STUDENTS’ RESPONSE TO INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN THE EFL CLASSROOM

STUDENTS’ RESPONSE TO INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN THE EFL CLASSROOM

Menkebanu Nursultan

MA in TEFL, Suleyman Demirel University,

Kazakhstan, Kaskelen

ABSTRACT

This small-scale qualitative study aimed to explore English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ perceptions of Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning (IPBL), having implemented the Buck Institute for Education’s model of Gold Standard Project-Based Learning (PBL). Over nine weeks, 12 eighth-graders of a secondary school in Almaty worked on the History of Kazakhstan projects in the EFL classroom. To obtain the data, semi-structured interviews with each research participant were conducted, then the transcripts were analyzed thematically. According to the findings, the overwhelming majority of students expressed a favorable attitude towards IPBL. This positive response was generally associated with such aspects of PBL as its collaborative nature, the active use of communication skills, and the promotion of learner autonomy. In addition, two challenges of IPBL adoption were identified, namely lack of time and free-riding.

Keywords: Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning; students’ perceptions; EFL classroom; 21st-century skills; student engagement.

Introduction

The 21st century demands a number of qualities from high-school graduates such as critical thinking, teamwork, problem-solving, time management, and research skills [1]. Therefore, teaching methods used at schools should develop the aforementioned success skills to prepare students for university, career, and life in general. Another important issue addressed by educators nowadays is low student engagement as a result of boredom [2]. It was discovered that practically all students, regardless of whether or not they score well on standardized tests, feel bored at school [3]. Student engagement is directly related to their learning, that is, as stated by Blumenfeld et al., “when students are bored and unengaged, they are less likely to learn” [4]. Hence, it is teachers’ concern to find a way to interest students in their learning and rearrange the classroom in such a manner that students are motivated to learn.

There is a considerable amount of data which shows that Project-Based Learning (PBL) can be a good solution to the aforesaid problems. Thus, this qualitative study focused on Interdisciplinary PBL (IPBL) which implies students collaborating on projects that connect several subject areas [5]. Many scholars have examined IPBL; however, there is limited research on IPBL conducted in Kazakhstan, especially IPBL combining such subjects as English and the History of Kazakhstan. As a result, it remains unclear how Kazakhstani students perceive this method.

The research aimed to explore student perceptions of IPBL, having implemented the Buck Institute for Education’s model of Gold Standard PBL in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom.

The study was guided by the following question:

1. What are the Kazakhstani secondary school students’ perceptions of Project-Based Learning in the form of an interdisciplinary project in the EFL classroom?

Literature review

PBL has been described in a variety of ways by different researchers. The Buck Institute for Education defined PBL as “a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge” [6]. This study is aimed at investigating IPBL. In a PBL setting, students collaborate in groups to do projects, which in some cases can be considered interdisciplinary [7]. PBL is characterized as IPBL when projects contain an interdisciplinary component, that is, deal with more than one discipline.

In this research, Gold Standard PBL was applied in the EFL classroom. According to Larmer et al., Gold Standard PBL, which was designed by the Buck Institute for Education (BIE), requires three core components such as student learning goals, project-based teaching practices, and essential project design elements including Challenging Problem or Question, Sustained Inquiry, Authenticity, Student Voice & Choice, Reflection, Critique & Revision, and Public Product [8]. Thus, for a project to be successful and enhance student learning and engagement, all of these aspects must be considered.

Numerous studies on PBL and IPBL implementation have been conducted worldwide. It was discovered that PBL has a beneficial influence on students’ academic performance as well as develops their 21st-century skills, namely the necessary competencies for being successful in the modern world [1] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]. When PBL is used in the EFL classroom, students’ English proficiency tends to improve [14] [15] [16] [17]. PBL is also an effective tool for increasing student motivation [8] [12] [18]. Furthermore, as found by Poonpon, Adams, and Susanti et al., this method is viewed positively by the majority of students [17] [19] [20].

Methodology

This research is a small-scale qualitative study. The rationale for choosing a qualitative research design was the aim of the study – investigating student perceptions of IPBL in depth. As part of teaching practice, the researcher first implemented IPBL in the EFL classroom using the BIE’s model of Gold Standard PBL. Over nine weeks, a total of 12 eighth-graders worked on interdisciplinary projects related to the History of Kazakhstan subject. To select a sample, a convenience sampling method was used due to the researcher’s workplace. Semi-structured interviews with each research participant were conducted following the completion of the projects. The responses were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically.

Findings

The findings revealed that the overwhelming majority of the participants, specifically 10 out of 12, were enthusiastic about IPBL being used in the EFL classroom. Their responses to the first question (How did you feel while doing the project?) indicate that the process of doing projects was engaging and enjoyable. Moreover, the same 10 students replied positively when asked if they wanted IPBL to be used more often, which confirms their favorable attitudes toward this method. Some of these responses include:

• “I was really excited, and I can say that doing the project was fun” (Participant 6);
• “I can surely say I was excited all the way down” (Participant 12).
• “Definitely! I wish all our classes were like that.” (Participant 3)
• “Sure thing! I guess project work can be a great way to avoid monotonous grammar or history lessons.” (Participant 12)

Many interviewees mentioned that their favorite aspect of IPBL was teamwork. According to them, working in groups allowed them to interact with their teammates, which means they actively used their communication skills. Some of the students specified that the project work was successful due to its collaborative nature. The excerpts below demonstrate this:

• “The most memorable part of this experience was gathering with my classmates and discussing project details. We had a lot of fun during the process.” (Participant 2)
• “Since it was a group work, we had to communicate a lot, discuss some things, make decisions. I was happy to work in a team.” (Participant 5)
• “I liked most about this experience working in a group. I think this is what made this project easier. I think if I did this project alone, I would be maybe overwhelmed or it would be difficult for me to do this alone. But working in a group made it easier, so I liked it.” (Participant 1)
• “Sometimes we had arguments, yet we were able to complete the project on time. Teamwork makes the dream work.” (Participant 8)

According to some participants, applying IPBL was beneficial as it promoted learner autonomy. They emphasized that the fact they were given a lot of choices made them feel more control and responsibility for their learning. For example, the students themselves selected the topic of their projects and public products, decided how they wanted to be divided into groups, and designed assessment criteria. Moreover, when asked, “What role did the teacher play in the project work?” most interviewees stated that the teacher acted as a guide and facilitator, namely, encouraging the students to be autonomous learners. The extracts below reflect this point:

• “I think I started to be more independent and responsible for my own learning. Usually teachers control everything, but this time I felt freedom when I worked on the topic I wanted. There was no pressure, but a lot of fun!” (Participant 2)
• “Our voices were counted by the teacher so we were asked what we want, what topics, how we want to be grouped. It was good to feel important in this project.” (Participant 3)
• “Our teacher helped us in leading our research. She was leading all the way through the project, and she was just like a helper, maybe assistant.” (Participant 1)
• “Teacher mainly gave us directions, but she was not controlling everything. She just guided us. I was very happy to work in such environment.” (Participant 3)

Using IPBL was advantageous to most students; nevertheless, the participants indicated two challenges they faced while doing the project work, namely lack of time and free-riding. Nearly all respondents complained about time constraints. Since IPBL was not included in the curriculum, they were supposed to complete the task outside of class, that is, in their free time. Several students added that it was problematic due to their busy schedules and many other assignments. Some of the comments on this matter are:

• “Finding the suitable time for all of us was a bit problematic, because we had to gather after lessons, and we all have different extra classes, extracurricular activities” (Participant 5);

• “I did not like that we had to meet after classes when we were supposed to rest” (Participant 9);
• “The project required a lot of time. We had many other home assignments, so it was difficult to find time.” (Participant 10)

Even though group work was reported as one of the main benefits of IPBL, there were many comments regarding free-riding. The interviewees highlighted that the members’ contribution to the project was not equal, thus, certain students had to do more work. The following replies illustrate this opinion:

• “I felt that some of us worked harder than the others and took more responsibility” (Participant 7);
• “We did not share tasks equally, so I did more in comparison to my teammates” (Participant 9);
• “There were students who did not do the task properly, so I had to do extra work, which I was not supposed to do.” (Participant 10)

Conclusion

This study explored the Kazakhstani secondary school students’ perceptions of IPBL in the EFL classroom. According to the findings, students’ response to IPBL was mostly positive. These favorable attitudes were associated with such aspects of PBL as its collaborative nature, the active use of communication skills, and the promotion of learner autonomy. Furthermore, addressing the research problems, it can be assumed that IPBL is beneficial for developing 21st-century success skills and increasing student engagement. Despite the fact that learning with IPBL was perceived to be a positive experience by most students, lack of time and free-riding were reported to be the major obstacles to IPBL adoption.

Based on these findings, several recommendations can be given to school stakeholders, who are already using or planning to implement IPBL. First, prior to the project work, instructors should carefully study essential project design elements, that is, PBL characteristics which distinguish it from other teaching methods. Second, IPBL should be incorporated into the curriculum since this way it will provide both teachers and students with more time to work on their projects, which is likely to result in greater productivity and, consequently, an increase in the quality of the product. Last, to avoid free-riding and thus take full advantage of IPBL’s collaborative nature, teachers should assign different roles to group members or supervise the distribution of responsibilities within groups so that all students are involved in the project work and make an equal contribution.

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