Phát triển kỹ năng tư duy phê phán cho học sinh thông qua dạy học dự án nghiên cứu cải tiến sư phạm tại một trường trung học phổ thông tỉnh bắc giang

5 PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter will briefly present a theoretical background of the study which includes overview of critical thinking skills, the impor

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VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

NGÔ THỊ THU TRANG

DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

THROUGH PROJECT - BASED LEARNING –

AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY AT A HIGH SCHOOL

IN BAC GIANG PROVINCE (Phát triển kỹ năng tư duy phê phán cho học sinh thông qua dạy học dự án- Nghiên cứu cải tiến sư phạm tại một trường trung học phổ thông tỉnh Bắc Giang)

M.A MINOR THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

HANOI – 2017

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VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

NGÔ THỊ THU TRANG

DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

THROUGH PROJECT - BASED LEARNING –

AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY AT A HIGH SCHOOL

IN BAC GIANG PROVINCE (Phát triển kỹ năng tư duy phê phán cho học sinh thông qua dạy học dự án- Nghiên cứu cải tiến sư phạm tại một trường trung học phổ thông tỉnh Bắc Giang)

M.A MINOR THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

Supervisor: Dr VŨ THỊ THANH NHÃ

HANOI - 2017

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DECLARATION

I hereby certify the thesis entitled “Developing students’criticalstudents’ critical thinking skills through project-based learning – An action research study

at a high school in Bac Giang province” as my own work in the fulfillment of the

requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

Bac Giang, 2017 Student‟s signaifiture

Ngô Thị Thu Trang

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This thesis would not be completed without the help of a number of people I would like to express my thanks to all of them

First of all, I would like to express my greatgratitude to my supervisor, Dr

Vu Thi Thanh Nha, for her continuous support, careful guidance and valuable advice throughout the whole research process With her comprehensive instruction, her insprirationinspiration, enthusiasm and immense knowledge, she helped me step

by step write up my thesis to the best of my ability and open my

knowlegeknowledge of literature

Second, I am also grateful to all teachers attheat the Faculty of Graduated Department at the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their devotion and their useful lectures contributing to my understanding of the problem and leading to the completion of the thesis

Post-Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to send my love to my family and my friends, especially my parents, my younger brother, my husband, my little son, who have been encouraging me and supporting me whole-

heartedly.Thanksheartedly Thanks for their spiritual support throughout this study

To them all I dedicate this thesis

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ABSTRACT

This study is an action research project conducted with students in class 11A1 at Lang Giang 1 High School- a high school in a mountainous province in the North of Vietnam It provides an overview of the conceptions of critical thinking skills and project-based learning, seeks to investigate the effects of project-based learning on developing critical thinking skills Classroom observation,

questionairesquestionnaires, and interview were used as instruments to collect data for reflection throughout the research Data from classroom observations were analyzed quantitatively Data gained through the questionnaire at the end of the second circle were analyzed with the use of descriptive statistics and data obtained from interviews were also analyzed qualitatively The findings from the observation reveal that activities such as evaluating the realiabilityreliability of sources of information; critical questioning; making connections between prior

knowlegeknowledge and topics; collecting, analysinganalyzing and evaluating information; creating the final products; evaluating the projects- using rubrics and feedback form can fostercriticalfoster critical thinking skills among students with the teacher‟ role as a facilitator in the classroom According to the results of

questionairesquestionnaires and interview, almost all students are generally satisfied with project-based learning to develop critical thinking They realized the benefits

of activities in project-based learning to enhance their critical thinking as well as their English skills

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LIST OF ABBRIVIATIONS

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LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES, CHARTS

Figure 1: 21 st Century Student Outcomes and Support Systems and Support

Systems 1

Table 1: Bloom‟s Taxonomy by Bloom (1956) 6

Table 2: Revised taxonomy by Anderson and Krathwohl (2000) 13

Table 3: Students‟ interest about topics of projects 36

Table 4: Students‟ changes after taking part in the lessons using project-based learning to develop critical thinking skills 37

Chart 1 : Project- based learning with the development of students’ English skills 38

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

ABSTRACT iii

LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES, CHARTS v

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale for the study 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Research questions 2

4 Significance of the study 3

5 Scope of the study 3

6 Method of the study 3

7 Design of the study 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

1.1 Critical thinking skills 5

1.2 The importance of teaching critical thinking skills in foreign language education 6

1.3 Project-based learning 7

1.4 Relations between project-based learning and the development of students‟ critical thinking skills 9

1.5 How can project-based learning improve students‟ critical thinking skills? 10

1.5.1 Evaluating the reliability of sources of information 11

1.5.2 Critical questioning 11

1.5.3 Making connection between prior knowledge and topics 12

1.5.4 Collecting , analyzing and evaluating information 12

1.5.5 Creating the final products 13

1.5.6 Evaluating the project - using rubrics and feedback form 14

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1.6 Summary 14

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 16

2.1 Context of the study 16

2.2 Research questions 17

2.3 The study 17

2.3.1 Participants 17

2.3.2 Reasons for using action research 17

2.3.3 Action procedures 18

2.4 Research instruments 18

2.4.1 Observation 18

2.4.2 Questionnaires 19

2.5 Data collection procedures 20

2.5.1 Stage 1: Plan - Plan the action 20

2.5.2 Stage 2: Act- Putting the plan into action 21

2.5.3 Stage 3: Observe – Observing the results of the plan 23

2.5.4 Stage 4: Reflect – Reflecting and planning for further action 24

2.6 Data analysis 24

2.7 Summary 26

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS 27

3.1 Findings from the observation 27

3.1.1 The first cycle - Project “ For a better community” 27

3.1.2 The second cycle - Project “ The best invention” 32

3.2 Findings from the questionnaires 36

3.2.1 Students‟ interest about topics of projects 36

3.2.2 Students‟ changes after taking part in the lessons using project-based learning to develop critical thinking skills 37

3.2.3 Project- based learning with the development of students‟ English skills 38

3.3 Findings from interview 39

3.4 Summary 41

PART C: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 42

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1 Recapitulation of the research 42

2 Discussion 43

3 Limitations of the study 45

4 Recommendations of the study 45

5 Suggestions for further study 46

6 Conclusion 46

REFERENCES 48 APPENDENCES

APPENDIX 1 LESSON PLAN Project 1: “ FOR A BETTER COMMUNITY” I APPENDIX 2 LESSON PLAN Project 2: “ THE BEST INVENTION” III APPENDIX 3 ACTIVITIES IN PROJECT-BASED LEARNING TO DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS V APPENDIX 4 PRE-OBSERVATION VII APPENDIX 5 CLASSROOM OBSERVATION VIII APPENDIX 6 QUESTIONNAIRES IX APPENDIX 7 TALLY SHEET XI APPENDIX 8 SAMPLE PRODUCT 1 XII

APPENDIX 9 SAMPLE PRODUCT 2 XVII

APPENDIX 10 FEEDBACK FORM XX APPENDIX 11 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS XXI APPENDIX 12 TRANSCRIPT OF STUDENTS’ ANSWERS IN THE INTERVIEW XXII

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PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale for the study

While the traditional classroom tends to require passive learning, the classroom over the last few decades has taken place a significant shift to meet the demand of the changing workforce It focuses attention on fostering important skills required for 21st-century education: critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity that are developed in the Partnership Forum for 21st-Century Skills

Figure 1: 21 st Century Student Outcomes and Support Systems and Support

Systems

Critical thinking has been included in many models of skills that are important for education and workforce success (Trilling & Fadel, 2009) Understanding and fostering the ability to help students think critically is essential

to their educational success Students need to think deeply about global issues, solve problems creatively, work in teams, learn ever-changing technologies and deal with

a flood of information Teaching critical thinking in the classroom is vital for students Learning critical thinking leads students to develop other skills, such as a higher level of concentration, deeper analytical abilities It is teachers‟ job as educators to equip students with the strategies and skills which they need to think

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deeply about global issues, solve problems creatively, work in teams, learn changing technologies and deal with abundant information

ever-Unlike students in Western educational systems, many Vietnamese students,

epeciallyespecially students at schools in remote and mountainous areas, have not benefited from the explicit inclusion of developing critical thinking skills as an educational goal over a number of years Critical thinking skills are also the point missed in Vietnamese students In Vietnam, “teachers provide information for the students to learn by heart forexaminationsfor examinations” and “the students are

notmotivatednot motivated to learn beyond the exam” (OanhOanh, 2006) As a

memorisationmemorization of factual information from the textbook while they are uncritical of the information they receive from their teachers or from the textbook (

Le, 2011)

One question coming to the researcher‟s mind is “How to develop my students‟ critical thinking skill?”Manyskills? “Many scholartsscholars report that project-based learning provides opportunities for students to learn deep content knowledge

and critical thinking skills (Bell, 2010, Blumenfeld et al, 1991) Many benefits of

incorporating project work in teaching foreign languages have been suggested The facts above urge the researcher to carry out the action research, which is aimed at developing students‟ critical thinking skills through project-based learning

2 Aims of the study

The study aims at exploring the impact of project-based learning on the development of students‟ critical thinking skills, and use project – based learning as

a guiding framework for teachers‟ implementation Aware that the goal is to know the effect of project-based learning to scaffold critical thinking, the researcher thinks of activities focusing on developing critical thinking skills

3 Research questions

In order to achieve the research objective, the researcher will answer the

following questions:

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4 Significance of the study

The study focuses on exploring how project-based learning influences the development of students‟ citicalcritical thinking skills Hence, once the thesis is completed, it can have both theoretical and practical contributions In terms of theoretical contributions, the research is expected to provide the demonstration of critical thinking skills in foreign language classroom and influences of project-based learning to the development of students‟ critical thinking skills In addition, this thesis is hoped to serve as a realiablereliable and useful reference material about project-based learning in a pedagogical environment for high school teachers in Vietnam

5 Scope of the study

The researcher is concerned with the implementation of project-based learning to developing students‟ critical thinking skills The participants of study include 40 students from class 11A1 in Lang Giang 1 High School- a mountainous school in Bac Giang Province

6 Method of the study

The method employed in this study is action research, with the use of a number of instruments, namely observation, questionnaires, and interview

Action research has been proved to be the best choice for this study because the study was aimed at improving the students‟ critical thinking skills within a certain context The combination of different instruments used in this research would help the researcher to gain reliable data and have a close investigation into the effectiveness of project-based learning

7 Design of the study

The study is divided into three main parts as follow:

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Part A: Introduction presents the rationale for study, aims, research questions, the

significance, the scope, the method and the design of the study

Part B: Development is organized around three chapters as follows:

Chapter 1- Literature review synthesizes the theoretical framework of the study

related to critical thinking skills, project-based learning,theirlearning, their relations

as well as the ways project-based learning improve students‟ critical thinking skills

Chapter 2 – Methodology illustrates the context, the methodology used in this

study including the subject, the data collection instruments, data collection

procedure, and data analysis

Chapter 3 – Findings consists of a comprehensive analysis of the data

Part C: Discussion and Conclusions summarizes the main issues discussed in the

thesis, discusses the findings, points out some limitations of the research and

implications for teaching and English together with suggestions for further studies

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PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter will briefly present a theoretical background of the study which includes overview of critical thinking skills, the importance of teaching critical thinking skills in foreign language education, project-based learning, relations between project-based learning and the development of students‟ critical thinking skills as well as the ways project-based learning improve students‟ critical thinking skills

1.1 Critical thinking skills

We must have heard at some point in our daily life the concept “critical thinking” It seems to be present in speeches, the mass media and in the syllabus, but it

is hard to define, which results in different interpretations in different contexts

The initial ideas to explore the theoretical foundation of modern critical thinking tradition was developed by John Dewey, an American philosopher, psychologist, and educator He defines it as an “active, persistent and careful consideration of a belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds which support it and the further conclusions to which it tends” ( Dewey, 1933, p.9)

In this definition, Dewey emphasizes reflective thinking, asking oneself questions about what to believe through evaluating reasoning, and considering the implications of one‟s beliefs As outlined by Glaser (1941), critical thinking involves three main components: (1) an attitude of being disposed to consider in a thoughtful way the problems and subjects that come within the range of one's experiences, (2) knowledge of the methods of logical inquiry and reasoning, and (3) some skills in applying those methods Critical thinking requires an ability to recognize problems, using the knowledge in the light of evidence to draw conclusions and to render judgementsjudgments about specific things and qualities

in everyday life The approaches to critical thinking are also subsumed in the

perception of Black et al ( 2012) They state that critical thinking is based on

analysis and rationality The processes which lead to that end are

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“AnalysingAnalyzing arguments; judging the relevance of significance of information; evaluating claims, inferences, arguments and explanations; constructing clear and coherent arguments; forming well-reasoned judgments and

decisions.” (Black et al., 2012, p.58)

Although a number of different researchers have defined critical thinking, Bloom‟s Taxonomy (1956) ( See Figure 1) is the most cited work in terms of critical thinking, covering a number of commonalities of frameworks of such skills (Gall, 1970) The six levels within the cognitive domain are divided into two levels

of thinking skills:

- Lower-Order Thinking Skills : Knowledge, Comprehension and Application

- Higher-Order Thinking Skills : Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation (Bloom, 1956)

Table 1: Bloom’s Taxonomy by Bloom (1956)

into a whole new unit

In this study the definition of critical thinking of Moon (2007) in language learning is proposed, specifically for English language teaching situations Critical thinking is defined as the ability to consider a range of information derived from many different sources, to process this information in a creative and logical manner, challenging it, analyzing it and arriving at considered conclusions which can be defended and justified ( Moon, 2007)

1.2 The importance of teaching critical thinking skills in foreign language education

The main objective of language education along with other pedagogies is to produce creative and critical learners Critical thinking has been studied by educational scholars for many years and is still gaining ground in terms of its

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The reason why students need to develop critical thinking skills also lies in the fact that it is the English language that has taken the role of the lingua franca and is used globally by non-native speakers of English for intercultural communication As Liaw indicates (2007, p.51) “Since higher-order thinking skills are increasingly required for success in a knowledge-based society, it is the responsibility of teachers to assist their students to acquire critical thinking skills while learning English.”

Undoubtedly, there is a consensus among researchers that providing students with opportunities to act on their thinking is essential for students to engage effectively in language learning and thinking

1.3 Project-based learning

Project-based learning is increasingly recognized as a powerful instructional approach In this section, the researcher explores its definition, features, teacher‟s roles, students‟sstudents‟ participation, benefits and process of project-based learning

Thomas (2000) reports that project-based learning is a model that organizes learning around projects It can be described as student-centered instruction that occurs over an extended period, during which students select, plan, investigate and produce a product, presentation, or performance that answers a real-world question

or responds to an authentic challenge (Holm, 2011) From the definitions, it can be

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concluded that project-based learning is suitable to be implemented for students

because this approach involves learners in activities that require investigation and put them in the real situation

According to the definitions found in project-based learning handbooks for teachers, projects are complex tasks, based on challenging questions or problems, that involve students in design, problem-solving, decision making, or investigative activities; give students the opportunity to work relatively autonomously over extended periods of time; and culminate in realistic products or presentations (Thomas, 2000) In terms of the final product, Stoller (2006) outlines several variations such as production projects, performance projects, and organizational projects For the purosepurpose of the study, a project is defined as a longtermlong-term ( several weeks) activity that involves a variety of individual or cooperative tasks such as developing research questions, and implementing the plan through empirical or document research that includes collecting, analyzing and

reporingreporting data orally

Besides, students‟ participation in project-based learning is active instead of the passive role in traditional approaches Bell (2010) points out that in a project-based learning classroom, students are provided with a topic which they should develop through research or project work for their individual or group learning and teachers should monitor the project performed by students In project-based learning, students collaborate in groups to solve authentic and curriculum-based problems and decide how to approach a question and what activities to pursue (Solomon, 2003) As a result, students are trained to be critical and responsible for their learning (Bell, 2010; Postholm, 2005)

Various authors suggest different ways project-based learning be implemented For the sake of this work there is a model of project-based learning described which is carried out within the framework and documentation of project management alongside four phases advocated by Kriwas (1999)

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Stage 1: Speculation: A suitable topic is identified following discussion among the

group members

Stage 2: Designing the project activities: Activities are designed and roles are

assigned, as well as where information and resources will be sourced from and a structure is devised for the tasks in the projects

Stage 3: Conducting the project activities: At this stage the groups implement the

activities designed in the previous stage Students gather information, process and categorize it The next phase is synthesis and processing of information gathered The final products are displayed in the school or the wider community, and become

a stimulus for thought and action for other students, teachers and local community

Stage 4: Evaluation: Evaluation refers to the assessment of the activities from

participants and discussion about whether the initial aims and goals have been achieved, implementation of the process, and final products Evaluation includes evaluation from others, as well as self-evaluation

It can be concluded that project-based learning has gained popularity in a number of research based on various theoretical perspective and methodologies with results that indicate the significance to create learning process and environment more enjoyable, meaningful and authentic that is impossible in the traditional classrooms

1.4 Relations between project-based learning and the development of students’ critical thinking skills

Researchers have also found that project-based learning is a successful way

of teaching 21st-century skills because it increases student engagement and content learning (Bell, 2010)

In 1986, Meyer published a paper in which he suggested four elements for a learning environment to be conducive for the development of critical thinking: (1) stimulating students‟ interest, (2) creating meaningful discussion, (3) exposure to thoughts and views of others, and (4) fostering a trusting and supportive atmosphere When the principles and processes of project-based learning are examined, it seems that this learning strategy encapsulates those four elements

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proposed by Meyers(1986) This strategy requires students to make connections between existing knowledge and new knowledge acquired in the course of considering the problem Students play an active role in understanding concepts and content, and it enables them to develop 21st-century skills, which fosters an enduring curiosity and hunger for knowledge Since students are able to apply classroom content to real-life phenomena, project-based learning also facilitates career exploration, technology use, student engagement, community connections, and content relevancy (Blumenfeld et al, 1991)

Hence, the synthesis of the literature shows that there are numerous benefits for both teachers and students in using project-based learning to develop critical thinking skills in foreign language learning and teaching environments In practice, what tasks and activities should be employed to promote students‟ critical thinking skills in particular? The issue of project work and its use in language teaching will

be dealt with in details in later parts of the thesis

1.5 How can project-based learning improve students’ critical thinking skills?

So far the author has concentrated on exploring some theoretical ideas of critical thinking and project-based learning, but it might not be an easy task to apply and develop project-based learning that addresses critical thinking Critical thinking

is not a natural skill as speaking or running, it is a deliberately developed complex set of skills and features that take years to acquire It is clear that critical thinking skills are difficult to teach and develop, but not impossible Angelo (1995) suggests that teachers improve students‟ critical thinking skills by:

(1) Providing time for well-planned, focused and interactive student discussions that connect prior and subsequent knowledge;

(2) Providing guide practice and then assess students‟ ability to solve problems and explain how they solve problems;

(3) Talking through various strategies to direct and control attention and thinking When giving projects, teachers should provide students with opportunities to exercise judgment: in gathering and assembling information, in analyzing and synthesizing it, and in formulating and evaluating conclusions ActivitesActivities

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such as evaluating the realiabilityreliability of sources of information; critical questioning, making connection between prior knowlegeknowledge and topics; collecting , analysinganalyzing and evaluating information; creating the final products; evaluating the project-using rubrics and feedback form also play an important role in developing students‟ critical thinking skills ( Hughes, J 2014)

1.5.1 Evaluating the realiabilityreliability of sources of information

Evaluating information sources is an important part of project-based learning Not all information is reliable or true, nor will all information be suitable for their project “The explosion of information available electronically means students need to be able to judge the credibility of an ever-widening array of sources” (Brookhart, 2010).They will need to make decisions about what to search for, where to look, and once they've found material on your topic, if it is a valid or useful source for their projects.Whenprojects When students evaluate sources of information for research and for other purposes, they become “agents of texts and not victims of texts” ( Harste & Albers, 2010, p123) The ability to locate, question, and validate information allows a student to become an independent, lifelong learner and critical thinker

1.5.2 Critical questioning

What is even more important is that the act of thinking is often driven by questions (Elder & Paul, 1998) Therefore, teachers can use questions to help students build understanding and think critically and creatively Elder and Paul (1998, p.62) strongly advocated that “ thinking is driven by questions, not answer, and “ questions define tasks, express problems and deleneatedelineate issues” Wiggle (1999) points out that a questioning strategy may involve all students in the learning process; encourage all students to make an effort to prepare a response; allow adequate wait-time for cognitive processing; and facilitate opportunities for students to engage in higher level thinking According to Bloom‟s Taxonomy (1956), the questions can be divided into six types: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation Seen from the functions of each type

of questions, knowledge demonstrates remembering previously learned material Comprehension refers to understanding of facts and ideas Application is the use of

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principles, formulas, theories, concepts, or procedure in a new context to solve a

problem Analysis consists of breaking a piece of material or concepts into

component parts and interpreting their interrelated relationship Synthesis is to build

a structure or pattern from diverse elements, putting parts together to form a new

whole with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure Evaluation is to make

reasoned judgments about the value of ideas or materials In the analysis of

Kennedy et al (1991), the three highest levels of skills (analysis, synthesis and

evaluation) are often representative of critical thinking Among all types of

questions, asking higher order questions is imperative to the development of

students‟ critical thinking ability

1.5.3 Making connection between prior knowlegeknowledge and topics

Students go to school with a broad range of pre-existing knowledge, skills,

beliefs, and attitudes, which influence how they attend, interpret and organize

in-coming information How they process and integrate new information will, in turn,

affect how they remember, think, apply, and create new knowledge The activity

“making connections between prior knowlegeknowledge and topics” in

project-based learning fosters critical thinking skills which is the making, suspending or

revising judgment Students connect what they learn to what they already know,

interpreting incoming information, and even sensory perception, through the lens of

their existing knowledge, beliefs, and assumptions (Vygotsky, 1978 ; National

Research Council, 2000 ) In fact, there is a widespread agreement among

researchers that students must connect new knowledge to previous knowledge in

order to learn (Bransford ,1986 ; Resnick, 1987 )

1.5.4 Collecting , analysinganalyzing and evaluating information

Analytical skills refer to the ability to collect and analyze information,

problem- solve, and make decisions McPeck, J E (1990) defines critical thinking as

“The process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing,

synthesizing and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion In

project-based learning, it is necessary for students to learn to find, analyseanalyze and

evaluate the informaioninformation in order to use high-quality evidence to back up

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1.5.5 Creating the final products

Revised taxonomy by Anderson and Krathwohl (2000) seems to be

appropriate for project- based learning, based on the rationale that a finished

product will be the final stage after thorough and careful examination The

following table provides examples which express how we can foster students‟

critical thinking skills by project-based learning according to Anderson and

Krathwohl‟s Taxonomy (2000):

Table 2: Revised taxonomy by Anderson and Krathwohl (2000)

Level 1

(Remembering)

Collection of information – identifying all related information

about questionnaire/ report/ poster and the topic Retrieving,

recalling, or recognizing knowledge from memory

Remembering is when memory is used to produce definitions,

facts, or lists, or recite or retrieve material

Level 2

(Understanding)

Understanding what/ how a/an questionnaire/ report/ poster look like and understand the function Constructing meaning from different types of functions be they written or graphic messages activities like interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, and explaining

Level 3

(Applying)

Application of the idea of questionnaire/ report/ poster Carrying out or using a procedure through executing, or implementing

Applying related and refers to situations where learned material

is used through products

Level 4

(Analyzing)

Analyzing the need and the requirements of questionnaire/

report/ poster, analyzing the items to be included, addition and omission are analysedanalyzed Breaking material or concepts into parts, determining how the parts relate or interrelate to one another or to an overall structure or purpose Mental actions

included in this function are differentiating, organizing, and

attributing, as well as being able to distinguish between the

components or parts When one is analyzing he/she can illustrate this mental function by creating the product

Level 5

(Evaluating)

Evaluating the questionnaire/ report/ poster with the certain

criteria that was discussed in the class Making judgments based

on criteria and standards through checking and critiquing

Critiques, recommendations, and reports are some of the products that can be created to demonstrate the processes of evaluation

Level 6

(Creating)

Creating the product- questionnaire/ report/ poster ready

Putting elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; reorganizing elements into a new pattern or structure

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through generating, planning, or producing Creating requires users to put parts together in a new way or synthesize parts into something new and different a new form or product

1.5.6 Evaluating the project - using rubrics and feedback form

Evaluation is closely associated with critical thinking Some writers such as

Beyer (1985) and D‟Angelo (1971) seem to equate “critical thinking” with

“evaluation.” Most theorists, however, describe critical thinking as including evaluation

among several other higherorder thinking processes (Ennis 1989; Paul 1992)

Thus, by including critical thinking skills in project-based learning activities,

the students are required to master the concepts and think comprehensively by

analyze, interpret, evaluate, conclude, and collect information related to the

phenomena of life These skills related to the critical thinking skills (Trilling and

Fadel, 2009) Through the critical thinking students are expected to have the ability

to make-effective reasons, use a thinking system, create and the make decisions, and

be able to solve the problems

1.6 Summary

This chapter has highlighted the key issues in project-based learning, critical

thinking skills as well as their relation in English language classroom The literature

review shows that project-based learning, having quite a lot of potential benefits,

can be an effective approach in developing students‟ critical thinking skills A

thorough review of the benefits of project-based learning also strongly supports the

hypothesis that project-based learning could be utilized as a tool to facilitate

language learning and improve students‟criticalstudents‟ critical thinking skills

Critical thinking skills can be developed based on different steps of project-based

learning and can be evaluated from the sources they use, from the questions they

ask, from the problems they solve, from the product they create, from the way they

evaluate the products With this theoretical background, it is hoped that the study

would yield satisfactory results.Inresults In practice, how shouldtheshould the

activities be employed to promote students‟ critical thinking skills in particular? The

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issue of project work and its use in language teaching will be dealt with in detail in

later parts of the thesis

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CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

This chapter provides background information about action research and

presents a detailed description of how the research was carried out including the

context, the research questions, the study, the data collection instruments, the

data collection procedure, and the data analysis of the study

2.1 Context of the study

Lang Giang 1 HighSchoolHigh School - one of the mountainous schools in

Bac Giang Province, where the author currently works as an English teacher, was

chosen as the venue for this action research From her experience, the researcher has

identified some main problems in teaching and learning English in her school

First of all, the teaching of English here is still strongly influenced by the

traditional way of teaching, which focuses on teaching grammar in class and the

teachers are in tight control of the lesson from the beginning to the end Besides

grammatical knowledge, teachers also teach vocabulary, reading skills and

techniques for students to take English examinations so that they can ensure their

students to get higher scores in the entrance examinations Many of them cannot

imagine a situation in which the learners are given autonomy and responsibility for

their learning

The second problem is the impact of English examinations on English

teaching andor learning in the school Most students in the school place

anemphasisan emphasis on learning a certain number of isolated words and

structures in ordertoorder to pass English tests such as the fifteen tests, forty five -

minute tests and GCSE ( General Certificate of Secondary School) Teachers and

their students will be less likely to focus on the development of critical thinking

when teaching and leaning English

On the whole, the above possible problems that the researcher has suggested

might leadto the fact that students have no chance to improve critical thinking It

isveryis very important for language teachers to solve the above learning

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problems;thereforeproblems; therefore, the reseacherresearcher decided to use

project-based learning to help her students develop their critical thinking skills

2.2 Research questions

This study aims at developing students‟criticalstudents‟ critical thinking by

using project-based learning by seeking to the following questions:

1 What activities in project-based learning can teachers do to develop critical

thinking for students?

2 What are the students’ attitudes towards project-based learning to develop

critical thinking skills ?

2.3 The study

The main contents of this section include participants of the study, reasons

for using action research, action procedures,theprocedures, the

implementionimplementation of project-based learning to develop students‟

critical thinking skills

2.3.1 Participants

Class 11A1 with 40 students in Lang GiangGang 1 high school in BacBack

giangGiang Province was selected from one of the author‟s teaching classes in the

school year 2016-2017 Most of students are from the rural areas where their

families mainly live on farming Therefore, their out-of-class uses of language were

limiedlimited, much of the focus in English language learning has typically been on

classroom-based learning Among the sample population, 22 are females and 18 are

males They have learnt English for at least 7 years The students have different

personalities and their English ability level ranged from upper beginner to

intermediate

2.3.2 Reasons for using action research

Regarding the aim of the study, the researcher determined to choose action

research as the research approach for the present study since the purpose of the

action reseachresearch is to change and improve practice in a certain context Nunan

and Bailey (2009) define action research as a systematic, iterative process of:

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(1) identifying an issue, problem, or puzzle we wish to investigate in our own context;

(2) thinking and planning an appropriate action to address that concern;

(3) carrying out the action;

(4) observing the apparent outcomes of the action;

(5) reflecting on the outcomes and on other possibilities;

(6) repeating these steps again

Action research is a very useful and practical research methodology for

educators and educational researchers Of all the purposes of action research, the

most important one is to improve educational practice, especially to enhance

teaching in practitioners practice and through that to gain some new understanding

of practice that is transferable to other situations

2.3.3 Action procedures

Within the context of English language teaching, the reseacherresearcher

took Kemmis and Mc Taggart‟s view ( 1988) which suggests that action research

typically involves four broad phrases in a cycle of research: plan, action, observe

and reflect Two cycles of research were implemented, thus the the deficiencies in

the previous cycle can be addressed and corrected, and is expected in the next cycle

of teaching and learning can take place properly as expected Based on this model,

the researcher carried out the present study

2.4 Research instruments

The researcher who was a participant- observer collected data using students

and researcher artifacts To ensure that the findings were credible, the researcher

utilized the process of triangulation Hendricks (2006) claimed that data

triangulation will help reduce the likelihood of error in the findings when similar

results are reported from two or more of the sources The multiple forms of data

instruments included: observations sheet, questionairesquestionnaires and interview

The following sections describe the various methods of data collection and how

they were implemented

2.4.1 Observation

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Observation is useful means to gather information about phenomena in a

second and foreign language classroom, such as types of language, interactions and

instructions (Gass&Makey, 2005) In this research, two kinds of observation are

used: Pre-observation and classroom observation Pre-observation (See Appendix 4)

was used prior to the data collection Classroom observation was conducted to know

whether project-basedlearningbased learning activities made any effects on

students‟ critical thinking skills Classroom observation (See Appendix 5) was used

to assess students‟ participation in activities to develop critical thinking skills of

project-based learning during the intervention

2.4.2 Questionnaires

The primary purpose of the questionnaires is to gather information from

research participants„ respondents so that the researcher can analyze the information

collected in order to answer the research questions The design of the questionnaire

is also related to the aims of the research project and the research questions

The questionnaire was helpful for including all the students in the class as it

was an evaluation of their experience of critical thinking lessons (see Appendix 6)

The questionnaires in the present study were adapted from Critical Thinking

QuestionairesQuestionnaires by Castle (2006) who designed it for exploring

students‟ perceptions of improvements in critical thinking during a course without

making reference to whether they thought their skills were high or low It is

somewhat adjusted in order to be appropriate for the aim of the study In details,

there are 11 items which are classified into three categories: (1) Students’sStudents’

interests about topics of projects; (2) Students’ changes after taking part in the

lessons using project-based learning to develop critical thinking skills; (3)Project-

original version consisted two more items to explore students‟ perceptions of the

teacher‟s role in the course to develop critical thinking skills

The original version also included one more part which asked for background

details of gender, age range, highest level of qualification obtained and

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whetherpreviouswhether previous courses involving learning critical thinking skills had

been undertaken

2.4.3 Interview

With the aim of enhancing the reliability and the validity of the study as well

as reducing the observation and questionaire‟squestionnaire‟s limitation, the

researcher goes on using semi-structured interview instrument based on Hatch‟s

(2002) framework, which allows the interviewer to ask probing questions and ask

interviewees to clarify unclear answers and follow up on interesting one The

“formal, semi-structured, and in-depth interview” allowed her to come to the

interview with guiding questions and meanwhile remain open to “following the

leads of informants and probing into areas that arise during interview

interactions” (Hatch, 2002, p 94) Interviews are conducted with 3 students It

consists of five questions with the aims (i) to explore the students‟ attitudes

towards project-based learning to develop their critical thinking skills, (ii) to

explore the students‟ attitudes towards project-based learning to develop their

English skills (iii) to reveal the dificultiesdifficulties that they encountered and (iv)

to get some recommendations on how to carry out projects successfully so that the

teacher can make some necessary changes for the next project-based lesson

plan.Theplan The interviews are prepared in English but in order for students to

understand what is needed by the researcher, they are translated into

Vietnamese.QuestionsVietnamese Questions for interview can be seen in Appendix

11

Through the triangulation of the observation, questionairesquestionnaires

and semi-structure interview, the researcher was expected to answer research

questions addressed

2.5 Data collection procedures

2.5.1 Stage 1: Plan - Plan the action

Modern society requires students to possess strong thinking skills

Witnessing the lack of students‟ critical thinking skills and main problems in

teaching and learning English in her school as identified in the context of the study,

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the researcher tended to take a closer look at the situation and finds out the

appropriate method to improve students‟sstudents‟ critical thinking The literature

review on project-based learning inspired the researcher that the implementation of

project-based learning could be beneficial for enhancing her students‟ English

language skills in general and critical thinking skills in particular After

getinggetting the permission from Lang GiangGiang 1 High School and Foreign

Language Department to conduct the research, she determined the methods and

steps that would be used in teaching and learning Besides, she developed the

evaluation tool, namely the observation sheets that focused on the teaching and

learning process including teachers activities, students‟ activities , the learning

atmosphere and class situation

2.5.2 Stage 2: Act- Putting the plan into action

2.5.2.1 The implementation of project-based learning to develop students’ critical

thinking skills

The implementation of project-based learning in this action research was tried

out at the middle of the second semester ( right after the Lunar New Year) in the

academic year 2016-2017 within 2 cycles The primary goal of the projects was to

develop critical thinking which consists of skills to critically evaluate the validity

and reliability of information sources, question critically, collect, analyseanalyze

information, create the final products and evaluate the projects using

rubrics.Therubrics The secondary goal was to develop their English skills

The first project “ For a better community” was conducted for 5 weeks in the

first cycle In this project, students had to work in groups to identify someone/ a

place in their community that need help or a problem in their community needed to

be solved then dentifyidentify the problems and make a plan which was

neccessarynecessary for community development in the community After that they

had to volunteer in their community and reflect on their volunteer experiences in a

presentation

In the second project “ The best invention” in the next five weeks in cycle 2,

students had to take part in the contest “ Best invention of the year” to design a

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poster and make a presentation about an imaginary invention on a large-sized sheet

of paper The posters would be hung on the wall of the class and all students of the

class would vote for the best invention

2.5.2.2 Stages of project-based learning

A detailed description of how the projects were implemented in this study

was as follow:

a Speculation

The researcher dedicated the first week to introducing the concepts of critical

thinking skills, different kinds of questions in higher order thinking, the way to

analyseanalyze the realiabilityreliability of the sources, the influence and the role of

these variables in the process of critical practice The researcher tried to simplify the

concept of the main research key words and encouraged the students to collaborate

to share ideas In the second session, the researcher discussed with the students

about project-based learning and how to conduct a project to develop critical

thinking skills Finally, the researcher asked the students what they expected from

the lesson and emphasized that their views would be important for the development

of the lesson plan and for the outcomes of the research Thenthe teacher divided the

class into small groups of four or five students according to their friendship, how

much they know each other and were used to work together This stage also

involved initial discussion of the topic in the whole class and subtopics in certain

groups

b Designing the project activities

Activities were adapted and designed from critical thinking ( Hughes, J

2014) ( See Appendix 3) and roles were assigned, as well as where information and

resources would be sourced from and a structure was devised for the tasks in the

projects.Allprojects All students were involved by brainstorming, sharing ideas

related to the topic, making the final decision The group discussed the ideas

generated in the brainstorming process in order to clarify their preconceptions The

ideas were arranged into prior knowlegeknowledge that emerged through the

discussion, and questions corresponding to the learning needs of the group were

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formulated Students in each group were responsible for the part of the work they

had chosen In this stage, students learned how to evaluate the realiablityreliability

of sources of information, learned to question information is presented to them

c Conducting the project activities

At this stage the groups implemented the activities designed in the previous

stage Students gathered information, processed and categorized it Students

discussed their findings, wrote English summaries in groups and made presentations

to the whole class

d Evaluation

Evaluation refers to the assessment of the activities from participants and

discussion about whether the initial aims and goals have been achieved,

implementation of the process, and final products Evaluation includes evaluation

from others, as well as self-evaluation

2.5 3 Stage 3: Observe – Observing the results of the plan

2.5.3.1 Observation

Throughout the ten weeks the researcher observed how the students‟ critical

thinking skills improve through project-based learning To identify critical incidents

and emerging themes, the resercherresearcher wrote down her ideas using pen and

paper The notes were descriptions of incidents that happened in the class during the

lessons The observation was derived from the conceptual framework and focused

specifically on critical thinking skills The observation was structured in such a way

that critical thinking skills including subskills were link to the steps of project-based

learning process This enabled the reseacherresearcher to observe how the

participants used the design process to develop critical thinking

Observations were conducted from the perspective of a

participant-observer.Theobserver The researcher‟s notebook was used to take notes on

classroom observations When observing the class and project exhibit, she recorded

using her cell-phone video camera to document the event All planned activities for

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the project-based learning, along with additional reflection notes, were kept in the

researcher‟s diary

2.5.3.2 Questionnaires

The researcher prepared and designed questionairesquestionnaires by

referingreferring to research related to the same issue, especially the evaluative

criteria of some scholars.Constructive comment from the pilot group of two

teachers in the same school with the researcher and two students in grade 11 will be

considered to help the ressearcherresearcher make adjustment on

questionairesquestionnaires At the end of the second project, 40 printed survey

questionairesquestionnaires were distributed to students of class 11A1 at Lang

Giang 1 High School in order to elicit responses from the whole class regarding the

intervention During the evaluation process, the respondents could

comunicatecommunicate directly with the researcher to receive detail instructions to

ensure that the items will be fully understood

2.5.3.3 Interview

In order to clarify the selected-response questions in the questionnaire, the

researcher conducted a follow-up interview after the questionnaire The questions in

the follow-up interviews were basically the same as those of the previous

questionnaire, so that the researcher could obtain further data The interviews were

held with three learners after introducing the intervention The researcher had

friendly chats with students for further information and recommendations The

length of interview with each student was approximately 15 minutes due to the

relatively smaller number of interview questions In addition, interviews were used

to enhance data from the questionnaire rather than gaining completely new

information

2.5.4 Stage 4: Reflect – Reflecting and planning for further action

The teacher and students‟ activities during the learning process observed

are discussed in this stage

2.6 Data analysis

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em dùng stage là heading chính

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Throughout the ten weeks the researcher observed how the students‟ critical thinking skills improve through project-based learning To identify critical incidents and emerging themes, the researcher wrote down her ideas using pen and paper The notes were descriptions of incidents that happened in the class during the lessons The observation was derived from the conceptual framework and focused specifically on critical thinking skills The observation was structured in such a way that critical thinking skills including subskills were link to the steps of project-based learning process This enabled the researcher to observe how the participants used the design process to develop critical thinking The evidence was collected from the source they use, from the questions they ask, from the problems they solve, from the product they create, from the way they evaluate their partners‟ products It was based on different steps of each project

Observations were conducted from the perspective of a participant-observer The researcher‟s notebook was used to take notes on classroom observations All planned activities for the project-based learning, along with additional reflection notes, were kept in the researcher‟s diary

Data gained through classroom observations were analyzed quantitatively First, event sampling was used for activity “critical questioning” in this study Event sampling is often used when the focus is on a particular event in classroom practice such as activities to develop students „critical thinking skills (Turner, J C., & Meyer, D K (2000) In event sampling, the investigator tallies the number of times

a target action occurs In the activity “ critical questioning”, the investigator entered such a mark when the teachers asked questions (See Appendix 7) Then observed classroom interactions were transcribed based on a partial transcription technique After transcribing, the transcribed data were coded Questions were categorized into the six categories of Bloom‟s Taxonomy (1956)

Besides, interactions in five other activities were transcribed After a cycle, the researcher reflected on whether she met her objectives, what she thought went well, and where she could show growth for the next circle All of this data helped

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2.7 Summary

The action research study examined the relationship between two constructs, project-based learning and critical thinking skills The research focus stemmed from the lack of students „critical thinking skills in class 11A1 at a high school in Lang Giang 1 High School in Bac Giang Province, a mountainous area A student-centered strategy such as project-based learning promised to develop critical thinking that the traditional teaching method neglects The researcher conducted the study with the action research methodology consisting of two cycles which involves four broad phrases: plan, action, observe and reflect (Kemmis and Mc Taggart,

1988) During the plan phase of the study, the researcher identified the problem of

practice, developed a research focus, and conducted a review of related research and

literature During the act phase, she implemented two projects to develop critical

thinking skills consisting of the skills to make critical questions, to consider a range

of information derived from many different sources, to process this information in a creative and logical manner, challenging it, analyzing it and create the final product

During the observe phase, she used observation, questionnaires and interview to

collect and analyze data In the final phase of the action research cycle, namely

reflect, she evaluated how effectively she answered the research questions and

identified avenues for the future research

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CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS

This research made efforts to find out the impacts of project-based learning

on students‟ critical thinking skills In details, the research examined the students‟

improvement in critical thinking skills after taking part in various activities in

project-based learning In addition, this study planned to consider the students‟

attitudes towards critical thinking after taking part in the projects Therefore, it

might be a triangulation for portraying the achievement of students‟ critical thinking

skills thanks to the implementation of project-based learning activities In the next

section of this chapter, the findings will be interpreted and discussed with reference

to the research questions of the study as follows:

(1) What activities in project-based learning can teachers do to develop

critical thinking skills for students?

(2) What are the students’ attitudes towards project-based learning to

develop critical thinking?

3.1 Findings from the observation

To answer the first research question, the observation during ten weeks of

two cycles was conducted on two aspects: students‟ classroom behavior and

performances on the project-based learning activities to develop critical thinking

skills The researcher did mainly observations during the projects, where she paid

attention to the activities to develop students‟ critical thinking skills, students‟

attitudes and performances, their cooperation and support, growing rapport between

members of the groups and the whole class who was in the projects She made notes

in teacher‟s diary during the work Through the classroom observation, the

researcher could see the difference in her students‟ classroom behavior and

performance when they conduct the project compared to those of their first

semester, for she taught the same class for the whole school year

3.1.1 The first cycle - Project “ For a better community”

3.1.1.1 Critical thinking objectives of the project

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The critical thinking objectives of the project are to develop critical thinking which

consist of skills to evaluate the reliability of sources of information the and

synthesize a variety of information; research background of a topic; plan, create,

organize, and present an appropriate product that demonstrates understanding of

purpose and audience It goes hand in hand with improving English skills (See

Appendix 1)

3.1.1.2 Observing the results of the implementation

Referring to the results of observation, it can be implied that the activities in

project-based learning that build student's critical thinking skills are as follows:

a Evaluating the reliability of sources of information

At first, when the teacher asked students where they could get realizable

information for their project, all of them answered that they would search for

information in the Internet They did not know how to evaluate the reliability of

sources of information This is an important skill because students need to analyze

the quality of the sources that they propose to use To help students evaluate the

reliability of sources of information, the teacher gave students a copy of the list of

different sources of information they could use for their projects and asked them to

evaluate each source using the following scoring between 1-3

1 = Not a reliable source

2 = It might be credible but I’d have to check the information in another source

as well

3 = A very credible source of information

The activity is a short warmer into the topic of how much we could trust certain

sources Before we accept information that is presented, it is important to consider

whether we trust the source of the information Students reported back their views

on the different sources The task drew attention to the fact that students needed to

check sources and think about where they took information from

b Critical questioning

In this activity, when the teacher asked students to make questions about the

topics of the projects, students looked worried and frustrated Teacher had to

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