VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
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LÊ THỊ THANH HƢƠNG TOWARDS THE EXPLOITATION OF PROJECT – BASED
LEARNING FOR GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE THE
ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILL OF THE THIRD – YEAR ENGLISH
MAJORED STUDENTS AT HONG DUC UNIVERSITY

Nghiên cứu việc khai thác phƣơng pháp học theo dự án thông qua các
hoạt động nhóm nhằm nâng cao kỹ năng nói tiếng Anh cho sinh viên năm
thứ ba chuyên ngành tiếng Anh tại trƣờng Đại học Hồng Đức M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 60140111 Hanoi, 2014

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DECLARATION

This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Education. I certify that the thesis is the report of my own research, and
that it has not been submitted for any other university or institution. Thanh Hoa, September, 2014
Signature

Lê Thị Thanh Hương

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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ABSTRACT

Focusing on learning and teaching English speaking skill at the Foreign
Language Department, Hong Duc University, this action research is aimed at
working out an effective supplementary learning activity to improve students’
speaking competence. After carrying out preliminary investigation and literature
review, it is found out that project based learning is one of the effective methods
used largely by teachers to teach speaking skill in English language learning. In an
attempt to examine the best way to apply PBL to teach speaking skill to the second
year English majored students at Hong Duc University, the study focuses on issues
(1) Students’ difficulties in learning speaking English (2) Factors motivating
students in speaking lesson-using project work (3) How project work improved
students’ English speaking competence? The speaking guide project was then
designed and implemented in the second semester of the school year 2011-2015
with the participation of 30 students from K15. The data was collected by a number
of instruments including questionnaire for students, teacher’s observation, and pre –
test and post – test. The result of the study indicates that most of the students had
positive attitudes towards the application of PBL activities in speaking lessons. PBL
activities have big attributions in creating contexts atmosphere for students to
practice speaking in English. As a result, there was great improvement in their
speaking performance.

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
HDU: Hong Duc University
PBL: Project – based learning
1. Speaking skill 4
1.1. Definitions 4
1. 2. Characteristics 4
1.3. A successful speaking activity in the classroom 5
1.4. Problems with speaking activities 6
2. Group work. 7
2.1 Definition of group work .8
2.2. Group size 8
2.3. Group work activities 9
3. Project – based learning (PBL) 9
3.1. Definition of PBL 9
3.2. Characteristics of PBL 11
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3.3. Advantages of PBL and disadvantages of PBL 11
3.3.1. Advantages of PBL 11
3.3.2. Disadvantages of Project-based Learning 12
3.4. Rationale for implementing PBL in speaking lesson 12
3.5. A framework for PBL 14
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 17
2.1 Action research 17
2.1.1. What is action research? 17
2.1.2. Key elements of an action research 17
2.1.3. Rationale for the use of an action research 19
2.2. Context of the study 20
2.3. Participants 21
2.4. Data collection 21
2.4.1. Questionnaires 21
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PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
Undeniably, English is a global language crossing many international
boundaries. It needs to be taught for four skills (listening, speaking, writing, and
reading) in the light of communicative language teaching (CLT). Among these
skills, speaking is the most important skill. However, there exists some weakness in
the teaching and learning of the speaking skill in major courses at colleges and
universities. I realize that the common teaching approach applied is teacher –
centered and lecture – oriented, which normally results in learner passiveness and

- exploring the PBL for group work activities as an intervention in speaking lessons
to improve English majors’ speaking skill.
- Exploring how PBL improve in third - year English majored students’ speaking
competence.
3. Research questions
In order to achieve these aims, the study is carried out with an attempt to answer the
following four questions:
1. What are the students’ problems regarding their English speaking skill?
2. To what extent PBL bring about any effectiveness in English speaking skill?
4. Significance of the study
Several studies found that PBL is challenging for teachers to enact despite its
positive benefits. PBL may not work well with students who do not take readily to
this new approach (Felix,1999; Levy, 1997), and a great deal of guidance and
intervention may be required to avoid potential problems with group dynamics,
assessment and time commitment. Due to above caution, the study provide an
insight into the effectiveness of applying project – based learning in English
speaking skill of the third - year English majors. The study will result some
improvement in theoretical understanding of PBL of the researcher, her colleagues,
and her students at HDU. They will make appropriate decisions on how to use PBL
effectively. In addition to this, the findings of the study will help the third - year
English majors to enhance their English speaking skill by using PBL. 3
5. Scope of the study
This study mainly focuses on improving third - year English majors’
speaking skill at Hong Duc University by exploring PBL for group work activities.

PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Speaking skill
1.1. Definitions
Speaking is a natural people’s ability which was founded since they were
born, and a lot of researches on it have been done to work out various definitions.
One of the definitions is speaking considered as “the productive skill in the oral
mode (sil.org/lingualinks/languagelearning). In addition, according to Bygate
(1997, p.3), speaking is often thought of as a popular form of expression which uses
the unprestigious colloquial register”. It means that students must speak so as to
carry out many transactions and speaking skill is a medium of communication
which languages are learnt through. To speak a language, especially a foreign
language, learners need to know “not only the linguistic knowledge” but also “the
culturally acceptable ways of interacting with others in different situations and
relationship” (Hymes, 1971). It is assumed that speaking a language requires more
than the language’s knowledge itself; speakers must learn the way which native
speakers use the language to speak fluently and accurately. Nowadays the goal of
teaching speaking is to improve learner‟s communication skill. “Speaking is an
interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving and
processing information” (Brown, 1994; Burn & Joyce, 1997). Speaking needs that
learners not only should know how to produce specific points of language such as
grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary but also understand when, why and in what
ways to produce language communicatively.
It cannot be denied that speaking deserves as much attention as or even more
attention than written skill. In order to carry out many of the most basic
transactions, it is necessary for learners to speak with confidence.
1. 2. Characteristics
Bygate (1987) suggests that conversation can be analyzed in terms of
routines which are “conventional ways of presenting information because they are


something new to share, want to contribute to the task achievement or just they are
fond of the topic. Then, when taking part in speaking practice, learners, on the one
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hand, should try their best to talk as much as possible in an available period of time;
on the other hand, opportunities to raise their voices should be fairly equal to every
learner. Besides, learners can express themselves in relevant and comprehensible
ways with acceptable accuracy.
However, if students cannot communicate in reality, they will not be supposed to be
successful. Thus, Pattison (1992:7-8) lays great stress on four conditions to develop
speaking ability as follows:
situations
or topics (with one or some grammar points for elementary level).
what
they are saying is left out.
interrupt
to correct mistakes or errors.

1.4. Problems with speaking activities
Classroom activities that develop learners‟ ability to express themselves
through speech are an important component of a language course where CLT is
applied. However, it is more difficult to design and administer such activities than
to do so for listening, reading or writing. According to Ur (1996, p.121), teachers
often come across the following problems:
* The first is “inhibition”. It is explained that unlike reading, writing and listening
activities, speaking requires some degree of real-time exposure to an audience.
Learners are often inhabited about trying to say something in a foreign language in
the classroom because they are worried about making mistakes, fearful of criticism

The EFL literature indicate that to improve our students' speaking skill, we
must reducing learner anxiety and ensuring meaningful communicative exchanges
in the classroom. And group work is one of the valuable techniques can help
achieve the above goals for the purpose of fostering speaking ability. Group work
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can create a comfortable atmosphere and the intimate community necessary for
learners to take risks in speaking.
2.1 Definition of group work
Rod Killen (2004) indicades that “ Group work occurs when you ask two or more
students to work together” Davis (1993) sorts out three types of group work which
are called: informal learning groups, formal learning groups, and study teams
Informal learning groups are ad hoc termporary clusterings of students within a
single class session. Informal learning groups can be initiated, for example, by
asking students to turn to a neighbor and spend two minutes discussing a question
you have posed. You can also form groups of three to five to solve a problem or
pose a question. You can organize informal froups any time in a class of any size to
check on students’ understanding of the material, to give students an opportunity to
apply what they are learning, or to provide a change of pace. Formal learning
groups are teams established to complete a specific task, such as perform a lab
experiment, write a report, carry out a project, or prepare a position paper. These
groups may complete their work in a single class session or over several weeks.
Typically, students work together until the task is finished, and their project is
graded. Study teams are long – term groups (usually existing over the course of a
semester) with stable membership whose primary responsibility is to provide
members with support, encouragement, assistance in completing course
requirements and assigments. Study teams also inform their members about lectures
and assignments when someone has missed a session. The larger the class ans the

3. Project – based learning (PBL)
3.1. Definition of PBL
There are many definitions of project-based approach in learning. Each definition is
the reflection of the underlying theories or perspectives that the authors assume.
Carter and Thomas (1986, p.196) characterize project work with three features
referring to the venue, the inter-disciplined characteristic and student's autonomy:
i) it takes place outside the classroom
ii) it is cross-curricular
iii) it allows learners to set their own targets as they proceed.
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Moss, D. and Duzer, V.C. (1998, p.1) defines "PBL is an instructional approach
that contextualizes learning by presenting learners with problems to solve or
products to develop".
Accordingly, the essential feature of project-based approach is a tangible and visible
result such as a product or a solution to a defined problem. Jones, Rasmussen and
Moffitt (1997, cited in Thomas, 2000) and Thomas, Mergendoller and Michaelson
(1999) to provide a synthesis features of PBL on the tasks, the students' activities,
the time and the result. Thomas (2000) writes, "PBL is a model that organizes
learning around projects … projects are complex tasks, based on challenging
questions or problems, that involve students in design, problem-solving, decision
making, or investigative activities; give students the opportunity to work
autonomously over extended periods of time; and culminate in realistic products or
presentations". (p.1). In Thomas' point of view, PBL is understood as a systematic
teaching method that engages students in learning knowledge and skills through an
extended inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and
carefully designed products and tasks. It seems to be the most suitable and clearest
in the context of this study. The author of this study also supports five features of

object, carrying out an experiment, or the form of equipment and material.
4. Library projects, in which the main resource base is a library. Typically, students
are expected to take a particular topic, read about it, and produce some kind of
written work.
3.3. Advantages of PBL and disadvantages of PBL
3.3.1. Advantages of PBL According to Gallacher (2004), PBL has the following
advantages:
1. Increased motivation - learners become personally involved in the project.
2. All four skills are integrated.
3. Autonomous learning is promoted as learners become more responsible for their
own learning.
4. There are learning outcomes - learners have an end product.
5. Authentic tasks are given to learners.
6. Interpersonal relations are developed through working as a group.
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7. Content and methodology can be decided between the learners and the teacher
and within the group themselves so it is more learner-centered.
8. Learners can get help from parents for the project work thus involving the parents
more in the child's learning.
9. A break from routine and the chance to do something different.
10. A context is established which balances the need for fluency and accuracy.
Fried-Booth (1997), taking a more practical view of PBL, emphasizes that project
work is a bridge between using English in class and using English in real life
situations outside of class. From a learner-centered perspective, Thomas et. al.
(1999) claim that the PBL can respond effectively to the needs of learners with
varying skill levels and learning styles.
3.3.2. Disadvantages of Project-based Learning
Fried-Booth in her “Project work” also describes in details the “layer
approach” to show that “project work can provide a useful way of integrating the
four skills” (Fried-Booth, 1986, p.8). She explains that however long or short the
project may be, it will pass through certain stages of development, each of which
involves some or even the combination of all language skills. The initial stages of
the project, for example, may provide learners with an opportunity to develop
speaking and listening skills rather than reading and writing. However, once the
project is under way, the learners will use all four skills simultaneously. She also
points out that project work helps to “bridge the gap between language study and
language use” (p.7). Therefore, it can be a valuable means of extending the
communicative skills acquired in the classroom. Beckett G. H and Slater T. in their
article “The Project Framework: a tool for language, content, and skills integration”
believe that “project-based instruction is a valuable way to promote the
simultaneous acquisition of language, content, and skills” (ELT Journal Vol 59/2
April 2005: 108) They even introduce a methodological tool called “the Project
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Framework” which is influenced by Mohan‟s Knowledge Framework (Mohan:
1986) with the purpose of showing students the language, content and skill
development occurring through project work.
In the previous parts of the thesis, it has been pointed out that an ESP course
requires a methodology that allows the combination of language, subject matter,
and communicative skills necessary for the learners‟ specialist field. Obviously, Phase 2: Research and implementation
After making the final decision on the project topic and working out a plan for the
project, students move on to the next phase. This phase involves mostly such
activities as research, fieldwork, sessions with experts and various aspects of
gathering information, reading, writing, drawing, and computing (Curtis, 2001).
This is an important stage for language learning and skill development as various
skills will be needed for the completion of the project. Although students work
mostly on their own or in their group, the teacher must be aware of and perform
their role as an instructor, a consultant, a facilitator, and even a group member.
He/She must decide on when, where and how much he/she should support the
students. This support, in Moss and Van Duzer‟ s view, may take the form of
language structures and skills, problem-solving strategies, and methods for
developing plans (Moss and Van Duzer, 1998).
Phase 3: Sharing results
This is the final phase occurring when students have accomplished their project and
it can be in the form of group presentation or disseminating the results in the larger
community (Moss and Van Duzer, 1998). Hedge (1998) uses other terms,
presentation and reflection, and makes a clear distinction between these two ways
of sharing results. Students will „listen‟ to others presenting in the former and
„read‟ other writing in the latter. However, these authors and some others such as
Curtis (2001), Gallacher (n.d) share a belief that the most common way of sharing
results is the presentation of the project to an audience. This is the last but not least