A Project-Based Learning Approach to Teaching Post-1975 Short Stories in Vietnamese Upper Secondary Schools
Downloads
In the context of competency-based educational reform, the selection and implementation of student-centered instructional approaches have become an essential requirement in upper secondary education. Project-Based Learning (PBL) is widely regarded as an effective instructional approach that connects academic knowledge with real-world contexts while fostering students’ autonomy and creativity. However, the application of PBL in literature education—particularly in teaching Vietnamese short stories written after 1975—remains limited and lacks sufficient empirical evidence.
This article reports the findings of an experimental study examining the effectiveness of Project-Based Learning in teaching post-1975 Vietnamese short stories at the upper secondary level. The study employed a quasi-experimental design involving Grade 12 students at a Vietnamese high school, with an experimental group taught using PBL and a control group taught using traditional instructional methods. Data were collected through pre- and post-tests and a student learning-interest questionnaire.
The results indicate that Project-Based Learning significantly improves students’ learning outcomes and learning engagement in the study of post-1975 Vietnamese short stories. Based on these findings, the article proposes pedagogical implications for enhancing the effectiveness of literature teaching in Vietnamese upper secondary schools.
Ministry of Education and Training. (2018). The general education curriculum: Overall framework. Hanoi, Vietnam.
Ministry of Education and Training. (2018). The general education curriculum: Literature. Hanoi, Vietnam.
Đinh Van Duc, Nguyen Van Hoang Hanh. (2021). Project-based learning oriented toward student competency development. Hanoi, Vietnam: Vietnam Education Publishing House.
Nguyen Van Cuong, Nguyen Thi Dieu Thao (2004). Project-based learning: A dual-function method in teacher education. Journal of Education, 80, 15–18.
Nguyen Viet Chu (2010). Methods of teaching literary works in schools. Hanoi, Vietnam: Vietnam Education Publishing House.
Nguyen Van Long (2009). Vietnamese literature after 1975 and its teaching in schools. Hanoi, Vietnam: Education Publishing House.
Phan Trong Luan (2011). Literature and the creative reader. Hanoi, Vietnam: University of Education Publishing House.
Tran Dinh Su (2021). Nguyen Minh Chau in the process of Vietnamese literary renovation. Hanoi, Vietnam: Writers’ Association Publishing House.
International sources
Applebee, A. N., Langer, J. A., Nystrand, M., & Gamoran, A. (2003). Discussion-based approaches to developing understanding: Classroom instruction and student performance in middle and high school English. American Educational Research Journal, 40(3), 685–730.
https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312040003685
Barron, B., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2008). Teaching for meaningful learning: A review of research on inquiry-based and cooperative learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Beckett, G. H., & Miller, P. C. (2006). Project-based second and foreign language education: Past, present, and future. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
Beckett, G. H., & Slater, T. (2005). The project framework: A tool for language, content, and skills integration. ELT Journal, 59(2), 108–116. https://doi.org/10.1093/eltj/cci024
Bell, S. (2010). Project-based learning for the 21st century: Skills for the future. The Clearing House, 83(2), 39–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098650903505415
Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2004). Problem-based learning: What and how do students learn? Educational Psychology Review, 16(3), 235–266. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EDPR.0000034022.16470.f3
Hmelo-Silver, C. E., Duncan, R. G., & Chinn, C. A. (2007). Scaffolding and achievement in problem-based and inquiry learning: A response to Kirschner et al. Educational Psychologist, 42(2), 99–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520701263368
Krajcik, J. S., & Blumenfeld, P. C. (2006). Project-based learning. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 317–334). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Krajcik, J. S., Blumenfeld, P. C., Marx, R. W., & Soloway, E. (2014). Project-based learning. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Lee, H., & Blanchard, M. R. (2019). Why teach with project-based learning? Motivational factors in project-based learning. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 13(1), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1719
OECD. (2018). The future of education and skills: Education 2030. Paris, France: OECD Publishing.
Rosenblatt, L. M. (1995). Literature as exploration (5th ed.). New York, NY: Modern Language Association.
Stoller, F. (2006). Establishing a theoretical foundation for project-based learning in second and foreign language contexts. In G. H. Beckett & P. C. Miller (Eds.), Project-based second and foreign language education (pp. 19–40). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
Copyright (c) 2025 Assoc. Prof. Dr. Truong Thi Bich

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All Content should be original and unpublished.

