IMPLEMENTING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING CALLED AS “BEST OF BOTH WORLDS PROJECT (BBWP)’’ IN ENGLISH SYLLABUS

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:There is a need in global economy for knowledge and technology due to which higher education is being viewed as central to national strategies to secure shares in the Global Human Resource Market by producing valuable human capital to support the development of the nation. According to UNESCO (2012) the contribution of universities towards economic development can be observed in three areas: (i) producing and accumulating human capital; (ii) generating, disseminating, and applying knowledge; and (iii) innovating and inventing new information and technology.According to UNESCO (2012) annually, the amount of graduates from universities around Malaysia to fulfil the current job market needs locally and internationally is higher compared to the employment rate as they are unable to secure job. The National Graduate Employability Blueprint 2012 -2017 reported that employers have identified that the most common problem with fresh graduates is their poor command in English. A research conducted by Noor Azina (2011) supported the findings and added that good grades did not guarantee employment for graduates if they did not possess a good command over English and other soft skills.In addressing this issue, the Centre for Language Studies and Generic Development of Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), has taken an initiative to implement project based learning in second language (L2) classrooms. Stein (1995) mentioned that project -based learning helps to place the learners in a situation which requires authentic use of language in order to communicate. This is because, when the learners work in pairs or teams, they need skills to plan, organize, negotiate and arrive at consensus about the project. Hence, this project, known as Best of Both Worlds Project (BBWP) combines pedagogical methods such as project-based learning, active pedagogy and traditional teaching. This project is based on drama and entrepreneurial activities which aims to stimulate entrepreneurial attributes and enhance language skills among undergraduates.OBJECTIVES:This research deals with the application of Project -Based Learning method by outlining its essence and effect from the perspectives of the students. This research thoroughly describes the Project -Based Learning environment, namely BBWP, which has been implemented and foster the process of learning in terms of language skills and entrepreneurial attributes. Finally, this research presents the results on undergraduates' perceptions towards the implementation of BBWP project at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan.METHODOLOGY:This project was carried out in one semester starting from February 2014 until May 2014 (refer to Table 1: BBWP's Timeline). This project used convenience sampling and students from all the campuses were randomly given a questionnaire to answer. After the researchers explained about the process of the project, a number of 30 participants volunteered (self -selecting sample) to join this research and they were asked to reflect and write about their experience throughout the project especially in preparing for the drama presentation as well as organizing a booth for the project.The data for this research was collected from questionnaire (closed and open -ended questions) and reflective journals written by the students, therefore this research is considered as mixed -method research. The information from reflective journal is hoped to explain on why certain issue or problem occurred and how students overcome the problem. According to Creswell (2003), mixed-method approach is one in which the researcher tends to base knowledge claims and pragmatic grounds as it employs strategies of inquiry that involve collecting data either simultaneously or sequentially to best understand the research problems.The data collection also involves gathering both numeric information as well as text information so that the final database represents both quantitative and qualitative information. …