5 LISTS OF TABLES Table Strategies used for project completion Table Students' satisfaction with project-based learning LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS HVSHS Hung Vuong Specializing High School MOET Ministry of Education and Training PBL Project-based Learning TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration ………………………………………………………………………………… …i Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………………………….ii Abstract ……………………………………………………………………………………… iii Lists of tables ……………………………………………………………………………….…iv Lists of abbreviations ………………………………………………………………………….iv Table of contents ……………………………………………………………………………….v PART ONE: INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………… 1 Rationale …………………………………………………………………………………….1 Aims of the study ……………………………………………………………………………1 Scope of the study ………………………………………………………………………… Methods of the study …………………………………………………………………… …2 Significance of the study …………………………………………………………………….2 Structure of the thesis …………………………………………………………………… …3 PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT …………………………………………………………….4 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW ………………………………………………………4 1.1 Writing …………………………………………………………………………………….4 1.1.1 Definitions of Writing …………………………………………………………… …4 1.1.2 The importance of writing ………………………………………………………… 1.1.3 Approaches to teaching writing …………………………………………………… 1.1.3.1 The product approach …………………………………………………………7 1.1.3.2 The process approach ………………………………………………………….8 1.2 Project-based learning ……………………………………………………………………12 1.2.1 Definitions of project-based learning …………………………………………….…12 1.2.2 Types of projects………… .13 1.2.3 Advantages of project-based learning ………………………………………………14 1.2.4 Disadvantages of Project-based Learning ………………………………………… 15 1.2.5 Process of Project-based Work …………………………………………………… 16 1.2.6 Project-based Approach and Other Approaches to Writing ……………………… 17 CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY ………………………………………………………………….19 2.1 Setting of the study ………………………………………………………………………19 2.1.1 Hung Vuong specializing High School …………………………………………… 19 2.1.2 The English Language Teacher Group …………………………………………… 20 2.1.3 Participants and time allocation…………………………………………………… 21 2.2 Data collection ………………………………………………………………………… 23 2.2.1 Instruments for data collection ………………………………………………… …23 2.2.2 Data collection procedures ………………………………………………………….24 2.2.3 Data analysis ……………………………………………………………………… 25 2.2.3.1 Average time spent on each project ………………………………………….25 2.2.3.2 Strategies used in carrying out the projects ………………………………….25 2.2.3.3 Problems of PBL …………………………………………………………… 26 2.2.3.4 Benefits of PBL ………………………………………………………………28 2.2.3.5 Students' satisfaction of doing writing projects ………………………… …30 2.2.4 Findings and Discussion ……………………………………………………………31 PART THREE: CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………… 34 Summary of the major findings ……………………………………………………………34 Implications for Classroom Practice ……………………………………………………….35 Limitations of the study ……………………………………………………………………35 Suggestions for future studies …………………………………………………………… 36 REFERENCES …….…………………………………………………………………………37 APPENDIX PART ONE: INTRODUCTION Rationale Three educational approaches that are considered to be the dominant approaches to teaching of the 21st century are (i) constructivist approaches; (ii) problem-solving approaches; and (iii) collaborative learning approaches All these have a feature strongly in common: a move away from the static transmission models for skill and knowledge acquisition that are based on traditional cognitive learning approaches which emphasize learning as an incremental mathematically-facilitated process (Hannafin, 1997) The new approaches, which draw upon situated learning and social cognition theories (Hannafin, 1997), emphasize dynamic, situated learning environments in which knowledge and the conditions under which it is constructed are inextricably linked It is interesting to note that these new learning approaches have three characteristics in common with the origination of communicative approaches to language teaching (Widdowson, 1978) - namely, that tasks have to be contextualized, authentic and meaningful to the students Project-based learning, which has been strongly promoted in recent years, encompasses all the core features of the three approaches mentioned above However, this approach to learning has not been popular in Vietnam Particularly, it has not been applied to the teaching of writing English as a foreign language This study is an attempt to explore the application of the project-based approach to teaching Vietnamese high school students how to write English for academic purposes, and more importantly, the students' attitudes towards this new teaching approach to writing Aims of the study The study is aimed to find out students' strategies in project-based writing and their attitudes towards this approach to writing In order to achieve the aims mentioned above, the study seeks to answer the following two questions: What strategies the students use in their project-based writing? What are their attitudes towards project-based approach to learning writing skills in English? Scope of the study The study limits itself to the investigation of the strategies the high school students used in carrying out writing projects as well as their attitudes to a project-based approach to writing The number of participants of the study is quite small and these participants are those who had been selected for intensive training before six of them were selected for the national English language contest held by the Ministry of Education and Training annually Therefore, no generalization is intended in this study Methods of the study The study is a descriptive one, and it is an action research in nature That is to say to purpose of the study is to improve the researcher’s own classroom practice The only instrument used in the study is the questionnaire developed by the researcher herself Then data were analyzed statistically The intervention described in the study was made with an intact group of students Since the purpose of the study was to investigate the students’ strategies and their attitudes related to project-based writing, no pretest and post test was used Significance of the study Some researchers have cautioned that project-based learning may not work well with students who 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 Given this caution, the study is a contribution to 10 an understanding of the applicability of the project-based approach to the teaching of English in general and the teaching of writing for academic purposes in particular in the context of a Vietnamese high school Specifically, the findings of the study will help the researcher and perhaps her colleagues to make appropriate decisions on how to use project-based writing in her teaching to improve the students’ writing proficiency Structure of the thesis The thesis is composed of three parts Part I is the introduction in which the rationale, the aims, the scope, the methods, the significance and the structure of study are presented Part II consists of two chapters Chapter I is the literature review In this chapter, the literature on project-based learning as well as on writing English as a second or foreign language is reviewed Chapter II presents the study in which information about the context of the study, the participants, the research procedures and the results is provided Part III is the conclusion which summarizes the major findings of the study Also in this part, the implications for classroom practice, the limitations of the study and suggestions for further studies are presented 11 PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter will present the theoretical background of the study, including the insights of teaching writing and project-based learning It first reviews issues related to writing such as the definition of writing, the place of writing in second and foreign language learning and approaches to teaching writing This is followed by a review of project-based learning in general and the application of this approach to teaching writing in particular 1.1 Writing 1.1.1 Definitions of Writing Writing has been defined in a variety of ways in the literature of research into writing First of all, writing is considered as an act According to Byrne (1991, p.1), writing is an "act of forming graphic symbols" On the other hand, Clark (2003), citing a theory in Kinneavy's book A Theory of Discourse (1971), considered writing as "an act of communication between writer and audience" (p.7) In addition, writing can be seen as a process by Lannon (1989) and Candlin and Hyland (1999) The former stated that writing is "a process of transforming the material discovered by research inspiration, accidents, trial and error, or whatever into a message with a definite meaning … writing is a process of deliberate decision" (p.9) However, the latter defined it as a social process "where the production of texts reflects methodology, arguments, and rhetorical strategies constructed to engage colleagues and persuade them of the claims that are made" (p.107) In language teaching, writing is a taught language skill Oshima & Hogue (1991) argued that "it takes study and practice to develop this skill" (p.3) Similarly, Ur (1996) wrote that "most people acquire the spoken language intuitively, whereas the written form is in most 12 cases deliberately taught and learned" (p.16) Furthermore, Tribble (1996) saw writing as "a language skill which is difficult to acquire" (p.3) He added that "writing normally requires some form of instruction It is not a skill that is readily picked up by exposure" (p.11) Recently, writing is no longer viewed as just a cognitive process but a social activity in which learners work together on the completion of the writing task In that process of working together "a knowledgeable participant can create, by means of speech, supportive conditions in which the novice can participate in, and extend, current skills and knowledge to higher levels of competence" (Donato, 1994, p.40) This study is guided theoretically by this definition of writing In summary, writing may be seen as an act, a process or a teachable skill In language teaching, it is an important skill which requires a great effort in practice from learners 1.1.2 The importance of writing It is a matter of fact that writing plays an important role in both daily life and in learning context In the first place, writing serves as a means of communication It is employed to inform, instruct, persuade or accomplish something The importance of writing varies from person to person A professional writer may consider writing as a tool of earning a living, a researcher uses writing as a means to report and publish research findings and a leader writes to deliver his commands In the context of language learning, writing is considered as a means of learning and acquiring a language In this sense, language is a tool for discovering, for shaping meaning and for reaching understanding when learners writes to express their perceptions of the reality and order and represent their experience to themselves (Britton, 1975, p.6) In addition, Tribble (1996, p.7) lists specific reasons for including writing in the teaching programs He states that both school students and adult learners can benefit from 13 writing learning such as language practice opportunities (especially grammar and vocabulary), accuracy improvement, better examination results and job enhancement For the former group, writing also helps to foster their creativeness and imagination in language use and ultimately become better writers in their first language White (1981) claims that writing is necessary in any English courses for its various advantages Firstly, it "has high face value" (1981, p.1) in examining student performance in English and offers tangible results to parents, students and teachers Secondly, the variety of writing activities and techniques can become a source of fun and interest to students Lastly, writing is a reliable test device for teacher to collect information about their students' progress and then to enable them to evaluate and feedback on students' learning In short, writing brings both learners and teachers a number of benefits To the former group, writing provides language practice, job enhancement, development of creative language and educational value For the latter one, writing serves as a device for evaluation, examination and feedback Therefore, a great consideration and focus should be paid to writing in the language learning context 1.1.3 Approaches to teaching writing Writing is the result of a very complex, highly individualized process Therefore, it is not easy for teachers to intervene effectively and appropriately In other words, to understand how learners think and write, teachers should have an insight into different approaches to teaching writing There are a number of approaches toward teaching writing: focus on form, focus on writer and focus on reader (Tribble,1996, p.37) However, in this study, only the first two approaches, focus on form and focus on writer, or the product approach and the process approach will be discussed They are the focus of discussion in this study because of their influential and time-honoured impacts on writing on the second language 14 1.1.3.1 The product approach "The product approach to writing usually involves the presentation of a model text, which is analyzed and then forms the basis of a task that leads to the writing of an exactly similar or a parallel text" (Evans and St John, 1998, p.116) To be more specific, this approach can be used to refer to the focus on the form and the content of the finished writing product This can be summarized in the following sequence: Model text → Comprehension/ analysis/ manipulation → New input → Parallel text (Robinson, 1991 cited in Evans and St John, 1998) Under the theory of this approach, Steele (2005) also provides a model to assist teachers to analyze classroom behaviours of the product approach Stage 1: Analysis of the features of the model text Stage 2: Controlled practice of the highlighted features Stage 3: Organization of ideas Stage 4: Choosing a writing task and producing the product, using skills, structures and vocabulary having been taught This approach can be used successfully in teaching writing for beginners All learners cannot write well as soon as they begin the course but can take progress step by step with imitation and repetition from the textbooks or the teacher Additionally in teaching writing, the important role of using the models for text analysis cannot be denied especially when teaching writing is integrated with the teaching of reading So it is a natural process in writing when the writer bases himself on a model or an example of a text that he intends to write and then adapts it for his specific purpose ... attitudes towards this new teaching approach to writing Aims of the study The study is aimed to find out students'' strategies in project-based writing and their attitudes towards this approach to writing. .. project 1.2.6 Project-based Approach and Other Approaches to Writing Features of different writing approaches and project-based approach have so far been discussed The two main writing approaches... teaching writing and project-based learning It first reviews issues related to writing such as the definition of writing, the place of writing in second and foreign language learning and approaches to