Using the PBL Teaching Model to Develop Grammatically Correct English Writing among First-Year Elementary Teacher Students in the 12+2 Program at Pakse Teacher Training College

Abstract

The purposes of this research were to determine the effectiveness of student teachers’ progress in English writing skills, focusing on grammatical accuracy, through the implementation of problem-based learning (PBL); and to examine students’ satisfaction with English language teaching and learning, particularly in developing grammar-based writing skills using the PBL approach. The experimental group consisted of 32 first-year students in the 12+2 primary teacher education program at Pakse Teacher Training College during the 2021–2022 academic year. Two types of research instruments were used: a test to measure achievement before and after learning English writing with grammatical accuracy through the PBL approach, consisting of 30 multiple-choice items with four options each; and a questionnaire on student satisfaction with PBL (29 items). Data analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel to calculate both students’ learning effectiveness and their satisfaction. The statistical methods employed included frequency, mean, standard deviation, and an independent sample t-test. The findings revealed that the effectiveness index (E.I) of students’ learning development through the PBL teaching method in improving grammatical accuracy in English writing was 0.5575, indicating that students’ knowledge increased by 55.75%. The post-test score (X = 23.44, S.D = 1.31) was significantly higher than the pre-test score (X = 17.53, S.D = 2.18), with a statistically significant difference (t(32) = 19.31, p < 0.05).