An investigation into the application of project based learning at primary schools in đồng hới city

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY LÊ THỊ MAI PHƯƠNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE APPLICATION OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING AT PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN ĐỒNG HỚI CITY MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION Nghệ An, 2019 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY LÊ THỊ MAI PHƯƠNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE APPLICATION OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING AT PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN ĐỒNG HỚI CITY Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching Code: 8.14.01.11 MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION SUPERVISOR: TRƯƠNG BẠCH LÊ, Ph.D Nghệ An, 2019 i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby, certify the thesis named ―An Investigation into the Application of Projectbased Learning at Primary Schools in Đồng Hới City” is the result of my own work The research has not been submitted for any degree at any other universities or institutions Nghệ An – 2019 Author Lê Thị Mai Phương ii ABSTRACT This study is an attempt to investigate the possibility of applying PBL in primary schools in Đồng Hới City It also aimed to explore the challenges that might occur during the application of PBL in actual classroom situation This study addressed questions of what teachers‘ perceptions of PBL for primary school students are and how they implement PBL Qualitative and quantitative study design was used in this study The instruments employed for data collection and analysis of the study included interviews, questionnaires and class observations The findings reveal that teachers show positive attitudes overall towards most aspects of PBL The study also shows how teachers often use PBL aspects through goals, strategies, examples, length or effectiveness of a project Finally, the study also addresses the difficulties and challenges that teachers are facing in using PBL in their teaching iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I gratefully acknowledge the encouragement and support of many individuals in assisting me to accomplish this study First of all, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my beloved supervisor Dr Truong Bach Le for his valuable time, suggestions, guidance, and assistance in this study Without his help, the thesis would not have been completed I would also like to thank all the teachers who helped me collect information for my research Without their help, this study could not have been successful Finally, my thanks go to my colleagues, friends and especially my beloved family I feel greatly indebted to them for their essential help and encouragement iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale: 1.2 Aim of the study 1.3 Scope of the study 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Significance of the study: 1.6 Research structure CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Theoretical foundations for project-based learning 2.2 Project Based Learning 2.2.1 Definition of PBL 2.2.2 The Features of PBL 11 2.2.3 Types of Projects 12 2.2.4 Benefits of Project-based Learning 13 2.2.5 Roles of Teachers in Project-Based Learning 14 2.2.6 Stages in Project Work 14 2.2.7 Factors in Implementing a Project-based Learning Project 18 2.3 An Overview of Related Previous Study 19 2.3.1 Studies Related to the Effectiveness of Project-based Learning on English language skills 19 v 2.3.2 Summary of The Findings of Previous Studies 22 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 23 3.1 Research approach 23 3.2 Participants 24 3.3 Instruments for data collection 24 3.3.1 Class observation 24 3.3.2 Questionnaire 25 3.3.3 Interview 25 3.4 Data collection procedures 26 3.5 Data analysis 27 3.6 Chapter summary 27 CHAPTER 4: FINDING AND DISCUSSIONS 29 4.1 Results of data analyses 29 4.1.1 Quantitative analysis 29 4.1.2 Qualitative analysis 39 4.2 Discussion 50 4.2.2 Teachers‘ implementing PBL ( in relation to Research question two) 53 4.2.3 The perceived challenges and benefits in implementing PBL ( in relation Research question 3) 54 4.3 Chapter summary 56 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 57 5.1 Summary of the key findings 57 5.2 Implications for teachers 59 5.3 Limitations of the research 60 5.4 Suggestions for further research 60 REFERENCES 62 APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNAIRE 66 APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 70 vi APPENDIX C: CLASSROOM OBSERVATION RECORD 71 vii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 4.1 Attitude of teachers towards the use of PBL 30 Table 4.2: Overall teachers‘ perceptions on the purpose of a project 30 Table 4.3: Overall teachers‘ perceptions on the topic of a project 31 Table 4.4: Overall teachers‘ perceptions on the preparation for a project 31 Table 4.5: Overall teachers‘ perceptions on the forms of working in PBL …………32 Table 4.6: Overall teachers‘ perceptions on the roles of teachers and students in PBL… 33 Table 4.7: Overall teachers‘ perceptions on the evaluation in PBL 34 Table 4.8: Teachers‘ frequency of using PBL 35 Table 4.9: Goals of used projects 35 Table 4.10: Teachers‘ tendency of using materials in PBL 36 Table 4.11: Teachers‘ tendency of using work forms in PBL 36 Table 4.12: Result of teachers‘ tendency of using language skills in PBL 37 Table 4.13: The core of a project 37 Table 4.14: Result of teachers‘ evaluation in PBL 38 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter aims to examine the pedagogical context in which the issues worthy of investigation in this thesis project arise Then, it also sets out to deal with the matters by stating the research questions Next, the scopes and significance of the study are also mentioned in this part Finally, the thesis structure is presented to give the readers an overview of this research project 1.1 Rationale: English is an international language which is used in most of fields related to cultural, social, political and economic issues Understanding the importance of English, the Ministry of Education of Vietnam soon brought this subject in teaching program at primary schools and it has become one of the main subjects, beside Math and Vietnamese Currently, students have been familiar with English since the first grade It can be said that learning a foreign language at early age will be more receptive to children in comparison with when they are older, especially for speaking Unlike in big cities like HCMC or Hanoi, teaching and learning English in other provinces like Quang Binh is facing a lot of difficulties Although Department of Education and Training has paid much attention to teaching and learning foreign languages for years, the results have been not as good as teachers expected yet Thousands of elementary school students after graduation still cannot speak a complete English sentence Poor vocabulary and being afraid of communicating make students not achieve the best results, inspite of being taught and learned in wellequipped environment It is not due to students or teaching materials, it is in the teaching way This is due to lacking an inspired teaching method If teachers let students learn and practice through only textbooks, it will make them feel bored Because the children of this age are still young, not teenagers or adults, funny atmosphere with both learning and playing in the classroom, or connecting with the real world around them will make them have more interest in language learning 59 of clear implementation guidelines Another striking difficulty faced by the participants was implementing PBL within the school schedule, because they had to complete certain topics in certain time as planned by the MOE Using PBL often takes more time than other methods of teaching which may delay the processes of presenting and covering the lessons scheduled by MOE The next major obstacle showed by this study was that some teachers were reluctant and not confident enough to apply PBL because they had a belief that if they applied PBL students would create too much noise in classroom, as a result they would not be able to make them calm and regain their attention easily Besides, the number of students in each class now is usually from 35 to 40 students Teachers felt that they couldn‘t control and cover all students Focusing on all elements of PBL was found to be problematic as well by some teachers The findings also demonstrated that participants were not confident to apply PBL because they were not sure whether to assess the process of conducting the project or the end product This could be due to the lack of experience 5.2 Implications for teachers First of all, teachers should be well aware of the essential role of using PBL in every unit The fact is that having positive attitudes toward this approach can motivate their students to learn and participate in English learning activities For schools interested in reform, one of the most poignant lessons that can be gleaned from this study is the level of power, over daily and ongoing initiatives, that is held by the teachers Besides, teachers should clearly define from the beginning what their student's learning style is For elementary school students, there should not be too much pressure on learning At their age, learning should be combined with entertainment to make their study more fun, they will be more interested in learning 60 After identifying the learning style, the teachers should be concerned about what project they will give The project must be appropriate; the lesson content must be linked to the real world And the most important thing is what students get after conducting that project The community - staff, students, family, and local businesses - are also involved in supporting the school‘s mission and in influencing its decisions Reed (2001) notes that a successful learning school would invite such members of the school community - students, parents, support staff, business leaders, council members; ordinary citizens to become valued members of central planning or school improvement teams This type of involvement would create community connections leading to increased community involvement in school activities (pp 11-12) 5.3 Limitations of the research Despite the fact that this study achieved its main objectives, there were still some certain limitations to the applicability of the findings Firstly, due to time and work conditions, the researcher only surveyed and interviewed a certain number of teachers Thus, the participants were not various enough to get the exact results for the research questions The research focused on the effectiveness of using PBL in general, so the impacts of the activities on enhancing students‘ English skills and language knowledge cannot be investigated exactly Hence, there is the need to have a deep look on the specific skill and language knowledge 5.4 Suggestions for further research Regarding to the limitations mentioned above, further research should deliver the questionnaire s and the number of the participants should be more so that the data collected from the students are various and reliable enough 61 The further research may focus more specifically on each skill or grammar knowledge to have a deep look on their impacts Then, the more effective activities will be suggested for enhancing the specific skill or grammar knowledge Besides that, the researcher also would like to offer some suggestions to have an effective teaching method as follows:  The culture of using PBL should be spread among schools throughout workshops, seminars and training sessions  PBL should be taught along with problem based learning, inquiry based learning and task based learning  Curriculum should be authentic and originally designed to be taught by PBL  Rewards for best projects should be provided.PBL should be used across the curriculum 62 REFERENCES Beckett, G.H (2002) Teacher and Student Evaluations of Project-based Instruction TESL Canada Journal/Revue TESL du Canada, 19, 52-66.Welch, M (2011) Eight-Year Study and Charter Legitimacy Journal Of Education, 191(2), 55-65 Boss, S., & Krauss, J (2007) Reinventing project-based learning: Your field guide to real-world projects in the digital age Bransford, J., Brown, A L., Cocking, R R., & National Research Council (U.S.) (2000) How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school Washington, D.C: National Academy Press Bringuier, J.-C (1980) Conversations with Jean Piaget (B.M Gulati, Trans.) Chicago: University of Chicago Press (Original work published 1977) ISBN 0226075036 Marrow, A J (1969) The practical theorist: The life and works of Kurt Lewin New York: Basic Books Brown, H D (2001) Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy White Plains, NY: Longman Chu et al (2011) Using collaborative teaching and inquiry project-based learning to help primary school students develop information literacy and information skills Library & Information Science Research, 33(2) 132-143 Eyring, J.L (2001) Experiential and negotiated language learning In Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language, 3rd ed., 333-344 Boston: Heinle & Heinle Dewey, J (1916) Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education New York: Macmillan 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 63 10 Fragoulis, I, & Mega, G (2009) The project method and visible thinking: A comparative study Presentation in the 1stPanhellenic Conference of Educational Sciences, 28-31 may, 2009 11 Fragoulis, L (2009) Project-based learning in the teaching of English as a foreign language in Greek primary schools: From theory to practice English Language Teaching, 2(3), 113-119 12 Freire, P (1972) Pedagogy of the oppressed New York: Herder and Herder 13 Fried-Booth, D.L (2002) Project work (2nd ed.) New York: Oxford University Press 14 George Lucas Educational Foundation (2001, November 1) Project-based learning research Edutopia (Retrieved from www.edutopia.org*.) 15 Harmer, J (2007) The practice of English language teaching (4th edition.) Longman 16 Haines, S (1989) Projects for the EFL classroom: Resource material for teachers Walton-on-Thames, UK: Nelson 17 Hmelo-Silver, C E (2004) Problem-based learning: What and how students learn? Educational Psychology Review, 16(3), 235-266 18 Holm M (2011) Project-based instruction: a review of the literature on effectiveness in Prekindergarten through 12th grade classrooms InSight Rivier Acad J 7(2):1–13 19 Katz, L., & Chard, S (2000) Engaging children‟s minds: The project approach (2nd ed.) Stamford, CT: Ablex 20 Kilpatrick, W.H (1918) The project method: The use of the purposeful act in the education process New York: Teachers College, Columbia University 21 Kolb, D A (1984) Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall 22 Legutke, M & Thomas, H (1991) Process and Experience in the Language Classroom New York: Longman Group UK Limited 64 23 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 24 Levy, D A (1997) Tools of critical thinking: Metathoughts for psychology Boston: Allyn and Bacon 25 Lewis, L H (1986) Experiential and simulation techniques for teaching adults San Francisco: Jossey-Bass 26 Marrow, A J (1969) The practical theorist: The life and works of Kurt Lewin New York: Basic Books 27 Nouwen, Henry J M (1994) The wounded healer: ministry in contemporary society London: Darton, Longman & Todd 28 Papandreou, A (1994) An application of the projects approach to EFL English Teaching Forum 32, 41-42 29 Project-Based Second and Foreign Language education: past, present, and future (pp 19-40) Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age Publishing 30 Quianthy, R L (1990) Communication is life: Essential college sophomore speaking and listening competencies Annandale, VA: National Communication Association 31 Reed, H.A., Kinzie, M.B., & Ross, M.V (2001) Organizational learning and the concept of learning schools Planning & Changing 32(1/2), 71-83 32 Savignon, S (2001) Communicative Language Teaching for the TwentyFirst Century In M Celce-Murcia (Ed.) Teaching English as a second or foreign language (3rd Ed.), 13-28 Boston: Heinle & Heinle 33 Skehan, P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning Oxford: Oxford University Press 34 Stoller, F (2007) Establishing a theoretical foundation for project-based learning in second and foreign language contexts In Beckett, G., H & P C 65 Miller (Eds.), Tim O Peterson (2004) So You‟re Thinking of Trying Problem Based Learning?: Three Critical Success Factors for Implementation Oklahoma State University, 630-647 35 Van Lier, L (2006) Forward In G H Beckett & P.C Miller (Eds.), Project-based Second and Foreign Language Education: Past, present and future, 95-122 Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age Publishing 36 Vo N.H (2017) Learning Beyond the Classroom: Perception and Practice in a Vietnamese Context The Journal of Asia TEFL, 14 (2), 364-372 37 Vygotsky, L.S (1978) Mind in Society: the development of higher mental processes (Cambridge, Harvard University Press) 66 APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNAIRE Dear participants, I would like to ask you to help me complete the questionnaire below This survey aims to gather information for my thesis on the topic ―An investigation into the application of project-based learning at primary schools in Đồng Hới City” In order to better understand current opinions about project-based learning, your participation is greatly appreciated This is not a test, so there are no ―right or ―wrong answers I am interested in your personal opinion and would like to request that you answer sincerely A PERSONAL INFORMATION Gender:  Male  Female Age:  20 – 30  30 – 40  40 – 50  50 + How long have you worked as an English teacher?  < 10 years  < 20 years  < 30 years  > 30 years Current teaching grade: 1 2 3 4 How many periods per week are you teaching? 1 2 3 4 B 5 5 USING PROJECT BASED LEARNING IN ENGLISH CLASSROOMS Section I: Teachers’ perceptions about PBL In the following section, please indicate your opinion after each statement by circling the number that best indicates the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement For example, if you strongly agree with the statement, circle If you 67 strongly disagree with the statement, circle Please circle one (and only one) Strongly agree Agree Not sure Statements Disagree Strongly disagree whole number after each statement PBL is the best way of learning that links what students learn in their textbooks and real life 5 5 5 that can handle all four language skills ( listening, 5 around them In PBL, students just focus on the content of the lesson or theme rather than individual language items/ points or skills In PBL, the topic for the project should be determined by teachers Students and teachers should agree on a topic for the project Teachers should use a variety of materials in PBL (newspapers, films, internet,…) Tasks or activities for the project should be diverse (interview, presentation, report,…) Teachers should come up with tasks or activities speaking, reading and writing) In PBL, group work is more effective than individual work 68 Teachers should play different roles in class (facilitator, sharing, instructor,…) 10 Students should assume different roles as well (manager, actor, writer, researcher,…) 11 Only teachers can evaluate students‘ final outcome of the project 12 Students can self-evaluate their final outcome (with their teachers or classmates/partners) 5 5 Section II: The frequency of using the various aspects in PBL In this section, I am interested in the frequency of how you use or not use the various aspects of using PBL in teaching Please circle if you almost always this type of activity in your class and circle if you never this type of activity in Often Never Sometimes Statements Almost always your class PBL is used in every unit The topic is determined by both teachers and students Projects have real world relevance 4 Projects are linked to the theme or content of the lesson 4 The tasks of the project are diverse (interview, presentation, …) Teachers prepare necessary materials for students such as flashcards, model transcripts, … 69 Teachers use a variety of materials in addition to textbooks (films, internet, …) Group work is used more often than individual one The projects have to use all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) 10 Listening and speaking skills are most focused in PBL 11 The classes are learner-centered 12 Students take part in evaluating their final outcome of the project 13 Teachers evaluate and grade their students through projects, not just periodic tests 4 4 4 THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!  70 APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS What is your definition of a project? What are some examples of projects you have done in your classes? In your opinion, what are the goals of project-based learning? What strategies you use to implement a project? Do you think project-based learning is effective? Why or why not? In your opinion, how long should a project typically take? How you compare a project-based approach with ―traditional teaching? In your opinion, what are the advantages and disadvantages of using project- based learning in the L2 classroom? What you think are the challenges in organizing a project in your class? 10 Do you have any other comments to add about Project-based Learning or teaching in general? 71 APPENDIX C: CLASSROOM OBSERVATION RECORD Teacher‘s name: Date/Time: _ School: Class: Title of lesson: PBL Description: I PBL Structure The PBL had a well-defined outcome The PBL had driving questions and challenges to help students identify the problem to choose the topic The PBL brought tasks in which students could demonstrate their language knowledge and content knowledge The PBL had inquiry and innovation (students engage in a rigorous, extended process of asking questions, finding resources, and applying information) The PBL gave students voice and choice (students made some decisions about the project, including how they work and what they create, and how their work is evaluated Feedback and revision (students revised, gave, received, and used feedback to improve their process and products) Public presented product 72 II Teacher’s role The teacher clearly gave goals and tasks The teacher asked effective open-ended questions 10.The teacher worked with members of all small groups 11.The teacher achieved objectives they identified III Students’ participation 12.The students worked actively 13.The students could explain tasks and solution strategies 14.The students could explain the goal(s) IV Resources 15.The appropriate resources were used 16.The resources were readily available and in working order 17.The students were proficient in using the resources (calculators, test books, computers) 18.The materials were familiar to the students V Evaluation 19.The evaluation was continuous and varied 20.The evidence of holistic evaluation existed (e.g rubrics for participation/engagement, early stages of the PBL, or group work) 21.The students could explain the expectations 22.The students understood what they needed to and how it was evaluated on the rubric 73 VI Classroom Learning Environment 23.The students were aware of teacher expectations and the purpose for learning content and methods 24 The teacher identified and engaged students around their prior knowledge 25.The teacher identified and engaged the students around their cultural contexts Other comments or observations ...MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY LÊ THỊ MAI PHƯƠNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE APPLICATION OF PROJECT- BASED LEARNING AT PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN ĐỒNG HỚI CITY Field: Theory and Methodology... Investigation into the Application of Projectbased Learning at Primary Schools in Đồng Hới City? ?? is the result of my own work The research has not been submitted for any degree at any other universities... compile and analyze information The students compile and analyze the information that they have gathered They work in groups, organize information and then discuss the value of the data collected,