HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES --------------- VO THI LE HANG TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN TEACHING SPEAKING SKILL AT SOME HIGH SCHOOLS IN QUANG BINH PROVINCE MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Hue University THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES --------------- VO THI LE HANG TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN TEACHING SPEAKING SKILL AT SOME HIGH SCHOOLS IN QUANG BINH PROVINCE MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 8140111 SUPERVISOR: DR. TRAN QUANG NGOC THUY THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ --------------- VÕ THỊ LỆ HẰNG NHẬN THỨC VÀ THỰC TẾ SỬ DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY THEO DỰ ÁN CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TRONG DẠY KỸ NĂNG NÓI TẠI MỘT SỐ TRƯỜNG THPT TRÊN ĐỊA BÀN TỈNH QUẢNG BÌNH LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 8140111 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: TS. TRẦN QUANG NGỌC THUÝ THỪA THIÊN HUẾ, 2023 STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree in any university. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, my thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself.
(Vo Thi Le Hang) Date: 22/ 12/ 2023 i ABSTRACT This research aimed to investigate teachers’ perceptions and practices of project-based learning (PBL) in teaching speaking skill at some high schools in Quang Binh province. The mixed methods research design was adopted with the population of twenty-five teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) from seven high schools in Quang Binh province. The data of the current study was collected by means of a questionnaire, interviews, and class observations. The results revealed that the majority of the teachers were fully aware of the necessity of PBL in teaching speaking skill.
Most of them perceived PBL as an instructional approach that contextualizes learning by presenting learners with problems to solve or products to develop. Besides, the benefits of PBL in teaching speaking skill, such as improving students’ speaking skill, creating meaningful contexts to practice speaking English, developing students’ affective factors, encouraging students to speak English through integrative skill practice and promoting learner autonomy and skills of the 21st century were also mentioned. Despite the perceived benefits, EFL teachers reported that they did not apply this method frequently in their actual practices and their favorable PBL activities in teaching speaking skill were students’ giving powerpoint presentations about a topic, designing a poster and presenting as well as role-playing. The participants also revealed their arrangement when implementing PBL.
In addition, the findings showed the teachers’ common steps of implementing PBL. However, the findings suggested that the reality of implementing PBL posed some obstacles, including teacher-related obstacles, student-related obstacles and external factors. The most frequently encountered difficulties were teachers’ lack of knowledge and experience of using PBL in teaching speaking skill, time pressure, and students’ low level of English proficiency. From the findings, implications and suggestions for effectively implementing PBL in teaching speaking skill were proposed.
ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Tran Quang Ngoc Thuy, who provided me with key considerations through my research. Without her patient guidance and valuable advice, this thesis would not have been possible. Secondly, I would also like to thank the teachers of Hung Vuong, Nguyen Trai, Le Quy Don, Vo Nguyen Giap, Quang Ninh, Phan Boi Chau, and Tran Phu high schools for providing me with the most favorable conditions to collect the data needed.
Thirdly, I wish to express my appreciation to all the lecturers of the MA course in theory and methodology of English language teaching at Hue University of Foreign Languages and International Studies for guidance and instruction during the course of my studies. Last but not least, my grateful thanks are extended to my family, my colleagues, and my friends for always being by my side, encouraging me, and being my inspiration and motivation. iii List of Tables Table 3.2: Participants’ description for class observations .3: Participants’ description for interviews .4: Summary of data collection methods .5: Items categorized in the questionnaire .6: Reliability statistics of piloting questionnaire .7: Reliability statistics of main questionnaire .1: Reliability statistics of cluster 1 .2: Teachers’ perceptions towards the necessity of PBL in teaching speaking skill .3: Teachers’ perceptions towards the definitions of PBL .4: Teachers’ perceptions of common PBL activities in teaching speaking skill .5: One-sample T test of teachers’ perceptions towards PBL activities in teaching speaking skill .6: Descriptive statistics of teachers’ perceptions of common PBL activities in teaching speaking skill .7: Descriptive statistics on EFL teachers’ perception towards the benefits of PBL in teaching speaking skill .8: Reliability statistics of cluster 2 .9: Teachers’ frequency of using PBL in teaching speaking skill .10: One-sample T test of teachers’ frequency of using PBL in teaching speaking skill .11: Time arrangement frequency .12: Work arrangement frequency .13: Descriptive statistics of reported common PBL activities used in teaching speaking skill .14: Descriptive statistics of reported steps of using PBL in teaching speaking skill .15: Descriptive statistics of teachers’ roles when using PBL in teaching speaking skill .16: Reliability statistics of cluster 3 .17: Descriptive statistics of teacher-related challenges when implementing PBL in teaching speaking skill .18: Descriptive statistics of student-related challenges when implementing PBL in teaching speaking skill .19: Descriptive statistics of external factors. 63 v List of Abbreviations PBL………………Project-Based Learning EFL………………English as a Foreign Language SPSS…………….Statistical Package for the Social Sciences vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Statement of original authorship.
iii List of tables. iv List of abbreviations. vi Table of contents. Rationale of the research.
Significance of the research. Organization of the research. Teaching speaking skill. Definitions of speaking.
The importance of English speaking skill. Factors affecting English speaking skill. Principles in teaching speaking skill. Teaching speaking in sociocultural theory.
Project-based learning (PBL). Definitions of PBL. Characteristics of PBL. Types of project work.
Implementing PBL in teaching speaking skill. Teachers’ roles in PBL. Benefits and challenges of using PBL in teaching speaking. Data collection methods.
Reliability and validity. Findings and Discussion. Teachers’ perceptions of using PBL in teaching speaking skill. Teachers’ perceptions towards the necessity of PBL in teaching speaking skill.
Teachers’ perceptions towards the definitions of PBL. Teachers’ perceptions of common PBL activities in teaching speaking skill. Teachers’ perceptions of the benefits of PBL in teaching speaking skill. Teachers’ practices of using PBL in teaching speaking skill.
Teachers’ frequency of using PBL in teaching speaking skill. Teachers’ arrangement of using PBL in teaching speaking skill. Reported common PBL activities used in teaching speaking skill. Reported steps of using PBL in teaching speaking skill.
Teachers’ roles when using PBL in teaching speaking skill. Challenges faced by teachers when using PBL in teaching speaking skill. Suggestions given by teachers to implement PBL in teaching speaking skill. Teachers’ perceptions of using PBL in teaching speaking skill.
Teachers’ practices of using PBL in teaching speaking skill. Challenges faced by teachers when using PBL in teaching speaking skill. Conclusion and Implications. Summary of the key findings.
Teachers’ perceptions of PBL in teaching speaking skill. Teachers’ practices of PBL in teaching speaking skill. Challenges faced by teachers when using PBL in teaching speaking skill. For educational administrators.
For EFL teachers. For teacher educators. Limitations of the study. Suggestions for further research.
88 x Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter gives a brief overview of the background of the study, including the rationale, the objectives, research questions, the scope and significance of the study. In the final section, the organization of the research is presented. Rationale of the research In today’s global world, English is spoken in many countries. Seidlhofer (2011) emphasizes that English is a unique language that has spread worldwide and describes the use of the English language “as a global means of intercommunity communication” (p.
Some researchers have previously asserted that English is the most common language used and taught in Vietnam due to transactional trade, tourism and globalization (Quoc et al. In the Vietnamese context, the Ministry of Education and Training promulgated the general education English language curriculum which was issued with the Circular No. 32/2018/TT-BGDDT dated 26 December 2018. In the general curriculum, English was introduced as a compulsory subject for students from grades 3 to 12.
As an instrumental subject in school, English not only allows students to develop their communicative competence but also contributes to the development of general competences (MOET, 2018). However, learning English is a complex process as it requires not only mastering grammar structures and vocabulary but also developing communication skills and an awareness of another culture. In Vietnam, as the country is in the process of deepening into international integration, the main aim of English language teaching is to develop learners’ ability to efficiently express what they mean in the target language and to use the language appropriately to a given social context. Therefore, teaching the four English language skills of reading, speaking, listening, and writing is of vital importance to help students acquire communicative competence.
Among these skills, speaking is considered as a challenging skill for teachers and students to acquire expected results in the process of teaching and learning. 1 Speaking is considered as the active use of language to convey meaning so that other people can make sense of them (Cameron, 2001). As a result, English speaking proficiency has become a top priority for many L2 learners in various contexts (Burns, 2017). In the context of Vietnam, speaking skill plays an important role in English language teaching as the country is in the process of international economic integration.
A high proficiency of spoken English, therefore, becomes not only an academic goal but also one of the crucial keys to access advanced science and technology. Nevertheless, numerous foreign language students still have difficulties in speaking in English (Sundkvist & Nguyen, 2020). One of the sources of difficulties that students have when speaking in English is lack of vocabulary (Trinh & Pham, 2021). Other sources of difficulties can be in terms of grammar, background knowledge, developing critical thinking or the lack of confidence and the anxiety which are usually raised because of several factors, such as nothing to say, inhibition, low or uneven participation and the use of mother tongue (Ur, 2000).
In Vietnam, there has been a shift in language teaching practices towards a communicative language teaching approach over the past few decades. However, the fact that students are not able to logically express their views in English due to the limitations in curriculum design, cultural backgrounds, and teaching and learning processes is widely noticed. Considering students’ problems, a great deal of interest in the use of project-based learning (PBL) has been increased in Vietnam teaching context (Nguyen, 2011; Pham, 2018; Tran & Tran, 2020) as PBL is a learner-centered learning approach in which students work collaboratively in groups that involve interaction and cooperation among them. The aim of PBL is to promote students’ lifelong learning by cultivating a passion for learning and equipping students with the skills and mindset needed for lifelong curiosity beyond the classroom.
As a result, students’ motivation and enthusiasm, their problem-solving skill, 2 negotiation skill, research skills, sense of collaborations, and language awareness are becoming increasingly evident (Nguyen, 2011).