PROJECT-BASED LEARNING (PBL) IN EFL CLASSES OF AN ENGLISH PROGRAM AT A THAI SECONDARY SCHOOL: STUDENT AND TEACHER VIEWS

Abstract

This research aimed to study students’ and teachers’ opinions towards the implementation of project-based learning (PBL) in English classes. It also aimed to find problems and difficulties that the students and teachers faced and how they coped with the challenges. A hundred and eight English program students in Matthayom 6 (Grade 12) at Yothinburana School responded to the questionnaire and ten were interviewed, while five English teachers responded to the questionnaire and participated in the interview. The findings revealed that the students and teachers highly agreed with PBL implementation in English classes. Regarding problems, the students rated high that the time teachers giving them for the projects was generally insufficient, and there were problems working in groups. The teachers opined that it was difficult to give fair assessment for an individual student in group working, and they had to sacrifice their free time to give counsel to the students on their projects.  Solutions and suggestions were proposed by the students and teachers. The study may be beneficial to EFL educators to find ways to deal with challenges appropriately in implementing project-based learning.