Abstract: Education system in Malaysia, as in many countries, is leading towards the 21st Century teaching and learning which integrates the use of project-based learning (PBL) to prepare students holistically to compete in this rapidly globalising world. Blending PBL into English language classroom is one of the strategies to promote critical thinking and creativity in language learning. In order to apply critical and creative thinking, teachers have to maximise the use of PBL for self-paced learning regardless of students’ skill levels. However, research shows that only a small percentage of English language teachers use PBL regularly. Thus, this research aims to explore the effect of implementing PBL approach among English as a Second Language (ESL) learners in improving students’ critical and creative thinking skills as well as students' and teachers’ perspective regarding the practice. In this study, semi-structured interviews and observations are employed to collect data from three low to intermediate level of proficiency form two students and two English teachers in Kuala Kangsar, Perak. PBL benefits students in a way that it motivates them to learn language through real-world experiences. Teachers can implement and adapt the step-by-step of PBL method in this study to increase students’ participation in the language classroom. This study is hoped to provide teachers and students the insight of PBL tremendous potential to accelerate critical and creative thinking especially in ESL teaching and learning.
Keywords: Project-based learning, PBL, critical thinking, creative thinking, HOTS, 21st century learning, ESL.
Title: Exploring Project-Based Learning as 21st Century Learning Practice in Enhancing Critical and Creative Thinking: A Case Study of Form Two ESL Students
Author: Sutinah Sari Mohd Alwi, Azlina Abdul Aziz
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
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