Developing 11th grade students’ oral presentation skill through project based learning a case at a mountainous high school

I hypothesize that if students do so much presentation in oral expression with in the classroom, then their speaking skill will improve.. Moreover, the teachers of English find it diffic

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

VINH UNIVERSITY

NGUYỄN QUỐC SƠN

MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION

Nghệ An, 2017

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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

VINH UNIVERSITY

NGUYỄN QUỐC SƠN

Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Firstly, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Tran Ba Tien, who has helped me with his precious knowledge, assistance, and support during the process of writing the thesis

Secondly, I truly wish to thank the teachers at Do Luong 3 High School where my investigation was carried out for their useful materials, valuable advices and great cooperation

In addition, I also like to send my special thanks to all students at Do luong 3 for their willingness to answer my questionnaires

Last but not least, my sincere thanks are due to my dear family and my friends who always stand by me with their consideration and encouragements

ABSTRACT

The aim of this thesis is to explore the role of Project Based Learning in improving students’ oral presentations This study focuses particularly on students’ oral presentation as one of the activities that are used in oral expression to improve students’ oral proficiency I hypothesize that if students do so much presentation in oral expression with in the classroom, then their speaking skill will improve

To collect data for this study, three instruments were used: An oral

performance test (debate), an oral attitudes survey, and a rating scale

Research findings showed that students were actually highly positive in their beliefs about benefits and usefulness of making oral presentations as a learning activity It has revealed that oral presentations were beneficial to help students enhance their performance in oral expression and other courses However, students need more practice on how to structure, plan and organize their presentations Based

on the findings, some implications would give for both teachers and students We hope that this study will be useful to both teachers and students of other levels in

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teaching oral presentation skill

Keywords: Oral Presentation, Speaking Skill, Oral Proficiency

Acknowledgments 1

Abstract 2

Table of contents 3

List of acronyms 6

List of table 7

List of figures 7

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study 2

1.3 Scope of the study 3

1.4 Significance of the study 3

1.5 Research questions 3

1.6 Design of the study 4

Chapter 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Oral presentation 5

2.1.1 Definition of oral presentation 5

2.1.2 Types of oral presentation 6

2.1.2.1 Informative oral presentation 6

2.1.2.2 Persuasive oral presentation 6

2.1.3 The benefits of using oral presentations in the language classroom 7

2.1.4 Students’ common oral presentation problems 10

2.1.4.1 Linguistic factors 11

2.1.4.1.1 Lack of vocabulary 11

2.1.4.1.2 Pronunciation mistakes 12

2.1.4.1.3 Grammar mistakes 13

2.1.4.1.4 The use of the mother tongue 14

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2.1.4.2 Psychological factors 15

2.1.4.2.1 Speech anxiety 15

2.I.4.2.2 Group boredom 16

2.1.5 Strategies for teaching oral presentation 17

2.1.5.1 Teachers’ role 18

2.1.5.2 Students’ role 18

2.1.5.3 Evaluation of oral presentation 20

2.2 Project based learning 21

2.2 1 Definition of the project based learning 21

2.2 2 Advantages of the PBL 24

2.2 3 The application of PBL in teaching oral presentation 27

Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY Introduction 30

3.1 Research setting 30

3.1.1 An overview of Do luong 3 upper secondary school 30

3.1.2 The teachers 31

3.1.3 The students 31

3.1.4 The English syllabus 32

3.1.5 The current situation of teaching and learning oral presentation skill at Do luong 3 33

3.2 Research design 33

3.2.1 Research methods 33

3.2.2 Sample of the study 33

3.2.2.1 The students 34

3.2.2.2 Procedures 34

Chapter 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Analysis of the students’ responses 37

4.1.1 Students’attitude towards PBL and PBL strategy for oral presentation 37

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4.1.2 Suggestions to make project based learning effective 46 4.2 The results of the oral presentation rubric 53

A Nonverbal skills 54

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1 Eye contact:

2 Body language: 55

3 Poise: 56

B Verbal skills 57

4 Enthusiasm: 57

5 Elocution: 58

C Content 59

6 Subject knowledge: 59

7 Organization: 60

8 Mechanics: 61

Chapter 5: CONCLUSION 5.1 Summary of major findings 65

5.2 Limitations of the study 67

5.3 Suggestions for further studies 68

REFERENCES 69

APPENDICES 72

Appendix A: Students’ Questionnaire 72

Appendix B: Oral Presentation Rubric 73

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LIST OF ACRONYMS

ACTFL: American Conical of Teachers of Foreign Language DVD: Digital Video Disk

EAP: English for Academic Purposes

EFL: English as Foreign Language

ESL: English as a Second Language

ESP: English for Specific Purposes

GCSE: General Certificate of Secondary Education

NCTE: National Council of Teachers of English

PBL: Project based learning

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Table 01: Satisfaction with PBL 37

Table 02: Ability to use PBL insideclassroom 38

Table 03: Motivation after using PBL insideclassroom 39

Table 04: Collecting information 40

Table 05: Using information 42

Table 06: Making mistakes 43

Table 07: Monthly evaluation 44

Table 08: Learning other subjects 45

Table 1.1: Eye contact in oral presentation 55

Table 1.2: Body language in oral presentation 55

Table 1.3: Poise in oral presentation 56

Table 1.4: Enthusiasm in oral presentation 57

Table 1.5: Elocution in oral presentation 59

Table 1.6: Subject knowledge in oral presentation 60

Table 1.7: Organization in oral presentation 61

Table 1.8: Mechanics in oral presentation 62

List of Figures Figure 01: Satisfaction with PBL 37

Figure 02: Ability to use PBL inside classroom 38

Figure 03: Motivation after using PBL inside classroom 40

Figure 04: Collecting information 41

Figure 05: Using information 42

Figure 06: Making mistakes 43

Figure 07: Monthly evaluation 44

Figure 08: Learning other subjects 45

Figure 1.1: Eye contact in oral presentation 55

Figure 1.2: Body language in oral presentation 56

Figure 1.3: Poise in oral presentation 57

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Figure 1.4: Enthusiasm in oral presentation

Figure 1.5: Elocution in oral presentation 59

Figure 1.6: Subject knowledge in oral presentation 60

Figure 1.7: Organization in oral presentation 61

Figure 1.8: Mechanics in oral presentation 62

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Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

English has become an international communicative language in the world It has been used widely in many different fields such as economics, politics, culture, science, technology, education and tourism It can’t be denied that English is one of the most important means of communication Therefore, teaching and learning English is more and more essensial

In Vietnam, English has become a compulsory subject in the syllabus of many schools, colleges and universities It has been taught and learnt throughout the country However, the fact is that the speaking English skill has not been effective yet, especially oral presentation Students graduating from high school or even from university are unable to “speak” English, because we have not given them enough practice in speaking English Most of the students do not find speaking a rewarding task We cannot learn speaking by observation Speaking is the most difficult in the four skills Reading, listening and writing can be learning with a teacher or on one’s own, with books However, speaking requires immediate comprehension and real time reaction I think that the way of teaching by oral presentation will motivate student and encourage them to practice English in the classroom

At Doluong 3 high school, many students are not interested in speaking lessons

as well as they can not speak English well after leaving school even though they have learnt English for a long time Moreover, the teachers of English find it difficult

to encourage their students to make oral presentation in the process of teaching speaking skill

To meet the demand of learners of English, teachers of English in Do luong 3 have been trying to find out the most suitable and effective method of teaching English They have always tried to catch up with the world’s latest frameworks of English Language Teaching As in other schools, teachers of English in Do luong 3 are now approaching project based learning to teach English to students They hope

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to provide students with a means of communication, namely English which is vital for them to be successful in their job and to fulfill their social demands in the time of globalization

Therefore, it is really essential to know whether the project based learning has the good effects on teaching oral presentation skill to the 11th graders of Do luong 3 High school With the aim to access the method on teaching oral presentation

through the Project based learning, I would like to choose the topic “Developing 11th

grade students’ oral presentation skill through project-based learning: A case at a mountainous high school" to find out the answer, and further, to help improve the

teaching of oral presentation at my school

In this study, we would speak about developing students’ oral presentation through Project based learning in English language classrooms and its impact in speaking skill We think that the use of oral presentations in EFL classroom is important because of its positive impact on students’ proficiency level Some students do not like to speak in the classroom In addition, they do not have the opportunity to speak this language outside So if student do not practice English in the classroom, may be they do speak it never We know that we cannot learn to speak any language with observation Therefore, we put forward that the use of students’ oral presentation may develop students’ speaking level

When we have student give an oral presentation in front of class is one technique to improve students’ oral proficiency Teachers can use oral presentation

as a technical way to deal with students’ problems in speaking Oral presentation activities provide an excellent opportunity for the learners to develop this skill, speaking several minutes in a structured way, delivering into various aspects of a single topic

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study

This study has been designed to investigate the use of oral presentation in English classes for the 11th students at Do luong 3 upper secondary school In general, it has two purposes

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Firstly, it aims at finding students’ attitudes towards the use of oral presentations in the classroom Secondly, it is to investigate the impacts of oral presentations through project based learning on the students’ performance in English lessons Finally, it is to provide the teachers with some suggestions to make best use

of oral presentations in their teaching with a view to better their students’ speaking skill

Our objective is to show how project based leaning can help students enough practice to develop oral presentation skill in speaking English language

1.3 Scope of the study

Although there are many different ways to motivate students to learn English, all these issues cannot be fully covered in this paper Due to the limited time and the length of the thesis, I focus on exploiting students’ attitudes toward the use of PBL and its effectiveness in teaching the oral presentation skill The subjects of the study include forty 11th graders at Do Luong 3 high school

1.4 Significance of the study

The main goal of study is how to make student perform well in classroom, by preparing activities where they will speak as much as possible We will focus on the use and effectiveness of the project based learning during the courses, and how will facilitate the students’ oral presentation skill

This study is important to give the teacher some ideas for how to deal with students who do not want to practice in classroom The use of oral presentation can help students of English language for being able to speak it, because in our universities we rarely learn how to speak Oral presentation in EFL classes give students a confidence to speak in public and help them in enhancing their proficiency Moreover, this study is important for both teachers and students’ Oral presentation can be an enjoyable activity for them It gives a break away from textbooks

1.5 Research Questions

This study attempts to answer the following questions:

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1 What are the attitudes of 11th graders towards the use of Project-Based Learning?

2 Does Project-Based Learning help 11th graders to develop their oral presentation skill ? If so, to what extent?

1.6 Design of the study

The study contains four chapters:

Chapter 1: Introduction

This chapter presents the rationale, objectives, research questions, scope and organization of the study

Chapter 2: Literature review

This chapter introduces a historical overview of the literature The first is about oral presentation The next is about project based learning The final is the application of PBL in teaching oral presentation

Chapter 4 : Findings and discussions

This part shows major findings and discussions and offers recommendations for motivating students to do oral presentation through project based learning

Chapter 5: Conclusion

That is a summary of the study in which limitations of the study and suggestions for further research are presented

Chapter 2

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LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Oral presentation

2.1.1 Definition of oral presentation

Oral presentation is an extension of oral communication skill It is where the presenter shows their knowledge on a particular subject The participant might choose the title or the teachers give it to them In order to talk about it to their classmate after this the participant makes a small research to get more information about this topic The presenter is giving the most important information first, leaving the details for last According to Baker (2000, p 115) oral presentation is like a formal conversation, speaking to group as a natural activity Most of people spending hours of their daytime, speaking to others, however making an oral presentation that

is a formal conversation, it is difficult task for them Oral presentation is part of spoken language The purpose of this practice is to communicate It is design to inform or persuade Oral presentation occurs in organizational setting and with limitation in time Presentation should been structured carefully In addition the speakers can support their talk with visual aids Melion and Thompson (1980, p 503) state that if oral presentation is guided and organized, it will give the students a learning experience and teach them an important skill which will be beneficial to ESL/EFL in all their education subject and later in their work According to Chivers and Shoolbred (2007, p 5), “doing presentation is very good learning experience.” In the end of oral presentation, the speakers give their audience the opportunity to ask about things that are not clear to them The speakers answer them to complete their work

In addition Mandal (2000, p 8) states, “presentations are speech that is usually given in a business, technical, professional, or scientific enviermment The audience is likely to be more specialized than those attending a typical speech event.” There are different between normal speech and oral presentation The later is

a type of speech, but the former is more nature than oral presentation

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2.1.2 Types of oral presentation

According to Chivers and Shoolbred (2007, p 2) understanding the style of presentation will help you to explore the main goal of giving this presentation Therefore, according to the aim of the presentation the speakers can decide the type

of their presentation

2.1.2.1 Informative oral presentation

This type of presentation has a primary goal, which is to make the audience learning something new The speakers use in this type of presentation an informative speech The aim of informative presentation is to be communicating with the audiences and giving them much information in a limited time The purpose of informative presentation can be to describing a new political event, organize a set of something that is so important or giving a report about a given topic in a form of research (Chivers, Shoolbred, 2007, p 5)

Moreover, in this type of presentation the speakers use an informative speech

to explain a concept, instruct the audience, demonstrate a process, or describe an event in an academic setting In addition, speakers may be choosing the topic by themselves Chivers and Shoolbred (2007, p 5) say, “This type of presentation [informative presentation] is used in many organizations where students or employs are expected to report progress at key stages of a project.”

In sum, the speaker’s aim of this presentation is to give the result of their research in informative way Moreover, they answer the audiences’ questions about their topic

2.1.2.2 Persuasive oral presentation

Persuasive speech is to influence the audience in their thinking about a topic, which may be given or chosen It usually used to make the audience do some reaction or discuss with the presenter about the topic According to Chivers and Shoolbred (2007, p 3) in this type of presentation, speakers need to have a strong content and present it in a clear way

In addition, the speakers should try to show the audience that they have a

Moreover, logos mean the speakers organize what they are going to say from the beginning to the end in a logic way

* Character (ethos)

Character or ethos is the speakers’ beliefs and personality According to Tarcy (2008) This [ethos] refer to your character, ethics, and your believability when you speak Increasing your credibility with your audience before and during your speech increase, the likelihood that the listening will be accepted your argument and talk action in your recommendations (p.9)

Ethos means the one speak use their character to influence the audience

* Passion (pathos)

Pathos is the speaker’s use of their emotions It is the most important elements that speakers can use, to make the audience support their argument; also, pathos can make the audience change their opinions and take a positive action about the speakers’ topic

In sum, if students do these types of presentation they will have confidence in their performance and they will learn how to deal with any reaction that may be happen as a response from their audience (Chivers & Schoolbred, 2007, p 3) Persuasive presentation is a very complex process in which the speaker needs to be logic in his deliver also he/ she needs use his /her emotion to influence the audience 2.1.3 The benefits of using oral presentations in the language classroom

Oral presentations have been shown to be extremely successful with respect

to improving learners’ second language skills, and increasing their autonomy For

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example, Girard, Pinar and Trapp (2011) found that using oral presentations

in their classroom lead to greater class interaction and participation, an increased interest in learning, and noticeable improvements in their students’ communication and presentation skills King (2002) adds that oral presentations have been shown to help bridge the gap between language study and language use; that presentations require students to use all four language skills in a naturally integrated way; and that presentations have been shown to encourage students to become active and autonomous learners

For most language teachers the five major benefits to use oral presentations in the classroom are: They are student-centered

• They require the use of all four language skills

• They provide students with realistic language tasks

• They have value outside the language classroom

• They improve students’ motivation

One of the main benefits of using presentations in the classroom is that oral presentations are student-centered When students are asked to give an oral presentation it is one of the few times in the language classroom that the students themselves have direct control of both the content and the flow of the classroom (Apple & Kikuchi, 2007) This is because the students who are presenting have the ability to choose the topic that they want to talk about, select the language items that they want to use to talk about that topic, and decide how they will explain that topic

to their classmates With little or no intervention from the teacher, a properly scaffolded presentation can result in multiple opportunities for students to improve their English in a context in which the students themselves are acting as both teachers and learners Interactions between the presenters and the audience provide both sets of participants with numerous opportunities to practice their English abilities with other students in an authentic manner

Oral presentations also provide students with a process-driven activity that

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requires them to use English, not just while they are giving the presentation itself, but also while they are preparing to present One good example of this is group presentations Group presentations require students to work together to plan and prepare for their presentation During group work students can be encouraged to use English to negotiate meaning with the other members of their group and to work together, in English, to plan how they will present their ideas to the other members

of the class This facilitates English use to meet a specific goal, in an authentic way, and with very little intervention from the teacher

Another benefit of oral presentations is that they require students to use all four language skills; writing, reading, speaking, and listening Most teachers recognize the spoken component of presenting, as students are required to speak when giving their presentations However, properly structured academic presentations also require students to research and plan out their presentation This requires students to use their reading and writing skills Students also have the opportunity to practice their writing skills when they are asked to give presentations that include some types of visual component When they are preparing for these presentations students will have to write out the appropriate information on their poster or in their PowerPoint slides Finally, students have the opportunity to practice their listening skills when they act as the audience members for the other groups’ presentations If these students are given a simple task to do during the presentation,

or are expected to use the knowledge disseminated through the presentation for a specific purpose, this will allow them to use this opportunity to practice their listening skills The communicative nature of presentations also allows audience members to improve their listening skills more than listening to a tape or a lecture would because they are able to confirm their understanding by asking questions and interacting with the presenters

Oral presentations provide realistic language tasks for students to engage in This is important because speaking tasks that have no relation to real-life language use “are poor preparation for autonomy.” (Thornbury, 2005, p 91) Presentations

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also provide a more authentic way of practicing English than simple speaking drills This is because they require students to use their L2 to understand the topics they are presenting on and communicate this understanding to others This is closer to real language use and gives students an opportunity to develop research and critical thinking skills, as well as linguistic and communicative skills

Presentations have also been shown to improve students’ abilities in ways that can be beneficial for their future employment (Zivkovic, 2014) This is especially true in the EAP or ESP context, where there is a much higher chance that students will be asked to use English to present in their future jobs (Bruce, 2011) However, even beyond the EAP and ESP context, experience with oral presentations can be beneficial to students future careers because many potential future employers place a high degree of importance on the communication skills that students learn during a presentation class Nowadays, many employees are looking for candidates who have the ability to give formal presentations, and the skills that students learn when they are presenting in English are transferable to their L1 (Pittenger, 2004)

The final benefit of using oral presentations in the language classroom is that they can provide students with additional motivation to study English Oral presentations do more than just give students an opportunity to practice language skills; they also give students an opportunity to teach something to their peers If the activity is properly scaffolded, students will be able to work independently to produce an effective presentation This can lead to higher levels of motivation for the students involved, as they are able to see the results of their hard work when they are successful in the presentation that they give One of the joys of teaching a presentation class is seeing students gain confidence, self-esteem, and autonomy while they are working independently, or as a small group, to produce and give an effective presentation

2.1.4 Students’ common oral presentation problems

Oral presentation is considered to be one of important skills of speaking, regarded as one of the most difficult skill to master for the majority of EFL students

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who are still incompetent to communicate orally in English As Loama (2004, p 1) states: “Speaking in a foreign language is very difficult and competence on speaking takes a long time to develop ” So, during the oral classes, learners encounter many obstacles that hinder their learning process of such a difficult skill

According to Thornbury (2005), being skillful in oral presentation requires having some kind of speaking knowledge that can be categorized either as knowledge of features of the language (linguistic knowledge) or knowledge that is independent of language (extralinguistic knowledge) It is valuable to notice that the linguistic knowledge plays a basic role in oral presentation skills

Beside these linguistic factors such as: lack of vocabulary, mispronunciation, grammatical mistakes, the use of the mother tongue, students may face with psychological factors These problems are speech anxiety and group boredom

Students often meet these factors as follows:

2.1.4.1 Linguistic factors

Lack of vocabulary

The knowledge of vocabulary is the prior requirement that the students should have about the language they want to speak However, they face difficulty because their vocabulary is limited, so they are unable to communicate effectively in the target language Students find themselves uncomfortable when they intend to express their ideas in a clear manner It is due to the lack of vocabulary and limited knowledge

To reach oral proficiency, students require to select words appropriately while they are speaking, and manipulate these words accurately Thornbury (2005, p 22) argues that “spoken language also has a relatively high proportion of words and expression”

Therefore, learning any foreign languages requires a great knowledge of its vocabulary The situation in our EFL classes is that many students often find some problems when they try to express themselves because they struggle to find the necessary vocabulary item which carries trying to get the appropriate meaning; this

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reflects their limited vocabulary repertoire Hence, this inadequate vocabulary affects the rate of their participation in oral activities and make them unable to share their ideas with others in a comfortable manner

2.1.4.1.2 Pronunciation mistakes

They are defined by Kelly (2000, p 11) as: “A consideration of learners’ pronunciation errors and of how these can inhibit successful communication is a useful basis on which to assess why it is important to deal with pronunciation in the classroom.”

Besides the learners’ problems in vocabulary, there is a noticeable problem which is mispronunciation of words, which leads to problems in reception or comprehension of an utterance’s meaning Actually, students may fail to produce an effective oral communication because of their pronunciation mistakes Instead of conveying certain meaning, they convey others, so they do not feel at ease when speaking in front of their classmates and; consequently, reduce their oral participation

Pronunciation is the most significant skill in foreign language learning since

it helps EFL learner to be more competent in communication Furthermore, the level

of pronunciation proficiency represents the main criteria that EFL students can be judged on and assessed Hence, they must practice the correct pronunciation forms and be aware of the various rules of sounds as stress, intonation etc Morley (1991,

p 488) emphasizes the importance of pronunciation in speaking proficiency:

“intelligible pronunciation is an essential component of communication competence

”

Although many EFL learners studied grammar for many years, they are unable to speak like native speakers due to their improper pronunciation of the sounds of words which cause misunderstanding and ineffective communication Therefore, mispronunciation is a serious problem to overcome that non-native English speakers face when they try to reach a high level of fluency In addition, mispronounced speech reflects students’ poor experience with supra-segmental

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features English sounds, such as rhythms, intonation and word stress, this is due to student’s lack of listening to native speakers or to teacher’s mispronunciation as non-native speaker In addition, the inadequate official sessions for practicing pronunciation make students unconscious about their mispronunciation mistakes Moreover, the intermixture of the American and British accents leads learners to be confused with their pronunciations So, pronunciation mistakes are one of the main factors that hinder the students’ freedom in classroom interaction

2.1.4.1.3 Grammar mistakes:

Grammar is an essential element of a language, According to Harmer (2001,

p 12) grammar is defined as: The grammar of a language is the description of the ways in which words Can change their forms and can be combined into sentences in that language if grammar rules are too carelessly violated, communication may suffer [ ,] creating a good grammar rule is extremely difficult Linguists investigating Native-speaker speech ., over the years, devised various different systems to describe how the language works

It is also defined as “the way a language manipulates and combines words (or bits of words) in order to form longer units of meaning” Students must care about any sound they produce when speaking the target language (TL), hence, they face difficulties in combining words correctly; for example the misuse of tenses when the student says “I’ am boring”, instead of saying, “I’m bored” It is a serious problem since making such grammatical mistakes may change the whole meaning, this is similar to producing pronouns, singular and plural forms appropriately Consequently, it is difficult for students to speak in the target language and this creates very embarrassing situations The result is that they keep their ideas for themselves because they cannot speak out the information accurately

One of the most important aspects of being skillful in oral production is possessing grammar knowledge; therefore, EFL learners must acquire this knowledge in order to improve their oral proficiency Therefore, many students are unable to produce correct grammatical forms of sentences; this is due to the

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unawareness of rules and instructions such as: the mixture between tenses, the use of modifiers, the use of double negatives in the same sentence, the production of fragment sentences Therefore, inappropriate grammar leads to misunderstanding in communication

mis-Moreover, EFL learners often prefer to keep silent rather than producing ungrammatical structures because they are afraid of being ridiculed in front their teachers and classmates As Davies and Pearse (2000, p 82) argue:

‘‘Many people do not like speaking in front of large groups of people This is especially true in a foreign language, because we may worry about producing utterances with many errors or oddities in them”

Therefore, a grammatical mistake is one of the linguistic obstacles that prevent EFL learners’ participation

2.1.4.1.4 The use of the mother tongue

It is obvious that EFL learners often use the mother tongue inside and outside classrooms because they are less exposed to the target language and feel demotivated

to communicate Students tend to borrow words from their native language when they fail in expressing their thoughts in the foreign language due to the lack of vocabulary in this language According to Baker and Westrup (2003, p 12):

“Barriers to learning can occur if students knowingly or unknowingly transfer the cultural rules from their mother tongue to a foreign language” Therefore, the use of mother tongue lessens the students’ speaking capacity and leads to breakdown of communication in the classroom In addition, they will find it difficult to use the target language accurately if they keep on borrowing words from their native language which is caused by the lack of foreign language vocabulary

In addition, when poor speaking competence is reported, one tends to blame the students for having low ability or making insufficient effort for learning Nevertheless, there are other important external factors in the academic settings that should be taken into consideration We can mention the attitude of the teachers and students toward the subject, teachers' inappropriate teaching methods, overcrowded

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classes and the insufficient class time allocated for teaching speaking

2.I.4.2 Psychological factors

2.1.4.2.1 Speech anxiety

During the oral presentation, psychological sources were also held responsible for language learners’ high as well as low levels of apprehension There are various psychological variables that make EFL learners anxious in setting where they are required to speak English, to do oral presentation These diverse psychological variables e.g learners’ personality traits, and learners’ self-perception that have been highlighted by the subjects Analyzing the stuydents, the research found that personality traits, such as extraversion as well as introversion are directly linked to low or high level of anxiety The introvert language learners are more vulnerable and expected to be anxious in circumstances where they have to communicate in English During the interview with the researcher, one of the high anxious subjects replied, “I am not friendly, I do not like talking to people, and mixing up with them I am not very talkative” Some previous researchers on language anxiety have reached the conclusion that learners’ apprehension may be aggravated by their perfectionist tendencies (Gregresen and Horwitz, 2002) and learners self-related perception (Krashen, 1985) After analyzing the interviews, the current research has also diagnosed a few self-related perceptions among the subjects

of this study which is consistent with the findings of previous researchers on language anxiety Tobias (1986) found that highly apprehensive learners think negative about their own selves and have low-perceived self-esteem about their own performance in the target language The same negative thoughts about their selves are very clear in the remarks of highly anxious subjects during the interview One of the participants said, “And during speaking I feel that if I speak wrong, all the people will laugh on [at] me and then I can’t speak English correctly”

Impact of speech anxiety makes language learners frightened and shakes their confidence which results in avoidance and withdrawal from speaking activities especially oral presentation in EFL classes One of the high apprehensive subjects of

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this study revealed in response to the question of influence on anxiety on his language, “Due to fear I cannot speak well, otherwise when I am alone, I really make good dialogues I think in English alone I think the main reason of my poor English

is my confidence, my confidence level is very low I can’t speak in front of others even if I know the answer” These remarks of an anxious subject clearly show a very alarming situation that anxiety negatively influences learners’ speech and doesn’t let them speak even if they have enough information In connection with the same question another high anxious participant said, “I am teaching tuition to my brother,

I speak better English, I feel very confident at that time But in front of teacher and the classmate I forgot every thing” Both the statements of subjects who experience high anxiety clearly show that anxiety cast negative influence on learners’ productive skills and EFL teachers need to consider this multi-faced phenomenon

2.I.4.2.2 Group boredom

Some EFL presenters have problem with memorizing information with English so they try to get it by heart By this way, the audience will feel bored when they have to listen to what the speaker said it is look like that they are reading their information “word for- word” from what the memorizing (King, 2002, p 405) Moreover, if students do not use communication English in their oral presentation and they read from their memorizing what writing before with a complex sentences, the audience will lose their attention According to King (2002, p 405) “ teachers should constantly remind students of the importance of using communicative English

in their presentations and keeping the audience in mind when they prepare.”

Group boredom also results from listening to memorized speeches A total dependence on memorization is the pattern followed by most EFL presenters who usually have trouble adapting information to spoken English for the audience The audience feels bored when they have to listen to a tedious reading or word-for-word memorized speech from a presenter who reads rapidly and monotonously, losing command of their voice, tone, and pacing Reciting from passages copied down from references makes the presentation sound canned, machine-like and dull Instead of

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using a conversational tone and communicative English, they have long pauses while fiddling with their notes The reading of written English, with complex sentences and low frequency words, further impedes the audience’s listening comprehension When the audience cannot follow the presentation, their attention drifts and they lose interest This makes the speaker feel less confident

One can say that, students’ problems with oral presentations should take in consideration Find a solution of this problem is the rule of booth teachers and students

2.1.5 Strategies for teaching oral presentation

Many students do not find oral presentation an enjoyable activity They are afraid when teachers ask them to prepare an oral presentation According to Chivers and Shoolbred (2007, p 31), “Many students feel highly nervous about undertaking class presentation.”

Moreover, students have a fear from give an oral presentation because they have not experience In addition, some of them do not have a confidence in their abilities (King, 2002, p 406) When students have been asked about what a good presentation is, they have related it to a clear speech, correct language and when the audience get the main idea Therefore, it is important to teach students how to make

an oral presentation because most of them have not clear ideas about how to do it

Oral presentations are become more important part of language teaching, especially at high school nowadays English learners need to be aware of this technique because, it is been considered as an opportunity to improve their English

In the past, teachers had been focused on giving the learner grammatical rules, vocabulary etc the communicative approach aim to teach students how organize the main idea about a given topic in a logical coherent and also it aim to develop the students ability to produce in English with the correct way (King, 2002, p 406)

To conclude, the main purpose of teaching students oral presentation is to help them rejecting the fear of making pronunciation or grammatical errors

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2.1.5.1 Teachers’ Role

The teacher’s role is not an easy one because oral presentation is challenging job for teachers like in lesson planning according to King (2002, p 207) “teacher move from the traditional role of teacher as an authorities expert to the new role of facilitator of learning” In addition, teacher need to prepare their students for this work In addition, develop their interaction skill According to Xinaming (2005, p 120), “teachers still play a key role in the background, as a facilitator, research guides, ultimate references, and source of encouragement” The teacher’s role in oral presentation is an a guide, organizer consultant resource person, and supporter this role involve also organizing into groups, preparing details, more information about the topic, helping them to learn how to use visual aids in their presentation and finally evaluation the students performance (King 2002, p 407-408)

2.1.5.2 Students’role

A student is ready to learn in a real world project format if he or she is qualified to participate in a team project, and has realistic expectations about the process Students are not fully formed people, much less fully functioning managers One cannot expect students to be qualified to complete a project But some students are more qualified, or ready to participate in project learning, than others Students should be relatively mature, use good judgment, be willing to negotiate, and be willing to “go the extra mile” to get the job done (Papamarcos, 2002) Students should also have a desire to gain experience or to serve a client as sufficient reward for their extra effort

Students should bring some technical, interpersonal, communication and creative thinking skills to the project They should be willing to subordinate their personal preferences to the decisions of the team, and be willing to compromise in order to achieve a group consensus Students should be trustworthy in terms of their ability to represent the university to their client, and to keep client information confidential as needed

Students also need to begin a project with realistic expectations about the

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process Students must replace their “traditional” course expectations with an awareness of the characteristics of a project Real world problems that are inherently ambiguous have no obvious action plan and no right or wrong answer Many traditional college students have “ambiguity aversion” They are used to passive classroom teaching methods in which the process and outcomes of learning are fairly clear in advance Indeed, the opportunity to learn about the ambiguity of real world projects, and how to deal with it, is a benefit to students of doing projects

The author has found that student satisfaction ratings of courses that feature real world projects are a bimodal distribution Many students have rated a course with real world projects highly while many any other students rated it very low:

“You either love it or you hate it” Dissatisfied students cite a number of factors, including bad experiences with their team, a bad client, and unhappiness with the project process

A teacher can reduce post-project student dissatisfaction by managing project expectations The teacher should clearly describe his or her teaching philosophy regarding groups early in the course (preferably before the adddrop deadline) Crustinger, et al (2004) describe the “transference” technique, which transfers “responsibility for work and performance from the faculty member to the student” Transference claims that a teacher “can instill in students self-motivating attitudes and behaviors and help them develop a strong sense of ownership of their academic pursuits.”

pre-Each student should know in advance that his or her initiative will determine the success of the project, that one’s performance (and grade) is linked with one’s teammates, that the project process will be ambiguous, that the project outcome has

no right or wrong answer, and that the project will involve a client who is a potential

“wild card” in the process Despite the warning, some students will not thrive in a real world project environment and will give the course a low rating Students find it difficult to have realistic expectations about something that they have never experienced, such as a real world project Another reason for low ratings is that

2.I.5.3 Evaluation of oral presentation

The first evaluation of an oral presentation is on the speaker itself The teacher needs to evaluate the performance of these students by looking for their pronunciation, then teacher move to the kind of information that is included in the presentation (Xinaming, 2005, p 120) However, in this practice the true evaluation

is the speakers’ ability to answer the questions, which the audience have been asked

During the research, to collect the data, the two instruments were employed: the questionnaires about using PBL for the students, the teacher’s observation sheet based on an oral presentation rubric of NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) The questionnaires findings showed that the attitudes of 11th graders towards the use of project-based learning and PBL helps to develop their oral presentation skills

Teachers should try to be positive in their evaluation and avoid criticism of students’ practice that improves by time In addition, students need to learn how to

do it by experience

Conclusion

To conclude, oral presentation is another way for communication skills If it

is well prepared, structured, and organized, it will be beneficial and enjoyable activity for learners This practice is one of speaking activities that aims to develop the students’ proficiency level in English and to help them to build self-confidence in their ability to speak in public

Oral presentation is one type of communication which aims to develop the students’ ability to perform in English The aim of this activity is to enhance

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students’ proficiency in oral speaking skill At the end of their presentation, students should be aware how to communicate effectively of many methods of teaching oral presentation Project based learning is now becoming popular in teaching communicative skills The next section will discuss the PBL

2.2 Project based learning

Project-based learning has been investigated in a great number of studies on the global scale over the last decade, but the application of this approach to teaching English as a foreign language in Vietnam is still not popular Project-based learning

is a learning method which focuses on the learner; the teacher acts mainly as a facilitator and motivator PBL emphasizes learning activities that are learner- centered and usually integrated with real world concerns With a view to achieving great successes in teaching and learning under the credit-hour system, training workers of the twenty-first century standard, PBL is also a beneficial approach to be applied at high school in Vietnam Aware of the importance of PBL, I make the best efforts to discuss the definitions and benefits of PBL in general and for 11th grade students of English in particular I also deal with the application of PBL in teaching oral presentation and suggest several language learning projects

This section discusses some of the theoretical basis for the research done in this study

2.2.1 Definitions of the project based learning

Many definitions of project-based learning have been proposed by various authors Van Duzer (1995) and Moss (1998) define it as an instructional approach that contextualizes learning by presenting learners with problems to solve or products to develop As discussed, project-based learning (PBL) is a model that organizes learning around projects which are complex tasks, based on challenging questions or problems, involving students in design, problem-solving, decision making, or investigative activities; giving students the opportunity to work relatively autonomously over extended periods of time; and culminating in realistic products or presentations Project based learning is a dynamic approach to teaching in which

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students explore real-world problems, issues and challenges, are inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they are studying and more likely to retain the knowledge gained through this approach far more readily than through traditional textbook-centered learning In addition, the students develop confidence and self-direction as they move through both team-based and independent work

PBL shifts away from the instruction of teacher-centeredness to that of student centeredness The purpose of PBL is to foster students’ abilities for life long learning through contextualizing learning by presenting them with problems to solve and/or artifacts to create; in doing so, students’ motivation and enthusiasm, their problem-solving abilities, research skills, sense of collaborations, resource management skills, longing for communication and information sharing, and language use awareness are progressively evident, and more important, such a process of engaging in various levels of projects may turn their life experiences to advantage In language instruction, PBL is a flexible methodology allowing multiple skills to be developed in an integrated, meaningful, ongoing activity Beckett states that projects are generally thought of as a long-term (several weeks) activity which are part of an instructional method which promotes the simultaneous acquisition of language, content, and skills A major goal of project-based instruction is comprehensible output which generally occurs both during the project and as the final product of the project

Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy in which students learn about a subject through the experience of problem solving Students learn both thinking strategies and domain knowledge The goals of PBL are to help students develop flexible knowledge, effective problem solving skills, self-directed learning, effective collaboration skills and intrinsic motivation Problem-based learning is a form of activity learning (Barrows, 2001) The Components of PBL technique can be implemented in any kinds of curriculum, fields of study and in any class situations According to Barrows (2011), there are seven features that can be identified as key components of PBL First, that is learner-centered environment

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This component is designed to maximize student decision-making and initiative throughout the course of the project from topic selection to design, production, and presentation decisions Projects should include adequate structure and feedback to help learners make thoughtful decisions and revisions By documenting learners' decisions, revisions and initiatives, teachers and learners will capture valuable material for assessing student work and growth Second, it’s collaboration This component is intended to give learners opportunities to learn collaborative skills, such as group decisionmaking, interdependence, integration of peer and mentor feedback, providing thoughtful feedback to peers, and working with others as student researchers Third, it must be curriculum content Successful integration of content requires projects to be based on standards, to have clearly articulated goals, and to support and demonstrate content learning both in process and product Fouth, these are authentic tasks This element can take on many forms, depending on the goal of the project PBL may connect to the real world because it addresses real world issues that are relevant to learners' lives or communities A project may be connected to real professions through the use of authentic methods, practices, and audiences Communicating with the world outside the classroom, via the internet or collaboration might also make real world connections with community members and mentors Fifth, multiple presentation modes This component gives learners opportunities to effectively use various technologies as tools in the planning, development, or presentation of their projects Though the technology can easily become the main focus of a given project, the real strength of the multimedia component lies in its integration with the subject curriculum and its authentic use in the production processes Sixth, time management It builds on opportunities for learners to plan, revise and reflect on their learning Though the time frame and scope of projects may vary widely, they should all include adequate time and materials to support meaningful doing and learning Seventh, innovative assessments Just as learning is an ongoing process, assessment can be an ongoing process of documenting that learning

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PBL requires varied and frequent assessment including teacher assessment, peer assessment, self-assessment, and reflection Assessment practices should also be inclusive and well understood by learners, allowing them opportunities to participate

in the assessment process in ways not typically supported by more traditional teacher-centered lessons

The variety of definitions has provided the features of PBL Thomas proposes the five criteria of project-based learning: centrality, driving question, constructive investigations, autonomy, and realism

1 PBL projects are central, not peripheral to the curriculum

2 PBL projects are focused on questions or problems that "drive" students to encounter (and struggle with) the central concepts and principles of a discipline

3 Projects involve students in a constructive investigation

4 Projects are student-driven to some significant degree

5 Projects are realistic, not school-like

With its distinctive features, PBL has drawn a lot of attention and support from educators, teachers and learners Research has provided evidence for more of its benefits than drawbacks I shall discuss the benefits in the following section 2.2.2 Advantages of the project based learning

English has been taught as a foreign languages in Vietnam for a very long time However, there has been little application of the project-based learning in teaching In fact, project-based learning offers many advantages and challenges when implemented in the classroom

Fried-Booth states that the process leading to the end-product of project- work provides opportunities for students to develop their confidence and independence The students demonstrate increased self-esteem, and positive attitudes toward learning Skehan argues that this process can help to enhance students’ autonomy especially when they are actively engaged in project planning (e.g choice

of topic) Autonomous learning is promoted when the students become more responsible for their own learning According to Levine their language skills can be

Another advantage discussed is that the students have enhanced motivation, engagement and enjoyment because project work progresses according to the specific context and students’ interests From a motivational perspective, projects being authentic tasks are more meaningful to students, increase interest, motivation

to participate, and can promote learning PBL is said to motivate students as they are wholly engaged in the learning task Enjoyment and motivation also derive from the fact that classroom language is not predetermined, but depends on the nature of the project A project may be connected to real professions through the use of authentic methods, practices, and audiences Real world connections might also be established with the world outside the classroom, via the Internet or collaboration with community members and professionals PBL thus enriches the lives and experiences

of a learner as he is required to establish contacts with individuals outside his regular links of contacts

In addition, PBL can develop many helpful skills for the students Coleman discusses an advantage relating to students’ increased social, cooperative skills, and group cohesiveness Adopting PBL projects in the classroom also helps reinforce social relationships among team members PBL enhances collaboration among learners, between learners and the teacher, as well as between learners and other community members as well Thus, PBL provides learners with opportunities to leam collaborative skills, such as relying on the work of peers and providing thoughtful feedback to peers Making students perform concrete tasks in pairs and

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groups is common for foreign languages training; this practice stimulates cooperation and knowledge exchange amongst students and it encourages individual students to talk more

Allen presents the benefits of PBL pertaining to the development of problem solving and higher order critical thinking skills These skills are very important, since they are life-long, transferable skills to settings outside the classroom Also, a PBL project is usually carried out in groups, thus learners get to develop their decision-making skills in groups as well as leadership qualities Participation in PBL projects helps to maximize student decision-making and initiative as they would have to make many important decisions on their own throughout the project: from selecting from various options each team member has to the design, production, and presentation decisions As PBL usually involves projects done outside the classroom, these activities provide connections to life outside the classroom As a result, PBL addresses real world issues and develop skills which they would find useful in the real-world outside Many of the skills developed through PBL are those which employers usually seek: teamworking spirit, the ability to work well and get along with others, make informed decisions, take initiative, and solve real-world problems

Given sufficient time to complete the PBL project, learners would be given enough time to plan, revise and reflect on their learning These activities lead to meaningful learning Reflective learning consolidates what they have achieved for themselves in terms of learning and increases their awareness on their limitations and how these weaknesses could be overcome This means that PBL is an innovative approach that employs a different mode of assessment Utilizing the PBL approach, learners evaluate themselves continuously Assessment is seen as an ongoing, varied and frequent process involving teacher assessment, peer assessment, self-assessment, and reflection

According to Fragoulis (2009, p 92), there are many benefits of implementing the project based learning (PBL) technique in teaching speaking, they include the following:

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1 PBL provides contextual and meaningful learning for students

2 PBL can create an optimal environment for practicing speaking English

3 PBL makes students actively engage in project learning

4 PBL enhances students’ interests, motivation, engagement, and enjoyment

5 PBL promotes social learning that can enhance collaborative skills

6 PBL can give an optimal opportunity to improve students’ language skills According to Dornyei (2001, p 100), the advantages of project work are: it encourages motivation, fosters group cohesiveness, increases the expectancy of success in the target language, achieves “a rare synthesis of academic and social goals”, reduces anxiety, increases the significance of effort relative to ability, and promotes effort-based contributions

To put in a nutshell, PBL is very beneficial to students in general and those of English in particular The question here is what the teacher and students do to maximize the advantages of PBL, especially in oral presentation

2.2.3 The application of PBL in teaching oral presentation

There are some stages of the PBL technique implementation according to Bell (2010) The first is speculation in which teachers provide the choice of project topics initially based on the curriculum and discuss them with students At this stage, teachers and students speculate possibilities that will lead smoothly to the projects However, for beginner or lower level students, teachers can choose the projects themselves but still consider the problems of the students It was assumed by Gaer (1998, p 22) that students at the beginner or lower level do not have the language or confidence to develop project themes Thus, he assumes, teachers need to lead them first before they can decide for themselves The second stage is designing the project activities, referring to organizing the structure of a project activity that includes group formation, assigning roles, and methodology decision

The third is conducting the project activities in which the students work out what was planned and designed in the previous stage At this stage, the students gather information, discuss it with the members of their group, consult with the teacher

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about problems encountered in their work and exhibit their final products that might

be in the form of a presentation, a performance, a product, a publication, etc to the class or even to the wider community such as other classes, teachers, outsiders The last stage is when the students perform in front of the class According to Fragoulis (2009), this stage also includes the assessment of the activities by the participants themselves and discussions about whether the initial aims and goals have been achieved and implemented in the process and the final products The PBL technique seems to match needs in teaching-learning English PBL is simply defined as a technique that instruct students to solve problems and develop products (Moss & Van Duzer, 1998) According to Srikrai (2008), PBL technique activities can have characteristics as follows:

(1) focus on content learning rather than on specific language patterns

(2) student-centered with the teacher as a facilitator or coach

(3) encourages collaboration amongst students

(4) leads to the authentic integration of language skills and processing information from multiple sources

(5) allows learners to demonstrate their understanding of content knowledge through an end product such as an oral presentation, a poster session, a bulletin board display, or a stage performance

(6) bridges the use of English in class and the use of English in a real life context More importantly, PBL is both process- and product-oriented (Stoller, 1997) The implementation of project work differs greatly from one instructional setting to another In some settings, fairly non elaborate tasks, confined to a single class session, are labeled as projects In other settings, elaborate sets of tasks fill the process for completing the project and span an entire instructional unit; in settings like these, the benefits of project work are maximized because students actively engage in information gathering, processing, and reporting over a period of time, and the outcome increases content knowledge and language mastery In applying the PBL technique in the classroom, Marx (1997) set out problems teachers may have

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with enactment during the class as below:

(1) Time: projects often take longer than anticipated

(2) Classroom management

(3) Control: teachers often feel the need to control the flow of information while at the same time believing that students' understanding requires that they build their own understanding;

(4) Support of student learning

(5) Technology use: teachers may have difficulty incorporating technology into the classroom, especially as a cognitive tool

(6) Assessment: teachers may have difficulty designing assessments that require students to demonstrate their understanding

Based on the above, the teacher can discuss the end product with her students and explain what exactly they have to do and how, what they have to practice or learn, what they can expect and what is expected from them, the choices they have to make and the rules they have to follow It is very useful from the start to draw a timetable, a plan and a check list of objectives for the project work so that the students can follow the stages of the project

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Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY

Introduction

In this second part of our research, I will move to something that is more practical The present chapter aim to collect date about the use of the PBL in developing 11th grade students’ oral presentation To achieve that, I have tried to investigate how students of a mountainous high school consider the effectiveness of using project based learning on achieving better result in their oral presentation We have also investigated how teacher judge the use of PBL as a particular means to develop their students’ oral presentation skill In order to conduct our investigation, answer the research questions, and confirm our hypothesis, we collected data from students’ questionnaire and classroom observation

The major tool of collecting data was the questionnaire addressed to 11th grade students We have used teachers’ interview in order to see the teachers’ opinions about the use of oral presentation to improve their students speaking level In addition, we have used the classroom observation in order to collect more information and to confirm the questions and interview results During a period of four weeks, we have attended many sessions with different four teachers and different four groups

3.1 Research setting

3.1.1 An overview of Do luong 3 upper secondary school

Do luong 3 upper secondary school is situated in Do luong district, Nghe An province Founded in 1978, Do luong 3 has an enthusiastic and experienced teachers staff This is a school that has a length of good tradition of teaching and learning in Nghe An province At present, there are 36 classes with about 1400 students divided into three different grades: 10th, 11th and 12th grades

English has been considered as an important subject in the program because it

is a compulsory subject in GCSE examination as well as the chance of getting better