Efl students’attitudes towards project based learning and their self regulated language learning strategies use a study at bui thi xuan high school

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY --- TRAN PHAN NGOC TU EFL STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING AND THEIR SELF-REGULATED LANG

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

-

TRAN PHAN NGOC TU

EFL STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING AND THEIR SELF-REGULATED LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES USE: A STUDY AT

BUI THI XUAN HIGH SCHOOL

Major: English Language

Course code: 60220201

HO CHI MINH CITY, AUGUST 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY i

RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii

ABSTRACT iv

APPENDICES viii

LIST OF TABLES ix

LIST OF FIGURES x

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS xi

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background to the study 1

1.2 Statement of the problem 3

1.3 Aim and objectives of the study 6

1.4 Research questions 6

1.5 Scope of the study 6

1.6 Significance of the study 7

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 10

2.1 Introduction 10

2.2 Project-based learning 10

2.2.1 Definitions of project-based learning 10

2.2.2 Principles to project-based learning 11

2.2.3 The significance of project-based learning 11

2.2.4 The challenges of teaching project-based learning 14

2.3 Attitudes 17

2.3.1 Definitions of attitudes 17

2.3.2 The components of attitudes 17

2.3.3 Attitude models 18

2.4 Self-regulated language learning 21

2.4.1 Definitions of self-regulated language learning 21

2.4.2 The importance of self-regulated language learning in project-based learning 21

2.4.3 Self-regulated language learning strategies 22

2.5 Previous research 27

2.6 Conceptual Framework 30

2.7 Summary 30

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 31

3.1 Introduction 31

3.2 Research design 31

3.3 Research site 32

3.4 Sample and sampling procedures 32

3.5 Research instruments 36

3.5.1 Questionnaire 36

3.5.2 Semi-structured interview 37

3.6 Data collection procedures 37

3.7 Data analysis procedures 38

3.8 Summary 39

CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 40

4.1 Introduction 40

4.2 Results 40

4.2.1 EFL high school students’ attitudes towards PBL 40

4.2.2 SRLL strategies use in PBL 48

4.3 Discussions 61

4.3.1 EFL high school students’ attitudes towards PBL 61

4.3.2 SRLL strategies used in PBL 62

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION 67

5.1 Summary of the main findings of the thesis 67

5.2 Pedagogical implications 68

5.3 Limitations 70

5.4 Recommendations for the further research 71

REFERENCES 72

APPENDIX A 81

APPENDIX B 86

APPENDIX C 90

APPENDIX E 94

APPENDIX F 96

APPENDIX G 99

APPENDICES

Appendix A: Questionnaire for Survey

Appendix B: Questionnaire for Survey (Vietnamese translation)

Appendix C: Interview Protocol

Appendix D: Interview Protocol (Vietnamese translation)

Appendix E: Sample of interview data analysis

Appendix F: Sample of the project period in the new English textbooks Appendix G: Viper Plagiarism Scan

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1: Participants’ general information 35

Table 4.1: Total mean scores of attitudes towards PBL 40

Table 4.2 EFL high school students’ attitudes towards PBL 41

Table 4.3 EFL high school students’ cognitive attitudes towards PBL 42

Table 4.4 EFL high school students’ affective attitudes towards PBL 46

Table 4.5 EFL high school students’ behavioural attitudes towards PBL 48

Table 4.6: Total mean scores of SRLL strategies use in PBL 48

Table 4.7 SRLL strategies use in PBL among EFL high school students 49

Table 4.8 The frequency of using goal setting strategy in PBL among EFL high school students 50

Table 4.9 The frequency of using planning strategy in PBL among EFL high school students 51

Table 4.10 The frequency of using self-motivation strategy in PBL among EFL high school students 53

Table 4.11 The frequency of using attention control strategy in PBL among EFL high school students 54

Table 4.12 The frequency of using flexible use of strategies strategy in PBL among EFL high school students 55

Table 4.13 The frequency of using self-monitoring strategy in PBL among EFL high school students 57

Table 4.14 The frequency of using self-evaluation strategy in PBL among EFL high school students 58

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Tripartite Model 19 Figure 2: ABC Model 20 Figure 3: CAC Model 20 Figure 4: Conceptual framework of the relationships of PBL, attitudes and self-regulation learning 30

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS

EFL English as Foreign Language

PBL Project-based learning

SRLL Self-regulated language learning

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study

It is obvious that the history of language teaching has significantly innovated in the 21st century Project-based learning (PBL) is one of the ideal choices to teach students in the modern classroom Bender (2012) indicates that when teachers utilize PBL, they change their traditional roles into the new modes of teaching Therefore, one of the effective ways to foster students’ ability is to implement PBL for students to acquire knowledge and skills in their learning process as Bell (2010) and Bradford (2005) assert that the 21st century skills are in associated relationships with PBL According to an educator and philosopher, Dewey (1959), who is considered as one of the pioneers of PBL, when students implement meaningful tasks related to problems in real-world situations, they can achieve more profound comprehension Many researchers such as Krajcik, Czerniak and Berger (1999) and Helle, Tynjala and Olkinuora (2006) have regarded PBL as an alternative choice for teaching because it is a powerful tool to encourage students

to engage more in solving real-world problem It is believed that PBL assists students to take part in learning activities as active and confident participants (Doppelt, 2003; Krajcik, Blumenfeld, Marx, & Soloway, 1994) Moreover, as Westwood (2006) indicates that projects are the combination of the new and prior knowledge and skills that students experience in the past and present in order to promote students’ self-direction and motivation These combinations are vital in language acquisition as effective ways for students to revise what they have learnt and how to apply it into their real life

Furthermore, it is believed that one of the most influential elements in language performance is the learners’ attitudes In order to achieve in-depth insights into this topic, a widespread research interest in many studies by different researchers has been implemented recently Brown (2001; as cited in İnal, Evin, & Saracaloğlu, 2005) highlights the significance of attitudes on learners’ learning process

According to Gardner and Lambert (1972), attitudes are of importance to master a language and facilitate language acquisition Alacapinar (2008) and Kalayci (2008) indicate that attitudes, along with cooperation in teamwork, self-concept and 21st skills are among the key factors that aid project-based learners to reinforce their learning ability, attain insightful comprehension on conceptual knowledge as well as enhance their learner autonomy Obviously, learning performance can be enhanced and facilitated when students have positive attitudes However, the students’ performance and results in language acquisition may be worsen if the students have negative attitudes (Tella, Indoshi, & Othuon, 2010) It is apparent that when the learners have positive attitudes towards the projects correlating with their own life, they acquire knowledge and apply it into solving the problems in the real life more effectively and efficiently

Recently, there has appeared the demand of regulating learners’ own learning, which has underlined self-regulated learning Self-regulation is regarded as one of the most significant developments in English language learning In order to be successful in the future, especially lifelong learning, it is of the essence for the students to be equipped with self-regulated learning It is PBL that plays an integral part in supply the students with these factors It is believed that PBL triggers learner autonomy in sufficient ways by incorporating self-regulated learning into English language teaching It is apparent that through SRLL learners can monitor their learning progress, adjust their learning strategies and put in more efforts into achieving expected outcomes According to Berk (2003) and Zimmerman and Schunk (2011), self-regulation has a great influence on learning, motivation and autonomy Its skills play significant roles for learners so as to “extract maximum benefit from the different learning environments they may find themselves in” (Collins & Muñoz, 2016, p.140) Learning strategies for self-regulation is also of importance for learners to master English language It is the key elements to foster learner autonomy among students in English language learning According to Jane and Suzie (2013), autonomy, together with knowledge and life-long learning, is of

the three factors that PBL brings to students In language acquisition, it is vital that students be stimulated to be more and more autonomy and set up “a personal agenda for learning” (Little, 1994 & Chan, 2003) So as to encourage, engage students more in their study, enhance their learner autonomy as well as create a practical environment for them to integrate the knowledge they acquire at school into their realistic situations, PBL is considered as the key element in language teaching and learning It is obvious that the roles of students have changed positively thanks to the applications of PBL approach into their learning environment Self-regulated language learning (SRLL) strategies are divided into some main categories of learning strategies, listed as follows: goal setting, planning, self-motivation, attention control, flexible use of strategies, self-monitoring and self-evaluation

Comprehending the imperative roles of PBL to facilitate students’ learning and create productive classroom environments for the students to enhance students’ fundamental skills and 21st century skills as well as self-regulation, the MOET attempts to initially introduce and apply PBL in the new ten-year English textbooks designed by the National Foreign Language 2020 Project Project is recommended

in each unit with the aim of aiding EFL high school students to be familiar with implementing projects and assist students to achieve fruitful outcomes in the future through learner autonomy Students in the 21st century have become more and more self-regulated, active and creative in their study process At Bui Thi Xuan High School, students have been familiar with operating with PBL since they learnt the new English textbooks in 2013 However, the frequency of project implementation is not as expected due to the inadequate skills as well as SRLL ability

1.2 Statement of the problem

Students at Bui Thi Xuan High School have studied the new English textbooks grade 10, 11, 12 designed by the Ministry of Education and Training since 2013 Each of the English new textbook includes a new section for each unit called

project, whose aims are to give them a chance to apply the language and skills they have learnt in the unit to solve a task in the real-life activities (English textbook

10, 2017) Nevertheless, it is obvious that students encounter numerous challenges when they implement PBL designed in the new English textbooks at high schools First and foremost, one of the most challenging problems that students face is that they initially get acquainted with self-regulated language learning (SRLL) In traditional teaching methods, students are not familiar with SRLL due to the tendency of schooling implementation based on the teachers’ instruction and assignments Most of the time of teaching and learning occurs in the classroom and the teachers’ roles are to transmit and access the knowledge while students absorb the lessons passively Therefore, they have no chance to improve their SRLL

Another problem that students encounter when they operate PBL is that they do not have adequate skills Much as they have experienced in operating the project for years, it is difficult for them to implement PBL effectively due to the lack of experience and skills so the students depend mainly on the teachers’ assignment and supports This may lead to the reduction in their eagerness to practice the project devotedly Moreover, when students are in attempt to fulfill enough skills for the projects, it is time-consuming for them to do so

One of the major problems that students encounter when implementing PBL is that they are not familiar with SRLL Students who are more acquainted with traditional approaches in the classroom do not have enough SRLL strategies for learning outside classroom during the project process For this reason, students usually do not achieve desired outcomes for their project products

The students’ attitudes may be another problem for students Most of the students are familiar with traditional learning methods; therefore, it may be challenging for them to shift from the traditional methods to the new ones Furthermore, in the new methods, they are required to be more creative with the equipment of the new

skills as well as self-regulation in learning, which forces students to make more attempts and efforts in their learning

The fact that teachers lack experience in teaching PBL is one of the difficult problems in implementing PBL Apparently, when applying the new teaching methods, teachers need to be well-prepared for the changes of teaching methodology Some of the teachers, especially those who are in middle age or more, may be resistant to change as it takes time and efforts It is important that teachers need to instruct students carefully, explain the roles clearly, give assistance if necessary; however, there is not enough training for the teachers to apply PBL effectively in their teaching Some teachers find it difficult to ask students to prepare for the projects carefully as they do not have enough time in the classrooms

Last but not least, one of the obstacles that students have to overcome when they

do PBL is the time The fact that students have to spend time on studying various subjects at school spontaneously affects their attitudes towards implementing projects effectively The demands to study all the subjects well at school from their parents also prevent students from concentrating on the project effectively

In the context of Vietnam, some research has been conducted in terms of PBL In the study mainly on theory by Nguyen Thi Van Lam (2011), she focuses on discussing the definitions, the benefits of PBL as well as the process of implementing PBL effectively According to Nguyen Van Loi (2017) and Truong Thi Thanh Canh (2017), projects have great influence on enhancing learner autonomy in language teaching and learning In Hoang Thi Ngoc Diem’s (2012) study, she shares her useful experience in implementing a project in her teaching Pham Thi Thu Ha (2014) indicates that students have the positive attitudes towards PBL and it has beneficial impacts on students’ speaking performance Nguyen Van Khanh (2014) aims at discussing the pedagogical trend towards communicative approach by integrating PBL into ESP courses at university However, the

application of PBL into English language teaching and learning is not prevalent, especially in the context of high schools

In summary, these problems mentioned above may prevent teachers and students

at Bui Thi Xuan High School from implementing PBL effectively It is important

to figure out the problems and identify the attitudes as well as the SRLL strategies used to implement PBL effectively

1.3 Aim and objectives of the study

This study aims at investigating high school EFL students’ attitudes towards PBL and their SRLL strategies used during project-based learning implementation in the context of Bui Thi Xuan high school in Dalat The research objectives are as follows:

- To explore the students’ attitudes towards the use of project-based learning

in English language learning at Bui Thi Xuan high school

- To investigate Bui Thi Xuan high school EFL students’ self-regulated language learning strategies used for project-based learning

1.4 Research questions

In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the thesis addresses the following questions:

1 What are EFL students’ attitudes towards the use of project-based learning

in English language learning at Bui Thi Xuan high school?

2 What self-regulated language learning strategies are used for project-based learning by EFL students at Bui Thi Xuan high school?

1.5 Scope of the study

This study was conducted at Bui Thi Xuan High School in Dalat, Lam Dong Province, which is one of the three first high schools in Lam Dong province opted

to implement the new English textbooks designed by the Ministry of Education and Training in 2013 These new textbooks will be applied nationwide in the near future Fortunately, for 5 years of learning the new English textbooks, EFL high school students have had experiences in studying different topics and they have

had a chance to practice PBL at school The participants were the students who were studying the new English textbooks They were chosen from taking part in

an exam organized by the Department of Education and Training and were accustomed to implementing PBL as in the new textbooks there appears a new section named Project and students primarily get used to employing PBL In order

to gain the results, the mixed-method: quantitative and qualitative were applied Two instruments were utilized: questionnaire and semi-structured interview so as

to collect the data, both of which are applied for the students who have learnt these new English textbooks

1.6 Significance of the study

The earlier years of the 21st century have witnessed the significant innovation of educational in Vietnam, especially in language teaching It is the shift from the teacher-centered approach to the learner-centered approach Since then, the ways that students study have been changing significantly Instead of receiving knowledge passively from the teachers, they are more and more active and creative

in their own learning process They make sense of the importance of self-regulated learning in the ways they master the lessons One of the approaches that stimulate students’ self-regulation is PBL In the universities and colleges in Vietnam, students are rather accustomed to PBL and many researchers focus on PBL for university and college students; however, at high schools, rarely are students given

a chance to operate PBL and less research has been conducted about PBL for students at high school Since the new English textbooks were designed and applied for high school students, they have contributed to the major alterations of teaching and learning process This study is significant because it provides profound understandings on PBL, the challenges that teachers and students encounter when implementing it as well as how it affects students’ attitudes and SRLL that students apply when they implement PBL Moreover, it will have an influence on the stimulation of changes in roles of teachers and students in language classroom

1.7 Definitions of key terms

For the purpose of this study, many terms must be defined to provide a specific perspective on the issues discussed

Attitude refers as an important factor that affects greatly on students’ learning

process and even facilitate their language acquisition

Project-based learning is considered as a powerful approach that encourages

students to expand the knowledge they have learnt in a new context

Self-regulated language learning is a critical method that transforms learners’

mental abilities and skills to accomplish tasks by constantly monitoring their progress, adjust their learning strategies, and refocus their efforts for more successful outcomes (Berk, 2003; Zimmerman & Schunk, 2011)

1.8 Organization of the thesis

This study report consists of five separate chapters

Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the study with the background information related to the study, the rationale of the study, the aims and objectives, the research questions, the scope of the study, the significance of the study, the definitions of the key terms as well as the organization of the thesis

Chapter 2 is the literature review, presenting the information related to PBL, attitudes and SRLL strategies In terms of PBL, definitions, the principles, the importance of PBL as well as the challenges of teaching PBL are discussed Regarding attitudes, definitions, the three components of attitudes and the models

of attitudes are recommended With reference to SRLL strategies, definitions, the importance of SRLL and seven strategies are analyzed in details In previous study, many studies by foreign as well as Vietnamese researchers are summarized and discussed in brief Finally, conceptual framework is also introduced in literature review

Chapter 3 describes the methodology of the study including the research design, the research site, the sample and sample procedures, the research instruments, the data collection procedures as well as the data analysis procedures

Chapter 4 supplies the presentation of results of the study by analyzing the data collected from questionnaire and semi-structured interview The discussion of the data is also compared and contrasted with the data in previous studies

Chapter 5 presents the summary of the main findings of the thesis, implications of the research, limitation of the research and recommendations for further research

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction

The main purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of previous research related to PBL and SRLL strategies The three key terms mentioned in this study, including PBL, attitudes and SRLL are reviewed through different researchers’ viewpoints First of all, regarding PBL, besides the definitions, the principles, the importance of PBL and the challenges of teaching PBL are analyzed in different angles of views Secondly, with respect to attitudes, the definitions along with the three main attitude components and the common models of attitudes are discussed Last but not least, the definitions, the importance of SRLL in PBL as well as some popular SRLL strategies are reviewed and listed

2.2 Project-based learning

2.2.1 Definitions of project-based learning

In terms of pedagogical framework, PBL is regarded as an innovative approach in education Brandsfort, Brown and Cocking (1999) define PBL as a powerful approach that encourages students to expand the knowledge they have learnt in a new context Supplying another definition of PBL, Savery (2006) considers PBL

as a constructivist instructional method, in which students are encouraged to work

in groups or interact with each other to apply the knowledge in the classroom in order to solve the problems in their real life under the teacher’s instruction Furthermore, according to The Buck Institute for Education, PBL is “a systematic teaching method that engages students in learning knowledge and skills through

an extended inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designed products and tasks.” (Markham, 2003, p 4) In short, PBL is a learner-centered approach that triggers students’ collaboration, critical thinking skills through experience of solving real-life problems

2.2.2 Principles to project-based learning

Different researchers give ideas about the principles to PBL in a variety of ways According to Barron et al (1998) there are four principles as follows:

Learning – appropriate goals

Scaffolds that support both student and teacher learning

Frequent opportunities for formative self-assessment and revision

Social organizations that promote participation and results in a sense of agency

According to Cocco (2016), three constructivist principles of PBL are introduced

as mentioned below:

- learning is context-specific,

- learners are involved actively in the learning process

- they achieve their goals through social interactions and the sharing of knowledge and understanding (p.12)

In conclusion, both two mentioned principles aim at creating a more active learning environment for learners, in which they can gain their goals by using different skills

2.2.3 The significance of project-based learning

It is imperative that students be beneficial to the use of PBL as mentioned below:

Self-regulated language learning enhancement

As the major purpose of PBL is to assist students to enhance their SRLL performance, students primarily learn how to learn on their own when implementing PBL (Vaiz, 2003) As engaging into implementing PBL through the

process of collecting information from different material sources as well as attaining the knowledge via analysis and synthesis, students themselves stand a great chance of comprehending the lessons more thoroughly and apply them into their real-life situations Through project implementation, their self-regulation in learning improves day by day (Hoang Thi Ngoc Diem, 2009; Nguyen Van Loi, 2017; Tran Phan Ngoc Tu & Tran Quoc Thao, 2019)

21 st -century skills improvement

Apparently, PBL has substantial benefits to learners as it encourages active inquiry and higher-order thinking skills among learners (Thomas, 1998) Moreover, PBL helps them to constitute improvement in self-reliance, attendance and attitudes towards learning and then have a great influence on the students’ learning behaviors and even their performance (Thomas, 2000, Tran Quoc Thao & Duong

My Tham, 2013) Moreover, according to George Lucas Educational Foundation (2001), PBL in high school stimulates learners’ engagement into the classroom activities, enhance cooperative learning skills and foster academic learning performance Obviously, when operating PBL, students may improve their high level cognitive skills, including data analysis, problem solving, decision making… (Winn, 1997) Additionally, thanks to PBL, learners develops their 21st – century skills, including collaborative skill, creative skill, critical thinking skill, problem-solving skill, decision making skill, communicative skill …, all of which are absolutely effective for their own life and supportive of improving their sense of responsibility for social environment (Dori & Tal, 2000; Nguyen Thi Van Lam, 2011; Pham Thi Thu Ha, 2014; Tran Phan Ngoc Tu & Tran Quoc Thao, 2019)

Speaking competence developments

According to Torres and Rodríguez (2017), PBL helps students to enhance their speaking competence as they are given the strength to enrich the new vocabulary

so that they can express their own ideas, convey the messages and complete the tasks in the projects It is true that when students are forced to learn the new words related to the projects, they will have more motivation to search and learn them in

order to fulfill their speaking performance These authors highlight that when students are provided with a wide range of vocabulary, they can overcome their fear of speaking and become more confident As the results, students are in favour

of discussing about their own experiences and community not only in their mother tongue but also in their foreign language (Truong Thi Thanh Canh, 2017) According to Pham Thi Thu Ha (2014), it is PBL that enhance students’ speaking skills in the classroom Students became more and more confident when talking in front of the class

Opportunities for self-assessments

Railsback (2002) claims that operating PBL may engage culturally diverse learners

as learners are provided a wide range of learning opportunities in the classroom Furthermore, students have opportunities to assess their learning process and their products on their own as well as provide constructive feedback to each other (Gubacs, 2004) When students assess themselves, they may take control of their study and manage their learning more independently This is meaningful and attentive to students as they can enhance their strengths or eradicate their weaknesses (Tran Phan Ngoc Tu & Tran Quoc Thao, 2019)

More active learning engagements

It is universally believed that PBL triggers performing engagement into the students’ learning acquisition (Cornell & Clarke, 1999; Wurdinger, Haar, Hugg,

& Bezon, 2007) Cornell and Clarke (1999) cite that not only does PBL supply students with team collaboration and new skills while implementing hands-on activities but it is also allowed the weak students to make progress at their own space Research on collaborative learning shows that when working in groups positively, students have a tendency to obtain higher learning outcomes than those who work in traditional classroom environment (Gillies & Ashman, 2000) It is because the weak students can receive explanations, aids and supports from their better partners which help them to clarify the issues and build comprehension easily As a result, they can join hands to solve the problems together Furthermore,

planning, revising and reflecting to complete the projects may help students to achieve expected outcomes in their learning (Nguyen Thi Van Lam, 2011)

2.2.4 The challenges of teaching project-based learning

Despite the fact that the majority of the research concentrates more on the positive effects as well as the successful outcomes of the use of PBL, it is challenging to shift from traditional approaches to PBL one In an attempt to implement PBL into learning environment, some following issues should be concerned about

Lack of student preparation

In order to achieve desired outcomes when implementing PBL, it is crucial that

“students need to have sufficient knowledge of the content and specific skills to explore information” (Blumenfeld et al., 1991) (p.378), which means they have to find out and solve the problems on their own and minimize the teachers’ instructions As Ge, Planas and Nelson (2010) indicates that “Evidence has shown that PBL presents a challenge to novice learners” (p.31) Apparently, as the result, students are under heavy load on their memory when doing PBL because they do not have enough proper schemas to generate their prior knowledge into the new one Furthermore, most of the students in Vietnam have been familiar with learning styles in traditional classroom where they are recipients of knowledge rather than generators (Pham Thi Thu Ha, 2014) They find it difficult to comprehend the teachers’ comprehension and try to apply the prior knowledge to solve the problems in real situation (Tran Phan Ngoc Tu & Tran Quoc Thao, 2019)

The changes in roles

In order to implement PBL successfully, there must be a transformation of teachers

as well as students’ roles in teaching and learning process Traditionally, teachers and students are more acquainted with lecture-based education; however, in the place of new model, they are forced to work in unfamiliar territory According to Hoang Thi Ngoc Diem (2012), it is teachers who are made to assume “new roles”

in their teaching methodology Spontaneously, instead of receiving the knowledge passively, students are encouraged to play more active roles in the classroom and

take their responsibilities for “actively constructing” and “reconstructing their knowledge networks” (Dolmans, De Grave, Wolfhagen & Van Der Vleuten, 2005,

p 732)

Teacher Pedagogical Shift

It is an arduous task for most of the teachers, even for the experienced ones, to keep their students engaged and motivated in school According to Hoang Thi Ngoc Diem (2012), in Vietnamese context, when instructing students PBL, teachers play different roles as instructors, supporters and supervisors, which are rather different with their traditional roles in the classroom Therefore, in order to use a true PBL model, it is imperative to force teachers to experience a “paradigm shift” (Camp 1996, p.1) The significant issues of implementing PBL in the classroom are the demand to shift the methods of instruction, assessment as well

as the curriculum (Barron et al., 1998) It is the teachers who change their traditional roles and undertake the new roles after re-examining the pedagogical views and struggling the “conflicts with deep seated teacher beliefs” (Rosenfeld & Rosenfeld, 2005, p 386) The shifts in innovation pedagogy and personal beliefs may come into conflicts which are complicated to resolve It is true that in Vietnam some teachers are not eager to change from the traditional teaching methods to more advanced one (Nguyen Phuong Mai, Terlouw & Pilot, 2005) Furthermore, Dahlgren, Castensson and Dahlgren (1998) give clear descriptions of the teachers who struggles in their teaching experience as they lack expertise to fully apply the innovative approach In traditional approach, teachers tend to teach as much knowledge as possible in the given amount of time That is the reason why many teachers think that they may not supply students with enough information and that students are unable to achieve enough knowledge for their project (Dahlgren et al., 1998) In the new approach, there appears a shift in pedagogical thought of moving from quantity to quality in education As a consequence, it is of essence for teachers to change their mind set from being a supplier to facilitators in teaching process Due to the fact that PBL is time-consuming, some teachers find it

challenged to monitor and scaffold students’ activities in generating the project Additionally, some following challenges such as inadequate materials, lack of time

to create new curricular, large class size and over-controlling administrations are obstacles that prevent teachers from applying PBL effectively into their teaching (Tran Phan Ngoc Tu & Tran Quoc Thao, 2019)

Student Pedagogical Shift

Teachers are not the unique figures that have to change their roles in education It

is students who are made to take on the new roles in learning acquisition, which completely differentiate with what they have experienced before Rather than taking part in traditional activities in the classroom, students have to take responsibilities for their own learning, become more creative and improve their reflective and critical thinking skills (Bereiter & Scardanakua, 1989) However, according to Hoang Huu Ngo (2014), some Vietnamese students cannot solve the driving questions effectively, keep up motivation or engage actively in the project process till the end, which is one of the major challenges that they face in implementing the PBL Furthermore, no longer do students rely on memorizing the lessons to succeed in class, they also need to apply what they have learnt into their real-life situations It is vital that students develop their own self –regulated and self-evaluated learning abilities so as to master PBL (Nguyen Van Loi, 2017) Instead of rote learning and memorizing the knowledge, students are supplied with more challenging and complicated work, in which they are encouraged to collaborate in teams to solve the problems (Anderman & Midgley, 1998; Lumsden, 1994) Nevertheless, Vietnamese students are not well-equipped with fulfill skills

of team working, which lead to some challenges when working collaboratively (Hoang Huu Ngo, 2014) With regard to language learning of high school students

in Vietnam, Nguyen Van Khanh (2014) adds that students encounter problems in listening and speaking skills as high school teachers have a tendency to focus more

on grammar and non-communicative skills

2.3 Attitudes

2.3.1 Definitions of attitudes

Many recent researchers have concentrate on doing research on learner attitudes

so as to achieve in-depth insights into this topic and investigate how attitudes affect learning acquisition According to Rokeach (1969, as cited in Smith, 1971), “an attitude is a relatively enduring organization of beliefs around an object or a situation, predisposing one to respond in some preferential manner.” Gardner’s (1985) definition is that “an individual’s attitude is an evaluative reaction to some referent or attitude object on the basis of the individual’s beliefs or opinions about the referent.”

2.3.2 The components of attitudes

In the context of attitudes, three main components, including cognitive, affective and behavioral ones are mentioned

Affective component

With reference to attitudes, affect is considered as the emotional response towards

an attitude object; therefore, many studies have been implemented on it Eagly and Chaiken (1998) define affective factor as the “feelings, moods, emotions, and sympathetic nervous system activity that people have experienced in relation to an attitude object and subsequently associate with it” (p.272) These authors claim that affective component is mainly based on the emotional experiences and preferences It reflects the likes or dislikes of a person towards an object The affective factor should not be judged in terms of only the beliefs because emotion works simultaneously with cognitive factor The combination of affect, including feelings and emotions and attitude, including the evaluative judgement on beliefs are proposed as an integrated model of attitude and choice (Agarwal & Malhotra (2005) Regarding PBL, when students have positive as well as negative attitudes towards PBL, there appear great effects on the learning strategies (Railsback, 2002)

Cognitive component

Cognitive component of attitudes is the beliefs, thoughts and attributes that individuals express about the object It refers that general knowledge of a person relates to part of attitudes It is based on how people think about the attitude objects Schiffman and Kanuk (2004) state that cognitive factor consists of information and perceptions These two elements can be found through the mixture

of experiences of attitude objects and the information in different sources Cognitive component reflects the ways people think about the objects and their attributes towards the objects In terms of PBL, it is believed that when people associate an object with positive attributes, they have more positive attitudes toward it

To sum up, the affective component is based on the emotions and feelings about the attitudinal objects whereas the cognitive component is related to the perceptions, conceptions and beliefs The behavioral component focuses more on the expressions of behavioral intention or action

of verbal statements of feeling The second element “beliefs” represents cognitive response with regard to verbal statements of belief while the last element

“behavior” introduces overt actions with verbal statements about intended behavior “Feelings” and “belief” components affected by stimuli lead to

• Affect refers to the way a customer feels an attitude object This component is otherwise directly concerned with the feelings, sentiments, moods or emotions about an object (Fill 2009, p 148)

• Behaviour involves the person’s intentions to do something with regards

an attitude object

• Cognition refers to the beliefs a consumer has about an attitude object (p.277)

Figure 2: ABC Model

CAC Model

In terms of CAC Model as can be seen in Figure 3, Schiffman and Kanuk (2004) indicate that attitudes are made up of three main factors: Cognitive component, Afffective component and Conative component In some ways, the components of CAC Model is relevant with those of ABC Model as Cognitive refers to beliefs, Affective refers to feelings and conative refers to behaviours

Figure 3: CAC Model

All in all, the three models focus on supply the close relationship of the three components, which are composed of cognitive, affective and behavioural attitudes

2.4 Self-regulated language learning

2.4.1 Definitions of self-regulated language learning

There are different definitions of SRLL from different researchers in literature Bandura (1986) defines that self-regulation occurs when learners play their parts

in learning process and control them effectively in order to achieve the desired goals Zimmerman’s (1989) definition is that SRLL is regarded as the process in which students take part in the learning actively in terms of meta-cognition, motivation and behavior Pintrich (2000) is considered self-regulation as the extent

to which students identify their learning goals and regulate their cognition, motivations and behavior in an active and constructive process According to Zumbrunn, Tadlock and Roberts (2011) in SRLL, students are required to independently plan, monitor, and assess their learning It is also the process in which learners are in an attempt to control complicate learning activities in their own experience of learning

2.4.2 The importance of self-regulated language learning in project-based learning

It is undeniable that self-regulated learning plays significant roles in language learning acquisition Wolters (2011) claims that SRLL is an important element that helps students better their learning habits and enhance their study skills Highlighting the importance of self-regulation, Boekaerts and Niemivirta (2000) indicates that SRLL becomes more and more effective when students can monitor their learning in their learning environment on their own It is SRLL that stresses the learners’ preferences for learning in the relationship of self-regulation and learning styles In terms of academic achievement, many researchers such as Puzziferro (2008); Whipp & Chiarelli (2004) and Harris, Friedlander, Sadler, Frizzelle, and Graham (2005) state the importance of self-regulation in students’ learning performance as well as their achievement in academic contexts It is evident that students who are self-regulating stand a great chance of improving their self-learning, gaining higher levels and succeeding in schools (Puzziferro,

2008) Also, students can monitor their performance and evaluate their academic progress on their own (Harris et al., 2005) Additionally, many recent studies show that not only is SRLL applied in traditional classrooms effectively, but it also starts

to examine in distance and distributed learning environment, especially with PBL Furthermore, obviously, many SRLL researchers confirm that students’ thoughts, feelings and actions performed in SRLL have the interconnections with cognitive, affective and behavioural dimensions (Montalvo & Torres, 2004)

2.4.3 Self-regulated language learning strategies

In order to promote SRLL in language classroom, it is vital that teachers introduce

to students SRLL strategies in learning process, which can facilitate students’ learning Many researchers suggest SRLL strategies in various ways According

to Pintrich (2000), Zimmerman (2004) and Cho and Heron (2015), setting goal, planning, monitoring consistently, using flexible strategies effectively and evaluating the process and the products are among the well-known self-regulated learning strategies Effeneya, Carrollb and Bahr (2013) suggest some following SRLL strategies such as self-evaluation, organizing and transforming, goal-setting and planning, seeking information, attention control, keep records and monitoring, environmental structuring, self-motivation, self-consequences, rehearsing and memorizing and seeking assistance

Some of the SRLL are chosen and discussed in details as follows:

Goal setting

It is obvious that goal setting is an important factor that motivate students and achieve higher academic results According to Winnie and Hadwin (1998) and Wolters (1998), goal planning is considered as the integral element among SRLL strategies because it is standard to regulate student’s actions In the classroom, goals are set in various ways from simple ones such as gaining good marks in the exam to more detailed such as attaining broader comprehension of a topic Short-term goals such as setting time or choose the appropriate strategies to do the projects are set to achieve long-term aspirations Zimmerman (2004) indicates that

when teachers encourage students to set short-term goals for their learning, it is an effective way for students to track their progress Furthermore, according to Nguyen Thi Van Lam (2014), it is of essence for students to have the stated goals

so that they comprehend and support the learning content not only in their project process but also in the completed products Meanwhile, long-term goals provide powerful and long-range tools for learners to overcome short-term obstacles Schunk (1990) states that it is of essence for students to achieve satisfactory goals, short-term goals, because the feeling of capable of enhancing their skills stimulates students to set new challenging goals In terms of PBL, when students implemented it correctly and effectively, goal setting becomes the potential to positively long-term influence on their learning

Planning

Along with goal setting, planning is necessary to assist students to foster their SRLL In fact, Schunk (2001) clarifies that both goal setting and planning are mutually complementary factors in SRLL This author categorizes planning into three stages, consisting of setting a goal for a task, setting up strategies to reach the goal and determining the time as well as the material resources to attain the goal It is imperative for the teachers to teach students to possess viable methods

of planning for SRLL Zimmerman (2004) cites that like goal setting, it is important for students to keep track of the progress by taking notes regularly in this strategy Nguyen Thi Van Lam (2011) asserts that it is important for students

to have a high degree of planning and organization when they implemented PBL She adds time frame is an integral factor in planning a project; therefore, students should organize their time effectively Each student is given adequate time to take part in the project equally, interpret the content and collaborate in team effectively

to develop the project Moreover, students have enough time to design their projects and complete all the complex tasks and assessment as well

Self-motivation

In order to achieve the desired goals or objectives, it is vital for students to take action and self-motivate themselves on their learning Nguyen Van Khanh (2014) considers motivation as the salient characteristic of PBL in order to solve the students’ related problems Zimmerman (2004) and Corco (1993) highlight self-motivation, whose appearance is when a student independently applies one or more strategies in their learning process in order to achieve a set goal These two authors find it important for students to control over the learning by themselves and become more autonomous in their learning Pintrich (2000) highlights that in order

to motivate students, it is a necessity for self-regulated learners to master goal orientations, skills or tasks They must be confident about their learning ability and they need to value the learning tasks highly Wolters (1998) adds that by controlling their own learning, students are more likely to overcome learning challenges with satisfactions Furthermore, there is the close relationship between goals and motivation as Zimmerman (2008) states that when students set goals for their learning, it affects their learning motivation in various ways Goals help students to have good selection to goal-relevant tasks and attention to implement them effectively It is goals that motivate students to put more extra efforts into their tasks as well as maintain greater persistence consistently Moreover, goals generate affective reaction like self-satisfaction for students

Attention control

Attention control is one of the significant strategies for students to master when they implement PBL as they are equipped with the capacity to select what they have to pay attention to and what they should ignore As Winnie (1995) asserts that so as to self-regulate their learning, students must have an ability to control their attention He confirms that when applying this strategy, students need to keep their mind out of distractors as well as work in an appropriate learning environment that is conducive to learning Zimmermann (2004) acknowledges that study environment plays an important role in helping students to pursue their academic

learning productively as well as achieve their goals Hence, it is regarded as priority for teachers to teach students to control their attention by getting rid of stimuli with distractors or supply students with frequent breaks to help students improve their attention spans In addition, it is a necessity to provide sufficient time to complete the projects, which includes the adequate time for each separate task in the projects (Nguyen Thi Van Lam, 2014)

Flexible use of strategies

When students apply a wide range of suitable strategies into their learning and implementing their projects, it is much easier for them to achieve the desired academic outcomes According to Paris and Paris (2001), an effective way to help students succeed in their learning process is to implement various learning strategies with different tasks and then adjust and opt the most suitable and effective strategies for the desired goals Obviously when students choose useful and effective learning strategies, they can save their time as well as achieve expected outcomes Nevertheless, not all the students, especially those who are in the primary levels, have a good choice of learning strategies Sometimes, it is time-consuming for them to choose the right learning strategies Therefore, by scaffolding the use of new strategies for students, teachers can help students to become more confident to use new strategies better (Winne, 1995)

Self-monitoring

In order to see gratifying results, assuming ownership for the learning is a must for those who desire to be successful in their learning acquisition Self-monitoring is used effectively in learning environment so as to address students’ needs and to foster their independence Obviously, when students have the ability to monitor their learning performance by themselves, it is a natural step to be more independent Students can apply Self-monitoring strategy to maintain their attention, finish the assignments, keep on the unfinished tasks, solve the real-life problems and even track their own progress As Zimmerman (2004) emphasizes

in his research, the process of self-monitoring includes aforementioned strategies,

which are goal setting, planning, self-motivation, attention control and flexible use

of strategies Furthermore, setting their own learning goals, planning ahead, independently motivating themselves to meet their goals, focusing their attention

on the task at hand, and using learning strategies to facilitate their understanding

of material are the factors that helps students to self-monitor their learning process

In order to control the self-monitoring, teachers can have students record frequently the particular learning tasks, the strategies used, the time they finish specific tasks Students can find their difficulties and seek help from the others Ryan, Pintrich and Midgley (2001) cite that by doing this, students can develop their learner autonomy It is when students are ready to change and take responsibility for their own learning So as to succeed in this strategy, it is of significance for students to make clear outline for the tasks, keep track of the tasks they involve in by using a schedule and adjust them to meet the satisfactory goals

or the complete products (Porter, 2002)

Self-evaluation

It is believed that students become more self-regulated learners when they have abilities to evaluate their learning process independently (Winne & Hadwin, 1998) Hence, Schraw and Moshman (1995) confirm that students are able to improve their self-evaluated abilities as well as make adjustments for similar tasks in the future Nguyen Thi Van Lam (2014) acknowledges that it is a necessity that students’ projects should be evaluated at the end of the project work Teachers should provide students with adequate assessment based on clearly defined standards Furthermore, students are given a chance to revise as well as the reflect the assessment rubric before it is in use It is essential for students to reflect the language and the subject acquired during the project, to make recommendations for the similar projects in the future and to receive feedback on the language and content learning from the teachers As a result, students may enhance their learning abilities and achieve better outcomes in the future

In terms of the students’ attitudes towards PBL, in recent studies only some of the researchers’ implemented research which is related to this topic Han (2017) conducted a study in six secondary schools Korea with 840 students in order to investigate the students’ attitudes towards science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) PBL and discover the relationships between their attitudes and the interests in pursuing a STEM major With the employment of the questionnaire used a 5 point Likert type scale, the results of the study showed that the students who had positive attitudes towards PBL were in favour of choosing STEM major in the future In another research by Haryatti (2017), the researchers aimed at determining the students’ attitudes towards the use of PBL in the application of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) 40 participants were involved in this study The results of the study revealed that students’ attitudes towards PBL were positive In general, most of the recent studies indicated that students expressed positive attitudes towards PBL

In the context of Vietnam, although much research has been implemented recently

on PBL, some of them focus on the students’ attitudes towards PBL Truong Thi Thanh Canh (2017) conducted a study at Vien Dong College so as to discover the students’ attitudes towards project work in fostering students’ autonomy in English speaking class Eighty-one students were chosen to do the research instruments, which were open-ended questionnaire, semi-structured interview and class

observation The findings of the study showed that students expressed positive attitudes toward project work as well as the possibility to improve their learner autonomy In general, most of the recent studies indicated that students express positive attitudes towards PBL In the study by Hoang Thi Ngoc Diem (2012), she shared her own experience in implementing a project called “Faculty voice” The participants of the study were 35 second-year full-time students at Thai Nguyen University When involving in the project, students had to work in groups, chose the news to broadcast and reported real events or unpublished information The results of the study showed that students improved their language competence, attitudes as well as some soft skills With the aim of investigating the effects of the use of projects in teaching language skills on learner autonomy, Nguyen Van Loi (2017) conducted a study among 50 English-majored second-year students during two semesters With the employment of questionnaire and interview, the findings

of the study showed that students became more autonomous in their learning after they implementing PBL Furthermore, the research focused on the different aspects

of learner autonomy, including self-regulated learning, self-responsibility, attitudes to social interaction and self-decision on learning Among these aspects, there was an increase in only self-decision on learning Hoang Huu Ngo (2014) implemented a study with the aims of exploring the use of PBL among English-majored students in the course “Intercultural Communication” at Vietnam National University The findings of the study showed that despite some obstacles, PBL was appropriate for students to improve their English, their culture knowledge and their intercultural skills Nguyen Van Khanh (2015) suggested that the utilization of PBL should be integrated into ESP courses in order to follow the new teaching trend, which is to apply more communicative approach into language teaching and learning Pham Thi Thu Ha (2014) conducted a survey at An Lao High School to investigate the students’ attitudes towards PBL and its effects on students’ English speaking skill With the employment of tests, questionnaire and

interview, the results of the study revealed that students showed positive attitudes towards PBL and PBL assisted students to improve their speaking performance With regard to PBL and SRLL, although numerous studies on SRLL and PBL have been implemented separately, little research has recently concentrated on the relationships between PBL and SRLL A study by Stefanou, Stolk, Olin, Prince, Chen and Lord (2013) aimed at discovering the links between students’ self-regulation in problem-based learning and PBL This study was conducted in two private universities in Northeastern United States with seventy-seven students and two instructors within two academic years Data were analyzed by using MSLQ and LCQ The findings of the study revealed that students who implemented PBL are reported to perceive higher self-regulation in learning Another research implemented by Asri, Setyosari, Hitipeuw and Chusniyah (2017) aimed at investigating the influence of PBL strategy and self-regulation on mathematics learning A two-way Anava track was utilized for data analysis One finding of the research showed that there appeared mutual relationships and interaction between PBL and self-regulation among junior EFL high school students in accordance with learning Maths In Vietnamese context, a body of research in self-regulation and PBL has documented the effects of PBL on creating positive attitudes towards learning (Levine, 2004; Ke, 2010; Maftoon, Birjandi, & Ahmadi, 2013; Zhang,

2015 as cited by Nguyen Van Loi (2017) Nguyen Van Loi’s (2017) research aimed to investigate the impacts of teaching English language skills using project work on learner autonomy The participants of the study included fifty students whose major is teaching at Can Tho University Self-assessment questionnaire and interviews were utilized to collect and analyze the data The findings of the study revealed that PBL fostered the students’ degree of learner autonomy Furthermore, other aspects of learner autonomy including self-regulation in learning, self-responsibility and attitudes did not change All in all, most of the studies above showed that PBL was one of the elements that enhance learners’ self-regulation

2.6 Conceptual Framework

It should be noticed that in this research, when learners implementing PBL, there are two elements, including attitudes and self-regulated learning that may affects PBL and PBL may affects the two elements in return Attitudes are composed of three elements: cognitive, affective and behavioural ones Furthermore, self-regulation consists of the seven strategies such as goal setting, planning, self-motivation, attention control, flexible use of strategies, self-monitoring and self-evaluation (see Figure 1)

Figure 4: Conceptual framework of the relationships of PBL, attitudes and

self-regulation learning

2.7 Summary

In this chapter, two main aspects related to PBL have been covered, which are attitudes and SRLL In terms of PBL, the principles and the importance of PBL as well as the challenges that teachers and students might encounter were discussed Additionally, the significance of attitudes and self-regulation towards PBL as well

as some SRLL strategies were also considered

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter provides an outline of the research methods with 6 major items in order to achieve the objectives proposed in Chapter One and addresses the following research questions of the study:

1 What are EFL students’ attitudes towards the use of project-based learning

in English language learning at Bui Thi Xuan high school?

2 What self-regulated language learning strategies are used for project-based learning by EFL students at Bui Thi Xuan high school?

This chapter first presents the research design with general information of the methods and participants It then provides more detailed information of research site, sample and sample procedures, research instruments, data collection procedures This chapter ends with how the data analysis procedures are conducted

3.2 Research design

In order to investigate the EFL high school students’ attitudes towards PBL as well

as the SRLL strategies used in PBL implementation, mixed methods were used to collect and analyze the qualitative and quantitative data with set of questionnaire and semi-structured interview Questionnaire was delivered to 155 students at Bui Thi Xuan High school and 40 students took part in the interview All of the participants studied the new English textbooks as they were given a chance to conduct the projects in the new textbooks

3.3 Descriptions of the new English textbooks

The new English textbooks grade 10, 11, 12 are of the ten-year English textbooks, which has been under pilot program in the National Foreign Language 2020 Project by the MOET since 2013 With the aim of improving students’ language proficiency, like the other English textbooks in ten-year textbook series, English textbook grade 10 are designed into 4 components: themes, topics, communicative

competences and linguistic knowledge/language items (Hoang Van Van, 2018)

As mentioned in the main elements, communicative competences are listed and the tasks in the textbooks are designed to meet the requirements 10 units were designed with 9 main sections including: getting started, language, reading, speaking, writing, communication and culture, looking back and project One of the new sections in the new English textbooks when compared with the seven-year English textbooks is the projects, which assist students to get familiar with PBL,

broaden the knowledge in the units and improve their personal soft skills

3.4 Research site

The study was conducted in Bui Thi Xuan High school, Lam Dong province which has been chosen to be one of three high schools in Lam Dong Province to implement the new English textbooks designed by the Ministry of Education and Training in Vietnam since 2013 In the new textbooks, one of the new sections introduced in the textbooks is project, which encourages students to take first step

to get familiar with PBL For the new English textbooks, students at Bui Thi Xuan high school study English three periods per week In this school year, there are over 1800 students of three grades: 10, 11 and 12 with 44 classes, among which there are five classes that have been studied the new English textbooks All of the students of these five classes, including 155 students have studied the new textbooks for at least one year and they have had general ideas of the project section as well as had experience in implementing PBL related to the topics in the new English textbooks

3.5 Sample and sampling procedures

Participants of the study were 155 EFL students from grade 10, 11, 12 at Bui Thi Xuan High School, Lam Dong Province, all of whom are studying the new English textbook of the Ministry of Education and Training in Vietnam To study in these classes, they are obliged to take an entrance examination by the Department of Education and Training in Lam Dong province, so their English proficiency is rather good The number of participants is acceptable as the suggested sample size