USING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING TO IMPROVE THE 10TH GRADERS’ ENGLISH PARAGRAPH WRITING SKILLS AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN HUNG YEN PROVINCE

VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES TRẦN MẠNH HÙNG USING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING TO PARAGRAPH WRITING SKILLS AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN HUNG YEN PROVINCE

VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

TRẦN MẠNH HÙNG

USING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING TO

PARAGRAPH WRITING SKILLS AT A HIGH

SCHOOL IN HUNG YEN PROVINCE

MA THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

HANOI, 2021

VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Trần Mạnh Hùng

USING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING TO

PARAGRAPH WRITING SKILLS AT A HIGH

SCHOOL IN HUNG YEN PROVINCE

Field: English Language

Code: 8220201 Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Hoàng Tuyết Minh,

HANOI, 2021

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DECLARATION BY AUTHOR

I, the undersigned, thusly guarantee that the thesis named “Using

writing skills at a high school in Hung Yen province " is the aftereffect of

my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts in English Language The substance of the thesis has not, wholly or in part, been submitted for any other degree to any other universities or institutions

Except where reference has been made in the text, this thesis contains

no material previously published or written by another person

The study reported in this thesis was approved by Graduate Academy

of Social Sciences

Author’s Signature

Trần Mạnh Hùng

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ACKNOWLEGDEMENTS

Although only one name appears as the author of this work, writing a thesis is indeed a collaborative effort I would like to express my sincere thanks to the many people who made it possible

First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my

M.A thesis’s supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Hoàng Tuyết Minh, for her kind

consultation, invaluable encouragement as well as thorough correction in the process of completion But for her helpful guidance, this study would not have been achieved

Next, I would like to convey my sincere appreciation and thanks to Dr Đặng Nguyên Giang - Dean of the Department of Foreign Languages and the

other staff at Graduate Academy of Social Sciences the Department of Foreign Languages, Graduate Academy of Social Sciences for granting me the honor of writing this thesis as well as their assistance and most valuable comments

Especially, millions of my special thanks go to the teachers and students of my High School in Hung Yen, who participated in this study for their kind and patient co-operation and encouragement They helped provide

me with valuable data for the study so that I could have a better view of activities in English writing classes at my High School in Hung Yen province

Last but not least, I am deeply indebted to my family for their sympathy and support during all the time I was studying for M.A degree at Graduate Academy of Social Sciences Without their unconditional love and sincere contribution, I could not have overcome my difficulties and concentrated on my studies

2.3.4 Advantages and challenges of project-based learning 23

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ABSTRACT

In a diligent attempt to investigate the impacts of PBL on students’ paragraph writing skills and their attitudes towards the new approach in my own teaching conditions to see whether it is applicable at my school or not, this research addressed two issues: (1) the effectiveness of using PBL on students’ paragraph writing Learning in their English optional lessons; (2) students’ attitudes toward the use of Project-based learning Especially, an action research project was carried out with the participation of 40 students in Class 10A11 at a High School in Hung Yen province as a research class as a compared class by dint of the same age, level and size of students The study lasted 12 weeks and involved some data, pre- test, post-test and interviews Research findings showed that students had positive attitudes towards the use

of PBL in their English lessons It was also acknowledged that the PBL was beneficial for helping students improve their performance in writing lessons Based on the findings, some implications would be given for both the teachers and the students With all these information, this study is expected to be useful to both teachers and students in teaching and learning English writing skills

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LIST OF TABLES

Page Table 2.1: Assessing Writing Performance- Level B1 (CEFR) 10

Table 4.1: The results of pre-test and post-test 50 Table 4.2: Students’ responses to the questionnaire 54

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LIST OF FIGURES & CHARTS

Page Figure 2.1: Stages of the process approach to writing 16

Chart 4.1: Students’ mean score of average mark 50 Chart 4.2: A comparison of mean scores on pre-test and post-test

Chart 4.10: The benefits of PBL in learning paragraph writing

skills

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Chart 4.11: Students’ difficulties when implementing PBL 60

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AR: Action Research

CEFR: Common European Framework for Reference CLT: Communicative Language Teaching

EFL: English as Foreign Language

PBL: Project-Based Learning

T: Teacher

Ss Students

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

In recent years, project-based teaching has been focused on and applied effectively in Vietnamese education The phrase "Project-Based Teaching" has been mentioned in many books on teaching methods and techniques as well as many other scientific works Research has shown that project-based teaching or project-based teaching methods and techniques have been shown

to be positive and effective It is a learner-centered teaching model, through open tasks, encouraging learners to explore, perceive knowledge learned during implementation, and create their own products Instead of following a model lesson plan that guides learners through a specific path of learning outcomes and goals, project-based instruction leads students to undertake an in-depth investigation of a topic under discussion and essay Through project-based teaching, learners have more autonomy over what they learn, stay interested, and are motivated to take greater responsibility for their learning The project-based teaching approach “focuses on the realism of how teachers facilitate high-quality learning experiences” (Suzie Boss and John Larmer 2018) Along with the changes in the world, the demand for project-based teaching is increasing We see schools and districts working towards a more student-centered approach that includes question-and-answer learning, personalized learning, performance-based assessment, and a large amount of engagement interest and implement project-based learning Project-based learning (PBL) is a showing strategy where understudies get information and abilities by working throughout a drawn-out timeframe to examine and respond to an inquiry, issue, or challenge, authentic, engaging, and complex PBL is the transformation of project-based teaching PBL and project-based

Having taught English in a high school for over twenty years, I have noticed that students can read and write English well but they cannot write paragraphs clearly and academically Writing is one of four skills which are taught at high school In particular, Writing is compulsory in 10 Units and 4 reviews in Grade 10, Grade 11 and Grade 12 However, most of the students showed little motivation in writing They are quite passive, not active in writing classes The importance of writing is revealed more with the integration of other language skills Being academic in English is a priority for many foreign or second language learners Our learners often rate their success in learning a foreign language as well as the effectiveness of their

skills Therefore, the project “Using project-based learning to improve the

10th graders’ English paragraph writing skills at a high school in Hung Yen province” has been carried out The goal is to develop the most effective

ways to help students overcome the barrier of low self-esteem when learning writing skills through this innovative method as well as students' motivation, self-control can be promoted and improved significantly

1.2 Aims of the Study

The aim of the study is to improve the 10th-graders’ paragraph writing skills at a High School in Hung Yen province

In order to achieve the aim, the study is expected to reach the following

objectives

- To evaluate the effectiveness of the project-based learning techniques

applied to paragraph writing skill teaching and learning

- To find out the attitudes that 10th grade students at a High School when leaning paragraph writing skills when project-based learning is applied

project-Of these two questions above, the first one is the focus of the study

1.4 Scope of the Study

Due to time constraints, the study cannot cover all the techniques to motivate students’ writing ability in a language class Therefore, it mainly focuses on some typical skills of using project-based learning which may produce a stimulation for the 10th-grades’writing

The focus of the study is using Project-based Learning techniques to improve the 10th graders’ English paragraph skills at a high school Hence, the

study could not cover all aspects in writing teaching It only focused on some typical skills of using project-based learning which may produce stimulation for the 10th-grade students’ paragraph writing ability

The subjects of the study are 40 male and female students coming from class 10A11 The age of those 40 students is around 15 They are going to be the participants and respondents to survey questionnaires, trial lessons and tests

The action plan was implemented in 5 months from early January 2021

to late May 2021, during optional lessons of the academic school year

2020-2021 at the high school where the researcher works in Hung Yen province

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1.5 Significance of the Study

Theoretically, the findings of this research will reaffirm the adequacy

of project-based learning methods in past examinations Furthermore, the educators' ability in utilizing PBL to improve the understudies' English writing skills is relied upon to be honed and created Moreover, the findings

of this research will be considered as the reference to different specialists who need to contemplate PBL all the more serious in showing paragraph writing skills

Practically, the researcher trusts that the effectiveness of the study might be for all intents and purposes valuable to the researcher herself as well

as to different instructors, the understudies at a secondary school Right off the bat, to the researcher, subsequent to doing this research, she will have a more careful comprehension of the hypothesis and strategy of showing writing abilities, particularly PBL Besides, to the instructors, the findings of this research can uphold the teachers of English at a secondary school in Hung Yen province in applying this technique in showing writing paragraphs, alongside numerous different strategies, with the goal that the tenth graders,

as well as the rest understudies, may get benefits Also, the teachers can set to the side their customary techniques in showing the English language, especially in teaching writing They can utilize this new methodology to make the understudies keener on learning measures Thirdly, to the understudies, the positive aftereffects of this research are hoped to assist the understudies with being sure and afterward improve their English writing abilities At long last, to my upper-secondary school, the school leaders can give the suggestion

to the teachers in order to utilize the proper methods or techniques in teaching and learning paragraph writing skills Thusly, the teachers will master more

1.7 Structure of the Study

The study consists of five chapters:

Chapter 1 – Introduction: The first chapter gives reasons for choosing

the thesis, scope, and aims of the study as well as the research method and the structure of the study

Chapter 2 – Literature Review: This chapter focuses on an overview of

the Nature of language skills and oral communication, writing skills, Communicative Language Teaching, PBL as well as previous studies on improving or developing students’ writing skills

Chapter 3 - Methodology: This chapter reports the context settings,

research hypothesis, participants, instruments, and the procedure of conducting Action Research for the study The detailed results of the surveys and a critical comprehensive analysis of the data collected are presented

Chapter 4- Findings and Discussion: This part deals with the data

analysis from the Action Research results to make the foundation for the activities recommended in Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Conclusion: This chapter summarizes the study and

suggests some typical activities as well as practical tips for teachers to stimulate 10th -grade students’ writing skills when using PBL Limitations of the study and suggestions for further study are also included in this chapter

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

The study investigates the effectiveness of using PBL approach to improve a High School students’ paragraph writing skill This chapter reviews the theories and literature relevant to the study area

2.1 Concepts of writing

2.1.1 Definitions of writing

Writing is an important interpretation skill so we have to find out “what

is writing? How to write well? ” There are many definitions of writing According to Byrne (1991:1) that “When we write, we use graphic symbols that is, letters or combinations of letters which relate to the sentences we make when we write Then, writing can be said to be the act of constituting these symbols; making marks on the flat surfaces of some kind The symbols have to be classified, according to certain assemblies, to construct words, and words have to be arranged to form sentences” Lannon (1989) make an incompatible explanation that, writing is a process of transforming tile material determined by research inspiration, accident, trial, and error, or whatever into a message with definite meaning a process of deliberate decision Having the same assessment with Lannon, White (1991:3) considered that writing is a logical process in its own right and is not a simple action but a complex one “ writing is a form of problem-solving which involves such processes as generating ideas, discovering a “voice” With which to write, planning, goal-setting, monitoring and evaluating with which

to express exact meanings” From another analysis of writing, Candlin and Hyland(1999: 107) affirmed writing as “ an engagement in a social process, where the production of the text reflects methodologies, arguments and rhetorical strategies constructed to engage colleagues and persuade them of the claims that are made.”

2.1.2 Characteristics of writing

Writing has the following characteristics:

The situation in which the form and meaning of the writing process are dependent on itself follows, including the participants themselves, their concerted backgrounds, the natural surroundings, and the directions for writing It is often unplanned, open-ended, and emerging However, speech is not always unpredictable Language functions (or patterns) that tend to reiterate in certain discourse situations can be established and charted

Writing depends upon those learners not only know how to produce explicit points of language such as grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary, but also that they consider when, why, and in what ways to use language Lannon (1989) makes an adverse explanation that writing is a process of transforming tile material discovered by research inspiration, accident, trial, and error, or whatever into a message with a definite meaning a process of cautious decision Having the same conclusion as Lannon, White (1991:3)

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estimated that writing is a thinking process in its own right and is not a simple process but a complex one “writing is a form of problem-solving which involves such processes as provoking ideas, detecting a “voice” With which

to write, planning, goal-setting, controlling and evaluating with which to convey exact meanings”

2.1.3 The importance of teaching writing skill

Teaching writing is an essential part of second language learning The capacity to convey in a second language obviously and proficiently adds to the achievement of understudies in school and achievement later in each period of life Therefore, it is essential that language teachers pay great attention to teaching writing including paragraph writing Rather than leading students to authentic memorization, providing extensible skills of writing With this aim, PBL can contribute a great deal to students in terms of gaining the three functions of paragraph writing Besides, PBL helps develop basic skills necessary for life Those activities at PBL result in students being more active in the learning process and at the same time make their learning more meaningful and fun

For evaluating and assessing high school students’ English writing in EFL, it is appropriate to refer to the set of proposed Common Reference Levels in single holistic paragraphs, as shown below:

Text is generally well- organised and coherent, using a variety of linking words and cohesive devices

Uses a range of everyday vocabulary appropriately, with occasional inappropriate use of less common lexis

Uses a range of simple and some complex grammatical forms with a good degree of control

Errors do not impede communication

communicate straightforward ideas

Text is connected and coherent, using basic linking words and a limited number of cohesive devices

Uses everyday vocabulary generally appropriately, while occasionally overusing certain lexis

Uses simple grammatical forms with a good degree of control

While errors are noticeable, meaning can still be determined

Errors may impede meaning at times

2.1.4 Teacher’s Roles in teaching writing

According to Harmer (2007), teachers play a significant role in teaching writing, including:

• Building the writing topic with the students and giving advice and comment on each of their contributions

• Encouraging students to write out as much as they can by giving some further suggestions basing on what students have just written and trying not to use a student’s short expression to be a version for another lengthy turn

• Applying the language students are learning to deal with the subject matters and besides, stimulate the involvement of students in the class

• Asking the least amount of display questions In other words, teachers should encourage students to “display” their background and subject knowledge by asking questions instead of giving information directly For instance: “What is the noun form of communicating?”

• Including a clarification of the intention of what students display by extending your opportunities to another student and trying not to cut off an exchange too early

• Taking serious notice of the usage of natural feedback rather than assessing or evaluating the utterance of the students and ask them to follow the judgment deliberately

• Giving explicit credit to the students by quoting them and trying not

to take credit for the contribution that students have made by giving the intention for the content of the conversation that had been previously prepared

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by the teacher From the above-mentioned features, it can be seen that in writing activities, like any other type of classroom procedure, the role of teachers is of great importance However, based on the viewpoint of Brown (1994), there are three most outstanding roles that require more concentration from the teacher:

• Prompter: During writing activities, owing to various reasons, students can get lost or cannot think of what should be written from time to time, or even have trouble with accuracy and productivity In order to help students, teachers can leave them to deal with the struggle on their own and ask them when they come up with a possible solution

• Participant: Students are the main participants of every writing activity, so the teacher should be a good guide and also a model participant when requiring them to write

• A person who gives proper feedback: After each student presents their ideas or produces a short piece of writing, teachers should immediately give comments to encourage the students However, if there are some points

that the students need to improve, teachers should also let them know

2.2 Concepts of paragraph

2.2.1 Definitions of paragraph

Up to now, several definitions of paragraphs have been proposed For some people, a paragraph is simply a course of indention that is beginning a little to the right of the margin In other views, “paragraphing is indicated by a skipped line and a new sentence beginning at the left-hand margin” (Robert & Wilson, 1980, p.52), in a word, these definitions of paragraph tend to focus on punctuation There is another trend to define paragraphs Oshima & Hogue (1996, p 2) defines a paragraph as " a basic unit of organization in writing

in which a group of sentences develops one main idea” Rooks (1988, p.4)

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states “a paragraph is a group of sentences which logically develops one subject” In short, a paragraph can be defined as a group of sentences that develop one main idea

2.2.2 Structures of paragraph

Walter (2000) specifies that the construction of a passage should contain three sections: topic sentence, supportive sentences, and concluding sentence The topic sentence is one sentence that introduces the topic and expresses the main idea of a paragraph Supportive sentences support the topic sentences The writing should be precise, correct purposeful, clear, concise, and meaningful The concluding sentence: the last sentence of your paragraph is important and it often restates the idea expressed in the topic According to Oshima & Hogue (1996, p.104) “it is called the topic sentence because it tells the reader what the topic of the paragraph is” In other words,

it tells the readers what they are going to read A topic sentence consists of two parts: topic and controlling idea The topic tells the readers what the paragraph is about The controlling idea limits the topic According to Oshima

& Hogue (1996), the topic sentence may be the first or the last sentence in a paragraph Supporting sentences uphold or demonstrate the thought expressed

in the point sentence That is they clarify the point sentence by giving realities, reasons, models, insights, and citations

The concluding sentence is the last sentence of the paragraph It “signals the end of the paragraph and leaves the readers with important points to remember” (Oshima & Hogue, 1996, p 36) A good concluding sentence should: restate the main idea in the topic sentence and include the writer’s comments or opinions about the topic

(i) The Control - to- Free Approach

The Control- to- Free Approach in writing focused on spoken language and written one in which the mastery of grammatical or syntactic rules were achieved Here, the students are given sentence exercises, then paragraphs copy or manipulate grammatically These controlled compositions are then followed by correction of errors so that it can lead to the free composition Overall, this approach emphasized the accurate way to demonstrate rather than fluency

(ii) The Free- Writing Approach

The Free-Writing Approach centers more around familiarity and amount

of composing than quality The emphasis in this approach is on content and fluency rather than on accuracy and form This approach encouraged students

to write as much and quickly as possible without worrying about grammar and spelling The principle that is based on is if once ideas are there, the organization follows

(iii) The Grammar- Syntax- Organization Approach

This approach focuses on simultaneous work on more than one composition feature It means that writing cannot be seen as composed of separate skills that are learned one by one Students need to pay attention to the organization while they also work on the necessary grammar and syntax

In general, this approach is the combination of the purpose and the form of the writing

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(iv) The Communicative Approach

The Communicative Approach aims at communicative competence, so it stresses the purpose of the writing and the audience for it Students should have a reason for writing and think about whom they wrote to or for Helping students comprehend that a successful piece of writing must attain its communicative purposes in the advantage of the communicative approach Thus, this approach is quite functional in nature, which can provide the actual experiences to the learners

(v) The product approach

This approach can be used successfully in teaching writing for beginners All learners cannot write well as soon as they begin the course but can lake progress step by step with imitation and repetition from the textbooks or the teacher Additionally in teaching writing, the important role of using the models for text analysis and as a basis for thinking about the purposes and readership of a text cannot be denied particularly when showing composing is coordinated with the teaching of reading So it is a natural process in writing when the writer bases himself on a model or an example of a text that he intends to write and then adapts it for their specific purpose

(vi) The Process Approach

Unlike the product approach, the process approach focuses on thinking: (the writing processes The product approach sees the language learners as creators of language, decision-makers of the message and content (Brown 1994: 320) It is contended by Nunan (1991: 87) that while the item situated methodology targets fostering the student's composing abilities mainly at sentence-level the process-oriented approach aims at language al discourse- level In the view of Hedge (1990) the process contains a lot of stages which can be illustrated as follows: "being motivated to write - getting ideas together

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- planning and outlining - making notes - making the first draft – revising, replanning, redrafting - editing and getting ready for publication" examples, statistics, and quotations The Concluding sentence is the final part of the paragraph It “signals the end of the paragraph and leaves the readers with important points to remember” (Oshima & Hogue, 1996, p 36) A good concluding sentence should: restate the main idea in the topic sentence and

include the writer’s comments or opinions about the topic

Figure 2.1: Stages of the process approach to writing (Hedge, 1990)

Pre- writing

(Specifying the task/ planning and outlining/ collecting data/' making notes)

Composing Revising

(Recognizing/shifting emphasis; focusing on information and styles for your readership)

Editing

(Checking grammar / lexis/ surface features: for example, punctuation,

spelling, layout, quotation conventions, references)

Last but not least, writing skills are a kind of productive product that requires not only good knowledge but also a regular practice So using the target language or the second language to convey information in real life is one of the facilitators for the students for learning a new language Many teachers agree that students should learn to practice writing the second language by interacting with others to master writing components such as structure, grammar, vocabulary, inherence, and coherence Besides, teaching writing is to create good skills for students to express their emotions, thoughts, interact with other people in any situation, and influence others In

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conclusion, teaching writing skills is helping students improve their micro and

macro skills of writing as mentioned

2.3 Concepts of Project-based Learning

2.3.1 Definitions of project-based learning

There are many definitions of a project-based approach in learning Each definition is the reflection of the underlying theories or perspectives that the authors assume

Carter and Thomas (1986, p.196), project work was characterized with three features referring to the venue, the inter-disciplined characteristics, and student's autonomy:

i) it takes place outside the classroom

ii) it is cross-curricular

iii) it allows learners to set their own targets as they proceed

Moss, D and Duzer, V.C (1998, p.1) defined "PBL is an instructional approach that contextualizes learning by presenting learners with problems to solve or products to develop" Accordingly, the essential feature of a project-based approach is a tangible and visible result such as a product or a solution

to a defined problem

There is a large number of expressions that mention project-based learning such as practical learning and collaborated language learning (Eyring, 2001; Legutke & Thomas, 1991), project method (Kilpatrick, 1926), project approach (Diffily, 1996); and investigative research (Kenny, 1993) Furthermore, numerous experts from different nations have stood to give meanings of this methodology

PBL is defined as an oriented model which requires students to explore matters; ending in authentic results More specifically, projects can be expanded in terms of scope as well as involved aspects with the aim of

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increasing learning opportunities at school The writer also emphasizes that learners should be acted and be experienced in some important roles like decision maker, problem solver, and investigator (Blumenfeld, 1991)

According to Legutke and Thomas (1991, p.160), PBL is not an available method but an "educational philosophy which aims at providing the direction, and some possible routes, to a more democratic and participatory society" In other words, it is the learners' duty to base on instructional steps

to create their own products and deal with troubles by themselves

Additionally, Beckett (2002) views project fill in as an enduring action that comprises of both individual and collective errands, to be specific structure up request questions and timetables just as get-together and examining information He states that students have a choice to report collected information in oral or written form

Likewise, it is asserted by Haines (1989) that projects, multi-skill tasks, append uncommon significance to subjects instead of little subtleties Learners play a vital part in choosing appropriate fields and working approaches so that they can control the "end product" The writer undoubtedly affirms that with the help of project method, students have ability to "recycle” their existing knowledge by giving them "natural contexts"

Also, analysts are educated to consider normal sorts concerning projects when characterizing PBL The first type is named structured project

in which teachers give their pupils available and specific methods Thus, students just follow the indicated way for finding and tackling information Besides, a semi-structured research method shows both project area and methodology providing that learners must be much more active and responsible for their studying process In general, not only teachers but also students take charge of this kind of method

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Thirdly, learner-centered language target is the characteristic of an unstructured project That means they are free to create and manage the learning timetable, content, and methodology (Petersen, 2004)

In Petersen's perspective, the assorted methods of gathering information and where it is found likewise produce various projects One of them is correspondence research through which messages are sent between people by using letters, phone calls, and email Another type is a survey project that allows students to search for their favorite survey instruments, gather necessary documents, action and analyze assembled ones Last but not least, the production project requires learners to work with materials such as boards, chalk, posters, slides, and other visual and audible aids Then, they are also asked to hand in reports, narrative work, and brochures or to give a short oral presentation

A clearer picture of PBL from the above definitions is that Based Learning is engaging learning experiences that involve students in complex, real-world projects through which they develop and apply skills and knowledge The outcomes can be identified upfront but sometimes are only experiences to allocate resources such as time or materials

Project-In English language teaching, project-based learning is not only able to optimize language skills but also other skills such as critical and creative thinking This study tries to investigate the use of project-based learning to develop students’ abilities and creativity in writing paragraphs and the students’ perception towards the implementation of project-based learning in writing course in Grade 10 This study employed a qualitative approach by involving second semester students who take writing course The results of this study indicated that project-based learning can help the students to develop their ability and creativity in writing paragraphs in several points

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including their understanding of the topic, their knowledge about the structures of a paragraph and how to write a good paragraph In addition, the students also showed their creativity through each lesson in all units Furthermore, the students gave positive views toward the implementation of project-based learning They mentioned that they learned networking, collaborative learning, and team work through PBL Thus, project-based learning can be one of alternative ways to teach writing paragraphs at high school

2 Case studies, in which students are provided with specific documents (real or imaginary) relating to a particular problem that has to be solved

3 Practical projects, in which students are required to carry out practical work to reach their objectives, for example, producing a design, building a model or real object, carrying out an experiment, or the form of equipment and material

4 Library projects, in which the main resource background is a library Typically, students are expected to take a particular topic, read about it, and produce some kind of written work

2.3.3 Key features of Project-Based Learning

There are 6 key features of PBL offered by Stoller's (2007: 4-5) These are as per the following:

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1 Project work centers around content adapting instead of on explicit language targets Authentic points and subjects essential to understudies can become basic to projects

2 Project work is understudy focused; however, the instructor assumes

a significant part in offering backing and direction all through the cycle

3 Undertaking work is agreeable instead of serious Understudies can work on their own, in little get-togethers, or as a class to do a job, sharing resources, considerations, and capacity in the transit

4 Project work prompts the real combination of abilities and handling

of data from fluctuated sources, reflecting genuine errands

5 Project work finishes in a final result (e.g., an oral show, a banner meeting, an announcement board show, a report, or a show) that can be imparted to other people, giving the venture a genuine reason The worth of the task, in any case, lies in the end result as well as during the time spent running after the endpoint As such, project work has both a connection and thing heading and gives understudies opportunities to focus on commonality and accuracy at different assignment work stages

6 Project work is possibly persuading, invigorating, engaging, and testing It normally achieves building understudy conviction, certainty, and independence similarly as additional fostering understudies' language capacities, content learning, and scholarly limits

From the features of PBL, a wide extent of benefits to the two understudies and educators are also clarified A creating collection of educational investigation maintains the usage of undertaking-based learning

in school to associate with understudies, cut non-participation, help pleasing securing capacities, and work on academic execution (George Lucas Informational Foundation, 2001)

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For certain understudies, the appeal of this taking in style comes from the validness of the experience Understudies expect the work and lead of those working in a particular discipline Whether or not they are making a story video about an environmental concern, arranging a development handout to highlight objections of chronicled significance locally, or cultivating an intelligent media show about their tendencies, understudies are occupied with certifiable exercises that have importance past the homeroom For educators, extra advantages incorporate upgraded demonstrable skill and coordinated effort among partners, and freedoms to fabricate associations with understudies (Thomas, 2000)

Moreover, numerous educators are satisfied to track down a model that obliges different students by presenting a more extensive scope of learning: openings into the study hall Besides, a creator named Bryson (2013) shows that PBL's highlights can be momentarily summed up in the six A5s following terms:

❖ Authenticity: Projects designed at schools are usually practical and applied programs These approaches put passion on students and enable them

to work with “real-world issues” Therefore, learners are likely to get excited about the topic they are caring about

❖ Academic rigor: This feature refers to the basic requirement of PBL that asks students to keep in mind content standards and to think of the topic critically

❖ Adult connections: Projects with adult connections characteristic inspire students through the meaningful involvement of adults beyond the classroom

❖ Active exploration: This vital feature aims at motivating learners’

as apply useful skills to come up with the employer’s expectation

❖ Assessment practices: It is considered to be a good chance for students to receive useful evaluations and feedback not only during but also after the process of working with projects Project-based learning owns a wide range of features that support students’ learning process Therefore, teachers are recommended to master these characteristics and apply them to teaching methods efficiently

2.3.4 Advantages and challenges of project-based learning

2.3.4.1 Advantages of project-based learning

The benefits of PBL are of great value and well-documented

As per Gallacher (2004), PBL enjoys the accompanying benefits:

1 Expanded inspiration - students become actually engaged with the project

2 Each of the four abilities is incorporated

3 Self-governing learning is advanced as students become more answerable for their own learning

4 There are learning results - students have a finished result

5 True assignments are given to students

6 Relational relations are created through functioning collectively

7 Content and methodology can be decided between the learners and the teacher and within the group themselves so it is more learner-centered

8 Students can find support from guardians for the undertaking work subsequently including the guardians more in the kid's learning

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9 A break from standard and the opportunity to accomplish something else 10 A setting is set up, which adjusts the requirement for familiarity and precision

Seared Stall (1997), taking a more viable perspective on PBL, stresses that project work is an extension between utilizing English in class and utilizing English, in actuality, circumstances outside of class From a learner-centered perspective, Thomas et al (1999) claim that the PBL can respond effectively to the needs of learners with varying skill levels and learning styles

2.3.4.2 Challenges of Project-based learning

Though PBL is considered a profitable learning strategy, its implementation faces several challenges as projects are complex endeavors involving many different activities In fact, there still exists a lot of criticism concerning the successful use of project-based instruction Beckett G H & Slater T point out that according to Eyring (1989)’s study, the students from

the project class appeared to be “dissatisfied with the project approach to

teaching ESL because they did not think that these tasks were worthwhile pursuits in ESL classes” (p 109) Another finding was also discovered in

Beckett (1999) and Moulton and Holmes (2000) The explanations behind understudy disappointment with the PBL are very intricate, reflecting conceivably unique philosophical, social, and semantic convictions held by the instructor and the understudies

As for the learners, various obstacles have been reported in Thomas

(2000) The first and most prevalent challenge is their lack of necessary skills

to conduct a scientific study such as initiating an inquiry or generating

meaningful research questions, overseeing intricacy, and time, breaking down information, and fostering a sensible contention to help claims Another

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challenge to students is access to technology and needed materials and the

last difficulty pointed out by those studies reviewed in Thomas (2000) is

ineffective group work, or the failure to work collaboratively with other

members in their groups

Gallacher (2004) has pointed out that despite its advantages, PBL has some drawbacks, especially in a language class such as the excessive use of the first language, the various paces of various understudies, and the control

on genuine learning with apathetic understudies when they have a lot of opportunity in doing the project

According to Thomas (2000), there are three sorts of hinders involving students, teachers and school factors However, the author only focuses on the students' problems as it is the centre of discussion in this study The first challenge encountered by learners is the students' failure to work in a team The second is the students' lack of skills to conduct a scientific study such as generating meaningful scientific questions, managing complexity, and time,

transforming data, and developing a logical argument to support claims

In conclusion, learners will cope with many challenges in doing a project However, being aware of these challenges will help them minimize the intervention of these challenges to the success of a project

2.3.5 Process of Project-based Work

Project work is multi-arranged and the division of stages might differ from one specialist to another Stoller (2002) partitions the interaction of undertaking work advancement into five phases: Choice of subject and thought age, an association of thoughts and recognizable proof of spaces of

inquiry; research and information gathering; compilation and analysis of

information; publication, presentation, and evaluation of the project Hedge

(1998) gives very clear guidance on how to carry out a practical project which

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includes six stages: orientation; preparation and planning; implementation;

collation; presentation; and reflection Within the context of English language

teaching, I take Diana Curtis’ view which divides the project into three phases: orientation and planning; research and implementation; sharing results

Phase 1: Orientation and planning

As indicated by Curtis (2001), this stage includes the underlying conversation of a point in specific gatherings All students are involved by brainstorming, sharing ideas related to the topic, making the final decision During this stage, new issues and points that are fitting for language learning might stir (Greenery and Van Duzer, 1998) and it is these thoughts that assist them with considering the language better Gallacher (n.d) proposes a few rules that instructors can use to help their understudies work out their arrangement The factors needed include in the project:

 What form it will take

 Who will be responsible for what

 An idea of the time it will take to introduce each part of the project

 Any material or resources they might need

Phase 2: Research and implementation

After making the final decision on the project topic and working out a plan for the project, students move on to the next phase This phase includes generally such exercises as exploration, hands-on work, meetings with specialists, and different parts of social occasion data, perusing, composing, drawing, and figuring (Curtis, 2001) This is an important stage for language learning and skill development as various skills will be needed for the completion of the project Although students work mostly on their own or in

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their group, the teacher must be aware of and perform their role as an instructor, a consultant, a facilitator, and even a group member He/She must decide on when, where and how much he/she should support the students This support, in Moss and Van Duzer’ s view, may take the form of language structures, and skills, problem-solving strategies, and methods for developing plans (Moss and Van Duzer, 1998)

Phase 3: Sharing results

This is the final phase occurring when students have accomplished their project and it can be in the form of group presentation or disseminating the results in the larger community (Moss and Van Duzer, 1998) Hedge (1998)

uses other terms, presentation and reflection, and makes a clear distinction

between these two ways of sharing results Students will ‘listen’ to others presenting in the former and ‘read’ other writing in the latter Nonetheless, these creators and some others like Curtis (2001), Gallacher (n.d) share a conviction that the most widely recognized method of sharing outcomes is the introduction of the undertaking to a group of people This is the last but not least important stage as students, by giving their own presentation, can improve their presentation skills and, by attending other groups’ presentations, can learn a lot from others

The teacher, again, plays an important role as it is he who will make a summary and comment on the presentation By doing so, he will help enhance students’ process of language learning and knowledge widening What’s more, an evaluation will be made by the teacher after the presentation of the project and this is one of the main sources of motivation for students

All things considered, Project-based learning owns a wide range of features that support students’ learning process Therefore, teachers are

One example of PBL which occurs frequently in the literature was undertaken by Hasani, A., Hendrayana, A., & Senjaya, A (2017) Using project-based learning in writing an educational article: An experience report Universal Journal of Educational Research, 5(6), 960–964 This is known as a project-based English language course of writing skills At the end of the course, students were only able to improve their ability to write educational articles through the use of a project

Besides, this teaching approach creates a convenient condition for students to have used a project-based language learning approach in the high school Spanish classroom: Perceived challenges and benefits Brigham Young (Collier, L D (2017))

In one systematic research study, Larasati, A (2015) explores the implementation of project-based instruction on improving students’ writing skills through project-based learning technique at grade XI of SMAN 2 Sleman in the academic year of 2014/2015 Yogyakarta state university, yogyakarta The findings showed that whereas teachers gave positive feedback to project work as providing contexts for their students to produce

Having reviewed the previous studies, the researcher’s theoretical background on revealing the effects of project-based learning strategy on developing student’s educational achievement is enriched Most of the previous studies agreed on the effectiveness of using project-based learning strategies on improving English skills as they were applied to all ages and for all levels

Finally, in Hung Yen province and the district where the researcher has been working for more than 20 years, it has not been conducted any studies or articles related to the subject of improving paragraph writing skills for high school students through using project-based learning techniques Therefore, this thesis hopefully will make a small contribution to the application of communicative language teaching approaches in developing the students’ ability in English paragraph writing skills at secondary school level in general and in Hung Yen in particular

2.5 Summary

In conclusion, this chapter provides readers an overview of language learning including its definition and common challenges of students when studying English Then, theories about project-based learning are displayed Not only PBL’s popular definitions but also this method’s major features are