rnrndnrndrnrn MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF LAW GRADUATION THESIS B. DEGREE IN ENGLISH Major: Legal English TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF INTEGRATED SKILLS APPROACH IN TEACHING LEGAL ENGLISH AT HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF LAW Supervisor: Pham Thi Phuong Anh, M. Student: Nguyen Van Phuc Student ID: 1952202010047 Class: LE44B Ho Chi Minh City, 21 June 2023 Ho Chi Minh City, 21 June 2023 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HCMC UNIVERSITY OF LAW FACULTY OF LEGAL LANGUAGES TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF INTEGRATED SKILLS APPROACH IN TEACHING LEGAL ENGLISH AT HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF LAW Submitted by: Nguyen Van Phuc Supervised by: Pham Thi Phuong Anh, M. Ho Chi Minh City, 21 June 2023 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I, Nguyen Van Phuc, hereby declare that this thesis entitled “Teachers’ Perceptions of Implementation of Integrated Skills Approach in Teaching Legal English at Ho Chi Minh City University of Law” is my original work and that I have fully acknowledged all the sources that I have consulted during the research process.
As the author of this thesis, I assert my authority and ownership over its contents, and take full responsibility for its accuracy and validity. Furthermore, I declare that no part of this work has been submitted for any other academic award or qualification. I affirm that the research, analysis, and findings presented in this thesis represent an important contribution to the field of Foreign Language Teaching and Learning, and that I am fully qualified to undertake this thesis. Ho Chi Minh City, June 21, 2023 Nguyen Van Phuc Ⅰ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to express my gratitude to my thesis advisor, Mrs.
Pham Thi Phuong Anh, whose guidance and support have been indispensable throughout my research journey. Second, I am deeply grateful to the participants who generously gave their time and shared their knowledge for my study. Their valuable insights and contributions have been crucial to the success of my thesis. Third, my thanks also go to my family and friends for their love and support.
Without their encouragement and understanding, I would not have been able to complete this thesis. Lastly, I want to thank all those who have influenced my academic journey, directly or indirectly, and equipped me with the knowledge and skills to undertake this study. Ⅱ ABSTRACT Research on the Integrated Skills Approach for teaching General English is plentiful, while that on English for Specific Purposes is increasing. However, there has been little research on the use of this approach for teaching Legal English, a sub-type of English for Specific Purposes.
This study investigated teacher’s ways of implementing the Integrated Skill Approach in teaching Legal English and their perspectives about the approach. Two research questions were designed, namely (1) How do teachers implement the Integrated Skills Approach in teaching Legal English?; (2) How do teachers perceive the Integrated Skills Approach? It is a qualitative research conducted at the Department of Legal English of Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, from March to June 2023. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 5 teachers of the mentioned Department, and analyzed thematically. The findings of this study show that the participants used a variety of teaching activities and materials, with presentation and discussion, as well as online resources, being favored.
Furthermore, the participants placed significance on the input process and used various methods to implement it. Additionally, they reported that the Integrated Skills Approach was effective at increasing students’ motivation and suitable for Legal English teaching, despite being demanding in time and effort. This study may guide teachers, students and academicians wishing to apply this approach or being curious to know more about the approach to language instruction. Keywords: English for Specific Purposes, Foreign Language Acquisition, Integrated Skills Approach, Language Instruction, Legal English, Qualitative research, Teaching Methodology, Teaching Strategies, Perspectives.
Ⅲ TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP____________________________________Ⅰ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS__________________________________________Ⅱ ABSTRACT______________________________________________________ Ⅲ TABLE OF CONTENTS____________________________________________ Ⅳ LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS________________________________________ Ⅴ CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION______________________________________1 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY________________________________1 1.2 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE_____________________________________3 1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY________________________________ 3 1.5 OVERVIEW OF THESIS CHAPTERS_____________________________ 4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW________________________________ 6 2.1 INTEGRATED SKILLS APPROACH_____________________________ 6 2.1 OVERVIEW OF INTEGRATED SKILLS APPROACH___________ 6 2.2 ADVANTAGES OF INTEGRATED SKILLS APPROACH________ 8 2.3 DISADVANTAGES OF INTEGRATED SKILLS APPROACH____ 10 2.4 INTEGRATED SKILLS TEACHING TYPES__________________ 12 2.1 CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION_____________________12 2.2 TASKED-BASED INSTRUCTION______________________ 13 2.5 INTEGRATING SKILLS TECHNIQUES_____________________ 14 2.1 TEACHER ROLE REDEFINITION_____________________ 14 2.6 FACTORS IMPEDING SKILLS INTEGRATION_______________ 16 2.2 INTEGRATED SKILLS APPROACH FOR ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES____________________________________________________ 18 2.3 OVERARCHING THEORY____________________________________ 21 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY____________________________________ 23 Ⅳ 3.4 PEDAGOGICAL SETTING AND PARTICIPANT DESCRIPTION_____ 25 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION__________________________ 28 4.1 WAYS OF IMPLEMENTATION_________________________________ 28 4.1 REPEATED USE OF PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION ACTIVITIES_________________________________________________28 4.2 ONLINE RESOURCE USAGE AS A SUPPLEMENTARY SOURCE TO COUSEBOOKS___________________________________________ 31 4.1 INCREASE IN LEARNERS’ MOTIVATION__________________ 34 4.2 TIME-CONSUMING AND EFFORT DEMANDING TASKS_____ 36 4.3 BEING APPROPRIATE FOR TEACHING LEGAL ENGLISH____ 39 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS___________________ 41 5.3 LIMITATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE STUDIES______ 43 REFERENCES____________________________________________________44 APPENDIX_______________________________________________________ 52 Ⅳ LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviation Definition CBI Content-based Instruction CT Constructivism Theory DLE Department of Legal English EFL English as a Foreign Language ESL English as a Second Language ESP English for Specific Purposes GE General English HCMULAW Ho Chi Minh City University of Law ISA Integrated Skills Approach LE Legal English TBI Task-based Instruction Ⅴ CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY English for Specific Purposes, commonly referred to as ESP, has been a prominent aspect of English Language Teaching since the 1960s. The blossoming era of ESP has been recognized as a result of various events such as the Second World War in 1945, the swift development in scientific and technological advancements, the heightened usage of English as the global language for science, technology, and commerce, and the greater number of global students learning English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL). Given this situation, in conjunction with Vietnam’s integration into the global economy, educational institutions at tertiary levels in Vietnam have been including ESP courses in their foreign language curricula to meet learners’ demands. ESP is basically different from General English (GE) as ESP focuses on specialized language for specific industries or fields.
Its crucial point is “English is not taught as a subject separated from the learners’ real world (or wishes); instead, it is integrated into a subject matter area important to the learners” (Rahman, 2015). Despite the tailored content and goals of ESP, the traditional approach to teaching it often concentrates on individual language skills in isolation. Hidalgo (1997) and Nguyen (2015) elaborated that traditional ESP teaching methods concentrate on increasing the range of technical terms and enhancing their skills of reading and translation. As a result, learners may “know” the language but are unable to “use” it in natural communication.
Having said that, a shift towards incorporating communicative aspects of the English language into ESP courses, in conjunction with students’ changing needs has made it necessary to revise the ESP traditional practice. Changes are taking place both in the design of ESP materials as well as techniques and methods with an emphasis on more than just remembering terms, structures, and comprehending texts. As in the case of students enrolling in ESP courses at the University of Nariño in Pasto, they expressed the need to not only comprehend spoken English but also 1 communicate fluently in the language for their future endeavors because it would not only aid them in their academic pursuits but also prove useful in their professional careers (Hidalgo, 1997). In fact, there are many methods and approaches that are considered appropriate and can be used effectively in ESP classrooms pursuant to students’ needs (Belcher, 2006).
However, with the advent of diverse language education methodologies, the Integrated Skills Approach (ISA) has garnered attention for its potential to enhance ESP classes' effectiveness. Integrated Skills Approach is the integration of two or more language skills, namely Listening, Reading, Speaking Writing, in a lesson in order to provide a communicative and interactive framework of language teaching and learning (Oxford, 2001). ISA has been widely used and adopted in educational settings across the globe, especially for GE classes, to ensure that students gain authentic and meaningful learning experiences that foster their communicative competence and real-world preparedness. Embracing this approach in ESP teaching presents an opportunity to revolutionize language education and significantly improve learner outcomes.
There has been a significant amount of research conducted on ISA, which has been classified into two categories based on their objectives. The first category focuses on determining effectiveness, and the second category is dedicated to exploring the attitudes of learners and teachers. Shatnawi (2005), Alptekin, Erçetin and Bayyurt (2007), Askildson (2008), Borhany, Tahriri and Tous (2015) offer effective illustrations of the former, while Mitrofanova and Chemezov (2011), Sanchez (2000), Akram and Malik (2010), Bose (2003), Faydi (2003) provide excellent examples of the latter, with all the studies concentrating on teaching GE. While there has been increasing interest in researching ISA in teaching ESP, with numerous studies undertaken in that field, such as the ones conducted by Al-Abdely and Al-Jamal (2019), Hu and Li (2019), Wang and Xiao (2017), and Chen and Li 2 (2019), the application of ISA in LE courses has yet to receive much attention, which will be addressed in this study.2 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE This study was conducted with the teachers of the Department of Legal English (DLE) who had been implementing the ISA in teaching LE classes at Ho Chi Minh City University of Law (HCMULAW).
Its main aim was to explore how teachers implement and perceive this approach. The study findings would be particularly valuable as they will provide empirical evidence and contribute to the existing body of knowledge on LE teaching and learning.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS The study attempted to address the two following research questions: 1) How do teachers implement the Integrated Skills Approach in teaching Legal English? 2) How do teachers perceive the Integrated Skills Approach? 1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY First, the ISA has been studied and employed widely by lots of educational institutions around the world to teach GE classes. While applying this approach for ESP classes is getting more attention, that for LE classes has generally been little addressed both in Vietnam and other countries. For this reason, it is believed that an analysis of the methods and perspectives of the teachers experiencing this approach will be useful for other teachers, administrators, and academicians interested in English Language Teaching.
Second, ISA proves to be especially effective for GE classes with a number of benefits such as students' and teachers’ motivation, authentic and enjoyable learning environment, improved communicative competence and active learning, etc. This study will shed light on whether these benefits are true with LE classes with the data collected from the mentioned participants. 3 Third, Wang (2017) pointed out that previous studies have predominantly centered on ISA from the perspective of students. As a result, language teachers' perceptions and attitudes towards integrated language skills teaching are commonly neglected, with more emphasis placed on educating teachers on the approach's content and effectiveness, as stated by Karavas (1996).
This study seeks to address this gap by gathering data on teachers' viewpoints to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of integrated teaching and learning. Lastly, the current implementation of ISA at the DLE of HCMULAW provides this study with immense significance as it will reveal how the ISA was executed, along with its strengths and limitations based on teachers' perspectives. Consequently, this study's findings could serve as a valuable foundation for other researchers who aspire to investigate language skills teaching in LE classes or ESP classes in general through an integrative approach.5 OVERVIEW OF THESIS CHAPTERS The content of the study was structured and presented as follows: Chapter I: This particular chapter delves into the research's topic and background. It also provides a detailed account of the research questions, the purpose, and the significance of the study.