HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES --------------- TRUONG THI NGOC LINH COMMUNITY MEMBERS' PERCEPTIONS OF SERVICE-LEARNING ACTIVITIES OF PRE-SERVICE TEYL TEACHERS MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Hue University THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES --------------- TRUONG THI NGOC LINH COMMUNITY MEMBERS' PERCEPTIONS OF SERVICE-LEARNING ACTIVITIES OF PRE-SERVICE TEYL TEACHERS MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 8140111 SUPERVISOR: DR. PHAN DO QUYNH TRAM THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ --------------- TRƯƠNG THỊ NGỌC LINH NHẬN THỨC CỦA CÁC THÀNH VIÊN TRONG CỘNG ĐỒNG VỀ HOẠT ĐỘNG PHỤC VỤ CỘNG ĐỒNG CỦA SINH VIÊN CHUYÊN NGÀNH SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH BẬC TIỂU HỌC LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 8140111 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: TS. PHAN ĐỖ QUỲNH TRÂM THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree in any university. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, my thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself.
Truong Thi Ngoc Linh Date: 6/11/2023 ABSTRACT Service-learning (SL) has emerged as a dynamic educational approach that integrates learning goals with community service in order to provide practical learning experience while addressing community needs. Numerous academicians and researchers have investigated how SL benefits students and communities; however, limited research has been done to explore community members’ perceptions of SL. This case study aims to examine how community members (CMs) perceive SL activities of pre-service TEYL teachers (PSTs) in the central of Vietnam. More specifically, this study attempts to understand CMs’ experiences with SL activities of PSTs, their perceptions of how SL activities contribute to their community, and their perceptions of how their community contributes to the professional development of PSTs.
To collect data for the study, multiple interviews were conducted with three primary school leaders (Ls) and three primary school teachers (Ts) of three primary schools (PSs) who were directly involved in the SL activities of PSTs. The findings from the interviews revealed that (1) CMs played different roles in planning, implementing, and evaluating SL activities of PSTs, (2) SL activities were positively perceived for improving primary school students (Ss) engagement, motivation, and confidence in learning English, (3) CMs received substantial assistance from PSTs and were offered professional learning opportunities, and (4) SL activities were believed to positively impact PSTs’ professional development through context-based learning, and pedagogical knowledge and skill development opportunities. The implications derived from the study offer insights into the application of the findings within the context of collaborative university-community partnership, teacher education, and English language teaching (ELT). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to extend my appreciation and my sincere gratitude to my supervisor – Dr.
Phan Do Quynh Tram for her dedication to giving constructive guidance and meticulous feedback during the planning, development and completion of this research paper. Despite her hectic schedule, she always willingly gave me elaborate recommendations for refining each part of the research. Moreover, her initial orientation was especially helpful, guiding me to identify my topic and methodology for this paper. Without her guidance, enthusiasm and wholehearted support, my thesis paper would hardly have been completed.
Next, I would like to extend my thanks to Tran Thi Thu Suong M. Phan Quynh Nhu, and Dr. Nguyen Vu Quynh Nhu for introducing me to the primary school leaders. This has enabled me to establish contact with the primary school, a crucial step in facilitating the data collection process for my research study.
Additionally, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the three primary school leaders and three primary school teachers who enthusiastically participated in the interviews for my research. Their invaluable contributions have played a pivotal role in ensuring the completion of my study. I am also profoundly thankful to my family and friends for their unwavering encouragement and steadfast support throughout my thesis journey. Their belief in me and their substantial assistance were instrumental in helping me surmount challenges and obstacles I faced during my thesis.
Lastly, my special thanks go to the Faculty of English at Hue University of Foreign Languages and International Studies for giving me a favorable opportunity to conduct this Master’s thesis, which undoubtedly stands as an important milestone in my academic journey. Hopefully, the findings of this study can serve as a useful source for further studies in the field of language and education, contributing to improving the quality of teaching and learning languages at HUFLIS in the future. TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP ABSTRACT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CHAPTER 1. Research aims and research questions .3 Scope of the thesis .4 Significance of the research .5 Structure of the thesis .2 Service learning as a multifaceted construct.3 Benefits of service learning towards university students and the community .1 University student benefits .3 Service learning in teacher education .1 Service learning as an educational approach .2 Impacts of service learning on pre-service teachers .3 Service learning in language teacher education .4 Community involvement in service learning .5 Review of related studies .1 Studies in other countries.2 Studies in Vietnam .6 Gaps in the literature .5 Data collection tool .6 Data collection procedure .2 The interviews procedure.8 Issues of Translation .9 Reliability and validity.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .1 Community members’ experiences with SL activities of pre-service TEYL teachers .1 Different roles of community members in different stages of organizing SL activities .2 Community members’ perceptions of SL activities .3 Community members’ perceptions of pre-service TEYL teachers .2 Community members’ perceptions of contributions of SL activities of pre-service TEYL teachers to the community .1 Contributions of SL activities of pre-service TEYL teachers to primary school teachers .2 Community members’ perceptions of contributions of SL activities of pre-service TEYL teachers to primary school students .3 Community members’ perceptions of impacts of SL on professional development of the pre-service TEYL teachers .1 Experiencing context-based learning opportunities .2 Enhancing pedagogical knowledge and skills .1 Community members’ experiences with SL activities of the pre-service TEYL teachers .2 Contributions of pre-service TEYL teachers to the community .3 Impacts of SL on pre-service TEYL teachers’ professional development. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS .1 Summary of the findings .4 Suggestions for Further Research. 67 REFERENCES APPENDIX 1 (Vietnamese version) BẢNG CÂU HỎI PHỎNG VẤN APPENDIX 2 (English version) INTERVIEWE QUETSIONS APPENDIX 3 EXAMPLES OF CODING LIST OF TABLES Table 1. School leaders’ demographic profiles.
English teachers’ demographic profiles. 27 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CMs Community members ELT English Language Teaching HUFLIS Hue University of Foreign Languages and International Studies Ls Primary School Leaders PSs Primary Schools PSTs Pre-service Teachers/ Pre-service TEYL teachers SL Service-learning Ss Primary School Students TEs Teacher Educators TEYL Teaching English for Young Learners Ts Primary School Teachers CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale In recent years, academics and researchers across different academic disciplines have shown growing interest in service learning (SL) (Geller et al. The theory of SL, which Dewey (1938) initially introduced in "Experience and Education" as "experiential learning”, offers learners opportunities to enhance their understanding of concepts and theories in a practical environment.
The experiential education in SL promotes educational processes in which students are engaged in meaningful problems to address the needs of the community, develop personal knowledge by reflection on lived experiences and prepare themselves for a community life in the role of responsible citizens (D’Rozario, et al., 2012; Giles & Eyler, 1999; Jacoby, 2015). In the age of globalization and integration, the significance of tertiary education has been amplified as it plays an important part in enhancing quality labor forces (Marginson & Wende, 2006). Therefore, in higher educational institutions, adoption of SL has emerged as a modern teaching and learning strategy (Bringle & Hatcher, 1996), which promises great benefits to student learning and development. Existing research conducted into SL has revealed that participation in SL activities builds up career prospects, encourages personal, emotional and social growth, enhances active social responsibility and citizenship’ fosters critical thinking and reflection skills, and gains appreciation for human diversity (Barnes & Caprino, 2016; Bernadowski et al., 2013; Cone, 2012; D’Rozario et al., 2012; Glazier et al.
1 In the field of ELT, familiarizing SL among EFL teachers from theoretical background to its application in EFL is crucial as it enables them to apply their ELT knowledge to real-life contexts to fostering their hands-on teaching skills (Smolen et al. Besides, pre-service teachers’ experiences in SL activities can significantly impact their professional development and future teaching practices (Burgess et al. More importantly, SL makes contributions to bridging the gap between universities and communities (Gelmon et al. On the one hand, SL helps teacher training education be more effective as pre-service teachers (PSTs) who engage in SL projects acquire crucial abilities that will help them succeed in the workplace (Hansen, 1999), which helps universities meet employment needs of communities.
On the other hand, SL provides students with the opportunity to contribute to communities as they are prospective teachers in the future (Rinaldo et al. There are a number of studies that put great emphasis on the benefits of SL on students. When students participate in SL projects, they are developing important skills helping them function more effectively in the labor market or in graduate school, apply learning to real-life situations, and learn during the time spent reflecting on SL projects (Elzinga, 2001; Gibson et al. Moreover, the majority of research on SL heavily focuses on students’ perceptions of SL experiences.
Meanwhile, there have been few studies exploring perceptions of different stakeholders, especially community members (CMs) who collaborate directly with students through the implementation of SL. A number of researchers (Blouin & Perry, 2009; Mogford & Lyons, 2019; Tryon et al., 2008) have observed that the existing literature has failed to consider the community's viewpoint on SL experiences. This may lead to the dearth of objectivity in assessing the effectiveness of SL activities of PSTs as much emphasis has been placed on students’ experiences and 2 reflections. Understanding CMs' perceptions of SL activities is of crucial importance as it can inform the design and implementation of future SL initiatives, which helps to create more meaningful and impactful SL activities that benefit both PSTs and the communities they serve.
Furthermore, exploring CMs’ perceptions of these activities can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of pre-service teacher training programs. Therefore, in order to objectively assess the benefits of SL on PSTs, more studies should be conducted to explore perceptions of CMs on SL activities of PSTs, which ultimately helps bridge the gap in CMs’ voices and experiences in SL literature and practice. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore CMs’ perceptions of SL activities of PSTs majoring in Teacher Education in general and Primary English Teacher Education in particular. This research can provide insights into the effectiveness of SL activities for PSTs who will be teaching English as a foreign language in PSs.
The research is entitled: “COMMUNITY MEMBERS' PERCEPTIONS OF SERVICE-LEARNING ACTIVITIES OF PRE-SERVICE TEYL TEACHERS”. Research aims and research questions This research was aimed at investigating CMs’ perceptions of SL activities of PSTS. Specifically, its objectives were: + to examine CMs' experiences with SL activities of pre-service TEYL teachers, + to investigate CMs' perceptions of how SL activities contribute to the community where PSTs do their SL, and + to discover how the community where PSTs do their SL contributes to the education of PSTs. Therefore, the study was conducted to address the following research questions: 3 1.
What are the community members’ experiences with SL activities of pre-service TEYL teachers? 2.