THE EFFECTS OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING ON NON-ENGLISH-MAJOR STUDENTS’ CRUCIAL SOFT SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The rise of project-based learning has presented numerous opportunities for instructors and students in terms of facilitating self-development. This study seeks to explore the potential of the Project-based learning method in enhancing three important soft skills, including critical thinking, social-emotional skill, and self-regulation, which are believed to be beneficial for students’ sustainable development, among non-English-major students in a university in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. This research aims to assess the attitudes of students toward the classroom-based implementation of a six-week Project-based learning in an English as a foreign language classroom. Quantitative data from surveys has been gathered over the project implementation triangulated with semi-structured interviews to gauge students’ perspectives on their skill enhancement after the project. The results indicate a unanimous agreement among students regarding their development of the three crucial skills. Upon these findings, the study presents pedagogical implications for Project-based learning teachers and proposes further paths for research in this area.