Effectiveness of project-based learning in improving listening competency among ESL learners at a Malaysian TVET college

Listening plays a fundamental role as the first basic skill in English language communication but the skill seems to be neglected in ESL research and classrooms. The limited published studies in the literature reporting on the teaching of listening and the lack of details in the existing studies warrant more attention in finding more effective strategies to teach listening. Thus, the quasiexperimental study sought to ascertain the effectiveness of using project-based learning (PjBL) activities as a teaching strategy in improving the listening competency of ESL learners in a Communicative English course. Data were gathered from 44 students after a 16-week study conducted at a Malaysian TVET college. A PjBL teaching module comprising a number of listening activities was used in the experimental group as a treatment while the control group was taught using the conventional teaching strategy. A listening competency test was administered as pre-test and post-test on both groups. Data were analysed using t-tests, ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test. The study found that the learners in the PjBL group significantly outperformed those in the control group in their listening competency and dialogue listening comprehension with a large effect size. The study is important to increase the understanding of teachers and practitioners in the area of teaching of listening in ESL classrooms

Effects of using project-based activities on oral communicative competence of tertiary ESL learners from technical and vocational education and training

Grounded in the concept of Zone of Proximal Development in the Social Development Theory, the Communicative Competence Theory and the Gold Standard PBL model, the current study looks into the effects of using projectbased learning (PjBL) activities as a teaching strategy on the oral communicative competence of ESL learners from a Malaysian TVET higher learning institution. It also investigates the perceptions of the TVET learners in relation to the effects of PjBL as a teaching strategy. A quasi-experimental design, known as non randomised (pre-test and post-test) with control group design was employed. Forty-four students from a diploma programme at two centres of the TVET institution were purposely selected and divided into the experimental and control groups according to their intact groups. Data were collected from speaking pre and post-tests, listening pre and post-tests and a questionnaire. The study was conducted for eighteen weeks. The experimental group was taught the Communicative English course using PjBL teaching strategy as a treatment. Data from speaking and listening pre-tests and post-tests were analysed using t-tests, ANCOVA and MANOVA. The procedure began with the analysis of the pre-tests and post-tests and followed by a descriptive analysis on the data from the questionnaire. The results of t-tests showed no significant difference between groups in speaking skills (p=.870) but found a significant difference between groups in listening skills (p=.027). The results from MANOVA showed a significant difference between groups in the overall communicative competence (p=.042). Meanwhile, the results of the questionnaire revealed that a majority of TVET learners in the PjBL group were moderately competent communicators (64%) who held high perceptions of the strengths of PjBL teaching strategy in the Communicative English course (M=4.02). This study concluded that PjBL teaching strategy is more resultant than the conventional teaching strategy in improving the English language oral communicative competence of TVET learners at the higher learning institution. This work contributes to new knowledge related to the effects of PjBL on the oral communicative competence of ESL learners from the TVET field in Malaysian context. It also reinforces the ideas presented in the theories and model used in the present study. Finally, several recommendations for further research work are also given at the end of this thesis

Effectiveness of problem-based learning on low achievers' academic achievement in the ESL classroom

This paper proposes a study on the implementation of Problem-based learning (PBL), using Cooperative Problem-Based Learning model, to determine its effectiveness on academic achievement of the low-achieving English language learners at tertiary level in a technical institution in Malaysia. The study will primarily employ a quasi-experimental design with non-randomised (pre-test and post-test) control group. It will involve thirty-two students purposely selected from certificate programmes in the studied setting. Instruments which will be used in this study are a comprehensive achievement test, a retention test and a questionnaire. Besides that, an inclusion of qualitative data in the study from self-reports and field notes attempts to seek better understanding of the factors facilitating or impeding students’ learning during the implementation of PBL

A review on the implementation of problem-based learning in English language learning

Problem-based learning (PBL) has been recognised as an effective method of teaching and learning. The possibility of integrating PBL in language learning is established in the discussions by Mardziah (1998), Larsson (2001), Mathews-Aydinli (2007) and Boothe, Vaughn, Hill and Hill (2011). Alongside the discussions, many researchers have also embarked on PBL research in English language learning. This conceptual paper aims to review the current empirical studies of PBL in the area of English language education in the literature. It attempts to provide readers with the current state of knowledge in the field by highlighting areas of PBL studies in English language learning, methodologies employed in the studies and significant findings by the previous researchers. In the last part of the paper, the researcher also identifies gaps in the studies in order to create space for further research in the field

Improving oral communicative competence in English using project-based learning activities

The quasi-experimental study investigated the effectiveness of using project-based learning (PjBL) activities as a teaching strategy in improving the oral communicative competence of Malaysian English language learners. The participants included 44 diploma students enrolled in a Communicative English course at a technical college in the Peninsular Malaysia, who were purposely selected for the study. The intervention comprised a 12-week lessons taught using PjBL teaching strategy and centred on eight PjBL activities. Data were collected using a speaking test and a listening test, which were administered as pre-tests and post-tests, and a student questionnaire which was administered at the end of the study. Data analysis involved the procedure of MANOVA, as well as descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation and percentage. The findings revealed a significant improvement in the learners’ overall oral communicative competence and a high perception of PjBL by the learners. It is concluded that PjBL teaching strategy is effective in improving the oral communicative competence of the English language learners. The study recommends the use of PjBL as a suitable English language teaching strategy for technical students who are generally low proficient English language learners