The Impact of the Implementation of the PBL for EFL Interdisciplinary Study in a Local Thai Context

Can Problem-Based Learning (PBL) principles and practices be applied to language education, especially within an academic writing course? The answer to this question remains ambivalent to many language teachers and educators. This study describes how PBL principles are used as the fundamental basis of restructuring English as a foreign language (EFL) writing course, called Writing3, at a Thai university. The study also examines students’ and teachers’ perceptions as related to their learning experiences. The case study involves 182 English major students and 3 English teachers who participated in learning and teaching of an EFL academic writing course (Writing 3) in the first semester of academic year of 2012. Pre and post survey questionnaires (N=166) are used and the results are analyzed through a paired samples t-test to compare whether there is a significant difference in students’ perception towards the benefits gained in their learning experience from the PBL process. The focused benefits gained in this case are motivation in learning, communication skills, collaborative skills, critical thinking, problem-solving and self-directed learning skills. Furthermore, triangulation between teachers’ perception towards students’ learning which was obtained from questionnaires, interviews, and students’ final grade, also confirm that the PBL process used with the Writing 3 course yielded a positive impact on both students’ and teachers’ learning experiences.