VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* HOÀNG THỊ HÀ XUYÊN HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN THE NEW ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS (Nhận thức của giáo viên trung học phổ thông về việc sử dụng phương pháp học dự án trong sách giáo khoa tiếng Anh thí điểm) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI – 2017 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********************** HOÀNG THỊ HÀ XUYÊN HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN THE NEW ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS (Nhận thức của giáo viên trung học phổ thông về việc sử dụng phương pháp học dự án trong sách giáo khoa tiếng Anh thí điểm) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr.Vũ Thị Thanh Nhã HANOI - 2017 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com DECLARATION I hereby certify the thesis entitled “High school teachers‟ perceptions of project-based learning in the new English textbooks” 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. Hanoi, 2017 Hoàng Thị Hà Xuyên I TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This thesis would not be completed without the help of a number of people.
From my deep heart, I would like to express my thanks to all of them. First of all, I would like to express my deep sense of gratitude to my beloved supervisor, Dr. Vu Thi Thanh Nha, for her enthusiastic and careful guidance as well as her encouragements she gave me while I was doing this study. Second of all, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to my respectful lectures in Faculty of Post-Graduated Department at University of Languages and International Studies for their devotion and their useful lectures.
Last but not least, I would like to give my great thanks to my friends and all teachers for their willingness to take part in my research. II TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com ABSTRACT This study explored high school teachers‘ perceptions of project-based learning in the new English textbooks. The specific areas of investigations were teachers‘ perceptions about (1) PBL‘s definitions, PBL‘s benefits for students in language learning in terms of motivation, improvements in language skills, learning autonomy, teamwork skills and teachers‘ roles in PBL, (2) their challenges in implementing PBL. The findings from questionnaires and interviews reveal that teachers had a clear understanding of PBL was and a positive attitude to the benefits of PBL for students in language learning.
Also, the results of the study show that teachers encountered with three main challenges when implementing PBL : students‘ ability, time for preparation and schools‘ facilities. Basing on these findings, suggestions are made to enhance the success of PBL in teaching and learning English language. III TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration. III Table of contents.
IV List of abbriviations. VI List of figures and tables .VII PART A INTRODUCTION .Rationale for the study .Aims of the study .Scope of the study .Method of the study. Design of the study .9 PART B CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW .Definition of teacher cognition .The importance of teacher cognition .The relationships between teacher beliefs and classroom practice.Project-based learning .Definitions of project-based learning. Characteristics of project-based learning.Benefits of project-based learning .Challenges of project-based learning.
Teachers’ roles in project-based learning .The previous studies of project-based learning in English language teaching 19 1. An overview of the new English textbooks .21 CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY. 29 IV TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.Context of the study. Data collection instruments .Data collection procedure .32 CHAPTER III: FINDINGS.The findings from questionnaires .Teachers’ background information.
Teachers’ perceptions of PBL and their challenges in implementing PBL. The findings from interviews.Teachers’ perception of project-based learning in the new English textbooks .Summary of the key findings. Limitations of the study. Suggestions for further study.
XI V TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com LIST OF ABBRIVIATIONS ELT: English Language Teaching MOET: The Ministry of Education and Training PBL: Project-based learning SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences VI TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1: Teachers‘ teaching experience. 34 Figure 2: Teachers‘ time of knowing project-based learning. 35 Table 1: The performance objectives of the new textbooks. 23 Table 2: Topics in English 10, English 11 and English 12.
28 Table 3: Teachers‘ definition of PBL. 37 Table 4: The benefits of PBL for students‘ motivation in English learning. 38 Table 5: The benefits of PBL for students‘ improvements in language skills. 39 Table 6: The benefits of PBL for students‘ learning autonomy.
40 Table 7: The benefits of PBL for students group work. 40 Table 8: Teachers‘ roles in implementing PBL. 41 Table 9: Teachers‘ challenges in implementing PBL. 42 VII TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com PART A INTRODUCTION 1.
Rationale for the study Recently, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has paid more attention to teaching and learning foreign languages. In secondary education, Decision No 5209/QD –BGDĐT was released on the 23rd of November, 2012 on the Approval of Chương trình giáo dục phổ thông môn tiếng Anh thí điểm cấp trung học phổ thông (Pilot English Curriculum for Vietnamese Upper Secondary Schools). Therefore, the new English textbooks namely Tiếng Anh 10, Tiếng Anh 11 and Tiếng Anh 12 are designed and promulgated by MOET. The goals of the new textbooks are to help students develop their language ability and the communicative competence through four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing).
The contents and structures of the new textbooks are different from the old ones focusing on task-based approach. ―Looking back and Project‖ is one section at the end of each learning unit, which is new to both teachers and students. A project lesson focuses on a group activity, which requires students to closely cooperate with their friends in their own group to make a final product relating to the topic of each learning unit. The results of project are presented in many different forms such as an article, a presentation or a PowerPoint.
The teacher acts as a guide for students, not a one-way knowledge transfer as before. Therefore, in order to see whether applying project is effective in the classroom or not, it is necessary to explore teachers‘ perceptions of project-based learning because their beliefs may have an influence on their classroom practice in the future. Here, teachers‘ perceptions include their attitude, knowledge, evaluation and thinking of project-based learning (Borg 2006). In fact, many studies about project-based learning have been conducted; however, studies on teachers‘ perceptions of project-based learning in second language teaching are very limited.
That is motivation for the researcher to investigate high school teachers‘ perceptions of project-based learning in terms of its definition, benefits, teachers‘ roles and their challenges in implementing. 8 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.Aims of the study This study aims at investigating high school teachers‘ perceptions of using project-based learning in the new English textbooks. The findings of the study will give suggestions for teachers‘ choice of teaching approaches used in their own classrooms. Thus, it enhances English language teaching and learning and teachers‘ challenges will be addressed.Research questions In order to achieve these aims, two research questions are: 1.
What are high school teachers‘ perceptions of project-based learning in the new English textbooks? 2. What are teachers‘ challenges in implementing project-based learning? 4.Scope of the study Project-based learning in the field of second language teaching is a large topic. However, this is just a minor thesis so the topic is narrowed in order to facilitate the research. Also, the researcher is concerned with teachers‘ perceptions towards the benefits of project-based learning, their roles in the classroom as well as their challenges they face with during the implementation.
The participants of study include 30 teachers from nine high schools. Thus, the results of study might not be generalized to all teachers who are piloting the new English textbooks in Vietnam. Method of the study The study was conducted in the form of mixed research method. In order to accomplish the study, questionnaires and interviews were employed to collect data on teachers‘ perceptions of PBL associated to the benefits and the challenges of PBL in the new textbooks.
Design of the study The study is divided into three main parts as follow: Part A: Introduction covers the rationale for study, aims, research questions, the scope, and the design of the study. 9 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com Part B: Development is organized around three chapters as follows: Chapter I- Literature review synthesizes the theoretical framework of the study related to teachers‘ general perceptions, project-based learning and an overview of the new English textbooks. Chapter II - Methodology, presents the context, the methodology used in this study including the subject, the data collection instruments, data collection procedure, and data analysis Chapter III – Findings consists of a comprehensive analysis of the data Part C: Conclusion, offers a summary of the findings, recommendations, limitations, and future directions for further study. 10 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com PART B CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter reviews the theoretical issues related to the topic of the study.
This part will discuss about teachers‘ perceptions, project-based learning in terms of its definitions, features, benefits, teachers‘ roles and challenges in implementing PBL and an overview of the new upper-secondary English textbooks. Teacher perception/cognition This section reviews the relevant literature in the area of teacher perception for the present study. Drawing on the existing literature, an operational definition of teachers‘ cognitions offered, providing the author with the clear understanding of teacher cognition, which is the foundation of the study. This is followed by an analysis of the importance of teacher cognitions in research.
Definition of teacher perception Teacher knowledge, teacher belief or teacher perception/ cognition are not easy to define, operationalize and study. There have recently been various conceptualizations defining different sub-areas under the term ‗teacher cognition‘. Borg (2003:81) states that teacher cognition is ―the unobservable cognitive dimension of teaching – what teachers know, believe, and think.‖ This definition with respect to language teacher cognition, according to Borg (2006), comprises beliefs, knowledge, theories, attitudes, assumptions, conceptions, principals, thinking, and decision-making, about teaching, teachers, learners, learning, subject matter, curricula, materials, activities, self, colleagues, assessments, and context. Such definition unavoidably conveys that ―language teachers have cognitions about all aspects of their work and that this can be described using various psychological constructs which I collectively refer to as teacher cognition‖ (Borg 2006: 283).
It is noted that these definitions of teacher cognition orient the researcher toward data collection, analysis and interpretation 11 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com during the process of study. Next, the importance of teacher cognition in research will be discussed to explain why this paper want to explore it. The importance of teacher perception There are a number of reasons for teacher beliefs to be of considerable importance in research. First, it is likely that teacher cognition exerts a powerful long-term influence on teachers‘ instructional practices (Borg 2011; Burn 1992; Freeman 1992; Johnson 1992, 1994; Kagan 1992; Pajares 1992; Richards 1998, cited in Phipps, 2009, p.
Beliefs greatly influence teachers‘ planning and instructional decisions. Second, these beliefs seem to be very deep-rooted and may continue to influence teachers throughout their occupational lives (Borg, 2003). Third, beliefs are resistant to change and filter what teachers learn from teacher education. Like other learners, teachers tend to ―interpret new content through their existing understanding and modify and interpret new ideas on the basis of what they already know or believe‖ (Kennedy 1991:2).