MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY VO THI THU HIEN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IMPACTS OF PBL ON PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS PBL Field : Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching Code : 8242170011 Supervisor: NGUYEN TIEN PHUNG, Ph.D ii BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN VÕ THỊ THU HIỀN KHẢO SÁT TÁC ĐỘNG CỦA VIỆC SỬ DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP HỌC THEO DỰ ÁN TRONG PHÁT TRIỂN KỸ NĂNG NÓI CỦA HỌC SINH TIỂU HỌC VÀ NHẬN THỨC – THÁI ĐỘ CỦA HỌC SINH Ngành : Lý Luận và Phương Pháp dạy học bộ môn Tiếng Anh Mã số : 8242170011 Người hướng dẫn: Tiến sĩ Nguyễn Tiến Phùng i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I certify that this thesis titled “An investigation into the impacts of PBL on primary school students’ speaking skill and their perceptions and attitudes towards PBL” is my work. Except where reference is made in the text of this thesis, this paper does not contain any materials published elsewhere or extracted on whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma. No other author’s work has been used without acknowledgement in the main text of this thesis. The thesis has not been submitted for any degree in any other tertiary institution.
Quy Nhon, October 2023 VO THI THU HIEN ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my appreciation and deepest thanks to all who have supported, motivated and stood by me during the long time I conducted this thesis. Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Nguyen Tien Phung, who are always kind and devoted to me. He gave me great encouragement and inspiration when I had troubles in my life, as well as when I got stuck in finding solutions for my thesis.
Undoubtedly, without his valuable supports, this thesis is far from being successfully completed. Words are not enough to express my gratitude towards his kindness, encouragement and support to me. Next, I would like to send my deepest thanks to all the lectures at the Department of Education and Department of Foreign Languages, who are always devoted and enthusiastic in transmitting knowledge to students. This knowledge equips me with intensive knowledge in scientific area and necessary skills to carry out this thesis.
Then, my particular gratitude is sent to the center, the students and the colleague teachers at AAC English center, who always create most favorable conditions for me to complete this thesis successfully, and always eager to participate in the implementation of PBL. Last but not least, my words of appreciation are sent to my family for endless love, care, and support so that I could get my thesis done. iii ABSTRACT While project-based learning (PBL) has proven to significantly impact students’ skill development, especially in speaking skill, many Vietnamese students appear to have limited awareness of this approach. Consequently, this study was conducted on 60 primary school students at American Australian Center (AAC) to investigate the impacts of PBL on the development of students’ speaking skill and understand their perceptions and attitudes towards the use of PBL.
The study employed pre-test and post-test, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews with 10 students and 2 instructors to collect data before conducting thematic analysis. The findings of the study showed that the students’ speaking skill improved after the projects. Notable enhancements were observed in various aspects, including speech length and vocabulary, as well as improved pronunciation and intonation, leading to increased accuracy and fluency. Additionally, the students displayed remarkable progress in their stage performances, mastering the use of body language and effectively delivering their messages.
Meanwhile, throughout the project experiences, students encountered both positive and negative aspects. They expressed feelings of confidence and enthusiasm for project-based learning. However, they also confronted challenges such as time pressure, competitiveness, and personal obstacles. Encouragingly, they effectively transformed these challenges into opportunities for further skill development.
In conclusion, PBL is a fruitful method that provides students with numerous advantages to develop their speaking skill and enhance their enjoyment in learning English. iv TABLE OF CONTENT STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY. iii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. Research aim and objectives.
Scope of the study. Significance of the study. Organization of the study. 4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.
Speaking skill teaching. Project-based learning (PBL). Key features of PBL. The application of PBL in teaching speaking.
Students’ perceptions and attitudes. Data collection procedure. Methods of data collection. Pre-test and post-test (Speaking test).
Semi-structured interview. 28 v CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. The impacts of using PBL on teaching speaking skill to primary school students (Research Question 1). Students’ speaking performance within two groups before and after the intervention.
Students’ speaking performance between two groups before and after the intervention. Students’ attitudes toward teachers’ use of PBL in their speaking lessons (Research Question 2). Contributions and Implications of the study. Recommendations for future research.
49 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL: English as a Foreign Language ESL: English as a Second Language OUP: Oxford University Press PBL: Project-based Learning 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale English is known as a global language, so its role has become more important than ever. It is a crucial tool for the integration process and considered as a “visa” for Vietnamese people to integrate into the world (Le, 2015). Therefore, to acquire and become influent in English is a must for Vietnamese people.
The way English is taught has evolved over time, and several initiatives have been made to assist Vietnamese students in improving their English language proficiency. These initiatives are made to assist Vietnamese speakers in improving their foreign language skills. The location, the learning processes, the teaching methods, and the learning objectives all influence the most effective teaching strategy (Brown, 2000). It is also necessary to apply the appropriate curricula and teaching strategies to enhance the educational processes.
The nation's English language instructors have so received significant training to raise their standards. It also encouraged educators to actively update their curricula, modernize their teaching techniques, and incorporate technology into their lessons. Only educator training, however, is insufficient to improve learners' competency since it “does not only serve to reinforce the material of the teacher-training curriculum, but also to model a strategy that teachers in training may later utilize with language learners” (Stoller, 2006, p. Therefore, to improve students' language and speaking abilities, an efficient and effective teaching style should be used.
Project-based learning is one kind of foreign language instruction that is thought to help students improve their language abilities and speaking abilities (Hsieh, 2012). The method emphasizes constructivism, in which students gain new information and abilities through working on projects, and it is student-centered. It encourages students to participate actively in their studies because they are crucial to the learning process. In other words, through the activities involved in carrying out projects, PBL provides students with an opportunity to further their general English 2 language skills and their speaking ability in particular (Simpson, 2011).
But there are still some obstacles to PBL implementation in Vietnam. First, a lot of students still employ the exam-based teaching method. At the end of each course, standardized tests are frequently utilized to assess students' achievement rather than their progress. Additionally, the majority of teachers lack enough training in project-based learning techniques for classroom instruction.
Many of them are reluctant to incorporate new techniques into their classrooms in part because “less teacher talk implies more teacher time” (Cornell & Clarke, 1999, p. The students appear to lack the necessary experience to be prepared for the project-based learning in the classroom. Moreover, there is still disagreement regarding this strategy between teachers and students (Beckett, 2002). Even though “most project-work proponents say that the advantages outweigh the downsides,” some of them nevertheless demonstrate their discontent with PBL (Alan & Stoller, 2005).
It appears that utilizing English to communicate successfully orally has been a challenge for Vietnamese educators and students for many decades. Many students still struggle to speak English fluently, despite receiving high marks on written English proficiency tests. The primary reason is a lack of understanding of the significance of the English language (Tran & Baldauf, 2007). Therefore, it is urgent to train the prospective teachers with approaches which inspire learner to talk and raise their awareness about the importance of using English.
For these reasons, this study, entitled “An investigation into the impacts of PBL on primary school students’ speaking skill and their perceptions and attitudes towards PBL”, is conducted and aims to identify the effect of PBL and students' attitudes toward its use to understand its effectiveness and students' attitudes toward its use in classes to enhance students' speaking levels. Research aim and objectives 1. Research aim This study is carried out in order to measure the effects of using PBL on teaching speaking skill to primary school students. Research objectives The study is conducted to 1) examine the effects of using PBL on teaching speaking skill to primary students, and 2) To gain insights into students’ perceptions and attitudes towards the teachers’ use of PBL.
Research questions To achieve its aims and objectives, the study seeks to answer the following research questions: 1. To what extent does PBL affect the teaching speaking skill to primary school students? 2. What are students’ perceptions and attitudes to teachers’ use of PBL in their speaking lessons? 1. Scope of the study While the PBL has been well documented, its effects on the improvement of students’ speaking level were poorly understood.
The aim of this study is to report on the practical use and the advantages of using PBL in classes. The scope of the study is limited to 4 classes and 60 students in the age of 9 to 10 who are in their grade 3 at AAC English Center. The intervention lasted for 2 months and the participants were asked to conduct a pre-test and a post-test, a semi- structured interview as well as be observed in order to measure and evaluate the improvement in students’ speaking skill and their attitudes towards this use. Significance of the study While a lot of research has been done on the PBL use, there are not many studies that have been conducted in Vietnam, especially in the setting of primary schools.
The study’s findings will provide vital information that clarify the procedure to implement projects into class, as well as advancing the understanding of PBL. It can be a source of reference for teachers to design effective and suitable projects for classes. On the other hand, students can anticipate the advantages and disadvantages before entering the courses with PBL in order that they can maximize the advantages 4 of learning with PBL, benefit more from this approach and overcome its challenges as well. Organization of the study This research is divided into five chapters: Chapter 1: Introduction.
It consists of the background of the research, research aims and objectives of the research, and the organization of the paper. Chapter 2: Literature Review. In this chapter, the writer discusses the theoretical framework and previous studies. Chapter 3: Research Methodology.
It explains research design, research method, population and sample, instruments, and data collection and data analysis. Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion. In this chapter, the writer reveals the results and discussion of the research. Chapter 5: Conclusion and Suggestion.
The last chapter contains the conclusion of the research and suggestions. 5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2. Speaking skill In the modern, globalized world, effective communication is essential for success in all endeavors. The use of language in communication is common.
The most crucial skill in learning a second or foreign language is speaking. Speaking is considered to be the most crucial of the four essential language abilities for learning a foreign or second language.