The project-based learning in foreign language teaching as a means of stimulating autonomous learning in the faculty of foreign languages

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FEDERAL STATE AUTONOMOUS EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

FOR HIGHER PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

NATIONAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITY HIGHER SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

School of foreign languages

BACHELOR'S PROJECT

Field of study: 45.03.02 “Linguistics”

Degree programme: Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication

THE PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING AS A MEANS OF STIMULATING AUTONOMOUS LEARNING IN THE FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Dikova Diana Alexandrovna

Moscow, 2020



Introduction

One of the most crucial concerns of modern education is developing skills for lifelong learning. Due to this issue, the educational trajectory has undergone certain vital changes. In the first place, a shift in changing the center of focus from the teacher to the learner has occurred (Boudersa, Hamada, 2015). Secondly, the phenomenon of lifelong learning has emphasized the significance of autonomous learning or “the ability to take charge of one's own learning” (Kormos, Csizйr, 2014). Therefore, due to an immense amount of related research, project-based learning appeared as one of the possible methods to stimulate students' autonomous learning, particularly in the field of foreign language training (FLT) (Boudersa, Hamada, 2015).

The issue of using the PBL approach for improving autonomous language learning is currently an active area of research. Nevertheless, there appears to be a limited number of studies devoted to implementing PBL as a means of enhancing autonomous learning among students of foreign languages' faculties. The ultimate goal of this project is therefore to identify the role of the project-based learning in FLT as a means of stimulating autonomous learning in the faculty of foreign languages.

In addition, some secondary research questions will be attempted to approach:

? What are the key features of projects, PBL and autonomous learning?

? Will the use of the PBL method enhance students' levels of motivation, language skills and learning abilities?

In the development of this thesis, both theoretical and empirical methods will be employed. Thus, thorough literature analysis will precede the accomplishment of a post-PBL survey by students of the HSE Faculty of Foreign Languages to examine possible improvements in their autonomous language learning. Due to some certain limitations, the results obtained can be applied only to this research. Nevertheless, the present study may outline the effectiveness of project-based learning approach in improving autonomous learning among students of higher professional linguistic institutions.



1. Literature Review

1.1 Project

Due to a shift in a current educational trajectory from teacher-centered to student-centered learning and growing interest in lifelong education, the project-based learning method is now experiencing considerable use in foreign language classrooms. Consequently, a wide range of research is now focusing on studying the results of implementing PBL in various learning environments from elementary school to university.

Nevertheless, in order to master the project-based method, it is crucial to realize that projects can take a variety of forms and that their use in the educational process requires significant preparatory work, especially for the teachers. Hence, to employ the PBL method during their classes, teachers must be able to select necessary materials, clearly understand the characteristics of each project and plan their work accordingly (Polat, 1999, p. 62). Therefore, I would like to use a bottom-up approach and start by identifying the term "project" itself as well as its primary characteristics and classifications.

Azimov sees the notion of “project” as an independent work planned and implemented in a foreign language. Examples of projects provided are: the publication of a newspaper, a collection of articles, preparation of an exhibition, performance, concert, etc. (Azimov & Schukin, 2009, p. 226).

Phyllis Blumenfeld and his colleagues in their work concerning PBL conceive this term as “relatively long-term, problem-focused, and meaningful units of instruction that integrate concepts from a number of disciplines or fields of study” (Blumenfeld et al., 1991, p. 370). Furthermore, they provide us with a sequence of crucial and indispensable features of a project in the PBL method. They are:

a) the necessity of a challenging problem/question that will encourage the research;

b) projects should be interesting for students (as it contributes to a deeper understanding of the subject/issue);

c) culmination in a tangible product which answers the stated question;

d) students can choose a form or type of the final product;

e) projects should reflect real-life issues;

f) work over projects should take an extended period of time;

g) the necessity of interconnection between different subject matter disciplines;

h) a project's design can adjust to diverse types of students and learning situations;

Moreover, they propose such examples of final products as: report, video, model, computer program (Blumenfeld et al., 1991, p. 371-372).

Joseph Krajcik and P. Blumenfeld apply a concept of “artifacts” as a synonymous term to the word project. They identify this concept as “external representations of their [students'] constructed knowledge”. Proposed examples of the projects' forms are: essays, drawings, games, web sites, computer programs, etc. (Krajcik & Blumenfeld, 2006, p. 327).

Thuan in his work claims that Fried-Booth was the first who started to utilize this term in EFL environment in 1986. But most importantly, Thuan presents the definition which I will consider as a central one in the given thesis: “[projects are] complex tasks, based on challenging questions, involving students in design, problem-solving, or investigative activities; giving students the opportunity to work relatively autonomously over extended periods of time; and culminating in realistic products or presentations” (Thuan, 2018, p. 329).

Furthermore, there exist several project classifications. Thus, E. S. Polat identifies several types of projects according to four criteria (Polat, 1999, p. 62-67):

1. The type of activity leading in the project:

· Research (thoughtful structure, stated goals and relevance of the study, social significance, the use of scientific methods);

· Creative (no detailed structure, but a pre-planned result);

· Role-playing (participants try on certain roles based on the content of the project);

· Informational (gathering information about an object, information analysis, presentation to the public);

· Practice-oriented (a clearly defined result from the very beginning, well-structured);

2. Subject-content attribute:

· Single-disciplinary projects;

· Interdisciplinary projects;

· Mixed projects (the most frequent one);

3. The number of participants:

· Individual projects;

· Pair projects;

· Group projects;

4. The duration of the project:

· Short-term (completed in several lessons);

· Medium duration (from a week to a month);

· Long-term (from a month to several months);

As regards the final product, it may take a variety of forms: presentation, scenario, article, movie, commercial, website, interview, poster, etc. (Polat, 1999, p. 62-67).

N. F. Koryakovceva distinguishes the following types of projects in the field of foreign language learning by the type of the final project activity (Koryakovceva, 2010, p. 122):

1. Practical projects (observation diary);

2. Role-playing projects (acting out a situation, writing a play);

3. Informational and research projects;

4. Survey projects;

5. Publishing projects (a note in the newspaper);

6. Scenario projects;

7. Creative projects (an essay, a translation);

Furthermore, E. S. Polat points out that the choice of a project's subject (question/problem) may differ from one situation to another. Thus, it can be formulated by educational specialists within the framework of approved study programs; by teachers, who should take into account the specifics of their subject and the interests and abilities of students, and also by students themselves, who are guided by their own cognitive and creative interests. The subject matter of the projects may relate to some theoretical issues of the educational program in order to deepen students' knowledge and differentiate the learning process. However, analogously with the Blumenfeld's perspective, projects' subject more frequently reflects some relevant practical issue and at the same time, requires the implication of students' knowledge from different areas, their creative thinking and research skills. Consequently, natural integration of knowledge is achieved (Polat, 1999, p. 59).

1.2 Project-based learning

The concept of a project-based learning method is not new in the global pedagogical society. This method began its development in the United States in the early twentieth century by the work of a recognized American philosopher, psychologist and educator John Dewey (Burlbaw et al, 2013, p. 7). The core of his idea stems from American progressive education movement and may be described as "learning by doing" or "problem-solving method of teaching" (Grant, 2017, p. 2). Thus, Dewey argued that education should provide the child with knowledge and skills that can teach him to solve his practical problems. Moreover, he pointed out that students will be much more interested in learning if they understand that acquired knowledge can be applied in real-life situations. That is to say, first of all, students should be provided with meaningful tasks and issues that will develop their critical thinking. Secondly, learners should take an active role in choosing their activities, have an opportunity to work on them rather autonomously, and be able to evaluate their progress in problem-solving (Krajcik & Blumenfeld, 2006; Knoll, 1997).

Dewey's ideas were continued by William Kilpatrick, his disciple and zealous supporter, who described in detail and defined the Project Method in his eponymous essay (Knoll, 1997, p. 59). According to Kilpatrick, the main criterion for assigning any activity to a project is the presence of a certain goal. Furthermore, he established four stages of work over a project:

1. Goal setting;

2. Planning;

3. Realization;

4. Evaluation of results;

He also considered that the subject matter of a project must be taken from the social environment of the student who should bear the responsibility for operating on each step of the project realization (Mitrofanova, 2010, p. 99).

As regards Russian educational society, project method ideas were first implemented in practice in 1905 by Stanislav Shatsky (Azimov & Schukin, 2009, p. 226). Nevertheless, up until the end of the twentieth century, this method was not widely adopted by the global educational society due to some certain reasons. Blumenfeld and his colleagues contended that, first of all, projects were designed and distributed without adequate assessment of the complicated nature of learners' motivation and knowledge required to participate in cognitively complex work. Additionally, insufficient attention was paid to the students' interests in contrast to the professional interests of experts. Moreover, the lack of instruction and preparatory activities for teachers, as well as the difficulty of classroom projects realization, negatively influenced the elaboration and sustainability of the project method (Blumenfeld et al., 1991, p. 373).

Despite all the difficulties and controversies concerning the given method, the renewed PBL approach has been further incorporated into the educational paradigm and highly developed by such recognized theorists as Phyllis Blumenfeld, Alexandra Campbell, Gulbahar Beckett and many others who were seeking ways to provide students with a meaningful learning environment while making a certain final product (Thuan, 2018, p.328).

Thus, definitions and key characteristics of the PBL approach should now be provided. It is essential to note in advance that in this research paper such terms as PBL, the PBL approach/method or the project method have an analogous meaning.

Alexandra Campbell puts forward the following definition of the RBL method: “[it] is an instructional method in which the students work in groups to use resources, especially technology, to engage in content learning” (Campbell, 2012, p. 139).

Krajcik and Blumenfeld represent PBL as a type of situated learning which facilitates a deeper understanding of the subject as learners are actively engaged in operating their research and ideas (Krajcik & Blumenfeld, 2006, p. 318)

According to the doctor of pedagogical sciences Valentin Polonsky, the project method is a form of learning organization in which students gain knowledge and skills in the process of planning and performing complex practical tasks -- projects, developed jointly by the teacher and students, taking into account the surrounding reality and the students' interests (Polonsky, 2004, p. 80). Evidently, he is supporting Dewey and Kilpatrick's point of view regarding the nature of a project and the PBL approach.

E. S. Polat posits that the project method is based on the formation of students' cognitive skills and critical thinking, the ability to independently construct their knowledge and the ability to navigate the information space (for instance, search for the sources both online and offline; communicate within a group). Besides, this method focuses on the students' autonomous work that should last for a certain period of time. Therefore, she claims that the essence of the project method is to demonstrate the practical application of knowledge by stimulating students' interest in certain problems and letting them work on solutions through the realization of various projects (Polat, 1999, p. 61).

For the given thesis, I consider the definition of the PBL method provided by T. Fujimura the most relevant. In her recent study, she determines PBL as “a pedagogical approach which aims to foster autonomous and exploratory learning by placing learners in sequenced tasks such as identifying questions, collecting and analyzing data, and reporting the results” (Fujimura, 2016, p.105).

Next, major characteristics of the PBL approach advocated by a number of theorists will be presented.

Krajcik and Blumenfeld introduce three significant reasons to work over various projects. First of all, learners gain a deeper understanding of a problem, enhance their knowledge and practice to operate scientific methods. Secondly, projects may become a valuable tool for teachers both to assess learners' knowledge and their cognitive abilities like gathering and interpreting data, posing scientific questions and searching for answers. Thirdly, the possibility of sharing, discussing, criticizing and giving feedback not only boosts students' understanding of a subject matter but also develops their communication skills (Krajcik & Blumenfeld, 2006, p. 327).

Furthermore, they formulate five principal characteristics of the PBL learning environment (Krajcik & Blumenfeld, 2006, p. 318):

1. “Driving question” as a core and a stimulus of the project;

2. Close examination of the driving question by utilizing diverse scientific research methods;

3. Cooperative work of students or students and teachers to come up with solutions;

4. Teachers scaffold learners with beneficial research technologies;

5. Students create and present physical or computer models - projects - as final products;

E. S. Polat proposes four rather similar to Krajcik and Blumenfeld's major requirements for utilizing the project method. Firstly, the existence of a relevant research or creative problem (question/task) that asks for integrated knowledge and further research for solutions is crucial (e.g. the problem of the deteriorating health of the inhabitants of a particular country). Secondly, there should be practical, theoretical or cognitive value of the expected results. Thirdly, the necessity of independent (individual, pair or group) activity of students. Finally, the learner should be able to operate various scientific research methods like: defining the direction of his research and identifying its objectives, development of probable solutions, analysis of the data obtained, producing certain conclusions (Polat, 1999, p. 56-59). Moreover, she claims that the ability to use the project method is an indicator of the teacher's high qualification, his ability to use progressive teaching methods and, also, student's learning development (Polat, 1999, p. 59).

Blumenfeld also underlines the role of teachers in the project-based learning, providing that they should act like mentors or coaches who explain and demonstrate strategies for gathering and analyzing data, problem-solving, designing final results, etc. Consequently, they steadily transmit responsibility to students. As a result, students are motivated to persevere in solving authentic issues, to accumulate previous knowledge and experience and implement them to find answers to new questions, as well as to improve their subject knowledge and critical thinking to deal with their real-life problems in the future (Blumenfeld et al., 1991, p. 371).

P. D. Thuan in his work emphasizes that PBL has to be a learner-centered activity since students take responsibility for planning, accomplishing and performing their project, which tends to improve students' autonomous learning. Besides, projects should dwell on current social issues, but they should also reflect students' interests as it contributes to their motivation. Moreover, students must be encouraged to use only authentic resources which helps to enhance learners' language abilities. He also draws attention to such already mentioned PBL features as skills integration and obligatory creation of a final product (Thuan, 2018, p. 330).

M. Baltabaeva points out the PBL's contribution to improving students' communicative skills as they have to learn to interact with each other to complete their group project (Baltabaeva, 2018, p. 87).

In the article of I. Menshenin and L. Buldakova, features of a foreign language learner engaged in productive learning activity are presented which are identical to the major PBL features. Thus, such learners (Menshenin & Buldakova, 2014, p. 213):

1. Participate in determining objectives of the target language learning;

2. Connect them with their interests;

3. Actively involved in designing the final product of studying and criteria for its evaluation;

4. Select the most appropriate and effective methods and strategies of learning in consultation with the teacher and their group members;

5. Track their progress in target language learning;

6. Assess their actual achievement in language proficiency and the possibilities of using a foreign language in real-life situations;

7. Evaluate the productivity of their learning activities;

8. Evaluate themselves;

There are some more benefits of the project method to be mentioned. To begin with, the project method is an effective remedy for monotony and boredom in the flow of classroom activities as it contributes to students' motivation and persistence to work. What is more, it is claimed by various studies that PBL positively influences learners' autonomy due to their increased share of responsibility (Yamak, 2008; Rozova, 2012). Besides, the creation of final products gives students a sense of achievement as they can see a clear result of their efforts in the process of studying (Park & Hiver, 2017, p. 51).

1.2 Conclusions

After a thorough analysis of the project-based learning method, several conclusions may be outlined. First of all, there is a growing necessity not to directly transfer a certain amount of knowledge to students, but to teach them to gain this knowledge independently, so they will be able to use acquired skills and information to solve various cognitive and practical problems. Furthermore, the PBL method allows students to acquire and enhance indispensable communication skills such as the ability to work in a variety of groups, to perform different social roles in these groups (leader, performer, mediator, etc.), to communicate with teachers or other experts. Last but not least, it develops students' ability to employ diverse research methods. For example: gather necessary information; be able to analyze it from different points of view; put forward hypotheses; draw conclusions.

1.3 Autonomous learning

Nowadays effective foreign language proficiency primarily involves the ability to work autonomously on the target language, to maintain and to independently expand knowledge and skills, and constantly improve communication ability as the main purpose of learning a foreign language is the formation of a communicative competence (Solovova, 2006, p. 6). Thus, in the light of modern trends, students' autonomous learning is of particular importance in the development of higher education, which has been the subject of particular consideration in the methodology of teaching foreign languages. Consequently, in the context of foreign language teaching, it is crucial to switch to productive educational methods and technologies which reduce the “external predetermination” in the goals and content of education and are focused on the independent learning of students. The project-based learning method is one of the examples of such technologies (Menshenin & Buldakova, 2014; Ibragimova & Chugunov, 2018).

As I have already mentioned, there is increasing recognition of autonomous learning and self-regulatory techniques' significance, particularly in foreign language learning (Kormos & Csizйr, 2014). Despite relatively longstanding research period, a great deal of discussion is directed towards the definition of the term autonomy both among Russian and Western theorists, educationalists and psychologists (Masouleh & Jooneghani, 2012).

Some Russian theorists defines autonomous work of students in language learning as a kind of learning activity which allows students to accomplish various tasks applying skills of self-control and self-correction. They contend that, at present, the goal of paramount importance is to develop the methods of learning and gaining knowledge. That is the ability to autonomously master a foreign language and learn about foreign culture (Menshenin & Buldakova, 2014, p. 212; Ibragimova & Andrianova, 2013).

The same authors also claim that nowadays, the learning process is organized to fulfil both students' cognitive needs and some other self-development demands of the individual which directly correlate to the characteristics of autonomous learning (Menshenin & Buldakova, 2014, p. 213). They are:

1. Self-affirmation (through self-government, freedom of choice, interest-based activities);

2. Self-expression (through communication, creative work; search, identification and implementation of their abilities in beneficial activities);

3. Security (self-determination, the guidance from authority, collaborative activity);

4. Self-actualization (achieving personal and social aims, preparing for the adaptation in society);

According to the point of view of Russian methodologists I. A. Zimnaya and N. F. Koryakovceva, autonomous work might be defined as “purposeful, intrinsically motivated performance structured by the [learner]... and corrected by him both in the process and in the result of the activity” which requires a high level of self-awareness, reflexivity, self-control and self-discipline (Zimnaya, 2000, pp. 250-256). Autonomous learning is directly related to the level of academic competence of students. The effectiveness of the implementation of autonomous learning strategies is inextricably linked both to learners' ability and willingness to learn and their skills of effective self-management in the process of learning (from setting goals and making decisions to self-monitoring and independent assessment of results). Thus, we can also make a conclusion about the interdependent nature of autonomy and motivation. Moreover, according to the same methodologists' concept of autonomy, the leading role in autonomous learning belongs to the student, not the teacher (Zimnaya, 2000, pp. 250-256).

Additionally, Ibragimova and Chugunov in their article also emphasize the correlation between academic competence and autonomous learning by the fact that the successful formation of self-regulation is impossible without learners' development of such educational skills like goal-setting, new learning tasks creation, self-assessment and self-control (Ibragimova & Chugunov, 2018, p. 107).

Besides, the authors argue that students, especially children, cannot become autonomous learners without mindful guidance from a teacher and learning materials. Therefore, such training should occur through well-organized learning activities during classes. Furthermore, they insist that in order to enhance learners' motivation and willingness to work, clear goals and objectives of learning should be presented to them, as well as the order of steps in performing various tasks, the purpose of each task and its relevance for the formation of a particular competence (Ibragimova & Chugunov, 2018, p. 107-108).

Furthermore, in her work, Zimnaya introduces the term “self-regulation”. Learner who possesses self-regulation techniques, can independently organize his or her learning according to his or her learning objectives. Another significant demonstration of self-regulation is the learners' ability to evaluate the final and intermediate results of their actions (Zimnaya, 2000, p. 254). Kormos & Csizйr also provides a definition of the self-regulation concept. They describe it as self-regulatory conscious strategies that students apply to manage their learning. More specifically, these strategies are used by learners to regulate their thoughts and beliefs about themselves, emotions, learning behavior and environment (Kormos & Csizйr, 2014, p. 279).

Moreover, there are three formulated levels of readiness for autonomous learning, demonstrating the degree of formation of academic competence and the constant transition from external motivation to the internal one. N. Koryakovceva designates these levels as “controlled practice” (practice managed by the teacher), “guided practice” (practice partially managed by the teacher), and “free practice” (independence of students) (Koryakovceva, 2002, pp. 14-15, 92-93). As regards this research paper, we assume that HSE linguistic students work over their projects on the levels of “guided” and “free practice” as it corresponds with the HSE linguistic faculty educational policy.

In addition, these levels demonstrate gradual reduction of teacher's control and the enhancement of learners' skills of self-assessment and self-control which therefore lead to the increase of their autonomy and independence (Koryakovceva, 2002, pp. 14-15, 92-93).

Theorists Ibragimova and Chugunov consider autonomy in foreign language learning as an ability that needs to be trained through an extremely conscious attitude to the learning process. However, they note that students' autonomy cannot be absolute, since it is based on their academic competence which is constantly developing as they learn a foreign language. They highlight the importance of the students being taught and prepared to independently solve professional problems. So, the authors believe that the project method can be utilized to achieve this goal and also to organize autonomous learning of University students (Ibragimova & Chugunov, 2018, p. 108).

The representative of the Estonian school of science I. E. Unt, considers autonomous work, firstly, as a method of learning when a student is given educational tasks and instructions for their realization; secondly, as a work which is carried out under the guidance of a teacher, but without his direct participation. Finally, it requires a great deal of mental efforts from the students (Unt, 1975, p. 112).

In continuation of a specific and relevant for this thesis discussion about the peculiar properties of the University learning environment, professor N. Tyunina is concerned with two primary tasks about constructing and fostering students' autonomy. The first task is to teach them to acquire knowledge independently and form their own worldview and opinions on diverse issues. The second task is to teach them to apply their skills and knowledge in science and practical work (Tyunina, 2013).

She argues that the significance of these tasks cannot be overestimated as it is impossible to impart professional skills and knowledge directly from the teacher to the student. Mastering future profession implies that students should independently process a wealth of information, be able to assess it, and autonomously perform an immense amount of mental and practical activities. For instance, students have to search for and work with authentic literature and materials, develop their problem solving skills which tend to increase students' interest to the subject. As a result, they may improve their academic performance and enhance autonomy (Tyunina, 2013).

Nevertheless, students might face certain difficulties in the process of autonomous learning since they may not have some basic knowledge in a number of subjects, be incapable to highlight the main point, generalize information and draw conclusions. That is why a competent organization of the students' autonomous learning is one of the solutions to solve these problems (Tyunina, 2013).

As regards the Western perspective, the definition of the autonomy offered by Holec in 1981 seems to be most commonly employed, as a number of both early and recent studies have been based on it. Thus, Nunan and Kormos & Csizйr refer to this definition in their works, which states that autonomy in language learning is “the ability to take charge of one's own learning” (Nunan, 1996; Kormos & Csizйr, 2014). That is to say, students are supposed to be almost entirely responsible for their learning process. Besides, the learner is considered a decision-maker who should be able or be taught to choose from available resources what is necessary to complete the task (Chan, Spratt & Humphreys, 2002, p. 1). This research paper will also stick to the definition of autonomy presented above.

Additionally, R. Zhou and Y. Bao in their study represent autonomous learning in terms of practice process and consider it as a bunch of strategies aimed at directing the autonomous learning process of students. So, such strategies are used to encourage students who can remain effective and independent in the longstanding process of studying; who knows how to determine or construct their learning objectives; who is able to modify these objectives to satisfy their interests; and who possesses various learning strategies to control their own learning (Zhou & Bao, 2018, p. 32).

Furthermore, the same source provides us with one of the most relevant models of autonomous learning process created by Zimmerman. His model consists of three phases: “forethought phase” where learners choose learning strategies to operate a stated problem and gain motivation; “performance phase” that comprises strategies of self-regulation; and “self-reflection phase” which aimed at providing self-assessment and self-observation (Zhou & Bao, 2018, p. 32).

Nunan in his research presents such aspects of autonomous learning like: independent determination of the objectives, selection and adoption of suitable learning methods and strategies, self-assessment of the progress (Nunan, 1996, p. 15). What is more, he puts forward certain conclusions about the methods of increasing students' learning autonomy. He argues that students should be given with opportunities to select or produce their own learning tasks, be actively engaged in the productive use of foreign language, as well as being motivated to operate it outside the classroom (Nunan, 1996, p. 20).

Additionally, Kormos and Csizйr in their more recent work, emphasize the priority of the autonomy over the previously mentioned concept of self-regulation, since autonomous learners can govern much more aspects of learning. For instance, curriculum organization and independent employment of learning skills, selection of course materials and use of technology (Kormos & Csizйr, 2014, p. 280).

Moreover, the same resource mentions a link between autonomous learning and motivation. It says that students who manage to study independently tend to be highly intrinsically motivated. Therefore, they can apply self-learning strategies much more successfully (Kormos & Csizйr, 2014, p. 281).

1.4 Conclusions

To sum up, the major features of students' autonomous learning may be the following:

1. The presence of a cognitive task, a problem situation or a driving question that encourages students to conduct a research;

2. The ability of leaners to acquire various learning techniques and strategies and then work without the direct help of a teacher;

3. The ability of students to independently assess the results of their efforts, adjust it if needed, and choose the way to perform it;

4. The ability of students to take responsibility over their curriculum;

5. Independent and successful employment of various learning skills, selection of the course materials and technology to use;

6. The interdependence with the students' motivation;

After a thorough analysis of the terms autonomous learning and PBL, some certain similar characteristics have been ascertained. Both of them possess such key features as:

1. The necessity to teach students to gain knowledge independently while operating over specific tasks, so they will be able to use acquired skills and information to solve various cognitive and practical problems;

2. The necessity of students taking responsibility for almost every aspect of their learning;

3. Learner-centeredness;

4. Lifelong learning orientation;

5. The ability to independently seek and select resources/materials and to make use of modern technology;

6. Growing motivation, language and learning skills;

Consequently, it proves the correlation between autonomous learning and PBL. Besides, the content of the post-PBL questionnaire presented in the empirical section of this research paper, will mostly rely on the key features of autonomous learning and the PBL method mentioned above.

Motivation

As I have stated in the introduction, one of my research questions concerns the possible change in students' level of motivation, language and learning skills as a result of participating in a number of projects.

Insufficient level of motivation among students in any learning environment is one of the most fundamental and permanent problems for teachers. Particular attention is devoted to this issue in foreign language learning since acquiring a language does not imply a plain memorization of new words and grammar rules. It comprises acquisition of a new medium of communication, assimilation to a different culture, creation of a learner' s new self. Consequently, it is evidently impossible to study languages without fierce desire, constant interest and persistence to work. Moreover, a great number of scholars has confirmed a positive influence of the PBL method on students' level of motivation. In this section of my research paper, I will therefore examine the nature and features of motivation and its correlation with PBL and autonomous learning within the framework of foreign language learning.

In a general sense, “motivation is the critical force which determines whether a learner embarks on a task, how much energy he devotes to it, and how long he perseveres” (Yamak, 2008, p. 20). In other words, motivation reveals people's reasons to participate in a particular activity, the amount of time they want to and are able to dedicate to it, and how much effort they can put into mastering or completing this activity.

Thus, according to Kormos and Csizйr, there are a set of major elements of motivation that can instigate motivational change in foreign language learners. They include learner's goals, international posture, self-efficacy beliefs and ideal L2 self (Kormos & Csizйr, 2014, pp. 277-287). Students' learning goals are subdivided into instrumental goals which describes practical reasons to learn a new language (e.g. to get a promotion) and integrative goals which reflect learners' desire to acquire a foreign language to get assimilated into another culture. International posture generally describes learners' interest in foreign relations, strong desire to study or work abroad and to communicate with representatives of another culture. The authors also claim that self-efficacy beliefs (or how people assess their abilities) affect their motivation to take action much more intensively than their real skills or previous success. Finally, the authors highlight the significance of “ideal L2 self” for the language learners and claim that “the main driving force of language learning is the students' future image of themselves as successful users of the language” (Kormos & Csizйr, 2014, pp. 277-278).

Furthermore, there are four major strategies within the PBL approach that foster students' motivation for class activities. First of all, they should match the students' level of knowledge, and nevertheless, leave some room for their development. Secondly, they should contain explicit goals or instruction in order to facilitate students' concentration. Besides, each step of such activity, as well as its result, should be distinct, refer to authentic issues and reflect students' interests. Finally, responsibility over the realization and outcomes of the activity should primarily belong to students (Grant, 2017, p. 3).

Park and Hiver in their work also assume that the PBL method induces the improvement of the motivation among language learners as it provides them with experience of cooperative work. But most importantly, they claim that PBL reduces learners' anxiety and improves their classroom participation (Park & Hiver, 2017, p. 51). Anxiety is “the subjective feeling of tension, apprehension, nervousness and worry” which impedes language acquisition the most (Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope, 1986, p. 125). Thus, there exists a negative correlation between language anxiety and learners' proficiency, class participation and the level of motivation (Park & Hiver, 2017, p. 52). However, there is empirical evidence that proves PBL lowering communication anxiety (Thuan, 2018, pp. 333).

Blumenfeld and his colleagues lay particular emphasis on the place that teacher and technology take in improving students' motivation in the context of the project-based learning. They argue that major duty of a teacher that cannot be carried out by anyone or anything else is to guide students' work on the projects while establishing a specific learning environment. This environment should maintain learners' motivation to study, stimulate their critical thinking, problem-solving skills, risk-taking and accentuate gaining knowledge, not marks (Blumenfeld et al., 1991, pp. 380-381). Furthermore, in her recent study, S. Hebbouch underlines the crucial influence of a teacher on the students' project work as they have to be “clear about aims and objectives of the project, be aware of its wide scope and the numerous benefits learners may gain from, but also the challenges they may pose” (Hebbouch, 2018, p. 103)

As regards the role of technology, the authors insist that at present it has become an extremely beneficial and influential complementary cognitive tool. It not only offers millions of sources of information, but also increases students' and teachers' interest by providing access to authentic resources, giving opportunities to communicate and work remotely via social networks and expanding possible variants of artifacts' forms. Besides, it might become an effective and adjustable tool that can provide instructions, identify and correct mistakes, inspire, give advice, make recommendations for improvement, etc. (Blumenfeld et al., 1991, pp. 384-389).

Several questions, concerning enumerated motivational factors and characteristics, will be presented in the empirical part of this research in order to ascertain possible changes in HSE linguistic students' level of motivation as a result of participating in a number of projects.

1.5 Learning and Language skills

According to plenty of studies, other potential benefits of implementing the PBL approach into the educational curriculum, apart from increased learners' motivation, is considerable improvement of some general learning and language abilities of students. In this chapter of my research paper, some learning and language skills featured in the theoretical literature will be presented.

To begin with, such basic language skills like reading, listening, speaking and writing in the target language will be inevitably utilized and therefore advanced by students during project making (Thuan, 2018, p. 329; Husain, 2015). Besides, such language skills like “productive-effective speaking” and “communicative-face to face speaking” were distinguished (Yavuz & Arslan, 2018, p. 592). Moreover, I suggest that the improvement of such language capabilities as interpretation and translation should be also noted and analyzed.

As regards learning skills, Thuan posits that creating projects requires integration of numerous learning skills like planning, searching for information, operating with authentic materials, collecting and analyzing data, problem-solving, oral and written information reporting (Thuan, 2018, pp. 329-333). What is more, Campbell claims that participation in various projects contributes to the students' time-management skills (Campbell, 2012, p. 148).

Finally, several studies declare that the learners who are training by the PBL approach, demonstrate better foreign language performance than students from traditional classrooms (Krajcik & Blumenfeld, 2006, p. 318).

Therefore, in the empirical part of my research, I will concentrate on the language and learning skills mentioned above.

Case studies

In this part of my thesis, several surveys and studies examining the influence of the PBL approach in enhancing autonomous learning, motivation and skills in foreign language acquisition will be demonstrated.

The study of the role of BPL conducted in several high schools, reveals rather negative outcomes in the area of fostering autonomous learning. Without the proper guidance from a teacher, learners were not ready to make independent learning decisions. Notwithstanding some difficulties, students positively assessed their growing communication and collaboration skills while participating in project formation (Hebbouch, 2018). Besides, the author of the article insists on the further exploration of the PBL approach and its implementation to the high schools' environment.

Nonetheless, another survey describing integrating PBL to enhance high school students' autonomy, demonstrates the opposite results. First of all, it points out the PBL method's contribution to the development of basic language skills and such learning skills of students as: working in a group, self-motivation and self-organization. But most importantly, it has shown to the students that they can be effective autonomous learners (Imtiaz & Phil, 2012).

One more attempt to utilize PBL at high school context shows some positive outcomes. Firstly, there was a vast improvement of students' oral production, communicative, translation and interpretation skills in the target language. Eventually, their level of foreign language learning anxiety has noticeably decreased. Secondly, their interest in project work generated an increase of their motivation. Finally, in the process of working on various projects, students took control over almost every aspect of their learning, hence, boosting their autonomy (Torres & Rodrнguez, 2017).

The findings of rather early research study of introducing PBL to the higher educational institution environment to measure students' language learning autonomy, appear mostly disappointing. The researchers claim that due to the great dependency on a teacher and busy curriculum, students were not motivated enough to take much responsibility for their language learning. Hence, the authors suggest that in order to successfully employ autonomy in language learning among university students, close attention should be provided to their learning realities (Chan, Spratt & Humphreys, 2002).

McCarthy's action research of integrating project-based learning to a Japanese university does not reveal a significant improvement in learners' autonomy either, mostly due to PBL method's novelty to the students and their prevailing desire to succeed in the course rather than in the language itself. Despite this fact, the researcher believes that PBL might become one of the most optimum approaches to enhance students' autonomous language learning (McCarthy, 2010).

Nevertheless, the outcomes of Grant's more recent case study of implementing project-based language teaching in an Asian context suggest that the PBL method might be rather effective, notwithstanding some limitations. The results demonstrate improvement in students' motivation and language skills. However, most importantly, they reveal students' increasing positive attitude toward taking some responsibility for their learning process (Grant, 2017).

S. Williams' research among university students experiencing the PBL approach reveals the improvement of some language and learning skills. It must be noted that the students were not graded for the course, and the final result of their work could not negatively affect their performance. Therefore, the author singles out the considerable development of students' reading ability in target language and skills for searching the authentic materials as they practiced to look for sources both in the libraries and online via foreign web search engines. Besides, they practiced using some specific computer software to create their final products. Thus, their computer skills were also improved. Moreover, a large part of students emphasized the value of PBL in providing opportunities to communicate and collaborate with different people both around them and around the globe (Williams, 2009).

To conclude, presented investigations of introducing the project-based learning method into school and university's paradigm to stimulate learners' autonomy demonstrate controversial results.

Within the framework of the high-school environment, the most frequent issue is that students are overly dependent on their teachers and cannot take much responsibility over their learning. However, this situation is rather common and, thus, might be considered normal in almost every school educational system. By contrast, all of the listed studies prove the positive influence of PBL over the learners' level of motivation, language and learning skills (planning and managerial skills, communicative abilities, public speaking skills, etc.). Furthermore, two out of four case studies claim that high school children are able to be somewhat responsible for their learning and work autonomously with thoughtful guidance from the teacher. The PBL approach may therefore become a beneficial tool for students and prominent support for teachers.

With regard to the situation in the context of higher education institutions, the development of diverse linguistic competences and learning skills, as well as the implementation of various research methods by students, also seems inevitable (collecting and analyzing data, searching for authentic resources, use of technology, etc.). Concerning the change in tertiary students' autonomous learning, there is not much practical proof of its growth presumably due to the fact that students were faced with this learning approach for the first time in their educational process and, hence, were not ready to it. Consequently, several studies confirm that one of the major conditions of implementing PBL into the university context is thorough preparation and adjustment of this method to each distinct learning environment.

This research paper may be considered rather novel and relevant since the PBL method has been already broadly utilized among all the students of the HSE linguistics faculty.



2. Research Design and Methodology

2.1 Purpose of the Thesis

This paper seeks to contribute to the research of the influence project-based learning have in FLT as a means of stimulating autonomous foreign language acquisition among linguistic students. The PBL approach has been numerously scrutinized by an enormous number of scholars, methodologists and professors, and therefore been presented as a beneficial method to be implemented into the various learning environments to enhance learners' autonomy and life-long learning skills. Consequently, this paper aims to examine both a potential change in HSE linguistic students' level of autonomy and motivation and the development of their language and learning skills. According to the previous studies, due to some certain constraints, there seems to be no perfectly clear strategy for testing the correlation between autonomous learning and the PBL approach. Nevertheless, I believe that the results of my research might become a beneficial contribution to the further investigation of this issue.

Setting

The current survey was conducted in the National Research University “Higher School of Economics” in Moscow, Russia. The respondents are students of the faculty of Foreign languages and Intercultural Communication. Above all, the PBL approach is already partially applied in the foreign language training program at this faculty, and it is somehow implemented at each year of study. Thus, students participate in the creation and realization of diverse projects within the framework of their foreign language classes and such interdisciplinary subjects like “Research seminars” which connect students' target language and its native speakers' history, culture, current issues, etc. Language classes and research seminars are carried out in the students' target language. However, in some cases, code-switching to students' native language (Russian) occurs. Besides, it must be noted that English is primarily considered to be the first language (not foreign) as almost all classes at this faculty are conducted in English, while other foreign languages may be called students' target languages or L2. However, some students entered the University using another foreign language as their L1. Hence, they consider the English language as their target one.

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