VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES wlles PROMOTING LEARNER AUTONOMY BY USING PROJECT- BASED LEARNING: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT A LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HAI PHONG (Thúc đây tinh tw chủ của người hoc thông qua hoc theo dự án: Một nghiên cứu hành động tại một trường trung học cơ sở ở Hải Phòng) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code :8140231.01 Hanoi — 2024 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES wlles PROMOTING LEARNER AUTONOMY BY USING PROJECT- BASED LEARNING: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT A LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HAI PHONG (Thúc day tinh tw chủ của người học thông qua hoc theo dự án: Một nghiên cứu hành động tại một trường trung học cơ sở ở Hải Phòng) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231. Hoang Văn Van Hanoi — 2024 DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that the minor thesis entitled “Promoting learner autonomy by using project-based learning: An action research project at a lower secondary school in Hai Phong” is the result of my own work and has not been submitted in any form for another degree or diploma at any universities or other institutions.
I am fully aware that should this declaration be found to be dishonest, disciplinary action and penalties in accordance with University policies and rules can be imposed. Ha Noi, 2024 Student Lê Thị Bách Approved by SUPERVISOR Prof. Hoàng Văn Vân Date:. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge my truthful gratitude to my supervisor, Prof.
Hoang Van Van for his thorough reading, critical comments, invaluable guidance and precious corrections of the thesis. It was his acute guidance that has supported me to find the right way to complete this study. I also would like to express my gratitude to my students and my colleagues at the school for being willing to respond to my questions. I appreciate the assistance and cooperation of the students in classes from the seventh grade at the chosen school.
My special words of thanks go to my family, especially my husband who has given me constant encouragement and support throughout my research work. Ha Noi, 2024 il ABSTRACT Learning activities in the Vietnamese setting are frequently teacher-centered, and teachers continue to play a significant part in the learning process. One method that is thought to foster learner autonomy is project-based learning (PBL). The researcher conducted this action research project on learner autonomy through PBL to investigate how the levels of learner autonomy are affected and the attitudes of learners towards this method.
The use of learner autonomy in English language classes has been widely recognized as encouraging student motivation and bringing about notable increases in students’ achievement. In the context of a lower secondary school, in suburb Hai Phong city, the levels of learner autonomy are not quite high, therefore, the author conducted this research to promote learner autonomy. The research employed the action research method with forty-one lower secondary school students in Hai Phong. Data were collected through teacher’s diaries, questionnaires, and interviews.
The results showed that the students had the better result thanks to the PBL implementation, their English learning capacity increased significantly with their better scores (listening, speaking, reading and writing). Because of the improvement in the scores, they were getting more motivated on English learning and expected to have more PBL implementation on English classroom. Basing on the findings, some pedagogical implications are suggested. This study is expected to be significant to both teachers and students in teaching and learning English, and for other researchers in conducting further studies to explore the effectiveness of PBL in different contexts and investigate the long-term effect of PBL on learner autonomy in learning English process.
ill TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP .- -- TH He 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. LH ng ng HH ng Hệ il ABSTRACT. 11 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES.- ng key Vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION|. Aims and objectives of the StUYy.-- - c1 1H SH HH ng ng 2 1.
Scope of the in. Method of the study 0. Significance of the research. eee 61x 3 9 9 1T TH TH HH nh nh nh nh 3 1.
Organization Of the SfUY.-- G1 TH HH 3 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEẨW. nen HH HH Hiệp 5 2. Learner autOnOMy DỤ. Defimitions nh ae.
Characteristics Of aUfOTOIV.- SG HH HH ng 6 2. Project-based Ïearn1nE.- - c1 119119111 TH HH kg 7 2. Definitions of project-based ÏearnIng. Benefits of project-based learning in teaching English as a foreign language.
Steps of implementing project-based Ïlearning.- - --‹- ss++ssx++sex+seeess 11 2. The relationship between project-based learning and learner autonomy. Review of the previous Studies. HH HH HH Hệ, 19 3.
Restate the research in Ồ.-- óc 1 HH Họ re 19 3. Definition of an action r€S€ATCÌ. Action research ImOđe€Ì.- óc 1n HH TH HH 22 3. Context Of the SEUY.
Data collection too]. G3 HH HH TH Hiện 27 EMII. Data Collection Process. Data analysis methods 8n.
Quantitative data oo. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Data analysis of teacher’s diaries.-- --- 5 + 2s 1v ng HH ng ng gưkp 34 4. The increase in learners’ ability of making dec1SIONS.
The increase in learners’ ability of choosing materials/ techniques. The increase in learner’s ability of self-assessment and peer-self. Data analysis Of QUeStiONNAILe .- G5 + 1E ng ng tr 36 4. Learners’ ability to make Aecisions.
Learners’ ability to set the ØOaÌ .-- --- 5+ s1 HH HH ng gưkp 37 4. Learners’ ability to choose materials/ techniques. Learners’ ability to give selÍ-/D€€T-ASS€SS. Learners’ attitude towards the application of project-based learning.
Data analysis Of 1nf€TVI€W. HH TH HH net 41 4. The learners’ attitudes towards the implementation of PBL. The effects of PBL on students’ learning autonomy.
The effectiveness of applying project-based based learning on learner autonomy of 7” grade students at a lower secondary school in Hai Phong. The attitudes of 7” grade students at a lower secondary school in Hai Phong towards PBL in English lessons classrOOM.::ccssccssseeeseeceseeeeeeeseeeeneeeeneeesaeeeeees 44 Chapter SUMIMALY. ĐH HH HH ng ệt 46 5.-- «1xx vn ngưng g g gưệp 47 5. Changing roles of teachers and students in English classroom.
Some strategies to promote learner autonomy through the use of PBL. Limitations of the Study. 5 111211911 9111191119 1 1H ng HH rry 49 5. Suggestions for further SEUY.- cá s+xsxt TH TH HH ng ng tưệp 49 REEERENCES.
HH HH HH HH TT HH HH Hà ng gà 50 APPENDICES 0n. I APPENDIX 1: CONTENTS OF FOUR PROJECTS. ---Scc+ssre I APPENDIX 2: PROJECT TEAM WORK PLAN TEMPLATE. V APPENDIX 3: SELF AND PEER ASSESSMENT RUBRIC.
VI APPENDIX 4: TEACHER’S DIARIES 200. ccccecccecceseceseceseeeeeeneeeaeseeeeneeeaes VII APPENDIX 5: QUESTTIONNAIIRE. HH HH HH HH re XI APPENDIX 6: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS. XVII APPENDIX 7: INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT.
eeeeeeeereereeteeteeeenees XIX APPENDIX 8: CONSENT FORM (FOR PRINCIPAL). -- XXV APPENDIX 9: CONSENT FORM (FOR STUDENTS).-- XXVI vi LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 3.1: 12 units in English 7 textbook (Global success Se€r1€$).1: Learners’ ability to make decisions .-- 5S 3S xss+seresrssss 36 Table 4.2: Learners’ ability to set the ØOaÌL.- --- 5 5 1kg ng rưệt 37 Table 4.3: Learners’ ability to choose materials/ techniques.4: Learners’ ability to give self-/peer-assessMent .5: Learners’ attitude towards the application of PBÌL.1: Burns’ four-stage action research cycle (2010:7).---««--<-<c++ 21 vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter presents the overview of the study including rationale, research aims and objectives, research questions, scope, significance, methods, and organization of the thesis. Rationale of the problem In the recent years, there are numerous oversea studies of PBL and researchers have tried to find out how to improve learner autonomy. In a research paper by Yuyun Yuliani & Nenden Sri Lengkanawati published in 2017 in the Indonesian journal of applied linguistics with the title “Project-based learning in promoting learner autonomy in an EFL classroom’, the authors confirmed the purpose of research conducted to change the traditional teaching perspective with cutting-edge educational methods such as project-based learning that promotes autonomy.
In the Vietnamese context, after more than 30 years of reform since 1986, Vietnam has made new strides in education. In particular, in 2018, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Circular No. 32/2018/TT-BGDDT dated December 26, 2018 on the overall general education training program. The program has raised clear orientations on teaching, developing learners’ competencies as well as taking learners as the focus of teaching.
For foreign language teaching, learner autonomy plays a particularly important role in learning a foreign language. Since learner autonomy is the key to lifelong learning, it is responsibility of language teachers to be aware of the factors that support it. In fact, a number of studies have been conducted on Project-based learning. In Hoang’s research (2012), she shares a useful experience when working on a project in her teaching.
Pham (2014) shows that students have positive attitudes towards PBL and it has a positive impact on students' speaking ability. According to Nguyen (2017) and Truong (2017), the project has a great influence on enhancing learners’ initiative in language teaching and learning. In the researcher’s school, students live in the countryside, they have fewer chances to approach learning a foreign language as students in the city, however, working as an English teacher with the hope of improving learner autonomy in learning to help them improve their abilities of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity, the researcher chooses to study on this topic “Promoting learner autonomy by using project-based learning: An action research project at a lower secondary school in Hai Phong”. Hopefully, the researcher will find out that applying the PBL method in teaching English will help to improve students’ learning capability actively and positively.
Aims and objectives of the study By conducting this study, the researcher aims at investigating to what extent project-based learning (PBL) affects levels of learner autonomy. This overall aim was specified into the following objectives: e To find out the effects of PBL on the students’ autonomy. e To find out the learners’ attitudes towards the application of PBL. Research questions To achieve the aim and objectives established above, the process of researching is guided by the following main research questions: e To what extent does project-based learning affect the levels of learner autonomy? e What are the attitudes of students at a Hai Phong lower secondary school towards the application of project-based learning to promote autonomy? 1.
Scope of the study This study was carried out in a non-English majored class 7 at a lower secondary school in Hai Phong during eleven weeks. The participants of the study included forty-one students in that class. The study is conducted to investigate what extent PBL affects the levels of learner autonomy and their attitude towards the application of PBL. In detail, learner autonomy is responsible for their own study; nevertheless, the scope of this study focuses on the abilities of learners to select project topics, set goals, choose appropriate materials and techniques, and assess both peers and themselves.
Therefore, this does not cover other aspects of learner autonomy. Method of the study The design of this study is embedded mixed-method which focuses on collecting, analyzing quantitative and qualitative data. These data were collected during single study and they were purposed to answer two different research questions. The qualitative data collected before, during, and after the intervention, were used to identify how PBL affects learner autonomy.
Questionnaires were used to collected quantitative data while teacher’s diaries and interview were used to collect the qualitative data. Significance of the research The research pays its contributions to both theoretical and practical aspects. In terms of theory, the research adds to the growing demand for strategies for learning through PBL and provides useful and practical information about levels of learner autonomy.