Using projectbased learning to improve the students’ speaking skills an action research project at Dong Nai Technology University

VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCESGRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Đinh Công Tính USING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING TO IMPROVE THE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT

VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Đinh Công Tính

USING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING TO IMPROVE THE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT DONG NAI TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY

MA THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

HANOI, 2019

DECLARATION BY AUTHOR

I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the thesis entitled “Using Project-Based Learning to Improve The Students’ Speaking Skills: An Action Research Project at Dong Nai Technology University” is the result of my

own research for the Degree of Master of Arts in English Language Thesubstance of the thesis has not, wholly or in part, been submitted for any otherdegree 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

Đinh Công Tính

Approved bySUPERVISOR

Phạm Hữu Đức, Ph.D.

Date: ………

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, Phạm Hữu Đức, Ph D for his kind consultation, invaluable encouragement as well as thorough correction in the process of completion But for his helpful guidance, this study would not have been achieved.

Next, I would like to convey my sincere appreciation and thanks to Mr 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 lecturers and students at Dong Nai Technology University 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 speaking classes at Dong Nai Technology University

in Bien Hoa city, Dong Nai 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.

APPENDIX 5: English Speaking Ability Evaluation VII

Nowadays, English becomes more and more important in almostaspects of life English is a global language, so it is a compulsory subject atschools and universities Communication is one of the most important skills

in study, and work Being a lecturer at a university, I recognize that we shouldhelp our students find the better way to improve their speaking skills and feelconfident when talking or speaking in front of the class or the crowded ormaking a conversation with foreigners After learning about some methods tohelp the students improve their speaking skills We chose Project – basedLearning to apply for our speaking classes in experiment After doing thisexperiment, we found out two issues: (1) the students’ attitudes to usingProject – based Learning in speaking classes; (2) the result of students inSpeaking classes when applying Project – based Learning I randomly chose aClass with class code 0070133 to carry out my action research project withthe participants: 30 the first-year students a Dong Nai Technology University

We performed this study in 12 weeks and used questionnaires, pre- test, test and interviews for collecting data instruments The research findings usthat the students has positive attitudes to using Project – based learning inspeaking classes and PBL was a good way to help students improve theirspeaking skills With the result we got in the findings, both the lecturers andthe students could find the own way for teaching and learning to achieve thebest result in speaking skills in speaking classes

post-LIST OF TABLES

PageTable 1: Assessing Speaking Performance- Level B1 (CEFR) 14

Table 4: A comparison of Mean Score on Pre-Test and Post-Test 58

by Three Raters

Table 6: Changes after taking part in the lessons using PBL 71

LIST OF FIGURES & CHARTS

Page

Chart 1: Students’ opinions of being afraid of speaking English in 62class

Chart 2: Students’ frequency of speaking English 63Chart 3: Students’ difficulties of speaking English in class time 64Chart 4: Frequency of practicing speaking English in class 65Chart 5: The active activities of students in teamwork in English 66speaking lessons

Chart 6: Students’ interest in English speaking activities 67Chart 7: Students’ opinion of using project-based learning in 68optional lessons

Chart 8: Students’ opinions about the effectiveness of project- 70based learning in improving speaking skills

Chart 9: Students’ improvement for criteria after applying project- 71based learning in improving speaking skills

Chart 10: The students’ difficulties when carrying out the project 73for the first time

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CEFR: Common European Framework for ReferenceCLT: Communicative Language Teaching

DNTU: Dong Nai Technology University

EFL: English as Foreign Language

PBL: Project-Based Learning

of confidence in communication On the other hand, Dong Nai TechnologyUniversity’ outcomes require that the students must speak English well andhave enough ability to pass the English interview for trial job interview One

of the reasons leading them to this problem is they lack time and method forlearning speaking Being acknowledged, speaking is one of the mostimportant skills in our modern society, especially at work Moreover, afterteaching for a long time at the University, the speaking abilities of the third-year and final-year students were supposed to be not good So we should helpthe first-year student improve their speaking skills to gain the better speakingabilities in the future, especially when they graduate and apply for work Ineach lesson, we should make many different activities so that students havelots of chances to speak English and have an assignment to do as a miniproject To do the mini project, the students have to make a group and dividethe task become smaller parts to do In each group, the students have to share

the assignment to do Each student takes a task, and the leader collects thedata and material to make the perfect project During doing the project, theyhave the chances to explore the real world, cooperate with their partners,practice searching information, analyze data, prepare and practice speakingfor the presentation.

The latest years, Project-based learning (PBL) has been stronglypromoted and applied in teaching speaking skills in universities to help thestudents improve their abilities PBL makes the students spend more time onusing some tools to complete their English assignment It creates anenvironment for studying and learning professionally The students feel veryeager to come to class each day when they have English lesson Moreover,PBL is believed that it will help student feel passionate about learningEnglish, especially speaking skills and feel confidents in dailycommunication, also at work because they have chances to practice in grouptask and experience in real life

Having been teaching English at a university for many years andrecognizing the main causes for the problem – lack of confidence of students

in speaking skills, and the researcher is also motivated by the new approachPBL for teaching speaking skills The research really desires that the studentscan have more opportunities to search, study and practice Also, they can findout that PBL is one of the best ways to help them improve their English day

by day With above reasons, the researcher really aspires to conduct a study

on “Using project-based learning to improve the students’ speaking skills:

an action research project at Dong Nai Technology University” to find the

better way for the teaching and learning English speaking skills and applysuitable techniques and activities in speaking class With the hope, thestudents can improve their ability for speaking skills This study with the

objective is to explore the application of the project-based approach toimprove speaking skills for the first-year students at Dong Nai TechnologyUniversity.

1.2. Aims of the Study

There are many reasons to conduct this study, and one of the majorityaims of this study is to improve the first-year students’ English speaking skills

at Dong Nai Technology University To gain the aim, the researcher must toreach the following objectives as:

- Learning about the students’ attitudes to Project – based learning applied

in speaking classes whether it is positive

- Finding out the advantages of project – based learning for the students inspeaking skills when it is applied in speaking classes

1.4. Scope of the Study

Studying English language is very large We have many aspects to dothe research So this study cannot cover all skills in teaching English We onlydivide into smaller parts in the skill which we chose to do the research And inthis study, the researcher only focuses on using Project-based Learning tohelp the students at Dong Nai Technology University improve their Englishspeaking skills This research only focuses on some typical skills used in

project-based learning which could improve the students’ speaking ability andhelp them feel confident in communication.

In this study, the main subject is the thirty male and female students inEnglish class with class code 0070133 They are the first-year students, andthey are non-majored English students The average age of the students isaround 19 They are going to be the main subject to participate in and respond

to the survey questionnaires, the trial lessons and the tests

The action plan is going to last in 3 months from early March 2019 tolate May 2019, in third semester of the academic school year 2018-2019Dong Nai Technology University

1.5. Significance of the Study

English communication is really important in almost aspects of life,especially in education and economy Hopefully, the study will contribute intothe success of teaching speaking skills at schools in general and at Dong NaiTechnology University in particular

This study has an important significance to Dong Nai TechnologyUniversity, especially to the students and lecturers at there Theoretically, thefindings of this research will prove the effectiveness of Project-based learning

in previous studies With the hope, after this study, both students and lectures

at Dong Nai Technology University could find out the best way for studyingand teaching Speaking Skills Besides, the findings of this research can be areference for teaching speaking skills to other researchers who want to studyPBL more intensively in the future

This study is really significant to the researcher because the researcherdesires that this study will find out the benefits in teaching and learningspeaking skills to the teachers and students at Dong Nai TechnologyUniversity The first thing, after doing this research, the researcher will master

the theory, technique and have much knowledge after learning otherresearches for this field The researcher will know how to motivate thestudents join in speaking activities and make them feel confident and excitedabout speaking tasks by using PBL effectively.

The second thing, the research hopes that after carrying out this study,the findings can support the other lecturers of Faculty of English Language atDong Nai Technology University in using PBL in teaching and learningspeaking activities They can combine the traditional teaching methods andPBL to make the students interested in speaking lessons They can makespeaking activities become various and the students have lots of chances topractice speaking skills and experience in good speaking environment Thethird thing, this has a very important significance to the students Hoping withthe positive results of this research, the students will become eager andinterested in speaking lessons They will have more passions for English,especially for speaking skills Then they can improve their English speakingskills with PBL day by day And someday, they will be good at speakingskills and daily conversation The last thing, to Dong Nai TechnologyUniversity, the principle can base on the result of this study to recommend theother English lecturers to refer to PBL in using the appropriate techniques andstrategies in teaching speaking skills and other activities concerning aboutcommunication So the lectures will feel confident and have many usefulteaching methods to help the students improve their speaking ability to bringthe success to students and the university

1.6. Research Methods

In this study, the researcher desires to find out the positive result afterapplying PBL in speaking lessons To do this, during teaching period, theresearch must conduct many activities to perform this study One of the best

methods for this study is an action research in the classroom Action research

is really a useful tool to help the research combine the reflective thinking byobservation and then improve my teaching methods by actions by collectingand analyzing data In the case of this study, the main objective is to identifythe students’ attitude to applying PBL in speaking lessons and evaluate theeffectiveness of this method in improving student’s speaking ability Soaction research is the best choice for this study

In this study, the researcher uses both qualitative and quantitativemethods to gain the main purpose this action research project Somesupporting tools such as survey questionnaires, tests and interviews are used

to collect data These things will help the result get more degree of accuracy.1.7. Structure of the Study

The study consists of five chapters:

Chapter 1 – Introduction: The first chapter talks about the rationale,

aims of the study, research questions, scope of the study, significance of thestudy, the research method and the structure of the study

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

speaking, the concepts of speaking, Communicative Language Teaching,project – based learning, the previous studies on improving speaking abilityand summary

Chapter 3 - Methodology: This chapter mainly focuses on the research

settings, participants, data collection instruments, research design and theprocedure of conducting Action Research for the study In this chapter, thedetailed results of the surveys and a critical comprehensive analysis on thedata collected are also presented

Chapter 4- Findings and Discussion: This chapter mentions the data

analysis from the Action Research results to build the foundation for the

activities recommended in Chapter 5.

Chapter 5 – Conclusion: This chapter sums up the study and suggests

some typical activities, practical tips to the other lecturers to make motivation

to students in speaking activities when using PBL This chapter also showsthe limitations of the study and gives suggestions for further study to help thenext researchers gain the better results

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

The study focuses on the material and definition and theories relevant

to Speaking skills and PBL to find out the effective techniques to help thestudents at Dong Nai Technology University improve their speaking ability.Besides, previous studies are also mentioned to help the research find the newpoints in this study as well as good references This chapter is divided into 4main parts below:

Concepts of speaking Communicative Language TeachingConcepts of Project-based learning Previous studies

2.1. Concepts of speaking

This part will explain about the theories concerned about speakingfield Almost language learners think that knowing a language is ability thatthey can speak that language fluently They appreciate speaking ability as ameasure for the knowledge of that language To them, speaking skill is one ofthe most important skills in learning a language, especially in a practicallanguage Speaking is really necessary in daily life, in communication, ingetting and exchange direct information If your speaking skill is good, youcan feel confident and have more motivation to learn that language In thecase, learners do not feel excited about speaking lessons They don’t have anymotivations to speak They are no longer able to speak English well So weneed to use new teaching method to motivate the students join in speakingactivities Speak skill is really important so the students should be taught how

to improve their speaking in each lesson

As stated by Freeman (in Risnadedi, 2001, pp 56-67), speaking skillwas one of the most important students’ abilities to help them express their

ideas by speaking It can be used to test the students’ ability through oral tests

or speaking examinations He also claimed that speaking was much morecomplicated and difficult than many people thought It was a process ofpracticing It required the learners’ ability of pronunciation, vocabulary,grammar and structure

According to Johnson (1977) this language ability obviously played avital part in life because of its importance The first thing, it played anenormous role in language learners in informing and communicating withothers in daily communication, work and others The second thing, if youwanted to become an expert in communication, you had to be professional indealing with any difficult situations in communication and making any speecheffectively Finally, mastering the public speaking skills was a strongadvantage for enhancing career opportunities and got promotion for career,especially for those who have just graduated from colleges or universities.2.1.1. Definitions of speaking

In learning a language, speaking is considered as one of the mostimportant skills If we know a language, we cannot speak that languagesmoothly No one acknowledges that you know that language So there aremany language experts having studied this field They have tried to find outthe best definition for speaking, and many people agree with these definitions

Brown (1994), Speaking is defined as an interactive process ofconstructing meaning that involves producing, receiving and processinginformation

In Brown and Yule’s opinions (1983), spoken language included short,fragmentary utterances in a range of pronunciation Usually, there was a greatdeal of repetition and overlap between one speaker and another Speakerusually uses non- specific references They also add that spoken language was

made to feel less conceptually dense than other types of language such asprose by using the loosely organized syntax, and non- specific words, phrases

and filters such as oh, well, uhuh.

According to Bygate (1998), speaking skill can be seen as the production

of auditory signals to produce differential verbal responses in a listener Inother words, it is regarded as the human’s ability to combine sounds in asystematic way so as to form meaningful utterances

According to Chaney (1998: 13), he claims that speaking is the process ofbuilding and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbalsymbols, in a variety of contexts

Doff (1987:2), he says that in all communication or conversation, twopeople are getting and exchanging information or they have a communication

or conversation need

Under a top-down view, Eckard and Kearny (1981), Florez (1999) andHowarth (2001) consider speaking as a two-way process relating to a truecommunication of ideas, information and feelings, cited in the article ofLeong & Ahmadi (2017) Besides, taking its form and meaning intoconsideration, Burns and Toyce (1997) define speaking as an interactiveprocess of constructing sense that involves receiving, producing andprocessing collected data

Tarigan (1985), speaking is stated as the ability to produce articulation,sounds or words to express, to say, to show and to think about ideas, thoughtand feeling

Basing on the above statements from the language experts, we can get aconclusion that speaking is a process of oral activity used in daily life as atool of communication in which verbal mainly and non-verbal symbol used insending and receiving message In speaking activities, to gain the purpose of

communication effectively, the speaker must master in using pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension.

Types of Speaking.

In speaking languages, especially in English, there are some kinds ofspeaking English Some authors studied this field One of these authors is Brown According to Brown (2001:250), he stated that language teaching focused on leading to master English conversation In his opinion, Oral language was divided into two types:

notes prepared before starting speaking All words spoken emerge from thespeaker’s mind naturally and spontaneously.

In Dialogue, there are two kinds: interpersonal communication andtransactional communication Each type is used in the particular situation toget the purpose of communication

Speaking requires that learners not only know how to produce specificpoints of language such as grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary, but alsothat they understand when, why, and in what ways to produce language

Speech has its own skills, structures, and conventions different fromwritten languages A good speaker synthesizes this array of skills andknowledge to succeed in a given speech act

To sum up, it is undeniable that speaking is a key to communication

By considering what good speakers do, what speaking tasks can be used inclass, and what specific needs learners report, teachers can help learnersimprove their speaking and overall oral competency

2.1.3. Functions of Speaking

Richards (2008) states that speakers should consider three functions of

speaking to obtain successful communication, including talk as interaction,

talk as transaction, and talk as performance These activities are different

from each other with regard to form and function Therefore, they need avariety of teaching approaches

• “Talk as interaction refers to what we normally mean by

“conversation” and describes interaction that serves a primarily socialfunction.”

• “Talk as transaction refers to situations where the focus is on what issaid or done The message and making oneself understood clearly andaccurately is the central focus, rather than the participants and howthey interact socially with each other.”

• “Talk as performance refers to public talk, that is, talk that transmitsinformation before an audience, such as class room presentations,public announcement, and speeches.”

In short, when making a plan for an English speaking class, it isnecessary to put these core issues into considerations Therefore, PBL canprovide learners will great opportunities to be competent in all types ofspeaking activities

2.1.4. The importance of teaching speaking skill

Teaching speaking is indispensable in the process of teaching andlearning a second language Obtaining great communicative competencebrings many benefits for students in not only academic environment but also

in their future careers For that reasons, language teachers should concentrate

on facilitating students and guiding them with meaningful communicativesituations and active learning environment rather than force them to memorizethe structures and rules, which can demotivate them in learning the language

In order to fulfil this objective, it is crystal clear that PBL enables students toachieve the three factors which are interaction, transaction and performancewhen taking part in speaking activities Furthermore, students are well

equipped with the essential basic life skills and become more interested aswell as energetic in their learning This results in the enjoyment andpurposefulness in their learning.

Students’ speaking competence can be evaluated and assessed based onthe set of proposed Common Reference Levels in each holistic paragraphs, asdisplayed below:

(Table 1: Assessing Speaking Performance – Level B1, CEF)

The scales can be used in the classroom when the speaking activitiesare conducted to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of students Thanks

to the results, teachers can know whether they are familiar with the speakingactivities and they are efficient enough to attend the speaking test

2.1.5. Principles of Teaching Speaking

2.1.5.1. Concept of Teaching Speaking

Thombury (2005) mentioned that teaching speaking was the process ofdistributing the English language knowledge to learners The informationrelating to this concept is presented as follow

Teaching speaking is fundamentally considered as a long-term progresswhich teachers instruct learners to convey and articulate their opinions andideas in the target language and lead them to the concentration on correctnovel language pronunciation Then, teachers introduce learners with aspecific criteria used to evaluate learners’ ability to produce sounds Based onthis criteria, learners can conduct their self-assessment, which reduces thenecessity of teachers correcting their potential mistakes in the classroom.However, teachers still possess a crucial role in the classroom Theycontribute to learners’ encouragements and motivation Thanks to this action,teachers can make learners interested in speaking lesson and practice theirskills more frequently

According to Nunan (1991, pp.54 - 56), there were five main principles

of teaching speaking These principles are very important so they will bementioned and clarified in the next part below:

2.1.5.2. Five main Principles of Teaching Speaking

• Awareness of Difference:

Teaching and learning a second language and a foreign language aredifferent from each other due to their discrepancies in terms of context and

situation More specifically, teaching and learning a foreign language are set

in a non-communicative environment where the target language is notcommonly used in daily life and they can be mostly affected by the presence

of mother tongue On the other hand, in a second language context, the targetlanguage is widely used in daily conversation together with L1, so teachingand learning a second language is significant to the development of learners.Therefore, teachers should put this factor into consideration to createappropriate communicative tasks in speaking lesson

• The Importance of Fluency and Accuracy:

Fluency and accuracy are fundamental elements to be considered whenspeaking Accuracy shows the ability to produce correct speech which issimilar to what the native speakers deliver in their daily speech Fluencypresents learners’ competency to be confident in using the target languagewithout hesitations or unnatural way For this reason, teachers are suggested

to concentrate closely on learners’ fluency and accuracy in order to helplearners communicate effectively

• Providing Opportunities:

In order to be good at speaking, learners should practice regularly,therefore, in the speaking lessons, it is necessary for learners to be givenopportunities to speak and interact with other learners

• Tasks Planning:

Carefully-prepared lesson plans enable teachers to conduct the activitieslogically in a limit of time Besides that, they help teachers anticipate andcontrol the problems which may occur during the lessons in order to haveeffective lessons

• Designing classroom activities

In speaking lessons, classroom activities play significant role to get learners

involved in learning the target language efficiently and effectively Classroomactivities should be selective and meaningful to help learners achieve theirgoals in learning the language Therefore, teachers should carefully selectappropriate materials to design various activities for learners

2.1.6. Teacher’s Roles in Teaching Speaking

Harmer (2007), claimed that teachers have fundamental role in thespeaking lessons, as follow:

• 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 communicate?”

• Building the speaking topic with the students and giving advice and comment to each of their contributions

• Encouraging students to speak as much as they can by giving somefurther suggestions basing on what students have just spoken andtrying not to use a student’s short utterance to be a springboard foranother lengthy turn

• Including a clarification of the intention of what students say byextending your opportunities to another student and trying not to cutoff an exchange too early

• Taking serious notice of the usage of natural feedback rather thanassessing or evaluating the utterance of the students and ask them tofollow the judgment deliberately

• Giving an 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 the teacher hadprepared previously.

These features clearly show the importance of teachers in the process ofteaching and learning a language With the other extents, Brown (2009)suggested teachers should focus on three characteristics as a prompter,participant, and feedback giver

• As a prompter, teachers can let learners tackle their problem toencourage them to find out the appropriate solution Learners canrecognize the mistakes with their fluency and pronunciation by self-awareness or from their peers Moreover, teachers can help learnerswhen they are in shortage of ideas to take part in speaking activities

• As a participant, teachers play the role of instructors and models forlearners to know how to complete the speaking tasks when taking part

in the classroom activities

• As a feedback giver, teachers should give immediate feedbacks tostimulate learners when learners express their ideas and opinions ormake presentation on some topics The feedback should be carefullychosen and positive so that learners were not demotivated whenlearning speaking

2.1.7. Components of Teaching Speaking

Carrasquillo (1994) presents five components which are consideredcarefully when teachers teach speaking, namely:

• Pronunciation

It is widely known that pronunciation is a useful technique for pupils tocreate clearer language during the speaking process It means that learners cancommunicate efficiently when they have decent pronunciation and intonation

in spite of having inadequate vocabulary and grammar Pronunciation could

be mentioned with the traditional or regular expression of words (Kline, 2001,p.69) Furthermore, according to Gilbert (2008, p.1), English articulation isnot a mastery of sounds or isolated words As an alternative, it is related tolearning and applying the way of making a speaker’s opinions and feelingsbecome easier for listeners to follow In addition, pronunciation comprises allthose characteristics of speech which is an intelligible flow of speech,including “segmental articulation, rhythm, intonation and phrasing, and moreperipherally even gesture, body language and eye contact.” (Fraser, 2001,p.6).

• Grammar

Grammar is necessary for the students to create an appropriateexpression in conversation, both in written and oral forms In general, thedefinition of grammar can be given as an organized way of accounting for andforecasting a model knowledge of the language of both speakers and listeners,which is done by a set of instructions or philosophies that can be used tocreate all well-formed or grammatical utterances in the language (Purpura,

2004, p.6)

On the other hand, according to Batko (2004, p.24), grammar refers tothe fundamental principles and structure of the language, including clear andcorrect sentence construction and the proper forms of words Having anagreement with this opinion, Harmer (2001, p.12) noted that the grammaraspect of a language, especially second language, is the portrayal of thetechniques in which words can be under a modification in their forms andjointed into sentences in that language Because of its function, grammar isused to avoid misapprehension among members of a conversation

• Vocabulary

Vocabulary is considered the most significant thing in a language,

especially in speaking because the more words the students know, the easierthey get to express their thoughts, emotional states and ideas in both oral orwritten form According to Turk (2003, p.87), in spoken language, thevocabulary tends to be familiar and aims at daily-life use It means that inspoken language, the vocabulary used have to be very acquainted and used ineveryday conversation on the purpose of understanding the spoken discourse.

In order to use words in speaking proficiently, students need to remembertheir meanings, spelling and pronunciation Consequently, when teachingvocabulary, the teachers need to make certain that the explanation of themeaning, as well as the spelling and pronunciation are conveyed correctly

• Fluency

According to Pollard (2008, p.16), fluency is defined as the capability tospeak fluently, confidently and accurately Generally, it refers to theexpression of oral language freely without pause or stoppage In the process

of teaching and learning speaking skills, if the teacher wants to check howfluent his or her student is, he or she can let them express themselves freelyand see the level of interruption from the speech However, the teacher shouldnot fix the mistake immediately; he or she should encourage the students andpraise them if necessary

Comprehension

Comprehension is a capability to observe and process sections of discourse, toexpress demonstrations of the meaning of sentences Comprehension of asecond language is harder to study because it must be inferred from obviousverbal and nonverbal answers, by artificial instruments, or by the awareness

of the teacher On the other hand, comprehension also mentions that memberscan fully comprehend the nature of the educational program, even whenprocesses are complex and entail risks (Cohen, 2005, p.51)

2.2. Communicative Language Teaching

The history of language learning and teaching methods has experiencedmany changes with many approaches such as Grammar - Translation Method,Audio lingual Method, the Total Physical Response, the Natural Approach,

and, etc Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is the latest influence on

teaching methodology which has been put forth around the world as aninnovative approach to teach English as a second or foreign language

* Nunan’s definition of CLT:

“CLT views language as a system for the expression of meaning.Activities involve oral communication, carrying out meaningful tasksand using language that is meaningful to learners Objectives reflectthe need of the learners: they include functional skills as well aslinguistic objectives The learners’ role is as a negotiator andintegrator The teachers’ role is as a facilitator of the communicationprocess Materials promote communicative language use; they are task

- based and authentic.” (Nunan, D, 1989:194)

* Characteristics of CLT:

Nunan, D (1991:279) offered five characteristic features of CLT:

- The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation.

- An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language.

- The provision of opportunities for learners to focus not only on language but also on the learning process itself.

- An enhancement of the learners owns experience as important contributing elements to classroom learning.

- An attempt to link classroom language with language activation outside the classroom.

Communicative Language Teaching is an approach which proposesthat language learning should be done in a meaningful setting with authenticlanguage as the input It is an umbrella term which consists of an array ofmethods and techniques (Parrish, 2004) According to Lindsay and Knight(2006, p.20), this approach is based on the view that language is learnt inorder to communicate effectively “in the world outside the classroom.” Itemphasizes on meaningful use of language for communication, rather than onthe form and structure; hence the term “real-life” communication in theclassroom (Brown, 2000) Savignon (2001, p.13) describes CLT as the

“new”, “innovative” way of teaching English as a second or foreign language

as it deals with “the interactive nature of communication.” CLT puts animportance on fluency and ability to communicate in a variety of settings and

in a variety of ways Nguyen (2010, p.209) points out that “CLT maycurrently be considered and accepted as an inclusive approach to languageteaching, which encompasses various approaches and methods, motivationsfor learning English, types of teachers and the needs of individual classroomsand students themselves; it is learner-centered and emphasizescommunication in real-life situations.” CLT emphasizes on contextualized,meaning-based instructions and the use of authentic materials, as well asmaximum learner interaction (Parrish, 2004)

According to the principles of the CLT, the learners do not study onlythe linguistic structures and the rules of grammar, but it stressed theimportance of using language for communication (Allwright, 1978; Cambell,1972; Numan, 1991; Richards & Rodgers, 1995; Savignon, 1991) Besides,Johnson (1981) suggested while studying, students must try to communicatewith their peers and try to make them understand what they have said.Furthermore, teaching English for communication is to emphasize the

language competence for learners and they must try to communicate in realsituation (Murphy, 1991) As such, it could be included that in order to teachlanguage for communicative purposes, the teacher must put the emphasis onthe students’ communicative competence to use it in real communications.

The English text book for grade 10 follows this dominating approach Itwas designed with a view to developing students’ communicative skills atbasic level: speaking, listening, reading and writing as well as providingstudents with appropriate, systematic and basic knowledge of English Withthis approach, the need for communicative proficiency is focused on ratherthan mere mastery of structures However, those activities in English 10 didnot meet the demand of communicative proficiency Then, the researcher usedPBL, and found that it was really a good teaching practice to help studentsdevelop their communicative competence

2.3. Concepts of Project-based Learning

2.3.1. Definitions of project-based learning

Project-based learning approach is a teaching method which is studied

by many experts So it also is defined in many different ways Each definitionshows the underlying theories or perspectives that the authors study andassume Here are some definitions of project-based learning

Carter and Thomas (1986, p.196) characterized project work with threefeatures referring to the venue, the inter-disciplined characteristic andstudent's autonomy:

i) it takes place outside the classroomii) 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 that "PBL is an instructional approach that contextualizes learning by presenting learners

with problems to solve or products to develop" Accordingly, the essential

feature of project-based approach is a tangible and visible result such as aproduct or a solution to a defined problem

There are a range of terms which both refer to project-based learning such

as experiential learning and negotiated language learning (Eyring, 2001;Legutke & Thomas, 1991), project method (Kilpatrick, 1926), projectapproach (Diffily, 1996); and investigative research (Kenny, 1993)

Additionally, many specialists from various countries have afforded to

PBL is defined as an oriented model which requires students to explorematters; ending in authentic results More specifically, projects can beexpanded in terms of scope as well as involved aspects with the aim ofincreasing learning opportunities at school The writer also emphasizes thatlearners should be acted and experienced in some important roles likedecision maker, problem solver and investigator (Blumenfeld, 1991)

According to Legutke and Thomas (1991, p.160), PBL is not an availablemethod but an "educational philosophy which aims at providing the direction,and some possible routes, to a more democratic and participatory society" Inother words, it is the learners' duty to base on instructional steps to create theirown products and deal with troubles by themselves

Also, Beckett (2002) regards a project work as a lasting activity whichconsists of both personal and collaborative tasks, namely building up inquiryquestions and schedule as well as gathering and analyzing data He states thatstudents have a choice to report collected information in oral or written form

In addition, it is claimed by Haines (1989) that projects, competence operations, attach special importance to topics rather than smalldetails Learners play a vital part in choosing appropriate fields and working

multi-approaches so that they can control the "end product" The writerconvincingly concludes that project method helps students to "recycle” theirexisting knowledge by giving them "natural contexts".

Moreover, researchers are advised to consider typical types of projectswhen defining PBL The first type named structured project in which teachersgive their pupils available and specific methods Thus, students just follow theindicated way for finding and tackling information Besides, a semi-structuredresearch method shows both project area and methodology providing thatlearners must be much more active and responsible for their studying process

In general, not only teacher but also students take charge in this kind ofmethod

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

In Petersen's viewpoint, the diverse ways of collecting data and where it

is found also produce a number of projects One of them is correspondenceresearch through which messages are sent between people by using letters,phone calls and email Another type is survey project that allows students tosearch for their favorite survey instruments, to gather necessary document and

to analyze assembled ones Last but not least, production project requireslearners to work with materials such as boards, chalk, posters, slides and othervisual and audible aids Then, they are also asked to hand in reports, narrativework and brochures or to give a short oral presentation

A clearer picture of PBL from the above definitions is that Project-BasedLearning is engaging learning experiences that involve students in complex,real-world projects through which they develop and apply skills andknowledge The outcomes can be identified up front but sometimes are only

experiences to allocate resources such as time or materials.

2.3.2. Types of projects

Sarah North (1990) classifies projects into four categories based on theprimary sources of data

1. Community projects, in which students derive their information

largely from local community, using methods such as observation,questionnaires, interviews and letter writing

2. Case studies, in which students are provided with specific documents

(real or imaginary) relating to a particular problem which 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 ofequipment and material

4. Library projects, in which the main resource base is a library.

Typically, students are expected to take a particular topic, read about it, andproduce 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

follows:

1. Project work focuses on content learning rather than on specific language targets Real-world subject matter and topics of interest to students can become central to projects.

2. Project work is student-centered, though the teacher plays a major role in offering support and guidance throughout the process.

3. Project work is cooperative rather than competitive Students can work on their own, in small groups, or as a class to complete a project, sharing resources, ideas, and expertise along the way.

4. Project work leads to the authentic integration of skills and processing of information from varied sources, mirroring real-life tasks.

5. Project work culminates in an end product (e.g., an oral presentation, a poster session, a bulletin board display, a report, or a stage performance) that can be shared with others, giving the project a real purpose The value of the project, however, lies not just in the final product but in the process of working towards the end point Thus, project work has both a process and product orientation, and provides students with opportunities to focus on fluency and accuracy

at different project-work stages.

6. Project work is potentially motivating, stimulating, empowering, and challenging It usually results in building student confidence, self- esteem, and autonomy as well as improving students’ language skills, content learning, and cognitive abilities.

From the features of PBL, a wide range of benefits to both students andteachers are further clarified A growing body of academic research supportsthe use of project- based learning in school to engage students, cutabsenteeism, boost cooperative learning skills, and improve academicperformance (George Lucas Educational Foundation, 2001)

For many students, the appeal of this learning style comes from theauthenticity of the experience Students take on the role and behavior of thoseworking in a particular discipline Whether they are making a documentaryvideo about an environmental concern, designing a travel brochure tohighlight sites of historical significance in their community, or developing amultimedia presentation about their interests, students are engaged in real-world activities that have significance beyond the classroom

For teachers, additional benefits include enhanced professionalism andcollaboration among colleagues, and opportunities to build relationships withstudents (Thomas, 2000) Additionally, many teachers are pleased to find amodel that accommodates diverse learners by introducing a wider range oflearning: opportunities into the classroom.

Furthermore, an author named Bryson (2013) shows that PBL’s featurescan be briefly summarized in the six A5s following terms:

❖ Authenticity: Projects designed at schools are usually practical and applied programs These approaches put the passion on students and enable them to work with “real world issues” Therefore, learners are likely to get excited with 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’ creativity, enthusiasm »and willingness while learning subjects centered projects.

❖ Applied learning: Working with projects, pupils have to interact with various circumstances and use the target language immediately as well 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 which support

students’ learning process Therefore, teachers are recommended to masterthese characteristics and apply them to teaching method 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 numerous and well-documented

According to Gallacher (2004), PBL has the following advantages:

1. Increased motivation - learners become personally involved in the project

2. All four skills are integrated

3. Autonomous learning is promoted as learners become moreresponsible for their own learning

4. There are learning outcomes - learners have an end product

5. Authentic tasks are given to learners

6. Interpersonal relations are developed through working as a group

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. Learners can get help from parents for the project work thus involving the parents more in the child's learning

9. A break from routine and the chance to do something different

10. A context is established, which balances the need for fluency and accuracy

Fried-Booth (1997), taking a more practical view of PBL, emphasizesthat project work is a bridge between using English in class and using English

in real life situations 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