(PDF) The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach in the Algerian EFL Context: Curriculum Designers’ Expectations

(PDF) The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach in the Algerian EFL Context: Curriculum Designers’ Expectations and Teachers’ Obstacles
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Introduction
Methodology 3.1. Method
Questionnaire
Findings, Discussion and Analysis
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The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach in the Algerian EFL Context: Curriculum Designers’ Expectations and Teachers’ Obstacles
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ)
January 31, 2025
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Abstract
To help learners acquire and develop the necessary skills for the 21 st century, Algeria has adopted the Competency-Based Approach (CBA) along with the Project-based Learning (PBL) approach within its educational system. Theoretically speaking, the goal behind such reform is to shift from a content-based to a process-based learning/teaching and thus to make learning more relevant and realistic for students. However, in practice, teachers find difficulties in putting into practice the two approaches. The aim of the present paper is to explore those obstacles that hinder the execution of the PBL approach in the third-year secondary education English classes and to identify to what extent English language teachers master and use PBL methodology in their classes. To reach the aim of the study, the following hypothesis is put forward: teachers lack both training and background knowledge on the approaches that help to implement PBL in classrooms. For the sake of collecting information about the issue tackled in this study, twenty EFL teachers from some secondary schools in Mostaganem city received a questionnaire. The research findings confirm the hypothesis mentioned above. They reveal that teachers neither master nor use the project-based instruction proficiently in their classrooms despite the guidance provided in the third-year pedagogical documents. Those hindrances are due to the lack of professional training and the insufficient theoretical knowledge on the diverse approaches, methods and strategies related to PBL.
Figures (11)
B. Teachers’ Tendencies Regarding the Teaching Approaches
Figure 1. Teachers’ number and years of experience & y participants were required to answer the questions by writing full sentences and ticking the righ box(es) when/where necessary. The central aim of the questionnaire is to investigate the teachers knowledge on PBL and to find whether they are applying it in their classes or not.
Table 2. Teachers’ choice of the teaching approaches
Table 3. Respondents’ application of project work
Table 4. Respondents’ familiarity with the term PBL E. The availability of Workshops on PBL and their Impact on Teachers’ Classroom Practice
Table 5. The respondents’ attendance rate in the PBL training sessions
Figure 2. Obstacles to the implementation of PBL The analysis of the participants’ answers shows that only two of the informants (10%), respectively of twenty-four and twenty-six years of experience, do not find difficulties in applying the PBL approach. They claimed that through years they learnt how to control their students’ behaviour appropriately. This evidence implicates that experience plays a significant role in applying the PBL approach, especially in large classes.
Table 7. Respondents’ familiarity with Cooperative Learning Methods H. Teachers’ Knowledge on the Experiential Learning Approach
Table 8. Respondents’ knowledge on the Experiential Learning Approach I. Teachers’ Familiarity with Learner-Centered Teaching
Table 09. Respondents’ familiarity with learner-centered teaching J. The Frequency of Group Work Use in Class
Table 10. The frequency of group work use in class
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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019 Pp.271-282
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no1.23

The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach in the Algerian EFL
Context: Curriculum Designers’ Expectations and Teachers’ Obstacles

Meriem Baghoussi
Department of English, Faculty of Foreign Languages
University of Abdelhamid Ibn Badis, Mostaganem, Algeria

Ilhem Zoubida El Ouchdi
Department of English, Faculty of Letters and Languages
University of Abou Bakr Belkaid, Tlemcen, Algeria

Abstract
To help learners acquire and develop the necessary skills for the 21st century, Algeria has adopted
the Competency-Based Approach (CBA) along with the Project-based Learning (PBL) approach
within its educational system. Theoretically speaking, the goal behind such reform is to shift from
a content-based to a process-based learning/teaching and thus to make learning more relevant and
realistic for students. However, in practice, teachers find difficulties in putting into practice the
two approaches. The aim of the present paper is to explore those obstacles that hinder the execution
of the PBL approach in the third-year secondary education English classes and to identify to what
extent English language teachers master and use PBL methodology in their classes. To reach the
aim of the study, the following hypothesis is put forward: teachers lack both training and
background knowledge on the approaches that help to implement PBL in classrooms. For the sake
of collecting information about the issue tackled in this study, twenty EFL teachers from some
secondary schools in Mostaganem city received a questionnaire. The research findings confirm the
hypothesis mentioned above. They reveal that teachers neither master nor use the project-based
instruction proficiently in their classrooms despite the guidance provided in the third-year
pedagogical documents. Those hindrances are due to the lack of professional training and the
insufficient theoretical knowledge on the diverse approaches, methods and strategies related to
PBL.

Keywords: accompanying document, competency-based approach, project-based
learning/instruction, teachers’ obstacles, third-year curriculum/textbook

Cite as: Baghoussi, M., & El Ouchdi, I. Z. (2019). The Implementation of the Project-Based
Learning Approach in the Algerian EFL Context: Curriculum Designers’ Expectations and
Teachers’ Obstacles. Arab World English Journal, 10 (1) 271-282.
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no1.23

271

Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach Baghoussi & El Ouchdi

1. Introduction
Before 1962, the French language was widely used in different sectors in Algeria. In the past
few decades, the Algerian government decided to use Arabic in politics and education. However,
English was first introduced in middle schools as a second foreign language in 2001. Like many
countries in the world, Algeria has given English an essential pre-eminence in its educational
system. It has been introduced in all levels (middle, secondary and university) because it is an
international language and a language that is widely used in scientific and technological fields.
The main aim behind its introduction is mainly to face the requirements of globalization and get
in touch with all people of the world and to reinforce the international political and economic
relations. As the Ministry of National Education (MNE) (2006) points out:

The aim behind teaching English in Algeria is to help our society to integrate
harmoniously into the modern world by getting involved fully and effectively with
the world multilingual communities that use this language in all kinds of interactions.
Thanks to the sharing and exchanging of ideas, scientific experiments, cultural and
economic capital, this involvement will enable a better understanding of oneself and
others. In such a perspective, the old and narrow utilitarian conception of English
learning will change and thus leading to a more daring approach where citizens will
not be consumers, but actors and agents of change. Therefore, everyone will have the
opportunity to get access to science, technology, and world culture.... (p. 3)

Since 2001, numerous changes have occurred in the Algerian educational system because of some
deficiencies found in the previously implemented approaches, namely the communicative and the
teaching by objectives approaches. Due to the rapid change that the educational systems of the
world are continually witnessing, new teaching methods and approaches have emerged.
Reconsidering the necessity of such change and thanks to the help provided by the Middle East
and North Africa (MENA), the UNESCO and the Out-of-School Children Initiative (OOSCI)
organizations, the Algerian MNE started to make some other reforms in its educational system in
2003 in order to adapt it to the national and the world requirements. To meet those requirements
and to face the challenges of the 21st century needs, learners need to possess some skills like
collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and communication. With the help of that reform and the
birth of the new approach, namely the Competency-Based Approach (CBA) a noticeable shift
occurred. The content-based curricula paved the way for the competency-based one. Since then,
the MNE has introduced new curricula and textbooks at all school levels. The approach adopted
within all those teaching resources is the CBA, an approach that embraces problem and project-
based teaching/learning, learner-centredness, autonomy and some further approaches. Thanks to
that approach, both teachers and learners’ roles have changed. Learners are no more passive; they
become actively engaged and responsible for their learning development. Correspondingly, the
teacher’s role has shifted from a spoon feeder of knowledge to a mentor, a guide and a facilitator,
thus placing learners at the core of the learning process. In such an environment, learners will
construct their own knowledge and try to exploit it, when and where necessary, in real-life
situations. Since learner autonomy is the main focus of the learner-centered approach, the roles of
the teacher and the learner changed. The process has become collaborative where the teacher has
become a kind of companion. In this perspective, the Algerian English Framework (AEF), for
example, has focused on learners’ competencies to encourage them to use higher-order thinking
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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach Baghoussi & El Ouchdi

skills to solve real-life problems. Critical thinking, on the other hand, is also one of the 21st-century
competencies that embrace the Project-Based Learning (PBL) approach. Accordingly, during the
realization phase of the projects, students are supposed to make judgments and think critically to
come to the final product.

Moreover, in order to facilitate the integration of the Algerian learner in the world
community and increase the productivity and the efficiency of the educational system, the MNE
has also focused on the incorporation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
into schools and universities to help learners to obtain quality projects. Thanks to ICTs, learners
can “investigate and construct new meaning. Technology helps them reach beyond the classroom
to a community of learners” (Krauss & Boss, 2013, p. 9). So to put a focus on those technologies,
the MNE (2006) confirms that ICTs:

• give access the Web to exchange ideas and opinions with all the people of the
world through chatting and discussion forums;
• help learners to discover the world and its people, religions and cultures;
• create an authentic context of communication with native English speakers and
non-native speakers;
• develop one’s autonomy in reflection and action;
• help learners to work within a motivating educational frame;
• give access to various documentation for research;
• encourage learners to use different software to shape their projects;
• improve different technological skills…(p. 9-10).

To highlight the impact of the recent educational reform on English teaching in Algeria, the present
study on PBL at the level of secondary school third-year English classes can be a reflective mirror
of such impact. It, in fact, attempts to investigate the accomplishment rate of the curriculum
designers' expectations and the obstacles that teachers are facing to implement the PBL approach
in classrooms. In other words, the work draws attention to both the use of PBL by teachers and
whether they are applying it as expected by curriculum designers. In order to explore such an issue,
the study will focus on the curriculum designers’ expectations and the obstacles that hinder the
implementation of PBL.

2. Literature Review
2.1. The Founding Principles of PBL
With the development of research in psychology and neuroscience, the relation between
knowledge, thinking and doing becomes clear. Thanks to learning by doing, learners foster and
develop their skills and competencies. The community, the peers and past experiences play an
important role in the learning process. They also put learners in real-life contexts where learning
improves through doing. Today, educationists are witnessing the rapid technological and scientific
changes that are taking place in the 21st century. To succeed and face the challenges of the modern
world, learners should be equipped with the appropriate and necessary knowledge, skills and
competencies. Since the world is a large multi-language, culture and faith community,
communication and collaboration have become a necessity. In this context, PBL has emerged,

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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach Baghoussi & El Ouchdi

paving the way to real-life learning experiences and problem-solving tasks beyond the classroom
boundaries. There are many definitions and descriptions of PBL. Seen as a pedagogical approach,
it helps learners to foster active and deep learning, thus engaging them and allowing them to
investigate real-life issues in collaborative circumstances. The Buck Institute of Education (BIE)
defines it as a “systematic teaching method that engages students in learning knowledge and skills
through an extended inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully
designed products and tasks” (Markham et al., 2003, p. 4). It is also considered as a means to
engage learners in “simultaneous acquisition of language, content, and skills” (Beckett & Slater,
2005, p. 108). PBL is essential for the development of learners’ target language, which they will
use in various real-life purposes. In such contexts, learners will develop their speaking, reading,
writing and listening skills in a natural way (Sheppard & Stoller, 1995).

In addition, in PBL learners are mainly exercising their higher-order thinking skills which
enable them to inquire, plan, judge, scrutinize, make decisions, draw conclusions, synthesize, thus
allowing them to evaluate the projects they realized on the basis of real-life issues (Blank, 1997;
Harwell, 1997; Dickinson et al., 1998; Westwood, 2008). Through projects, learners also
communicate and collaborate to find solutions to various real-life issues.

Project-based learning is a way to prepare students for life by enabling them to stimulate and
solve real problems. To describe the hallmarks of the project-based approach, Boss & Krauss
(2007) acknowledge that:

• Projects form the centerpiece of the curriculum-they are not an add-on or extra
at the end of a “real” unit.
• Students engage in real-world activities and practice the strategies of authentic
disciplines.
• Students work collaboratively to solve problems that matter to them.
• Technology is integrated as a tool for discovery, collaboration, and
communication, taking learners places they couldn't otherwise go and helping
teachers achieve essential learning goals in new ways.
• Increasingly, teachers collaborate to design and implement projects that cross
geographic boundaries or even jump time zones (p. 12).

2.2. Constructivism: the theory underlying PBL
Constructivism has its origins in the works of Dewey, Kant, Vico and Hegel. It is a learning
theory that focuses on how learners construct new knowledge through experience. John Dewey
(1933) claims that in solving problem situations, learners vigorously build their knowledge. Hence,
students become very active, engaged and motivated learners all along the learning process. Since
constructivism mainly focuses on learners' experiences, it becomes an essential agent in the
implementation of PBL. Dewey sees the teacher as a nurturer, a facilitator and a collaborator. In
this context, “since learning is something that the pupil has to do himself and for himself, the
initiative lies with the learner. The teacher is a guide and director; he steers the boat, but the energy
that propels it must come from those who are learning” (Dewey, 1933, p. 36). Learning occurs
through experience, and a good teacher is the one who lets the learners do and solve real problems
by themselves.
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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach Baghoussi & El Ouchdi

Railsback (2002) affirms that “project-based instructional strategies have their roots in the
constructivist approach” (p. 6). Characteristically, the principles of PBL derive accurately from
cognitive and social constructivism both of which embody the main strands of the constructivist
theory. The project-based learning/teaching strategies have their origins in constructivism, an
approach which is derived from the works of some theorists and psychologists like Jerome Bruner,
Lev Vygotsky, Piaget and John Dewey.

2.2.1. Cognitive Constructivism
Cognitive constructivism traces back to the work of Jean Piaget, a developmental
psychologist, who believed that learners develop their knowledge and that this development is a
biological process. For Piaget, humans construct their knowledge by building it through
experience. Each experience enables them to create new knowledge (schema). As Fosnot (2005)
notes:
Piaget describes assimilation as the “acting on” a situation with initial organizing
schemes—to make the situation “similar” to the present cognitive structures of the
learner. This gets to the heart of constructivism. We know the world through the
schemes and structures we use to explore it. Perturbations to these assimilatory
schemes cause cognitive reordering (accommodation) (p. 288).

This idea confirms that humans try to construct new knowledge by referring to their prior
existing background knowledge. On the other hand, accommodation remains the process of
associating previous knowledge (old schema) to a new one. As a result, students cease to be passive
recipients who are spoon-fed by their teachers. They rather become active learners who try to make
connections with background knowledge and collect new information to create and construct new
products. Also, students analyse and make connections between the real world and their own.

2.2.2. Social Constructivism
Social constructivism, on the other hand, is a further development of the constructivist
learning theory. According to Vygotsky (1978), learning takes place through social interaction in
the presence of a More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) - a skilful tutor, a teacher or a parent. The
latter can help the learner to use verbal communication. In other words, the learner and the tutor
will cooperate and collaborate, a union that leads to the cognitive development of the learner. As
long as the social environment is an important factor in learning, learners mainly learn through
social interactions with more skilful peers. Another focal point to consider is that the cognitive
development revolves around the Zone of Proximal Development. In this area, the learner receives
instructions and guidance that help her/him to develop skills s/he will use independently later. In
such contexts, learners also develop higher-order thinking skills and strategies. In addition,
collaborative and cooperative learning helps less competent learners to evolve and learn from peers
who are more skilful. In this context, Vygotsky (1978) points out that:

The distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent
problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through
problem-solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers
(p. 86).

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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach Baghoussi & El Ouchdi

Many different studies have also shed light on the relationship between PBL and Social
Constructivism. Furthermore, PBL concepts help learners to learn a language by interacting among
learners, with their tutor (Williams & Burden, 1997).

In order to develop the learner’s knowledge and skills in project-based learning, scaffolding
would be the best way to do so. Moreover, more knowledgeable peers and teachers can give
effective scaffolding as an element of project work to reinforce learning and develop both learners’
critical thinking and problem-solving skills (Grant, 2002 & Newell, 2003). In a PBL classroom,
the teacher teaches learners the ‘how’ to learn. In this case, the teacher’s role shifts from a spoon-
feeder of information to a facilitator and a guide. This can help learners to be self-confident and
thus motivated to do their best to reach their goals. Additionally, learners become ready to share
their thinking by providing feedback to their peers and groups.

To ensure efficacy, a PBL teacher should “facilitate and manage the process of learning”
(Markham et al., 2003, p. 8). In other terms, teachers must design tasks or activities that promote
critical thinking and help students to solve problems and find solutions, especially while they are
facing complex situations. In such context, teachers should possess outstanding skills and both
“interpersonal and communication skills” (Markham et al., 2003, p. 9) in addition to the capacity
to supervise the open-ended learning process.

3. Methodology
3.1. Method
To explore the issue of the PBL integration within the third-year secondary school English
classes in Algeria, the present study has relied on two research tools: observation during a teaching
period of six years and a questionnaire directed to some teachers from different secondary schools
in Mostaganem city.

3.2. Observation
The exploitation of the researcher’s observations in classrooms, especially during the
presentations of the projects, has been of a great benefit to the confirmation of the stated research
hypothesis of the present work.

3.3. Questionnaire
Twenty third-year secondary school teachers from different schools in Mostaganem city
received a questionnaire. The latter contained ten closed-ended and open-ended investigative
questions. The analysis of the present issue focused on the most relevant answers some of which
the present article discusses in details. It is worth pointing out that the questionnaire answers have
helped to confirm the findings of the six-year observation period.

4. Findings, Discussion and Analysis
To validate the hypothesis of the present study, a questionnaire was given to twenty
secondary-school English teachers from rural and urban areas of Mostaganem. The participants’
teaching experience ranged from one to more than twenty years, as detailed in Figure 1. The
questionnaire comprises two parts. The first part investigates the teachers’ familiarity with PBL,
and the second one examines their knowledge on the teaching approaches related to PBL. The
Arab World English Journal 276
www.awej.org
ISSN: 2229-9327

Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach Baghoussi & El Ouchdi

participants were required to answer the questions by writing full sentences and ticking the right
box(es) when/where necessary. The central aim of the questionnaire is to investigate the teachers’
knowledge on PBL and to find whether they are applying it in their classes or not.

Figure 1. Teachers’ number and years of experience

A. Teachers’ Familiarity with Teaching Approaches
Table 1 reveals that the majority (60%) of the teachers questioned are familiar with the CBA;
however, 40% of them confirm that they are most familiar with the CA, OBA and CBA. Referring
to the statistics above, it is noticeable that the teachers’ familiarity with the CBA records one of
the highest rates; a deep analysis of the questionnaire shows that such rate concerns only teachers
who have less than seven years of experience. It appears that this category of teachers is more
familiar with the founding principles of the CBA. However, only 40% of the informants are
familiar with the other approaches, namely the CA and OBA. It is noticeable that teachers who
have more than seven years of experience find difficulties in coping with the CBA in their classes.

Table 1. Teachers’ familiarity with the teaching approaches
Teachers’ answers Number of teachers Percentage
Communicative Approach (CA)
08 40%
Objective-based Approach (OBA)
Competency-based Approach (CBA) 12 60%

B. Teachers’ Tendencies Regarding the Teaching Approaches
The results in Table 2 confirm the teachers’ reticence about the CBA; however, the majority
(70%) show a positive attitude towards the CA and feel more confident while using it in their
teaching. Their answers clearly demonstrate the reason behind their choice. Most of them say they
are well-trained on it. To justify their choice, they confirm that it is less complex and students
perform better. Conversely, the ones who opted for the CBA claim that within the CBA teachers
have less work and students are more active, creative and autonomous. According to them, the CA
embraces an overuse of unrealistic facts.

Table 2. Teachers’ choice of the teaching approaches
Teachers’ answers Number of teachers Percentage
CA 14 70%
CBA 06 30%
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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach Baghoussi & El Ouchdi

C. Assigning Project Work to Learners
Table 3 reveals that 60 % of the informants answered negatively. They say that they do not
assign projects to students because of the lack of time and the lengthy English programme they
have to cover before the end of the year for fear that students will have some difficulties in
answering all the Baccalaureate exam questions. In addition, students are so swamped with the
contents of the other subjects that they lack time for the preparation of the assigned projects.
However, less than a half (40%) of the questioned teachers assume that they assign few of the
projects the textbook proposes to students.

Table 3. Respondents’ application of project work
Teachers’ answers Number of teachers Percentage
Yes 08 40%
No 12 60%

D. Teachers’ Acquaintance with the Term Project-Based Learning
As illustrated in Table 4, 55% of the informants do not have any idea about what the Project-
based Learning approach means. They declare that they do not have a clear idea about it. However,
45% of them say they do, and some of them define it as a way of learning through projects, and
the others describe it as a teaching method in which students are assigned projects to help them
gain knowledge and develop skills both autonomously and collaboratively. According to the
findings, most of the informants are not familiar with the Project-based Learning approach because
they have never received any training on it. The statistics in the next table confirm that claim.

Table 4. Respondents’ familiarity with the term PBL
Teachers’ answers Number of teachers Percentage
Yes 09 45%
No 11 55%

E. The availability of Workshops on PBL and their Impact on Teachers’ Classroom
Practice
An analysis of the respondents’ answers, as illustrated in Table 5, reveals that the majority
of them (70%) have never had an opportunity to attend training sessions on PBL. According to
such results, it becomes apparent that lack of training on PBL is one of the major obstacles that
hinder the implementation of this approach in classrooms. Due to that training deficiency, teachers
do not have enough knowledge of such kind of approaches nor do they know how to implement
them in their classrooms. Nevertheless, those who have already attended training sessions on PBL
attest that they have become more knowledgeable about the importance of project pedagogy in
teaching and learning.

Table 5. The respondents’ attendance rate in the PBL training sessions
Teachers’ answers Number of teachers Percentage
Yes 06 30%
No 14 70%

Arab World English Journal 278
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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach Baghoussi & El Ouchdi

F. PBL Obstacles
As demonstrated in Figure 2, the majority (90%) affirms that they encounter many
difficulties in applying PBL in their classrooms. The analysis of the details of the respondents’
answers within this item identifies the textbook inadequacy and the classroom over-crowdedness
as the main obstacles to the implementation of PBL (Figure 2). As for the textbook, they claim
that it contains units, not projects, and it is over-filled with tasks. Over-crowdedness is another
major problem raised by many respondents. They explained that in a class of more than twenty-
five students, a teacher finds many difficulties in controlling/managing the class, and if s/he does,
s/he will face another issue: a shortage of time. The other obstacles mentioned by the rest of the
participants are as follows:

• Deficiency of teacher training workshops on PBL,
• Lack of teaching and learning materials: computers, video projectors, posters,
photocopying machines and so on,
• The program structure: content-based and lengthy,
• Unsuitable timing: 3 hours a week for scientific streams,
• Lack of motivation among students with language difficulties.

The analysis of the participants’ answers shows that only two of the informants (10%), respectively
of twenty-four and twenty-six years of experience, do not find difficulties in applying the PBL
approach. They claimed that through years they learnt how to control their students’ behaviour
appropriately. This evidence implicates that experience plays a significant role in applying the
PBL approach, especially in large classes.

Figure 2. Obstacles to the implementation of PBL

G. Teachers’ Familiarity with Cooperative Learning Methods
The statistics in Table 7 reveal that most of the informants (60%) are not familiar with the
Cooperative Learning methods. However, those (40%) who know what it means, define it as a
learning process that does not go in a one-way direction as it used to be with the traditional
methods. Instead, they say that it goes in a two-way process: from teacher to learner and from
learner to teacher. Although cooperative learning is well defined theoretically, its strategies are not
used in large classes because of the noise they may engender.

Arab World English Journal 279
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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach Baghoussi & El Ouchdi

Table 7. Respondents’ familiarity with Cooperative Learning Methods
Teachers’ answers Number of teachers Percentage
Yes 08 40%
No 12 60%

H. Teachers’ Knowledge on the Experiential Learning Approach
With respect to Table 8, only 5% of the informants do know what Experiential Learning
means, but the majority (95%) have no idea about it. The findings affirm that 95 % of informants,
who do not have any information on experiential learning, are in need of professional training.
One of the teachers, who is familiar with this term, says that the learner is expected to apply what
s/he has learnt in class to solve real-life problems in and outside of school. In this particular case,
project work is advisable.

Table 8. Respondents’ knowledge on the Experiential Learning Approach
Teachers’ answers Number of teachers Percentage
Yes 01 05%
No 19 95%

I. Teachers’ Familiarity with Learner-Centered Teaching
Table 9 demonstrates that 85% of respondents have an idea about what the Learner-centered
Teaching approach is. They define it as a teaching approach that puts the focus activity on students
rather than on the teacher. They also add that within such an approach students become more
responsible for their learning, thus reducing the teacher’s over-presence in class and decreasing
theirs. Some of them also explain that when they design the classroom activities in such a way to
fit learners’ levels, learning styles and interests, they will encourage learners to be very active and
cooperative. However, the rest of the informants (15%) have no or an unclear idea about it.

Table 09. Respondents’ familiarity with learner-centered teaching
Teachers’ answers Number of teachers Percentage
Yes 17 85%
No 03 15%

J. The Frequency of Group Work Use in Class
Table 10 indicates that all the informants (100%) rarely encourage their students to work in
groups. Even though the third-year English textbook accompanying document stipulates that group
work allows students to support and help one another (MNE, 2011), the statistics reveal that
teachers do not give priority to group work. They claim that they avoid asking their students to
work collaboratively because of the classroom settings (space deficiency and the large number of
tables/chairs) and the noise such strategy engenders, especially in overcrowded classes.

Table 10. The frequency of group work use in class
Teachers’ answers Number of teachers Percentage
Often 00 00%
Rarely 20 100%
Arab World English Journal 280
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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach Baghoussi & El Ouchdi

5. Conclusion
It is worth to say that the present study is exploratory and illuminative. It is limited to the
analysis of the third-year secondary school curriculum and textbook. To limit the scope of the
research, the investigation involved only five secondary schools in Mostaganem. Hence the results
reported can, therefore, be regarded as being a modest tentative and could not be a generalization.
The results discussed in this paper reveal that the way the curriculum and textbook under scrutiny
integrate the principle of PBL and thus placing learners at the core of the learning process.
Nevertheless, although the two documents are project-based, apparent obstacles hinder their
application: the absence of detailed guidelines about the fulfilment of the different kinds of projects
in the classroom, and the absence of teachers’ training on PBL. Other obstacles like the program
length, the crowded classes and the requirements imposed by the baccalaureate exam also hinder
the use of PBL in classrooms.

The research results show that the curriculum designers’ choice of integrating the project
work as a tool of reinvestment and a culminating final product rather than as a central instructional
pedagogy is a sound decision. This change would probably help both teachers and learners to shift
gradually from the previously adopted teacher-centered learning theory to a learner-centered one.
The latter finds its roots in the CBA, an approach that the Algerian MNE has recently adopted
within its educational system. In fact, the shift from teacher-centeredness to learner-centeredness
and from an unrealistic teaching theory to a real-life project-based theory has not been an easy
task, especially in an educational system where spoon-feeding has been, for many years, a common
teaching ‘myth’. Thanks to that reform, PBL has been given prominence by the textbooks
designers. Actually, at the end of each teaching unit, learners are asked to carry out a project in
which they should reinvest what they have already learnt in the file/unit.

The PBL implementation in secondary school education is a real challenge today due to the
obstacles examined in this research and which the present article has tried to illuminate. However,
due to the limited corpus of the study and its restriction to the third-year secondary school students
of some high schools in Mostaganem, further future research on PBL implementation in other
schools, levels and cycles can hopefully support and confirm the findings of this research. Besides,
more advanced observational research methods like interviews with teachers, pupils, inspectors
and school headmasters can add more reliability to the present results. If teacher mentors regularly
conduct such kind surveys to identify the hindrances teachers are facing in the field, they will be
able to intervene accordingly to remedy those weaknesses through regular in-service training
workshops, seminars and study days. As for the length of the third-year programme, the MNE has
recently advised teachers to start using the planning learning instead of the yearly planning. The
former gives teachers some leeway to personalize their teaching and thus to finish the programme
before students set for the baccalaureate exam.

About the authors:
Meriem Baghoussi is a Ph.D. student in Didactics and Applied linguistics at Abdelhamid Ibn
Badis University, Mostaganem, Algeria. She is also a secondary-school teacher of English. Her
research interests center around EFL teaching and Psychopedagogy.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5694-3364

Arab World English Journal 281
www.awej.org
ISSN: 2229-9327

Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
The Implementation of the Project-Based Learning Approach Baghoussi & El Ouchdi

Dr. Ilhem Zoubida El Ouchdi holds a Ph.D. in Psycholinguistics from the University of Djilali
Liabess, Sidi Bel Abbess, Algeria. She is currently teaching as an associate professor at the
University of Abou Bakr Belkaid, Tlemcen, Algeria. Her research interests center around
Educational Psychology, Psycholinguistics and Cognitive Science.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3556-8582

References
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Arab World English Journal 282
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ISSN: 2229-9327
References (18)
Beckett, G. H. & Slater, T. (2005). The project framework: A tool for language, content, and skills integration. ELT journal, 59 (2), p. 108.
Blank, W. E. & Harwell, S. (1997). Promising Practices for Connecting High School to the Real World (pp. 15-21). Tampa, FL: University of South Florida.
Boss, S. & Krauss, J. (2007). Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age. Washington DC: International Society for Technology in Education.
Dewey, J. (1933). How We Think A Restatement of the Relation of Reflective Thinking to the Educative Process. (p. 36). Boston: MA D.C. Heath & Co Publishers.
Dickinson, K. P., Soukamneuth, S., Yu, H. C., Kimball, M., D'Amico, R., Perry, R., Kingsley, C. & Curnan, S. P. (1998). Providing educational services in the Summer Youth Employment and Training Program. Retrieved December 20, 2018 from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED420756.pdf.
Fosnot, C. T. (2005). Constructivism: Theory, perspectives, and practice. (i.e. '2 nd ed.), (p. 288). New York: Teachers College Press.
Grant, J. (2002). Learning needs assessment: assessing the need. British Medical Journal, (Clinical Research Ed.), 324, (7330), 156-159.
Harwell, S. (1997). Project-based learning, in W.E. Blank y S. Harwell (Eds.), Promising practices for connecting high school to the real world (pp. 23-28). Tampa, FL: University of South Florida.
Krauss, J. & Boss, S. (2013). Thinking Through Project-Based Learning: Guiding Deeper Inquiry. CA, USA: Corwin.
Markham, T., Larmer, J., & Ravitz, J. (2003). Project-Based Learning Handbook: A Guide to Standards- Focused Project Based Learning for Middle and High School Teachers. Novato, CA: Buck Institute for Education. (pp. 4-9)
Ministry of National Education (MNE) (March 2006). Programme of English as a Second Foreign Language, Third Year Secondary School. Algeria: Algiers, 3, 9-10.
Ministry of National Education (MNE) (2011). Third-year Accompanying Document. Algeria: Algiers.
Newell, R. J. (2003). Passion for learning: How project-based learning meets the needs of 21st-century students (Vol. 3). Lanham, MD, and Oxford, UK: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Railsback, J. (2002). Project-based instruction: Creating excitement for learning. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.
Sheppard, K & Stoller, F. (1995). Guidelines for the Integration of Student Projects into ESP Classrooms. English Teaching Forum, 33 (2-4): 10-15.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Westwood, P. (2008). What teachers need to know about teaching methods. Camberwell Victoria: Acer Press.
Williams, M. & Burden, R. (1997). Psychology for Language Teachers: A Social Constructivist Approach (p. 43). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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