Roject based learning application at high schools perspectives from teachers and students

Finally, some useful implications for its application are proposed based on the research findings in order to help the teachers and students to implement PBL more effectively and success

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATION

Major: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching

Code: 8.14.01.11

SUPERVISOR: TRAN BA TIEN, Ph D

Nghe An, 2018

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I certify that this thesis entitled “Project-based learning application at

high schools: perspectives from teachers and students” is my own work

Nghe An, 2018

VO THUONG

Second, I would like to thank all lecturers at the Foreign Languages Department, Vinh University for their valuable teaching and tremendous assistance that have enlightened my study path

Third, I also would like to give my special thanks to the teachers and students at high schools in Ninh Thuan province who have actively participated

in my study Without their help and cooperation, the research would have been made impossible

Last but not least, my sincere thanks go to my leaders, my colleagues, my friends, my classmates at the Master Class, my family, especially my wife, who also encourages and shares the hardship with me

ABSTRACT

Project-based learning (PBL) is a new method which is supposed to be effective and successful in teaching and learning English PBL is a method focusing on the learner; the teacher only plays the role as a facilitator, motivator and inspiration for learners PBL is a learner-centered pedagogy which helps learners to achieve further knowledge through their active exploration of the surroundings Learners are very active, creative, positive and willing to cooperate They show their life skills such as problem-solving skill, interpersonal skill, leadership skills, etc quite well

This study has paid attention to the theories of PBL included the definition and the goal, the characteristics of the approach, the advantages and disadvantages in adaptation From this viewpoint, a suggestion to investigate the way how to teach and learn PBL at high schools: perspectives from teachers and

students have been brought out

This method of the study adopts both qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection To ensure the validity of research, methods, including survey questionnaires, and interview, will be employed This study included students’ and teachers’ survey questionnaires and interview Qualitative and quantitative approaches were mainly used to form a realistic and detailed description of the real teaching and learning context and the attitudes, assessments of teachers and students involved

The findings indicated that most of the teachers and students had a positive and clear attitude and motivation to the applying of PBL These findings also showed that the language teachers experience some practical difficulties with PBL because this is a new method Finally, some useful implications for its application are proposed based on the research findings in order to help the teachers and students to implement PBL more effectively and successfully in teaching and learning in their English classes

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF FIGURES ix

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Aims of the study 2

1.3 Research questions 2

1.4 Scope of the study 2

1.5 Significance of the study 2

1.6 Method of the study 3

1.7 Organization of the study 3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

2.1 A historical overview of English teaching methods 4

2.1.1 The Grammar-Translation Method 4

2.1.2 The Direct Method 5

2.1.3 The Audio-Lingual Method 6

2.1.4 Communicative Language Teaching 7

2.2 Project-Based Learning 8

2.2.1 What is PBL? 9

2.2.2 Characteristics of PBL 10

2.2.3 Previous studies on the advantages and disadvantages of PBL 11

2.2.4 Stages of PBL 12

2.2.5 Teachers’ role 13

2.2.6 Students’ role 13

2.2.7 Benefits of PBL 13

2.2.8 Difficulties encountered 14

2.3 Summary 15

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 16

3.1 Research methods 16

3.2 Context of the study 16

3.3 Participants 17

3.3.1 The teachers 17

3.3.2 The students 18

3.4 Instruments 19

3.4.1 Questionnaire 19

3.4.2 Interview 19

3.5 Data collection 20

3.6 Data analysis 20

3.7 Research procedures 21

3.8 Reliability and validity 21

3.9 Summary 21

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 22

4.1 Overview 22

4.2 Findings and discussion 22

4.2.1 Findings and discussion about the students’ attitudes towards PBL 22

4.2.1.1 Discussion about the results from the students’ questionnaire 22

4.2.1.2 Discussion about the results from the students’ interview 32

4.2.2 Findings and discussion about the teachers’ perception of PBL 33

4.2.2.1 Discussion about the results from the teachers’ questionnaire 33

4.2.2.2 Discussion about the results from the teachers’ interview 52

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 54

5.1 Main onclusion 54

5.2 Implications of the research 55

5.2.1 Implications for teaching 55

5.2.2 Implications for learning 56

5.2.3 For textbook designers 56

5.3 Limitations of the research 56

5.4 Further research 57

REFERENCES 58

APPENDIX 1 60

APPENDIX 2 65

APPENDIX 3 68

APPENDIX 4 69

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ALM : Audio-Lingual Method

CLT : Communicative Language Teaching

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 3.1: Teacher informants’ background information 17

Table 3.2: Student informants’ background information 18

Table 4.1: Reasons for application of PBL 38

Table 4.2: Teachers’ difficulties in applying PBL 39

Table 4.3: Teachers’ frequency of applying PBL in teaching English classes 40

Table 4.4: Reasons for choosing PBL in teaching English classes 44

Table 4.5: Reasons for avoiding PBL in teaching English classes 45

Table 4.6: Factors making the application of PBL effective in English classes 47

Table 4.7: Teachers’ solutions to multi-level classes 48

Table 4.8: Teachers’ solutions to students’ low English proficiency 50

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 4.1: Students’ attitude towards learning English 23

Figure 4.2: Students’ attitude towards taking part in PBL activities 23

Figure 4.3: Students’ interest in PBL lessons 25

Figure 4.4: Factors motivating students in PBL classes 26

Figure 4.5: Students’ evaluation of PBL 26

Figure 4.6: Students’ difficulties of PBL 27

Figure 4.7: The tasks given by the teacher during PBL lessons 28

Figure 4.8: Students’ favorite activities in PBL classes 29

Figure 4.9: Students’ participation in tasks 30

Figure 4.10: Students’ responses towards taking part in the PBL 30

Figure 4.11: Benefits in English lessons which applying PBL approach 31

Figure 4.12: Teachers’ understanding towards PBL 34

Figure 4.13: Teachers’ responses in applying PBL in their English classes 35

Figure 4.14: Teachers’ advantages of applying PBL in their English classes 35

Figure 4.15: Teachers’ attitude towards PBL 36

Figure 4.16: Teachers’ interest in applying PBL 37

Figure 4.17: Teachers’ evaluation of PBL 37

Figure 4.18: Teachers’ implementation of PBL approach 41

Figure 4.19: Teachers’ implementation of PBL in teaching English classes 42

Figure 4.20: Students’ interest in teachers’ PBL approach 42

Figure 4.21: A good choice in English classes 43

Figure 4.22: Difficulties in implementing PBL in the textbook 46

Figure 4.23: Teachers’ solutions for students’ passive learning style 51

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

English is the most important and necessary language in our life nowadays A very large number of people understand and use English in all parts of the world English is the language that connects different countries in the world closer It has become the essential language for communication in all fields in the world, such as politics, economics, culture, society, science, technology, commerce, tourism, sports, etc In Vietnam, English has been an obligatory subject in schools Therefore, teaching and learning English has been considered as one of the most important targets for teachers and students in Vietnam

At present, the curriculum of general education in English has many innovations in terms of both content and structure Therefore, teaching and learning English also needs a lot of innovations to promote the creative thinking ability of students One of the most effective methods to teach and learn English

is PBL PBL provides students with opportunities to work with each other by exchanging their opinions and learning so many things from their classmates This method makes students confident, interested and creative in learning English It also helps students overcome shyness and fear of making mistakes Not only the teacher but also the learners have an advantage from PBL Therefore, this study attempts to clarify certain issues from the perspectives of

implementing PBL application at high schools: perspectives from teachers and

students and analyze the factors which motivate the development of PBL

Moreover, one of the reasons for choosing this research is that the researcher is interested in teaching and learning PBL By doing the research, I can learn more about the methods in teaching and learning PBL in order that I can find suitable methods to improve my own teaching

For the above reasons, I decided to conduct a study on: “Project-based

learning application at high schools: perspectives from teachers and students”

1.2 Aims of the study

The main purpose of this study attempts to clarify the reality of implementing PBL application and find out solutions to improve their teaching and learning skills at high schools in Ninh Thuan province To achieve the research goals, I investigate the teachers’ and students’ reality towards teaching and learning PBL, then put the focus on the current difficulties in the application

of PBL I also make some suggestions for the teachers of English as reference in teaching PBL in order to help students improve their learning ability The specific aims of the study are:

- To investigate PBL application at high schools: perspectives from teachers and students

- To identify the problems and suggested solutions in implementing PBL application at high schools: perspectives from teachers and students

1.3 Research questions

This study aims to answer the following questions:

1 What is the teachers’ perception of PBL?

2 What is the students’ attitude towards PBL?

3 What are the solutions to problems in implementing PBL application at high schools in Ninh Thuan province?

1.4 Scope of the study

The research is carried out with the help of 10 teachers of English and 100 students from Nguyen Trai, An Phuoc, Ninh Hai high schools in Ninh Thuan province in terms of applying PBL in teaching and learning English

1.5 Significance of the study

The findings of the study will help both teachers and students to exploit the benefits of PBL application in the real lessons Thus, from the results of the study, PBL will be introduced in the process of teaching and learning English to the students

For the researcher, PBL as a new method opens an effective and active way of teaching and learning English Thereby, the teachers can consider this research as a material to do references in their teaching at high schools

1.6 Method of the study

For ethical reasons, pseudonyms are used in the data and discussion This study adopts both qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection To ensure the validity of research, methods, including survey questionnaires, and interview, will be employed

1.7 Organization of the study

This study consists of five chapters:

Chapter 1: Introduction presents the rationale, aims of the study, research

questions, the scope of the study, the significance of the study, the method of the study and organization of the study

Chapter 2: Literature review presents the various concepts most relevant

to the research topic: The Grammar Translation Method, The Direct Method, The Audio-Lingual Method, Communicative Language Teaching and Project-Based Learning

Chapter 3: Methodology describes participants, data analysis, data

collection, instruments for data collection and procedures of research

Chapter 4: Findings and discussion present the results of the research,

give a specific presentation of data and a specific description of data analysis Some explanations of the findings of the research are also presented

Chapter 5: Conclusion provides the summary of the findings, emphasizes

the implication of the study in which certain techniques for improving English to students at high schools In addition, this chapter also shows the limitations of the research and provides some recommendations for further research

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter briefly presents some theories on traditional methods in an effort to supply a conceptual framework for the discussion of PBL in high schools The theories are reviewed chronologically

2.1 A historical overview of English teaching methods

2.1.1 The Grammar-Translation Method

The Grammar-Translation Method (GTM) is one of the earliest methods that were used for the purpose of helping students read and appreciate foreign language Through the study of the grammar, students would become more familiar and natural with the grammar of their native language and would help them listen, speak, read and write their native language better

The teachers use this method with the goals to be able to read literature written in the target language To do this, students need to learn about the grammatical rules and vocabulary of the target language Studying a foreign language provides students with good mental exercise which helps develop their minds

The roles of the teacher and the students in this method are very traditional The teacher is the authority in the classroom The students do as she says, so they can learn what she knows

Even though this method does not concentrate on communication, its strengths can help students to work on the receptive skills such as reading, grammar and translation However, there are some limitations when applying this method It lacks real communicative activities and listening skills Besides, the teacher uses the native language to give explanations

GTM method is very traditional and the teacher does not take care of the students’ feeling and emotion because this method there is no principle related

to handling this area Because of that, the relationship between teacher and the students is not so close since the students consider the teacher as something that

is extremely formal, cannot be invited for fun or joking In other word, there is a big distance between the teacher and students

There are four skills that have to be mastered by the learners in language competence and performance They are listening, reading, speaking and writing

As information, listening and reading are receptive skills Then, speaking and writing are productive skills (Harmer, 2007: 270 and 275) In GTM method, the reading and writing skills are emphasized It means that the students merely get one skill how to get the information and one skill how to produce and deliver the information Therefore, this method is not suitable to improve the students’ ability in language learning, especially in second/foreign language learning When the students are only taught to get reading and writing skills, they will focus on vocabulary and grammar so that they do not get familiar with the other elements such as pronunciation, phonology, and the real context of language use Actually, this method expects the students to learn the role of language in class and then the students perform it in daily life, but until now it has not happened in students’ daily life

In GTM method, accuracy is considered to be necessary and important The teacher will directly revise the students’ errors Actually, this way might be good because the students know their mistakes, but it directly affects the students’ confidence to produce the language because they are afraid they make mistakes in classes Furthermore, the students are extremely careful about their performance and they know how to analyze the language, but they do not have the ability and confidence to perform the language particularly in communications performance

2.1.2 The Direct Method

The Direct Method (DM) is also known as a natural method It was developed as a reaction to the grammar translation method and is designed to take the learner into the domain of the target language in the most natural manner

The DM has one very basic rule: No translation is allowed The teachers apply this approach aiming “to learn how to communicate in the target language

In order to do this successfully, students should learn to think in the target language.” (Larsen-Freeman, 2000, p.28)

Although the teacher directs the class activities, the student role is less passive than in the GTM The teacher and the students often interact each other in the teaching and learning process in the classroom

This method has some advantages First, it improves fluency of fluency of speech results in easier writing, it tends to improve expression, expression in writing and it is a quick way of learning and expanding vocabulary Second, it helps the students give their thoughts and feelings directly in the target language without using their mother tongue Third, it helps students to develop listening, speaking, reading and writing Nevertheless, this method also has its disadvantages which need improving First, this method can waste time in creating real life situations and ignore reading and writing aspects

speech-of language learning Second, so as to acquire an effective lesson with this method, the teacher must be outstanding Third, it does not suit or satisfy the needs of individual students in large classes

2.1.3 The Audio-Lingual Method

The Audio-Lingual Method (ALM) is a teaching way applied in

teaching foreign languages It is based on behaviorist theory It is also an based approach Like the DM, the ALM advised that students should be taught a language directly, without using the students’ native language to explain new vocabulary or grammatical rules in the target language The ALM drills students

oral-in the use of grammatical sentence patterns

The teachers use this method with the goals to want their students to be able to use the target language to communicate In order to do this, they believed students needed to learn the target language and use it automatically without stopping to think

The teacher is like a leader, directing and controlling the language behavior of her students She is also responsible for providing and giving her

students with a good model for imitation The students are imitators of the teacher’s model or the tapes she supplies of model speakers

This method has some advantages First, it is a teacher-dominated method Second, listening and speaking skills are emphasized and especially the former, rigorously developed Third, it is a mechanical method since it demands pattern practice, drilling and memorization Correct pronunciation and structure are emphasized and acquired However, this method also has its disadvantages which need improving First, the student is in a passive role; the student has little control over their learning Second, equal importance is not given to all four skills It does not pay sufficient attention to communicative competence Third, only language form is considered while meaning is neglected

2.1.4 Communicative Language Teaching

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is a method of language teaching that emphasizes and focuses on interaction and communication Learners study and practice the target language through the interaction and communication with one another and the instructor

According to Widdowson (1978) he shows that students may learn the rules of linguistic usage, but they can’t apply the language Therefore, CLT has developed as a method aiming at enabling students to communicate in the target language effectively It is clear that if the students do not understand the structures of that language, they are unable to join purposeful communication in

a language However, CLT concentrates on using language to get their communicative competence rather than learning more about grammar structures

Nunan (1991:279) points out five basic characteristics of CLT as follows: + An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language

+ The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation

+ The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only in the language, but also on the learning process itself

+ An enhancement of the learner’s own personal experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning

+ An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activation outside the classroom

The teacher facilitates communication in the classroom He or she takes responsibility for setting up to accelerate communication The teacher plays a role as an adviser, observing and monitoring students’ performance during the activities in the classroom Furthermore, communicative activities such as role plays, games, group work, interviews… are often used by students

This approach aims at helping students make ability of communication and develop procedures for teaching the four skills that gain communication The learners become active, confident and independent ones in the learning process

Classroom activities such as games, role plays, group work, interviews are the most effective and successful activities for students to develop and enhance communicative abilities in the target language Oral activities are very popular Activities vary based on the level of language class they are being used in They promote collaboration, fluency, and comfort in the target language

2.2 Project-Based Learning

English is one of the important languages nowadays However, teaching and learning English has some troubles of finding the effective and successful approaches to satisfy teaching and learning English

One of the most updated methods is PBL that seems to meet the needs of teaching and learning language It accelerates the eventual uses of the target language by emphasizing the real-life projects The project comes from the analysis of the learners’ needs and increases learners’ interest and motivation, (Brophy, 2004, as cited in Tsiplakides, 2009) Furthermore, its result comes from the learners’ experience during performing the projects

The task realizes that most of the students are more interesting and exciting to be taught English through the activities that they take part in PBL is

popular and suitable to our educational purposes among several versions of the Communicative Approaches

PBL refers to a method based on carrying on a project as the main unit of planning and instruction in teaching language Students are able to develop intrinsic motivation in a PBL and it helps teachers to see if students are developing the competence to communicate in teaching and learning language

It is said that PBL is the most suitable method to students in high schools than others because they hope that they can speak and solve the real situations in their life in English relating to their interests

PBL is an approach built upon learning activities that have brought challenges for students to solve These activities reflect the types of learning and work people do in the everyday world PBL is done by students working together toward a common goal

PBL teaches students not just content, but also important skills in ways students have to be able to function like adults in our society These skills include communication and presentation skills, organization and time management skills, research and inquiry skills, self-assessment and reflection skills, group participation and leadership skills, and critical thinking

PBL allows students to reflect upon their own ideas and opinions, and make decisions that affect project outcomes and the learning process in general The final product results in high-quality, authentic products and presentations

2.2.1 What is PBL?

PBL is a student-centered pedagogy that involves a dynamic classroom approach in which it is believed that students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems Students learn about a subject by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, challenge or problem It is a style of active learning and inquiry-based learning

The researchers have offered many definitions of project in the literature from different study perspectives The concept has related to real world

activities, concentrating on meanings and forms and finally has come to the comprehensive definition after 2000 In the following, the definitions are chosen

to show the changes in people’s conception about projects or project-based language teaching

Bruner (1973) points out that the basic ideas of PBL are based on various social-constructivist schools of thoughts and other modern instructional theories

In addition, PBL is considered as a set of pedagogies uses through social activities (Thomas, Mergendoller, and Michaelson (1999))

PBL is a comprehensive instructional method to join students in cooperative investigation and is one of the effective and common methods of instruction

Overall, PBL is defined as a process in which the students’ knowledge, understandings and competence have through learning activities in the classroom This process requires that the students have to involve in a high level with effective, practical and meaningful activities in their learning

2.2.2 Characteristics of PBL

A project-based lesson is based on PBL, a method where learners carry out projects such as solving a problem or planning an activity The characteristics of PBL that are emphasized by Tsiplakides (2009) as followed:

 PBL is potentially powerful and widely applicable

 PBL is suitable for learners of all ages and backgrounds

 PBL addresses the crucial problem-directly, by using active and real project as learning activities

 PBL is very effective when the learners are joined relatively similar out-of-class activities

 PBL can be useful and effective for learners who are not accustomed to more traditional type of classroom learning

2.2.3 Previous studies on the advantages and disadvantages of PBL

However, like any other types of approaches, PBL has its own advantages and disadvantages and Tsiplakides (2009) showed five major advantages and three main disadvantages as followed:

 Advantages

Supporting the environment of learning for the students to be able to communicate and experience themselves with their own cognitive process is the first good point in the PBL The second advantage of this method is “PBL provides opportunities for the nature integration of language skills” (Stoller, 2006), as cited in Tsiplakides (2009) The third one got in the project-based method has created “motivation, engagement and enjoyment” (Lee, 2002 as cited in Tsiplakides, 2009) because all of the students engage in the project that they find the realistic study and the interesting findings during they perform the project Another benefit is to help the students to develop their skills of solving problems and higher order thinking Finally, this method improves the skill of having presentation in front of many people Listening and Speaking are reinforced through the presentation included the Social Constructivism

Length of project is the period of time to do performance of the project, which usually takes much time to finish the project, makes some of the students not to feel more dynamic until the project ends

The new role of teacher in the PBL is considered as a monitor, instructor working as a person to help students to master knowledge and skill during carrying on the project

 Stage 2: Designing the project activities

In this stage each member of each group is assigned roles and decides the method to explore the project For instance, some students might visit some places to collect information and data, whereas the others can collect the document relating to the topic with their computers, laptops or tablets

 Stage 3: Conducting the project activities

The team members share, process and classify the information, data and document collected on stage 2 Then they synthesize and process the information collected Their projects are presented and displayed in the classroom by each group through presentation, performance, product, publication after they submit the proper agreement

 Stage 4: Evaluation

The first step consists of self-evaluation and peer evaluation The second is

an evaluation of the teachers who has a checklist and rubric to assess the student’s implementation In this stage, the students are allowed to apply and present what they have learned

2.2.5 Teachers’ role

To differently compare with the former method, in the classroom, the teacher’s role is not centered and dominant In fact, Papandreou (1994) mentioned that the teacher works as a facilitator, instructor and a monitor In implementing the project, learning environment, global project, flexible task and exchange activity must be designed by the teacher aiming at engaging students

in learning deeply

2.2.6 Students’ role

In this method, the students must try to do activities very hard to solve the real life problems based on their interest Instead of sitting in the classroom and listening to the teacher, the students break the class wall to explore the solution with the applied knowledge And then they negotiate project ideas and assessment criteria with teachers and community members

2.2.7 Benefits of PBL

There are many benefits which teachers and students can get Booth (2002) stated that students would feel more confident and independent after finishing the project During the procedure of implementing the project, the students have a chance to communicate with the community in English, and make any questions they would like to compile information Therefore, PBL

Fried-promotes social learning that can enhance collaborative skills Furthermore, students demonstrate increased self-esteem and positive attitudes toward learning (Stoller, 2006:27) Making progress in language skills is the other most important benefit The students have a chance to use English in the real context because the students are motivated to complete the authentic activities PBL helps them not only develop listening and speaking skills, but also improve the critical thinking and problem solving skills which are important in

or out of school

For teachers, they improved professionalism and collaboration among colleagues, and opportunities and build relationships between teachers and students Many teachers feel pleased, interested and confident to introduce a wider range of learning opportunities in the English classroom Teachers recognize that students who benefit and achieve the most effective and successful aims from project-based learning

2.2.8 Difficulties encountered

There are also some disadvantages existing when the project is in practice Firstly, the students have not been familiar with this approach so it leads to inequality of role Some students were hard working, while others were lazy Secondly, some students often use their mother tongue for communicative activities or discussion in the classroom which teacher cannot control Furthermore, it takes much time to finish the project, which makes some students gradually have loss of motivation and interest and feel bored and lazy Finally, students said that they have difficulties to manage the deadlines for submission of their work as they were overloaded during the semester and spend a lot of time and effort on their own projects

Also, teachers sometimes have difficulties choosing topics for the study matching the curriculum plans to the students’ needs What’s more, the same research found that limitation of time can also be a problem with in–deep exploration of projects often requiring more time than expected Teachers were concerned regarding the teacher’s role in establishing task requirements,

activities, creating rubrics, and assessing student’s projects Similarly, the study

of integrating PBL in social studies indicates that some teachers are not practiced in managing student groups’ goals and needs and engaging in individual learning activities, which can result in negative student behavior

well-2.3 Summary

In brief, this chapter summarizes the discussion of the main issues and aspects concerning the research First, the concepts and ideas relating to an overview of language teaching and learning are concerned Then this comes with an overview on the nature of PBL in which the definition, the importance

of PBL and problems with PBL activities are discussed Moreover, the chapter also presents teaching PBL definition, principles, goals and techniques; methods

of language teaching and project-based method

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research methods

To carry out the study, both quantitative and qualitative approaches were mainly used The data collected for the study come from two sources: the teachers and the students at high schools in Ninh Thuan province Babbie (1983:537) defined quantitative method as “the numerical representation and manipulation of observations for the purpose of describing and explaining the phenomena that those observations reflect” In this research, the quantitative approach is used to gather the data, basing on the investigation with 100 students and 10 teachers of English Two instruments, the questionnaires and interviews, are used so as to collect information from the participants Being different from quantitative method, qualitative method is the “the non-numerical examination and interpretation of observations for the purpose of discovering underlying meanings and patterns of relationships” (Babbie, 1983:537) The qualitative method was used to classify and analyze collected data

This study was conducted at high schools in Ninh Thuan province where the average level of English of students lies in the medium standard and the facility of both teaching and learning under a lot of difficulties That is an obstacle for the teachers and students to adapt this approach in teaching and learning a foreign language Students lack of necessary knowledge to implement their projects as well as the other things, such as time for studying, environment

of learning, the cost of living

This research was carried out with students at three high schools: Nguyen Trai, An Phuoc and Ninh Hai in Ninh Thuan province, where English is a compulsory subject The age of student subjects in these high schools is from 15

to 18 Their English level is medium They have been learning English for 7 years where their teachers have only taught written English Time for studying is about 6 months

Therefore, hardly did they have an opportunity to communicate in English As a result, they often feel afraid of making mistakes because of their lack of social understandings as well as their poor English knowledge Additionally, the students were not motivated to communicate with each other The students only concentrate on the grammar section Besides, all of the tests

or examinations are only written in English

The teachers at three high schools get used to applying traditional “PPP” method The students are assumed that they can hardly communicate and apply English effectively, the lessons are boring and students had no engagement in them Fortunately, most of them have a great desire to master knowledge of communicative competence and apply PBL in teaching and learning English

Table 3.1: Teacher informants’ background information

Ten teacher informants of this research were well-trained in universities in Vietnam such as Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, Vietnam National University, Hue College of Foreign Languages, Da Lat University and Ho Chi Minh City Open University

There are 7 females and 3 males accounting for 70% and 30% They are from 36 to 46 years of age There are 2 MA degrees and 8 BA degrees with the high enthusiasm for teaching There are 2 teachers (20%) about 5 to 10-year experience and 8 teachers (80%) over 10-year experience

3.3.2 The students

Table 3.2: Student informants’ background information

100 students in grades 10, 11 and 12 of three high schools in Ninh Thuan province were randomly selected As shown in Table 3.2, their age, mostly 15,

16 or more than 16 years old “Tieng Anh 10, 11, 12” are being used as their official English textbook at present The female is more than the male with 30% and 70% respectively The majority of students have been learning English more than 7 years, accounting for 87%, 7% students has been learned from 6 to 7 years, only 6 students have been learning English from 4 to 5 years They were

Appendix 2 including 11 questions was designed for 100 students of grade 10, 11 and 12 at high schools The questionnaire was distributed to the students in class and they did and completed them in 20 minutes The questionnaire emphasized students’ profile, students’ attitude towards PBL

The questionnaire was composed of a mix of questions, including Yes/No questions, multiple-choice questions… To avoid the misunderstanding and all questions in the questionnaire were explained shortly and clearly for teachers of English and students

3.4.2 Interview

Interviews were used and implemented to make the information more authentic together with the questionnaires All the interviews were conducted face-to-face and informally, and taken notes in order to create a relaxing interaction between the interviewer and interviewees and to elicit the information from the subjects All of the interviewees were given questions and they are asked to prepare in advance

 Teachers’ interview

Three teachers of English took part in the interview They spent 15 minutes talking about the research issues There were five questions planned for the interview The teacher subjects were asked to express their own opinions

about the English class as well as the change after applying the PBL approach in teaching English

 Students’ interview

Four students were randomly chosen to join the interview and they were asked to answer five questions They were asked to answer about their difficulties, they encountered in English class, the ways they carried out the PBL lesson The questions for the students support to know if the teachers apply PBL

or not and how they applied it

Three teachers of English and four students were invited to participate in the interview It was conducted outside class The questions were answered one

by one by the interviewee to ensure about the independence and ensure that they are not affected by others

3.6 Data analysis

The researcher employed two methods, qualitative and quantitative to analyse the data collected Then the data are grouped and analyzed in terms of statistical frequency based on percentage figures The findings are presented in tables, charts, circles, columns, cylinders

The data analysis mainly focuses on the reality of applying PBL in the classroom, perception, attitudes, benefits, difficulties and reflection of teachers and students

3.7 Research procedures

The research was carried out according to some steps First, I collected data through questionnaire and interview from teachers and students Second, I clarified the data into intended groups and did statistical calculation Third, I described the collected data presented in tables and figures Finally, I generalized and gave comments and evaluations

3.8 Reliability and validity

The reliability lay on the data obtained from the findings of the questionnaires and interviews which must be consistent The results gathered from the questionnaires are similar to the information gained from the interviews with the teacher and student subjects surveyed by the researcher

The validity was determined whether the research truly measured the aims intended to or how truthful the results were

3.9 Summary

In this chapter, research methods, context of the study, subjects taking part in the research, instruments of questionnaires and interviews, data collection and analysis, research procedures and reliability and validity are presented The analysis provided quantitative and qualitative data, which were used to explore, explain and interpret the applicability of the PBL approach to teach English classes at high schools in Ninh Thuan

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Overview

The results in this chapter were obtained by analyzing all data collected from the survey questionnaires and interviews conducted among 10 teachers of English and 100 students at high schools in Ninh Thuan province The results of the survey are shown in circles, tables, columns, charts, cylinders Based on the results of the survey, some main issues will be discussed to get the aims of the research as well as to answer two research questions given Thereby, the reality

of teaching and learning English, difficulties teachers face in teaching PBL at three high schools in Ninh Thuan will be evaluated in detail

4.2 Findings and discussion

4.2.1 Findings and discussion about the students’ attitude towards PBL 4.2.1.1 Discussion about the results from the students’ questionnaire

 Students’ attitude towards learning English

Question 1: How important is it to apply PBL in your English classes?

As seen from the figure 4.1, 12% of students are interested in learning English There is 75% of learners have a positive attitude towards learning English The amount of learners who are not attracted by English accounts for 8% and 5% of students does not like English at all Clearly, it can be seen that many of the students consider applying PBL in their English classes really important; meanwhile, just a few of them do not care about it That leads to the majority of the students’ positive attitude towards PBL in their learning English; thereby, the student taking part in the survey is willing to be applied PBL in English classroom to aim the objective of their lesson easily, effectively and successfully

Figure 4.1: Students’ attitude towards learning English

 Students’ attitude towards taking part in PBL activities

Question 2: How do you feel when you take part in PBL activities?

The success in second language learning relates to positive attitude and motivation In order to find out the students’ attitude and motivation, the researchers gave the questionnaires 2 in appendix 2 to get an opinion Figure 4.2 presents the brief description of findings investigated In reality, before applying PBL, most of the students were unaware of the importance of PBL and felt shy or bored After some months of being involved in PBL, the students’ attitude and skills have been improved In addition, the majority of them no longer saw PBL as a difficult English approach to learning

Figure 4.2: Students’ attitude towards taking part in PBL activities

The findings reflect that 18% of the informants confessed that they felt embarrassed when taking part in the PBL activities and 7% of them said they were uncomfortable, whereas 3% were bored of these activities Nevertheless, 58% of students show their interest and 14% confirmed that they were confident with these activities

As shown in Table 4.2, there are some difficulties emerging with the implementation of PBL The researcher found that some teachers still explained lessons to the students through observing the classroom Therefore, when moving from a traditional method to a communicative method, they certainly have some difficulties when students get used to the learning style of being controlled by the teachers, they seem passive to participate in PBL During the classroom observations, the researcher noticed that though the teachers made

an attempt to implement PBL in their English classroom, the students had limitations to use the target language in class

 Students’ interest in PBL lessons

Question 3: Are you interested in PBL lessons you have at your school?

When being asked whether they enjoyed PBL classes at their school, 46

% students expressed negative attitudes towards PBL classes Among which, 11% of the informants presented their complete approval of PBL classes, and 53% said that they enjoyed it Meanwhile, 23% said that they did not enjoy very much and 13% of them found no interest in their PBL classes That means the findings also convey their interest towards PBL through high percentage of agreement from the students Both teachers and students did not focus on applying PBL some years ago Instead, some other fields such as Grammar Translation Method, Communicative Language Learning were taken more care which was necessary for their oriented-examination goals But now things have changed Learners are aware of the need to gain this approach because they know that PBL, consisting of other kinds of knowledge will help them acquire communicative ability

Figure 4.3: Students’ interest in PBL lessons

 The factors motivating students in PBL classes

Question 4: If yes, the factor(s) make you like/dislike the lesson?

As long as students’ awareness in PBL classes is involved, most of students showed their positive response The factors that affect their positive attitude in PBL classes come from their intrinsic motivation

55 students (55%) believed that PBL lessons helped them develop their English skills 26 students (26%) thought that with PBL lessons they had an opportunity to communicate in English 17 students (17%) said that the activities require many new words and structures and only 2 students (2%) found that the teacher’s instructions are not clear enough In terms of students’ perspectives

on the classroom activities, students regarded that PBL activities came with clearer learning aims, supplied students a better understanding of lessons and motivated their learning effectively Many students admired the value of PBL, which help them enhance their confidence in communication Furthermore, these activities provide them with the communicate competence

in real life, which means that students have positive and confident attitudes towards PBL and show their interest to take part in these activities

Figure 4.4: Factors motivating students in PBL classes

 Students’ evaluation of PBL

Question 5: How difficult is the PBL lesson?

Figure 4.5: Students’ evaluation of PBL

As shown in figure 4.5, 74% thought that the PBL was difficult 15% of them considered the PBL very difficult 11% found that they could learn PBL because they feel easy and no students feel PBL very easy The findings showed that the traditional teaching method did not help students to improve their skills because a class did not give appropriate interaction for students

entirely different mental process which makes sure what the students want

to say about the language

 Students’ difficulties of PBL

Question 6: In PBL lessons, the difficulties you often have been:

According to the survey questionnaire as well as the reality in daily teaching, the author knew the reason why 89% of students evaluated PBL to be difficult 19% of students were afraid of learning English because they were shy, fearful of making mistakes, using wrong words, incorrect grammar or pronunciation which prevented them from PBL 28% felt shyness when they stood in front of the whole class 53% students said that they were not confident about the English knowledge and no students felt that their teacher did not encourage them to learn PBL The students surveyed in this research have mixed levels and most of them are in medium level Therefore, their language ability is medium to do all the tasks given by the teachers Furthermore, some of students do not have positive attitudes when taking part in the class Even, when participating in the tasks, their interactions were not effective Many students still felt shy or nervous in front of the class Other students said that they lack of time to present or to express their opinions

Figure 4.6: Students’ difficulties of PBL

 The tasks given by the teacher during PBL lessons

Question 7: What do you think about the tasks given by the teacher during PBL lessons?

Figure 4.7: The tasks given by the teacher during PBL lessons

More than a half of the students’ informants (76%) agreed that the tasks given by the teachers were suitable These tasks made them understand the lessons better and helped them have the interests of the class 17% indicated that they approved the tasks given by the teachers The learners having the positive attitudes with the tasks reached 93%, which means that the teachers have changed their method and this means that PBL is effective Furthermore, we find that the learners will take part in the class if there are proper activities Only 7% did not feel the changes from the tasks This can explain because the levels of students are different and in a large size class, the teacher will not able to service all students’ needs and no student objects that the tasks were not suitable at all

 Students’ favorite activities in PBL classes

Question 8: Which of the below activities do you like most?

Figure 4.8: Students’ favorite activities in PBL classes

According to the result, 10% of students had attracted when joining individually Pair work is favorite students’ activities, 22% liked working with their partners Yet, they hoped the teachers changed the partners to avoid the boredom 45% of the students were interested in working in group work Students felt easier when interacting and cooperating with others in group work They felt more confident and interested to present their opinions after working

in a group 19% of students had attracted when taking part in full-class activity, 2% liked choral responses, 1% of students enjoyed activity Teacher asks -> Students answer -> Teacher feedbacks and Teacher asks -> Students answer and

no one approved the way teachers talks, self-assessment and collaboration in PBL classes

 Students’ participation in tasks

Question 9: What do you do while doing the tasks?