PROJECT-BASED LEARNING (PBL) IN EFL CLASSES OF AN ENGLISH PROGRAM AT A THAI SECONDARY SCHOOL: STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ OPINIONS

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 ascertain
the problems and difficulties that students and teachers faced and how they coped with the
challenges. One hundred and eight English program students in Matthayom 6 (Grade 12) at a
secondary school responded to a questionnaire and ten were interviewed, while five English
teachers responded to the questionnaire and participated in the interviews. The findings
revealed that teachers agreed with the idea of implementing PBL in English classes with a
higher mean score than students, and they viewed specific items differently. Regarding the
problems and difficulties they encountered, students strongly indicated that the time given
for projects was generally insufficient, and there were problems working in groups. The
teachers opined that they had to sacrifice their free time to counsel the students on their
projects, and it was difficult to give fair assessments for individual students as they were
working in groups. Solutions and suggestions were proposed by both students and teachers.
The study is beneficial to EFL educators in terms of finding ways to deal with challenges
appropriately in implementing project-based learning.