The effectiveness of adapting materials for the project lessons in English 10 – an experimental research study

DOI: 10.18173/2354-1075.2021-0017

Abstract

Project-based learning is an instructional approach that promotes learners' development of competencies that they need in their real life through providing them with the opportunity to engage in projects set around challenges and problems that they may face in the real world. In the English classroom, project-based learning has been proved to develop not only linguistic competencies but also soft skills for learners. In the English 10 textbook, project-based contents were designed to be in line with the Ministry of Education and Training’s new curriculum. However, these contents are introduced as single activities allocated at the end of every unit. As these project contents are new, teachers seem to be struggling with these new contents in projectbased lessons. This paper reports the results of an experimental research study that explores the effectiveness of the adaptation of project lessons in the English 10 textbook. The investigation was conducted with two groups of students at a secondary school in Hung Yen Province. The findings reveal that the adaptation of the project lessons is advantageous to the students’ attainment. This investigation proposes that project-based learning should be utilized in language classes in every unit in the curriculum from the beginning of a course. Teachers should consider it as an approach that needs to be integrated into the whole instructional process, not just as single activities. This research also discusses the factors teachers need to consider when applying project-based learning in the classroom. On top of that, some specific recommendations are offered to support teachers in project-based learning implementation.