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Social Sciences and Humanities Issue (English)
Date Published:
05/04/2026
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Do, M. H., & Le, V. P. (2026). The impact of job-related projects on students’ English-speaking skills at An Giang Vocational College. Dong Thap University Journal of Science, 15(3), 73-90. https://doi.org/10.52714/dthu.15.3.2026.1786
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The impact of job-related projects on students' English-speaking skills at An Giang Vocational College
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Abstract
This study investigates the impact of job-related projects on the English-speaking skills among students at An Giang Vocational College. Action research was applied in this study. Participants were 70 freshmen from this vocational college. Data were primarily collected through a pre-test and a post-test on English-speaking skills. Additionally, a survey questionnaire was conducted to investigate participants' perceptions about the implemented approach. The results showed that participants’ English-speaking skills significantly improved, with the mean score increasing from 6.57 points in the pre-test to 7.73 points in the post-test. A t-test analysis (SPSS) revealed a statistically significant difference between the test mean scores. Additionally, the survey questionnaire indicated that participants highly valued the implemented approach in providing opportunities to use English in job-based situations and cultivate other skills essential for career environments. However, for better impacts on English-speaking performance and learning engagement among participants from vocational schools, the study offers recommendations for future research within the Vietnamese context and in other countries.
Keywords
Action intervention, benefit, English-speaking skills, impact, job-based projects.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
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Savery, J. R. (2006). Overview of problem-based learning: Definitions and distinctions. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1), 9-20. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1002
Schweigert, W. A. (2024). Research methods in psychology: A handbook (4th ed.). Waveland Press.
Stoller, F. L., & Robinson, M. S. (2020). Project-based learning in second language acquisition: Building communities of practice. Routledge.
Stringer, E. T. (2014). Action research: A handbook for practitioners (4th ed.). Sage.
Studocu (2015). VSTEP - sample. Can Tho University. Available from https://www.studocu.vn/vn/document/truong-dai-hoc-can-tho/anh-van-can-ban/de-thi-mau-fdgvhbjnkml/81516462
Thomas, J. W. (2000). A review of research on project-based learning. Autodesk Foundation.
Thornbury, S. (2005). How to teach speaking. Pearson Education.
Tran, T. K. Q., Do, M. H., & Dinh, N. T. N. (2024). The effects of project-based learning on non-English major students' crucial soft skills development. TNU Journal of Science and Technology, 229(12), 171 - 177.
Tuyen, L. V., & Tien, H. H. (2021). Integrating project-based learning into English for specific purposes classes at the tertiary level: perceived challenges and benefits. VNU Journal of Foreign Studies, 37(4), 128-148.
Zhang, L., & Ma, Y. (2023). A study of the impact of project-based learning on student learning effects: a meta-analysis study. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1202728. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1202728
Avsheniuk, N., Lutsenko, O., Seminikhyna, N., & Svyrydiuk, T. (2023). Fostering iintercultural communicative competence and student autonomy through project-based learning. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on Communication and Language in Virtual Spaces, 130-143. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/comm1.10
Beckett, G. H., & Slater, T. (2005). The project framework: a tool for language, content, and skills integration. ELT Journal, 59(2), 108-116.
Brown, H. D. (2007). Principles of language learning and teaching (5th Ed.). New York: Longman.
Bygate, M. (2001). Speaking. In R. Carter, & D. Nunan, The Cambridge guide to teaching English to speakers of other languages (pp. 14-20). Cambridge University Press.
Byram, M. (2020). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence revisited. Multilingual Matters.
Chi, D. N. (2023). Benefits of implementing project-based learning in an English for Business course. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 10(3), 55–71. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/1549
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2025). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Cronk, B.C. (2018). How to use SPSS®, A step-by-step guide to analysis and interpretation (10th ed.). Routledge. Routledge https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003450467
Ferrance, E. (2000). Action research. LAB Brown University.
Fried-Booth, D. L. (1986). Project work. Oxford University Press.
Gardner, D. (1995). Student-produced video documentary provides a real reason for using the target language. Language Learning Journal, 12, 54-56.
Grant, S. (2017). Implementing project-based language teaching in an Asian context: a university EAP writing course case study from Macau. Asian. Journal of Second Foreign Language Education, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-017-0027-x
Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J., & Anderson, R.E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage.
Hao, H., & Razak, R. B. A. (2024). Project-based approach and language learning motivation in higher education: A scoping review. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 24(2), 169 -183. http://dx.doi.org/10.12738/jestp.2024.2.012
Harmer, J. (2015). The practice of English language teaching. Pearson.
Ho, X. M., & Nguyen, H. T. (2022). An investigation of reality and challenges of project-based learning implementation. European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 6(4), 99-128. doi.org/10.46827/ejfl.v6i4.4609.
Jaleniauskiene, E., & Venckiene, D. (2025). Project-based learning for language education in higher education: A scoping review. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 19(1), 1–25.
Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2019). Cooperative learning: The foundation for active Learning. IntechOpen.
Long, M. H. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W. C. Ritchie, & T. K. Bhatia, Handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 413-468). Academic Press.
News, (2025). 70 statistics about the English language. Accessed 14/2/2025 from https://ecenglish.com/en/blog/news/70-statistics-about-the-english-language/
Ngo, T. N. H., & Tran, V. D. T. (2025). The application of project-based learning in English for a Basic Marketing class to enhance Oral presentation skills at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade (HUIT). International Journal of TESOL & Education, 5(3), 160-181.
Petersen, C., & Nassaji, H. (2016). Project-based learning through the eyes of teachers and students in adult EFL classrooms. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 72(1), 13–39. https://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.2096
MOET - Ministry of Education and Training (2008). Decision No. 1400/QĐ-TTg: Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, Period 2008 to 2020, from http://www.chinhphu.vn/portal/page/portal/chinhphu/hethongvanban?
PM - Prime Minister (2017). Decision No. 2080/2017/TTg: Approving the modification of Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, Period 2017-2025. Hanoi, Vietnam, https: datafiles.chinhphu.vn/cpp/files/vbpq/2017/12/2080
PwC, Vietnam (2024). Doing business in Vietnam: A reference guide to entering the Vietnam market. VCCI: Ha Noi.
Putri, A., & Afrianto. (2025). Leveraging project-based learning: English teachers’ views on enhancing speaking skills in vocational settings. Indonesian Journal of Educational Development, 519-531.
Rehman, N., Zhang, W., Mahmood, A., Fareed, M., & Batool, S. (2023). Fostering twenty-first-century skills among primary school students through math project-based learning. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 1-12.
Reyes, M. A. (2024). Effectiveness of project-based learning model with English language in higher education: A practical case in the Degree of Tourism. Language Value, 17(1), 1-26. https://www.doi.org/10.6035/languagev.7938
Savery, J. R. (2006). Overview of problem-based learning: Definitions and distinctions. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1), 9-20. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1002
Schweigert, W. A. (2024). Research methods in psychology: A handbook (4th ed.). Waveland Press.
Stoller, F. L., & Robinson, M. S. (2020). Project-based learning in second language acquisition: Building communities of practice. Routledge.
Stringer, E. T. (2014). Action research: A handbook for practitioners (4th ed.). Sage.
Studocu (2015). VSTEP - sample. Can Tho University. Available from https://www.studocu.vn/vn/document/truong-dai-hoc-can-tho/anh-van-can-ban/de-thi-mau-fdgvhbjnkml/81516462
Thomas, J. W. (2000). A review of research on project-based learning. Autodesk Foundation.
Thornbury, S. (2005). How to teach speaking. Pearson Education.
Tran, T. K. Q., Do, M. H., & Dinh, N. T. N. (2024). The effects of project-based learning on non-English major students' crucial soft skills development. TNU Journal of Science and Technology, 229(12), 171 - 177.
Tuyen, L. V., & Tien, H. H. (2021). Integrating project-based learning into English for specific purposes classes at the tertiary level: perceived challenges and benefits. VNU Journal of Foreign Studies, 37(4), 128-148.
Zhang, L., & Ma, Y. (2023). A study of the impact of project-based learning on student learning effects: a meta-analysis study. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1202728. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1202728
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