1. MOHAMMAD SHERAJUL ISLAM - English Language Skills Department, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
2. SHANJIDA HALIM - Faculty of Languages &Translation, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
3. TANZINA HALIM - Faculty of Languages &Translation, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
This paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of Project-based learning in skills courses at the tertiary level. Project-based learning (PBL) is indispensable to meet the challenges of the 21st century. With the shift from teacher-centered classrooms to learner-centered classrooms, PBL is effective in teaching skills courses. Over the years, it has gained popularity at all levels of education. Teachers have changed their roles from lecturing to becoming only facilitators by monitoring, supervising, and facilitating the learning process. Through this, they tend to give learners more freedom and make them responsible. Similarly, language learners today opt for more flexibility, autonomy, and involvement to make learning enjoyable and effective. They prefer participating in the learning process by being active in a classroom. They prefer to acquire knowledge and skills, keeping in mind their practical application. As a result, it prepares them to meet the challenges of the 21st century. However, as in all the methods used in EFL/ESL classrooms, PBL is not without pitfalls. The present study addresses the issues regarding the implementation of PBL in skills classes and how effective it is for all types of students. 17 teachers, both males, and females in a public university in Saudi Arabia were chosen to participate in the study. A survey questionnaire was administered to the participants who had implemented PBL in their classes. SPSS (Version 20.0) has been used to analyze the data. Based on the findings, the study concludes with some recommendations about how PBL can be implemented in skills classes more effectively.
EFL/ ESL learners, learning by doing, project-based learning, problems of PBL, skills courses.