VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES NGUYEN THI THU HA LECTURERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION CLASSROOM INTERACTION PRACTICES IN A VIETNAMESE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY (Nhận thức của giảng viên va sinh viên về tương tac trong MAJOR: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 9140231.01 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Language Teaching Methodology HANOI- 2024 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYEN THI THU HA LECTURERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION CLASSROOM INTERACTION PRACTICES IN A VIETNAMESE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY (Nhận thức của giảng viên va sinh viên về tương tác trong lớp học chuyên ngành bằng tiếng Anh tại một trường đại học kỹ thuật ở Việt Nam) MAJOR: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 9140231.01 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Language Teaching Methodology HANOI- 2024 STATEMENT OF THE AUTHORSHIP I certify my authorship of the doctoral thesis entitled: “Lecturers’ and students’ perceptions of English medium instruction classroom interaction practices in a Vietnamese technical university”, which I have submitted today for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. This thesis is the result of my own research, except where otherwise I have acknowledged as references. The thesis does not contain any resources previously published or written by other authors except where the references are made in the thesis itself. I, the undersigned, hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis and that it has not been submitted for another degree or diploma at any other institutions.
Signature Nguyén Thi Thu Ha ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The most challenging thing I have ever experienced in my life was the struggle to complete my doctoral study. Fortunately, on this tough journey, I have met several people who have helped and boosted my spirits whenever I am disencouraged. As I feel that I cannot pursue my dream without their support, I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere thanks to each and every one of them. First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisors, Prof.
Nguyen Hoa and Dr. Huynh Anh Tuan for their valuable guidance, support and encouragement throughout the process. Without their precious assistance, I would not have been able to finalize my dissertation. They have given me not only the essential academic knowledge in conducting the study, but also helped me to keep the courage and belief to continue this arduous journey.
I am also deeply indebted to the professors and lecturers of the Post- Graduate Faculty of University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University for their inspiring lessons that have helped me in forming the initial ideas for my Ph. I wish to thank the management board of the University of Transport and Communications for their valuable support and understanding in granting me the permission to conduct my study. My special thanks go to the EMI lecturers and students for their enthusiastic participation in and important contributions to the study. Without their agreement on taking part in the study, I would not have collected necessary data for my study.
I would like to sincerely thank my close ULIS friends, Hanh, Huong, Tuyen, Hong, Mai and my UTC colleagues, who have continuously supported me as well as given me valuable assistance whenever I need them during the whole process. Last but by no means least, this dissertation would have been impossible without the support, tolerance and understanding of my husband and children, whose love and encouragement over time have helped me to be able to keep going on. I would also like to send my heartfelt thanks to my dedicated parents, who have brought me to this life and educated me so that I can become who I am today. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF THE AƯUTHORSHIP.ceccescsesseseseseseseseesesescsesesesecccsesesescseaeaeaeaeeeeesnseseeeeeaeas ii ABSTRACTooo.
Vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .ccccccccscsessssesesesesesesessescscseseseseseaeeeeeenensteseseseaeaeaeaees viii LIST OF TABLES 111. ix LIST OF FIGURES. Rationale of the Study 00. Research context of the Study.
Aims Of the Study 0. Definition of key teri 2. Overall structure of the fÏheSÏS. Overview Of EMÌ.
EMI origins and definitions. eee - - + +4 1v HH HH ghe 13 2. Differentiating EMI, CLIL and CBI approaches. EMI growth in higher education institutions worldwide.
A brief overview of studies on EMI practices in HEÌs. Overview of EMI policies and practices in Vietnamese HEIs. EMI research in Vietnamese HEIs. Theoretical stances on classroom interaction in second language ACQUISITION 0007ẼẺ.
Social interaction from cogn1fIVe D€TSD€CfV©S. Social interaction from socio-cultural perspectives. Classroom interaction in second language aCdu1SItION. Review on classroom interaction research.
EMI classroom interaction research. ch ng gi 45 11 2. EMI classroom interaction in higher educatfiON. Lecturers and students’ perceptions of EMI pracfIC€s.
Philosophical assumptions and methodological approach for the study. Overview of grounded theory .--- 5-5 tt + HH HH1 111 ri. Definitions of grounded th€OTV. Types of grounded th€OTV.
-- --- + + + + xxx Ek#kEkExeEExrx re rke 62 3. Comparison of three grounded theory types. Assumptions and strategies of constructivist grounded theory. nan hố ae.
Context of the Study nn. Participants of the 0ì l1. Data collection methods .--- 5 s33 121 3 E113 12111 1v gu gu ke 79 3. Data collection procedures.
Data analyS1S Procedures. 5 S5 x11 2v HH ng TH ng ng 85 3. 5 Gv 1T HH TH TT HT HT HT TH Tnhh ng 98 3. Trustworthiness Of the Study.
EMI LECTURERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF EMI TEACHING AND LEARNING PRACTICES 00000. EMI lecturers’ perceptions of EMI teaching and learning practices. Necessary qualifications for EMI teaching. Reasons for EMI teaching 00.
Training for EMI teaching. Benefits Of lẽ. Problems and solutions in EMI teaching. Comparison of teaching methodologies for EMI and VMI.
EMI materials and T€SOLITC€S. - - - s32 11v HH ng nhợn 110 4. Students’ English proficiency and content learnIng. EMI implementation at the institution 0.
Conditions for successful EMI prograrmrmes.-- -s «<< <ss+s+sx+sss2 113 1V 4. EMI students’ perceptions of EMI teaching and learning practices. Reasons for choosing EMI €OUTS€S. Problems and solutions in EMI Study.
Self-evaluation of English proficiency. EMI lecturers’ teaching methodology and English competence. EMI testing and asseSSMent. Facilities and materials for EMI sfudyy.
Impacts of EMI on students’ content learning and English proficiency. Factors affecting the success of EMI study. Decisions for choosing EMI sfudy. Discussions of main findings.
ee eeeseeeeeseseseeeeeeeeceseaeaeneeeeeeeeeeaeaeees 141 Chì). EMI CLASSROOM INTERACTION PRACTICES: THE REALITY AND LECTURERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS. EMI classroom interaction practices. Classroom interaction types oo.
Lecturer-whole class ITIf€TACfIOH. Lecturer-individual student interaction. Lecturer- pair work student 1nt€TaCfIOII. Lecturer-group work student 1n†€raCfIOT.----- 55s se se sessxeeereeeersee 153 5.
EMI lecturers’ and students’ verbal and non-verbal interaction practices. EMI lecturers’ verbal and non-verbal actions. EMI students’ verbal and non-verbal actions. EMI lecturers’ perceptions of classroom interaction pracfIces.
EMI lecturers’ descriptions of EMI Ï€sSOTIS. EMI lecturers’ perceptions of classroom interaction practices. EMI students’ perception of classroom interaction practices. EMI students’ description of EMI lessons .2 EMI students’ perception of classrom interaction practices.
Discussions of main findings. Recapitulation of the findings. EMI lecturers’ and students’ perceptions of EMI teaching and learning Practices 1n the iIMStitUtION ec esesseeseseseeeeteteeseesescseasaeseateeseeseseeessasasseaseneeeneeeeeees 216 6. EMI classroom interaction practices in the 1nstifution.
EMI lecturers’ and students’ perceptions of classroom interaction practices220 6. EMI lecturers’ and students’ perceptions of the impacts of classroom INCETACTION PLACTICES 000 T188. Implications of the Study. Practical implication oe eee.
Implications for EMI lecturers and studen(S. Implications for EMI policy makers and educational managers. Methodological 1mp]ICAfÏOTNS. Suggestions for further research.
231 THESIS-RELATED PUBLICATIONS. I APPENDIX 1: Informed consents to EMI lecturers and students_. I APPENDIX 2: Sample transcription of classroom observation. --- Il APPENDIX 3: Sample of observation pDrOfOCOÏS.
55 c+sc+x+xsscsx XXIII APPENDIX 4: Interview questions for EMI lecturers and students. XXVII APPENDIX 5: Code system exported from MAXQDA software. LVI VI ABSTRACT Over the last few decades, along with the internationalization and globalization in higher education, English has been increasingly used as a medium of instruction (EMI) in different academic disciplines in higher education institutions (HEIs) in various social geographical contexts. Despite a considerable number of studies on EMI implementation in HEIs, research on EMI classroom interaction practices has been scarce and fragmented.
Concerns have been expressed regarding the interactions between the teachers and students in their EMI class as well as how these stakeholders perceive and evaluate their classroom interaction practices. In order to contribute to bridging these gaps in the extant EMI literature, the current study adopted the constructivist grounded theory by Charmaz (2006) to explore the lecturers’ and students’ perceptions of classroom interaction practices in a Vietnamese technical university. The study employed two major data collection methods including classroom observations and intensive interviews with six EMI lecturers and thirty-five EMI students. The results from the analysis of classroom observation recordings and protocols show a teacher-fronted style adopted in most EMI classes and reveal significant categories in verbal and non-verbal classroom interaction practices including lecturers' use of English and code-switching in presenting content knowledge, their use of teaching aids to illustrate the lessons, their non-verbal behaviors while teaching, students’ verbal and non-verbal interaction including their use of LI and L2 in interacting with lecturers, their limited interactive behaviors and their individual work, pair work and group work in EMI classes.
The findings from intensive interviews demonstrate that participants’ perceptions had a profound impact on how classroom interaction practices were shaped. EMI lecturers and students reported several dimensions including curriculum requirements, lecturers’ teaching methodologies and personalities, students’ English proficiency and subject knowledge, students’ psychological and physical states, career demands, Vietnamese educational tradition and cultural elements, which all contributed to how they interacted in EMI classes. Although most EMI lecturers and students had positive motivations for EMI, the process of disciplinary learning was perceived to be negatively affected due to limited language skills of students. Practical implications addressed in the study can be taken into account to enhance the quality of classroom interaction for students’ better content learning via the medium of English language in Vietnamese higher education institutions.
Vil LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AP Advanced Program CBI Content Based Instruction CGT Constructivist Grounded Theory CLIL Content and Language Integrated Learning EFL English as a foreign language EMI English Medium Instruction ESL English as a second language ICLHE Integrating Content and Language in Higher Education GT Grounded Theory HEI Higher Education Institution Ll First language L2 Second language MOET Ministry of Education and Training NFL 2020 National Foreign Language 2020 SL Second language SLA Second Language Acquisition ZPD Zone of Proximal Development UTC University of Transport and Communications VMI Vietnamese Medium Instruction vill LIST OF TABLES Table 2. Differing images of CBI, CLIL and EMI in the Literature. EMI programs in Vietnamese HE System. Contrasting characteristics of five qualitative approaches.
Illuminating the types of grounded theOry. Information about AP 59 (CÏaSS. - Gà 22111 1 11111 ree 77 Table 3. Information about AP 60 Class.
Information about the EMI lecturers. Information about EMI classroom obserVafIO.----sc+csesecerses 85 Table 3. Code sample of observation recordings. Code sample of observation protocols.
Code sample of a lecturer 1TIE€TVIW. Reasons for choosing EMI courses listed by EMI students. Benefits of EMI Study .- 5-5 tt HH ng re 118 Table 4.3 Difficulties 1n EMI Study. cccsecssessesesesesseseeseseeeceseeeeseseeseseeeeseeeeeeaees 120 1X LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.
The grounded theory process (Charmaz, 2006, p. Constructivist grounded theory coding and analysis stages (Charmaz, 2014)88 Figure 5. Interaction types identified from observation protocoÌs. Lecturer-whole class 1TIf€TACfOH.-- ©5555 SE +e£sexereeeerereeesresree 152 Figure 5.
Lecturer-individual student 1n†eraCfIOn. Lecturer-pair work student 1nf€raCfIOTI. Lecturer-group work student Inf€TaCfIOTI. 5-5 55s s+s+£se+exexesssz 154 Figure 5.