stages of PBL 12 2.2.5 Teachers’ role 13 iv 2.2.6 Students’ role 13 2.2.7 Benefits of PBL 13 2.2.8 Difficulties encountered 14 2.3 Summary 15 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 16 3.1 Research methods 16 3.2 Context of the study 16 3.3 Participants 17 3.3.1 The teachers 17 3.3.2 The students 18 3.4 Instruments 19 3.4.1 Questionnaire 19 3.4.2 Interview 19 3.5 Data collection 20 3.6 Data analysis 20 3.7 Research procedures 21 3.8 Reliability and validity 21 3.9 Summary 21 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 22 4.1 Overview 22 4.2 Findings and discussion 22 4.2.1 Findings and discussion about the students’ attitudes towards PBL 22 4.2.1.1 Discussion about the results from the students’ questionnaire 22 4.2.1.2 Discussion about the results from the students’ interview 32 4.2.2 Findings and discussion about the teachers’ perception of PBL 33 4.2.2.1 Discussion about the results from the teachers’ questionnaire 33 4.2.2.2 Discussion about the results from the teachers’ interview 52 v CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 54 5.1 Main onclusion 54 5.2 Implications of the research 55 5.2.1 Implications for teaching 55 5.2.2 Implications for learning 56 5.2.3 For textbook designers 56 5.3 Limitations of the research 56 5.4 Further research 57 REFERENCES 58 APPENDIX 60 APPENDIX 65 APPENDIX 68 APPENDIX 69 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ALM : Audio-Lingual Method CLT : Communicative Language Teaching DM : Direct Method ELT : English Language Teaching GTM : Grammar-Translation Method PBL : Project-Based Learning P-P-P : Presentation - Practice - Production SLA : Second Language Acquisition vii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 3.1: Teacher informants’ background information 17 Table 3.2: Student informants’ background information 18 Table 4.1: Reasons for application of PBL 38 Table 4.2: Teachers’ difficulties in applying PBL 39 Table 4.3: Teachers’ frequency of applying PBL in teaching English classes 40 Table 4.4: Reasons for choosing PBL in teaching English classes 44 Table 4.5: Reasons for avoiding PBL in teaching English classes 45 Table 4.6: Factors making the application of PBL effective in English classes 47 Table 4.7: Teachers’ solutions to multi-level classes 48 Table 4.8: Teachers’ solutions to students’ low English proficiency 50 viii with their classmates inside and outside the classroom Therefore, the teachers should edit some unsuitable tasks in the textbook so that the students can have more interesting and practical topics in their real life In short, the overall findings of the study emphasized the prospect of using PBL successful in teaching and learning PBL in high schools In reality, the students’ need to use English to communicate and teachers’ perception as well as their change in order to improve the situation was sharply reflected It showed the advantages and challenges when applying PBL at high schools in Ninh Thuan 5.2 Implications of the research 5.2.1 Implications for teaching To make the students more interested, active, creative and effective in the lessons, the teachers should provide the students with a variety of enjoyable tasks in the classroom Clearly, the students will become active participants when they were engaged in such tasks Additionally, designing some tasks for the teachers to meet the student’s motivation and needs is very important To reduce difficulties students encountered in PBL, teachers should provide enough instruction for the students Besides, the teachers should try to manage time and class well to help students apply and practice well The teachers also ask students to find authentic materials on the Internet, magazines, and newspapers or in real life to make the lesson more exciting, effective and attractive The teachers need to create a relaxing, comfortable and collaborative learning environment for the students Classroom atmosphere is very important for teaching and learning When the students find the classroom atmosphere enjoyable and relaxing, they will feel more confident and comfortable to take part in themselves in the English classes What’s more, an open attitude towards the PBL approach is the request that the teachers should have The theory and principles of PBL should be 55 improved and professional knowledge should be always exchanged among other colleagues to meet the need of PBL learning and teaching 5.2.2 Implications for learning The students’ main goal to study English was that they could pass the final exam Learning English for the future job was what many students concerned Therefore, the teachers should be fond of their students’ interest and expectation in learning English so as to help students to increase their motivation and needs in mastering English Teachers should survey students’ needs to realize that whether applying their teaching methods and knowledge are appropriate for the students or not Besides, English is a compulsory and necessary subject in schools that students have to take, so the teachers ought to maintain the extrinsic and instrumental motivation and needs Furthermore, teachers can increase their intrinsic motivation and needs by inserting English culture and custom in the lessons; enhance their love to English by listening to English songs and watching English films The good way is that to encourage students’ interest to English, the teachers should give the students with reference materials and some websites in English 5.2.3 For textbook designers Textbook plays a very important role in stimulating the students’ interests and making the lessons become more effective and attractive Therefore, to provide various lessons which are familiar with students’ daily life as well as suitable to students’ levels of proficiency is very significant for the textbook designers The textbook designers should omit unnecessary parts in each lesson 5.3 Limitations of the research The research has also indicated some unavoidable mistakes due to the researcher’s limitation of experience and knowledge despite the supervisor’s devoted guidance and the researcher’s efforts, Firstly, the study was only carried out in three high schools in the province and the researcher only surveyed 10 teachers and 100 students So the results may not fully reflect the whole situation of learning and teaching PBL 56 Secondly, all PBL theories and principles used by teachers may not be covered with the questionnaires, which results in less reliable findings Thirdly, the findings of the study were only collected and analyzed from the two instruments questionnaires and interview Finally, the author only investigated the application of PBL at high schools: perspectives from teachers and students 5.4 Further research The researcher has many challenges although PBL can bring many benefits into the English classes It is important that further researches should identify the typical challenges facing the application of PBL in English classes The research can be extended to a large scale to all high schools in Ninh Thuan province by carrying on with large numbers of participants Consequently, the research would be more effective, reliable and convincing 57 REFERENCES English authors Babbie, E (1983) The practice of social research (3rd edition.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Brophy, J (2004) Motivating Students to Learn New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Bruner, J (1973) Going Beyond the Information Given New York: Norton Fried-Booth, D L (2002) Project work (2nd Ed.) New York: Oxford University Press Harmer, J (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching Fourth Edition Cambridge : Pearson Longman Kriwas, S (1999) Environmental Education, a Handbook for Educators Athens: Ministry of Education (In Greek) Larsen-Freeman, D (2000) Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching Oxford: Oxford University Press Lee, I (2002) Project work made easy in the English classroom Canadian Modern Language Review, 59, 282-290 Nunan, D (1991) Language Teaching Methodology: A textbook for teachers New York: Prentice Hall 10 Papandreou, A P (1994) An application of the projects, approaches to EFL English Teaching Forum, 32(3), 41-42 11 Stoller, F (2006) Establishing a theoretical foundation for project-based learning in second and foreign language contexts In Beckett, G., H & P C Miller (Eds.), Project-Based Second and Foreign Language education: past, present, and future (pp 19-40) Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age Publishing 12 Thomas, J., Mergendoller, J., & Michaelson, A (1999) Project-based learning: A handbook for middle and high school teachers Novato, CA: The Buck Institute for Education 58 13 Tsiplakides, I., (2009) Project-Based Learning in the Teaching of English as A Foreign Language in Greek Primary Schools: From Theory to Practice Journal of English Language Teaching, (3), 113-119 Retrieved from www.ccsenet.org/ journal.html 14 Widdowson, H G (1978) Teaching Language as Communication Oxford: Oxford University Press Vietnamese Authors: 15 Nguyễn Thị Oánh (2016) Applying Project-Based learning in teaching speaking to the 1st year non-English major Master thesis, Vinh University 16 Nguyễn Thị Thương (2016) An Application of Project-Based Learning to develop the grade 10 students’ speaking skills Master thesis, Vinh University 17 Le Thị Huyen Trang (2013) Applying Task-based Approach in Teaching Speaking Skill to the 10th Graders at Some High Schools in Ha Tinh Master thesis, Vinh University 59 APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS …………………………………………………………………… ………… I Teacher’s profile - Age: - Gender: - Your qualification: BA MA - Teaching experience: < years 5-10 years Ph.D > 10 years II Now, please tick the answers that you choose You can tick more than one answer for a question What you know about PBL? a PBL is a student-centered approach b PBL is a teacher-centered approach c PBL is a communicative approach between teacher and students d PBL is a new approach that students learn by discovering things for themselves How you feel when applying PBL in your English classes? a Confident b Embarrassed c Bored d Uncomfortable What are the advantages of applying PBL in your English classes? a PBL helps students develop their life skills b PBL fosters students’ critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration c PBL provides students with opportunities to lead learning activities d PBL makes students use Vietnamese during pair or group work In your opinion, PBL is… a Very important b Important c Not very important 60 d Not important How much are you interested in applying PBL? a Very much b Much c Not very much d Not much How you find applying PBL in your English classes? a Very difficult b Difficult c Easy d Very easy What are the reasons for your application of PBL in your English classes? a PBL is required by the Department of Education and Training b PBL is a new approach I want to try out c PBL helps students improve their English communication skill d Students are interested in PBL Which difficulties you often encounter in applying PBL? a Students’ low motivation b Students’ use Vietnamese during pair work or group work c Students’ passive learning styles d Students’ not participating in class e Students’ low proficiency of English f Lack of teaching facilities and teaching aids g Multilevel class h Large class size i Too little time to carry out PBL activities k Lack of authentic teaching materials l Lack of training in teaching PBL m Lack of background knowledge 61 n Deficiency in strategic and sociolinguistic competence in English o Lack of time to prepare lessons How often you use a PBL approach in teaching English to students in your high school? a Always b Often c Sometimes d Never 10 Does the PBL approach prove successful in your English lessons? a Yes b No 11 If “Yes”, in your estimation, how much does PBL approach work better than the traditional methods? a Less than 25% b From 25% to 50% c From 50% to 75% d Over 75% 12 Are your students interested in the PBL approach in English lessons? a Yes b No 13 Do you think PBL is a good choice in your English classes? a Yes b No 14 If you answer “Yes”, tick the following options that you think PBL is a good choice for you a Activate students’ needs and interests b Pursue the development of interacted skills in the classroom c Encourage students’ intrinsic motivation d Promote students’ academic progress e Be more flexible in PBL than in traditional method 62 f Take a more active role in class g Have more chances to use the target language h Enhance the interactions between the teacher and the students and among students in class i Be much more engaged in tasks in pair work, group work and create a collaborative learning environment in class 15 If you answer “No”, what are the reasons? a Require much preparation b Have difficulty in assessing students’ PBL performance c Not be used to PBL learning by students d Have large class sizes e Give much psychological burden to me as a facilitator 16 What are your difficulties in implementing PBL in the textbook? a Too long and difficult tasks b Some improper-designed tasks to students’ linguistic competence c Some language materials go beyond the students’ communicative competence d Unattractive tasks e Too many grammar knowledge in topic 17 Which of the following things you think will help to make the application of PBL effective in your English classes? a Make a good preparation b Provide comprehensible input c Make good time management d Encourage students e Discuss and share the experience with colleagues f Organize the class work appropriately through individual work, pair work, group work g Have an adequate understanding of PBL h Have adequate instructions in language forms and functions for tasks 63 18 What are your solutions to multi-level classes? a Give some prompts for the less able students b Encourage collaborative work from students c Allocate easy questions to the less able students and more difficult ones the more able ones d Praise weak students more often e Give open ended questions that allow weak students to give their answers f Organize pair work and group work including good and weak students 19 What are your solutions to students’ low English proficiency? a Neglect the students with low English proficiency b Divide the students into pairs or groups, including good and weak students to help the weaker students c Give the students chances and allot time for preparation d Move around to observe and help the students 20 What are your solutions for students’ passive learning style? a Create a variety of activities to have the students participate in b Use praise when the students volunteer to work c Encourage the students to share their ideas with the teacher d Organize group work or pair work e Give students assignments Thank you for your cooperation! 64 APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS I Students’ profile - Age: - Gender: - Years of learning English: II Now, please tick the answers that you choose You can tick more than one answer for a question How important is it to apply PBL in your English classes? a Very important b Important c Not very important d Not important How you feel when you take part in PBL activities? a Confident b Interested c Embarrassed d Uncomfortable e Bored Are you interested in PBL lessons you have at your school? a Very much b Much c Not very much d Not much If yes, the factor(s) make you like/dislike the lesson? a It helps to develop your English skills b It gives me a chance to communicate in English c The activities require many new words and structures d The teacher’s instructions are not clear enough 65 How difficult is the PBL lesson? a Very difficult b Difficult c Easy d Very easy In PBL lessons, the difficulties you often have been: a Poor knowledge of English b Shyness c Fear of making mistakes d Lack of teachers’ encouragement What you think about the tasks given by the teacher during PBL lessons? a Very suitable b Suitable c Not very suitable d Not suitable at all Which of the below activities you like most? a Individually b Pair work c Group work d Full-class interaction e T -> S -> T f Choral responses g Collaboration h T -> S i Teacher talks k Self-assessment What you while doing the tasks? a Actively join the tasks b Join the tasks only by being asked by the teacher 66 c Join the tasks when feeling interested d Do nothing at all 10 How you feel when taking part in the PBL? a Confident b Interested c Uncomfortable d Bored 11 What you benefit in English lessons which applying PBL approach? a Increase your confidence and help you communicate in English fluently b Have an opportunity to communicate and perform your ideas c Make you interested in learning English d Develop your creativity and imaginary ability e Practice language in an appropriate context f Help you be familiar with social situations in English in real communication 67 APPENDIX QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS’ INTERVIEW How you know about PBL? How are your students’ attitudes when applying PBL in your English classes? What are your difficulties when applying PBL in your English classes? How you solve the problems you encounter? In your opinion, what can be done to make PBL more interesting and effective? 68 APPENDIX QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS’ INTERVIEW Do you enjoy the PBL class? Why (not)? What activities does your teacher usually let you in PBL classes? Does your teacher apply PBL to teach English lessons? How you feel about English lesson before and after applying PBL? Do you think learning PBL makes you confident and interested? 69 ... investigate PBL application at high schools: perspectives from teachers and students - To identify the problems and suggested solutions in implementing PBL application at high schools: perspectives from. .. OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY VO THUONG PROJECT -BASED LEARNING APPLICATION AT HIGH SCHOOLS: PERSPECTIVES FROM TEACHERS AND STUDENTS MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATION Major: Theory and Methodology... advantage from PBL Therefore, this study attempts to clarify certain issues from the perspectives of implementing PBL application at high schools: perspectives from teachers and students and analyze