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ABSTRACT
The study was conducted with an attempt to examine the real situation of
applying PBL in order to investigate the benefits and challenges of using PBL
in improving speaking skills as perceived by teachers and students.
The subjects involved in the study are three English teachers and one
hundred- seven in grade 3, 4, 5 chosen at random from sixteen classes. The
data were collected from questionnaires for students and teachers, classroom
observation and interviews for students and teachers. The results of the study
have shown that PBL motivates students to speak English, helps them interact
more frequently with other students and teachers, remember and use the target
vocabulary and structures in the project lessons. For teachers, PBL increases
student-teacher interaction, helps teachers correct students’ mistakes in
pronunciation and grammar and assess students’ understanding. Also, the
findings of the study point out PBL’s challenges for students: lack of
confidence in talking in front of the big groups, slow reaction to questions
from other students and teachers, time limitation and frequent use of mother
tongue. For teachers, teachers have problems with time, students’ error
correction, related knowledge, experience and students of mixed levels, little
motivation and interest. Therefore, those findings may benefit schools and
teachers that have the same problems in implementing PBL. Additionally, the
present study may provide valuable information for the researchers and
teachers who are interested in cooperating PBL into their teaching.
