HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES --------------- TRUONG THAI MAI ANH UPPER-SECONDARY EFL TEACHERS’ REFLECTION ON THE USE OF GLOBAL SUCCESS AND I-LEARN SMART SERIES FOR GRADE 10 IN HUE CITY 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 THAI MAI ANH UPPER-SECONDARY EFL TEACHERS’ REFLECTION ON THE USE OF GLOBAL SUCCESS AND I-LEARN SMART SERIES FOR GRADE 10 IN HUE CITY MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 8140111 SUPERVISOR: NGO LE HOANG PHUONG, D.Ed THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ --------------- TRƯƠNG THÁI MAI ANH CHIÊM NGHIỆM CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TIẾNG ANH PHỔ THÔNG VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG BỘ SÁCH GLOBAL SUCCESS VÀ I-LEARN SMART LỚP 10 TẠI THÀNH PHỐ HUẾ LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 8140111 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: TS. NGÔ LÊ HOÀNG PHƯƠNG THỪA THIÊN HUẾ, 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. i ABSTRACT Abstract: Teacher agency plays a vital role in educational settings by not only guiding students toward specific objectives but also by empowering teachers to adapt and innovate in their teaching methods.
While previous research has explored different aspects of teacher agency, there is a gap in research specifically examining the implementation of new textbooks from an ecological perspective. This study focuses on the reflections of EFL upper-secondary school teachers in Hue City regarding the use of Global Success and I- Learn Smart Series. The findings were based on data collected through four semi- structured interviews and eight classroom observations of four teachers from different upper-secondary schools in Hue City. The study identified three dimensions of the ecological view that influence teachers' perception and practice in implementing new textbooks including prior experience and pedagogical beliefs, categorized as iterational and projective dimensions respectively, as well as physical surroundings and students' language proficiency categorized as practical-evaluative dimensions.
The research used a thematic analysis approach to analyze the data after being collected. The findings showed different perceptions and practices towards the implementation of new textbooks. Some teachers perceived these changes to be reasonable, while others found them inappropriate when using in real classroom settings. Furthermore, teachers’ textbook maintenance and adaptation were reflected in the study.
These findings offer valuable insights for educational stakeholders, such as teachers, school administrators, teacher educators, and policymakers, to promote the development of teacher agency in teaching, particularly when encountering educational innovations. Keywords: teacher agency, ecological view, implementation of new textbooks, teachers’ reflection, ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am immensely grateful to my supervisor, Dr. Ngo Le Hoang Phuong, without whom I would not have been able to complete this research. She is an incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated lecturer working at the Faculty of English at Hue University of Foreign Languages and International Studies (HUFLIS) and a highly sought-after instructor by students.
With her guidance, I was able to successfully conduct and finalize the research within the given timeline. Additionally, she provided valuable support by reviewing my paper drafts. This study would have been incomplete without her cooperation. I would like to express my special thanks to all the teachers from four upper- secondary schools, who participated in this research.
Despite their busy schedules, they willingly shared their perspectives and allowed me to observe their practices regarding the implementation of new English textbooks for grade 10. Their responses were crucial in ensuring the success of this study. I am deeply grateful that despite their other responsibilities, these teachers promptly answered the interviews and arranged classes for me to observe, enabling me to gather sufficient data for analysis. I would also like to thank all the upper-secondary school students who graciously allowed me to observe their classes.
Their cooperation and willingness to accommodate my presence made it possible for me to observe the classes clearly. Furthermore, I extend my appreciation to the administrators of these four upper-secondary schools for granting me permission to conduct the research within their campuses and classrooms. I am also indebted to another upper-secondary school teacher who is currently teaching 10th-grade classes in Hue City. This teacher assisted me in piloting the interview questions and provided valuable advice for improving them before the official interviews took place.
iii Lastly, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the staff in both the Postgraduate Training Department and the Faculty of English at HUFLIS. Their support in providing relevant documents and facilitating the research process was invaluable. I hope that the findings of this study can serve as a valuable resource for future studies in the fields of language and education, contributing to the overall curriculum reform efforts in Vietnam. iv List of tables Table 2.
A list of new English textbooks introduced in the academic 2022-2023 Table 3. The information and codes about participating teachers Table 3. Detailed contents in the English Curriculum of grade 10 Table 3. The summary of interview codes corresponding to teacher codes Table 3.
The summary of observation codes and information about classes corresponding to teacher codes Table 3. The summary of codes utilized in the study Table 4.1: The summary of teachers’ pedagogical beliefs Table 4.2: The summary of adapted activities observed in classrooms v List of figures Figure 2. Factors influencing teacher agency (Priestley et al. The difference in the contents of units in the two textbooks Figure 3.
The difference in the organization of parts in the two textbooks Figure 3. The difference in teaching contents in the two textbooks Figure 3.4: A strategy of phases to code in thematic analysis by Gibbs (2007) Figure 4. The dependence on textbooks of T2 and T4 Figure 4. The dependence on textbooks of T1 and T3 Figure 4.
T1’s changes to teaching contents and activities in I-Learn Smart World Figure 4. An extract about the interaction between T1 and students. T4’s changes to teaching contents and activities in Global Success Figure 4. T3’s using games in teaching Global Success Figure 4.
An extract about the interaction between T3 and students Figure 4. T2’s using cooperating activities in I-Learn Smart World vi List of Abbreviations ELT: English Language Teaching EFL: English as Foreign Language MOET: Ministry of Education and Training NFL: National Foreign Language Project vii TABLE OF CONTENT STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP. iii List of tables. v List of figures.
vi List of Abbreviations. vii TABLE OF CONTENT. viii Chapter 1: Introduction. 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review .1 What is teacher agency? .2 Theoretical approaches to teacher agency .2 Ecological approach to teacher agency .1 Teacher agency under the ecological lens .2 Dimensions of the ecological model .3 Curiculum and textbook implementation .1 The role of curriculum in English Language Teaching (ELT) .2 The role of the textbook in the ELT curriculum.3 Changes in curriculum and textbook .4 The Vietnamese Current Context of English Teaching and Learning .1 The National Foreign Language Project (NFL) .2 The 2018 General Education Curriculum .3 Current series of textbooks .5 The research gap.
22 Chapter 3: Research Methodology .3 The background of the study .4 Data collection instruments .5 Data collection procedure .6 Data analysis procedure. 45 Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion.1 Teachers’ perceptions towards the implementation of new textbooks.2 Teachers’ practice towards the implementation of new textbooks .3 Factors affecting the enactment of teacher agency. 80 Chapter 5: Conclusion and Implications .3 Limitations and future research. 103 ix Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter provides a detailed overview of the study’s background as well as its main aim and significance.
This part also poses two research questions and the structure of this study.1 Rationale Teaching is a demanding and intricate profession, where a multitude of subjective and objective factors further complicate the effective transmission of knowledge to students. As a novice teacher, I faced numerous obstacles in my practice of teaching. One significant hurdle that made my early years in the profession more difficult was the transition to new textbooks. During my years at university, I was initially perplexed and anxious when introduced to a set of pilot textbooks based on the 2012 General Education Curriculum, which differed from what I had learned in upper-secondary school.
It was this difference that challenged me to develop lesson plans, conduct micro-teaching sessions, and teach in actual classrooms. I had spent a long time on extensive studying to grasp the contents and effectively utilize the provided activities. This difficulty was amplified during my internship and subsequent contractual teaching, as the implementation of the textbooks in real classrooms became even more complex. The difficulties arose from both the structure of the textbook and external factors like classroom size, student abilities, and seating arrangements.
Through these experiences, I discovered that the effectiveness of a lesson largely relies on the teacher's ability to make decisions for their teaching. However, because of my lack of experience, I have been facing challenges in effectively exercising my teaching agency. The implementation of the pilot textbook has indeed caused me a great deal of confusion and problems. Recently, the Vietnamese government and the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) have introduced the 2018 General Education Curriculum, along with new sets of 1 textbooks.
This change in textbooks has posed great challenges for me and other English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. It is evident that teachers play a crucial role in implementing any curriculum changes, including textbooks, in classrooms (Guo et al. The success of the new curriculum and educational changes also largely depends on the thoughts and actions of teachers (Fullan, 2007). Therefore, it is essential to study teacher agency in dealing with the implementation of new textbooks.
As someone who has just started my professional career and has been struggling with these innovations, I am particularly interested in researching how other teachers exercise their teaching agency in response to the new textbooks. In addition to my personal interest, the rationale for this study also derives from the importance of language teacher agency in facilitating effective teaching practices and promoting self-development, which has been widely explored in different contexts (Tao & Gao, 2017; Miller, 2018). However, there is a lack of research on the perspective of teacher agency concerning the relationship between textbooks and teachers, particularly in Vietnam, despite their significant role in implementing these materials. Previous research by Graves & Garton (2014) emphasized the need to understand how well teachers comprehend the materials, align them with their beliefs and experiences, and adapt them to meet their students' needs.
These factors greatly impact the effectiveness of textbooks. In the specific context of Vietnam, further research is required to enhance our understanding of how EFL teachers utilize textbooks in their teaching practices and develop context- appropriate materials. Additionally, while primary and secondary teachers have had experience with new textbooks for several years, upper-secondary school teachers have only recently been exposed to this textbook innovation in the academic year 2022-2023. Consequently, researching their perceptions and practices regarding the implementation of these new textbooks would provide valuable insights for future years.
2 Taken together, this study focuses on how Vietnamese EFL upper-secondary school teachers perceive and practice their teaching agency in response to the new textbooks, particularly from an ecological perspective.2 Aim of the study The research purpose is to examine the implementation of the new EFL textbooks in Hue City.