Abstract:

English language teaching (ELT) at rural schools may pose challenges like insufficient resources and a lack of students’ interest. Integrating real-life-based and learner-centred methods like project-based learning (PBL) into rural English classes may help improve the quality of ELT in such contexts, yet the issue still remains underexplored. This case study aims to devise a PBL model for the English classes at a rural school and investigate the effects of PBL on the development of linguistic and non-linguistic competencies as well as the benefits and challenges of the process along with suggested solutions. The data were collected through closed- and open-ended questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and students’ productions. According to the results, PBL was seen to affect students’ progress in multidimensional ways. The data suggest that thanks to PBL, the students’ interest and confidence in using English increased, and their English language proficiency improved. Besides, the students were found to have developed their real-life related skills like time management, creativity, autonomous decision-making, oral presentation, and computer use. However, PBL was also defined to be a challenging process requiring full devotion and a heavy workload. This study indicates PBL can be an effective means to improve the quality of ELT in rural education.

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