VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES POSTGRADUATE DEPARTMENT VŨ MAI GIANG WORK ENVIRONMENT AS A MOTIVATING FACTOR FOR SELF-IMPROVEMENT OF ENGLISH: A CASE STUDY OF PROJECTS IN CARE INTERNATIONAL IN VIETNAM MÔI TRƯỜNG LÀM VIỆC VỚI VAI TRÒ LÀ YẾU TỐ THÚC ĐẨY VIỆC TỰ HOÀN THIỆN TIẾNG ANH: TRƯỜNG HỢP CÁC DỰ ÁN CỦA CARE QUỐC TẾ TẠI VIỆT NAM MA THESIS Major: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.10 HANOI, 2009 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES POSTGRADUATE DEPARTMENT VŨ MAI GIANG WORK ENVIRONMENT AS A MOTIVATING FACTOR FOR SELF-IMPROVEMENT OF ENGLISH: A CASE STUDY OF PROJECTS IN CARE INTERNATIONAL IN VIETNAM MÔI TRƯỜNG LÀM VIỆC VỚI VAI TRÒ LÀ YẾU TỐ THÚC ĐẨY VIỆC TỰ HOÀN THIỆN TIẾNG ANH: TRƯỜNG HỢP CÁC DỰ ÁN CỦA CARE QUỐC TẾ TẠI VIỆT NAM MA THESIS Major: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60. Tô Thị Thu Hương HANOI, 2009 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Rationale of the study 1 1.2 Scope and purposes of the study 2 1.4 Significance of the study 3 1.7 Definition of terms 4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 5 2.1 What is motivation? 5 2.2 Different approaches towards motivation in language learning 7 2.3 Different approaches towards motivation at work 9 2.4 Role of motivation 13 2.5 Types of motivation 15 2.6 Factors affecting motivation in L2 learning 18 2.2 Work environment in language learning 20 2.1 Language learning environment 20 2.2 What is meant by work environment? 22 2. Role of work environment to learning 23 2. Factors affecting learning at workplace 24 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 26 3.1 Context of the study 26 3.1 An overview of CARE International in Vietnam 26 3.2 Work Environment in CARE 27 3.2 Validity and reliability 30 3.3 Data collection 31 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.2 Semi-structured interviews 32 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 34 4.1 Participants’ general information 34 4.2 Types of motivation for English self-improvement possessed by CARE 37 Vietnamese staff 4.
Motivating role of work environment in CARE Vietnamese staff’s self- 40 improvement of English 4.4 Elements of work environment affecting CARE staff‘s motivation to self- 45 improve their English 4.2 Relationships in CARE 48 4.5 Discussion 54 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 55 5.1 Summary of major findings 55 5.3 Future directions 58 REFERENCES 59 APPENDIX 1 (Survey questionnaire for CARE Vietnamese staff in English and Vietnamese) APPENDIX 2 (Guidelines for in-depth interviews in Vietnamese) LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com v List of graphs and tables for data analysis Graph 1: English language skills before and after working for CARE Graph 2: Role of CARE work environment in self-improvement of English Table 1: Participants’ profile Table 2: Types of motivation for English self-improvement possessed by CARE staff Table 3: Work requirements in CARE Table 4: Kind of work that CARE staff have to use English and their frequency Table 5: Relationships in CARE Table 6: Opportunities of working for CARE LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study Since Vietnam started its “Doi moi” process, much attention has been paid to learning how to use English for communication. It has become the main foreign language in schools, the language at work environment and for diplomacy. It is a fact that English teaching centres have mushroomed, learners rush out to evening English classes with a hope to gain better marks in the exams and get a good job. Even busy adults spend their limited time on learning English to better perform tasks, to get promoted, to find a better job in an English speaking environment or to study abroad.
Motivation to learn English, hence, becomes more important than ever because it is the key factor affecting the success or failure in language learning process. Also since Vietnam opened its door to the outside world, more and more non- governmental organisations (NGOs) establish their representative offices in Vietnam and thousands of projects have been implemented for Vietnam’s sustainable development. More and more Vietnamese come to work for an NGO and often enjoy the work environment there. NGO environment is usually a multi-cultural, multi-lingual one where English is mainly used for communication.
One question is raised: Can Vietnamese staff improve their English in such an environment and if so, how to improve? Many studies have been conducted on English learning and teaching and many techniques have been suggested for brushing up one’s English. Though there are some studies focusing on the motivation to study English and how to maintain and strengthen such motivation at school and colleges, there are few or no studies on learning English and motivation to learn English after leaving colleges. It is quite common that some English major graduates often complain that their English skills get worse after graduation because they do not have the environment to use it, their work does not require them to use English and they also do not have time for further learning. Some non-major graduates state that they want and they need to improve LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 2 their English but they do not have an appropriate environment to learn and to use the language.
In all these circumstances, the work environment plays a crucial role in determining whether employees have strong and long-lasting motivation to self-improve their English. With the above mentioned reasons, the researcher would like to investigate English learning in an NGO environment and the role of work environment in motivating staff to improve their English. It is hoped that the research would be of great help for those working in an NGO in particular and elsewhere in general.2 Scope and purposes of the study The study was conducted on the Vietnamese staff who are currently working for different projects in CARE International in Vietnam (hereafter abbreviated as CARE). The study mainly focused on the principal purposes below: to explore different types of motivation possessed by CARE Vietnamese staff for self- improvement of their English skills; to identify their perceptions of the role of work environment in their English self- improvement; to investigate the main elements affecting their English self-improvement in an NGO setting.3 Research Questions In order to achieve the three principal purposes of the study, respectively there are three research questions as follows: 1) What are the types of motivation for self-improvement of English possessed by CARE Vietnamese staff? 2) How motivating do CARE staff find the work environment for their self-improvement of English? 3) What elements in the work environment mainly motivate them to self-improve their English? LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.4 Significance of the study Much research has shown the importance of social contexts or learning environments on second language learning.
This study was carried out with the hope to provide language learners, especially those who work for an NGO with an overview of the role of work environment and its elements affecting their motivation to self-improve their English. It is hoped that, the findings from this study will make managers better understand their staff and hence, create more favourable opportunities for their staff learning in general and for their English learning in particular. This study will not only help those working in CARE to reflect on their self- improvement of English but also help English learners to be aware of and make best use of their work environment in their path to English perfection. In the broader term, the study also might be useful for the organisations to make the strategic plan for human resource development and give an insight to informal learning at workplace.5 Methodology In order to achieve the primary purposes of the study – to discover CARE Vietnamese staff’s motivation types for English self-improvement, to get their opinions about the role of the work environment and its elements affecting their motivation for self- improvement of English, the case study was adopted in this study.
This case study uses both qualitative and quantitative approach with questionnaire and semi-structured interviews as the main data collection tools for the given purpose to get an insight into CARE’s staff motivation to self-improve English at workplace. The instruments as well as the data collection process will be discussed in more details in Chapter 3.6 Study design The study consists of five chapters as follows: LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 4 Chapter 1 provides a general introduction including the rationale, the scope and purposes, research questions, significance, methodology and design of the study. Definitions of terms are also presented in this chapter. Chapter 2 aims at systematizing the theoretical background for the thesis by discussing the two main points: motivation theories and approaches in language learning as well as at work environment and the impact of work environment in language learning.
Chapter 3 focuses on the research methodology, explaining why case study was chosen for the conduct the research as well as how to achieve reliability and validity. It also describes the tools and procedures to collect data. Chapter 4 presents the data analysis and findings. In this chapter, a comprehensive analysis and interpretation of the collected data will be explored to find the answers to the research questions.
Chapter 5 is the conclusion of the study, providing a summary of major findings, recommendations as well as directions for further research.7 Definition of terms Self-improvement: increasing the ability of using the four English macro-skills consciously and subconsciously (learning and acquisition) Motivation: some kind of internal drive that encourages somebody to pursue a course of action (Harmer 1983) Target language: the language which a person is learning other than his/her mother tongue. Second language (L2): refers to a target language that learners aim to master. The L2 in this study refers to English. Language acquisition: refers to a subconscious process of picking up a language through exposure Learning environment: refers to the physical, mental and social conditions at the learner’s disposal.
Work environment: means the social and professional setting around a person in which s/he is supposed to interact with peers and supervisors. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW The important role of motivation in second language learning is undeniable and motivation can be consider the key to successful L2 learning. Thus, much research on motivation and its role in second language acquisition has been undertaken so far. Motivation is influenced by social and situational contexts so it needs to be examined in the surrounding settings.
In this chapter, the researcher shall review some theories on motivation as well as the work environment as the theoretical backgrounds for the study.1 What is motivation? The concept of motivation is very much part of our personal and professional life. In our everyday conversation, we talk about likes and dislikes, wishes and desires, attitudes towards, for example, English learning. At work, we may complain about the salary, the incompetent management, the relationship with colleagues or supervisors, opportunities for promotion or study further. All these things belong to motivation, a domain attracting much study and research because of its enabling power.
According to Brown (2002), “Motivation is one of the most important factors in the success in English. Motivation means having a real purpose in learning English, or really wanting to learn English for a reason”. Motivation, defined as the impetus to create and sustain intentions and goal-seeking acts (Ames & Ames, 1989), is important because it determines the extent of the learner's active involvement and attitude toward learning. It is learners’ orientation toward the goal of learning a second language (Crookes and Schmidt 1991).
The Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics defines motivation as follows: LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 6 Motivation is generally considered to be one of the primary causes of success and failure in second language learning (2002: 344).