MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES -------- NGUYEN NU HANH HIEN AN INVESTIGATION INTO HUE UNIVERSITY NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF AND PREPARATION FOR THE CEFR-B1 LEVEL AS THEIR EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 60.11 SUPERVISOR: PHAM THI HONG NHUNG, Assoc. HUE, 2016 i BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ -------- NGUYỄN NỮ HẠNH HIÊN NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ NHẬN THỨC VÀ CHUẨN BỊ CỦA SINH VIÊN NGOẠI NGỮ KHÔNG CHUYÊN ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ ĐỐI VỚI YÊU CẦU ĐẦU RA TIẾNG ANH BẬC 3/6 LUẬN VĂN THẠC SỸ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 60.11 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: PGS. PHẠM THỊ HỒNG NHUNG HUẾ, 2016 ii STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP The work contained in this thesis has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself.
Nguyen Nu Hanh Hien Date: 19 December, 2016 iii ABSTRACT This study examined Hue University students’ perception of the CEFR B1 as their language outcomes. It also investigated into their preparation to achieve the CEFR B1 level as well as their suggestions for better English teaching and learning. The study collected related data from 303 second-year students from Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy by means of questionnaire and interview, using a combination of open-ended questions and close-ended questions. The data from questionnaires were processed and presented in tables and information from the interviews were analysed to serve the research purposes.
The findings of the research show that the language outcomes were not properly communicated to the students, therefore most of them do not have accurate and sufficient perceptions to build an accordingly suitable learning strategy. The language outcomes as described in the syllabus for each level were not sufficient enough and the outcomes set by the main course-book could not faithfully serve the overall outcomes set by the General English course. As a result, students could not do adequate preparation to achieve the best results. In response to most students’ suggestion, an online site was initiated by the researcher with the hope of providing non-English major students with essential information about their General English course including the language outcomes.
iv Acknowledgement I wish to express my deep gratitude to Dr. Pham Thi Hong Nhung of Hue University of Foreign Languages, my supervisor, for her constant help, precious advice, and enlightening guidance and especially for her valuable corrections during the reading of this work in manuscript. I am grateful to all my teachers at Hue University of Foreign Languages for their useful lectures and instructions, which lay the foundation for this study. My sincere thanks are due to the teachers from ESP Department of HUFL who offered me great help and precious advice without which I could not have finished the paper.
Finally, I owe the completion of this study to my family for their words of encouragement throughout the time I worked on this study. Hue, Autumn of 2016 Nguyen Nu Hanh Hien v TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Pages SUB COVER PAGE…………………………………………………. i SUB COVER PAGE (in Vietnamese) ………………………………… ii STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP……………………………………. v TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………… vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS………………………………………….
x CONTENTS OF THESIS……………………………………………. Background of the study…………………………………………. Rationale for the study……………………………………………. The aims and research questions………………………………….
Scope of the study………………………………………………… 3 1. Structure of the thesis……………………………………………. 4 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………… 6 2. Defining key terms……………………………………………….
Learning outcomes……………………………………………… 6 vi 2. Standard-based learning outcomes……………………………… 7 2. Standard-based learning outcomes………………………………. Standard-based learning outcomes in education……………….
Standard-based learning outcomes in language education……… 9 2. The significance of learners’ perceptions of learning outcomes. The CEFR and language education………………………………. What is the CEFR?.
The use of the CEFR in language teaching……………………. The application of the CEFR in Vietnam: The 2020 Project and standard-based learning outcomes for non-English major students…… 17 2. The current state of English education for non-English major 19 students at Hue University……………………………………………. Who are the students?.
The English teaching objectives………………………………… 20 2. Procedure of setting and stating standard-based learning outcomes………………………………………………………………. The choice of teaching materials………………………………. The curriculum and teaching plan……………………………… 21 2.
Current teaching and learning facilities………………………… 25 2. Assessment for non-English major students……………………. End-of-semester assessment…………………………………. Support/Services available for students………………………… 28 2.
Review of relevant research on perceptions of learning outcomes and learners’ preparation………………………………………………. 31 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY……………………………………. Qualitative research approach…………………………………… 33 3. Data collection methods/instruments……………………………… 36 3.
Questionnaire as data collecting tool…………………………… 36 3. In-depth interview as data collecting tool………………………. Data collection procedure…………………………………………. Data analysis methods…………………………………………….
39 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS…………………… 40 4. The participants’ perception of the CEFR-B1 learning outcomes. The participants’ preparation for the CEFR-B1 learning outcomes. The participants’ comments and suggestions related to the CEFR- B1 learning outcome………………………………………………….
Chapter summary………………………………………………… 60 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS……………… 61 5. Summary of the findings…………………………………………. The site designed by the author’s in response to students’ suggestion……………………………………………………………. Proposal for further research…………………………………….
The level skill descriptors and self- assessment descriptors for CEFR- A1……………………………………………. The level skill descriptors and self- assessment 72 descriptors for CEFR- A1……………………………………………. The level skill descriptors and self- assessment 78 descriptors for CEFR- B1……………………………………………… Appendix 4: Questionnaire…………………………………………….………………… 94 ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CEFR Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ESP English for Specific Purposes HUFL Hue University of Foreign Languages IELTS International English Language Testing System MOET Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language TOEIC Test of English for International Communication x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1. Background of the study In 2008, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) was officially approved by Vietnam‟s Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) to be standards for foreign language teaching on “the Scheme on foreign language teaching and learning in the national education system in the period of 2008-2020.” And this is its target set for 2020: “By the year 2020 most Vietnamese youth will use a foreign language independently.
This will enable them to be more confident in communication, further their chance to study and work in an integrated and multi-cultural environment with variety of languages (Crawford, 2010, p. In 2014 the MOET officially launched a national framework of reference called “Khung năng lực ngoại ngữ sáu bậc dành cho Việt Nam” - Six-level framework for foreign language proficiency in Vietnam, a translation of the original CEFR with limited modifications and adaptations. Accordingly, university graduates who do not major in languages are expected to get B1 level - a minimum English language proficiency, equivalent to level 3 in the Six-level framework for foreign language proficiency in Vietnam, where language users are expected to be independent users (Pham, 2015, p. Since the adoption of the CEFR, universities have provided training to their language teachers to reinforce their active roles in the renovation of curricula, materials, teaching methodology and assessment practices.
Like other universities in the country, Hue University of Foreign Languages has 1 been involved in building new general English curricula, teaching materials, teaching methodology and assessment practice in order to help their non- English major students achieve the CEFR-B1 level. As an attempt to obtain a view of CEFR-B1 from the learner, namely university non-English major students, the author has conducted this study, entitled “An investigation into Hue university non-english major students’ perception of and preparation for the CEFR-B1 level as their expected learning outcomes. Rationale for the study The perception of learning outcomes plays a very important part in the process of teaching and learning. At the institutional level learning outcomes have curriculum implications for teaching, learning and assessment.
They help the learner to clarify what is expected of him or her as well as the skills/competences, understanding and abilities that they will acquire on successful completion of their study. When grasping the learning outcomes for a subject, the learner can be more aware of their learning, set their own learning targets, and work systematically to achieve them (Adam, 2006, p. Obviously, the quality and result of teaching and learning can be improved by raising the learner‟s awareness of their learning outcomes. As a result, research to provide insights into the issue is really necessary, and this study is one that tries to investigate into how non-English major students perceive and understand the learning outcomes they are expected to achieve.
Some of the questions that the research aims to answer are whether students are fully aware of the required learning outcomes, whether they are fully informed of the learning outcomes for each stage of learning, and whether the instruction contents correspond to assessment practice. And with so many problems and difficulties that exist the researcher want to know if there any feasible measures to improve the situation. The aims and research questions The research is aimed to investigate into the perception of Hue University non-English major students to find out the problems they encounter and what they prepare to achieve the expected language outcomes of CEFR-B1 level. The project particularly tries to find out answers to the following research questions: 1.
What are non-English major students’ perceptions of the CEFR-B1 level as their expected language learning outcomes? 2. How do they prepare for the set learning outcomes? 1. Research Methodology To achieve the aims stated above, the main approach to be applied in the research is a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodology. The data will be collected by means of questionnaires and interviews and then processed through both qualitative and quantitative analyses.
The data collected will be analysed in two phases. In the first phase, a set of categories of description were developed from the student responses to questionnaire items to identify major themes. In the second phase, the data related to each theme are classified into relevant categories. Scope of the study This study focuses on surveying how non-English major students in their second academic year at Hue University - as key stakeholders of the language policy - perceive their language learning outcomes and what they have prepared themselves for CEFR-B1 as their English learning outcomes, using questionnaire and interviews as data collection techniques.
In addition, the researcher has also tried to collect certain related comment and suggestions from the participants for the purpose of improving 3 the current situation of teaching English to non-English major students at Hue University. Structure of the thesis This thesis consists of five main chapters, not counting the Appendices and References. Chapter One – Introduction – provides a brief introduction of the background, the rationale, the aim and significance of the study. It also presents the research questions, the scope, and structure of the thesis.
Chapter Two – Literature Review – aims to review literature related to the study, presenting definitions of the key terms to be used, addressing standard-based learning outcomes and the significance of learners‟ perceptions of learning outcomes. It also introduces the Common European Framework for Reference of Languages (CEFR) and its use in language teaching and its application in Vietnam. The chapter ends with presenting the current state of English education for non-English major students at Hue University and a review of research relevant to the study. - Chapter Three – Methodology – presents the research methodology, the data collection instruments including questionnaire and interviews, and the participants as respondents.
It also describes the research procedure and data analysis methods used in the present study. - Chapter Four – Findings and Discussions – presents principal findings from the analysis of the data collected, followed by discussions of the analysis results. The available data came from both the responses to the questionnaire and interviews with second-year non-English major students as participants.