THE IMPACT OF POLICY CHANGE ON THE TEACHING OF SPOKEN ENGLISH IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN THE NORTH MOUNTAINOUS REGION OF VIETNAM Tram Quynh Dang This thesis is presented in fulfilment for the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Education Edith Cowan University 2020 Abstract In response to the pressing demand for English as an international lingua franca for socio-economic development, the Vietnamese government has recently undertaken the reform of foreign language education through the National Foreign Language 2020 Project. As part of this reform, English classes have been made compulsory from year 3 of primary school and a new English syllabus was introduced. An English textbook series for primary education was developed, based on a communicative language teaching approach, focussed on developing speaking and listening components and featured tasks reflecting child-focussed methods. Given training courses and seminars on the new curriculum and textbooks, primary English language teachers were put under pressure to implement the new syllabus and pedagogy, so that ELT changes would happen in primary schools across Vietnam.
This multiple case study investigated how primary language teachers enacted the new English curriculum and its suggested pedagogy to develop learners’ oral English competence. Five English language teachers from three teaching contexts were involved as the cases of the study. The three research sites included one city school, one outskirts school, and two remote schools located in three provinces in the north mountainous region of Vietnam. At each site, data were collected through structured observations, analysis of teaching materials, and interviews with teachers and their students.
A case-by-case analysis was undertaken, then findings were compared through a cross-case analysis to answer the research questions. Findings of the study indicated surface changes of English language teaching, but critical issues remaining at the deep level of the enactment of the pedagogies required. At the surface level, the primary language teachers across the three teaching contexts gained some knowledge of the new curriculum and teaching methods required after professional training courses. The study also found that primary ELT content and materials were consistent and child-focused across the different contexts of the case studies.
This might have been a result of the teachers’ strong assumption that textbooks should drive the teaching. However, there was little evidence that teachers fully understood the intentions of the new curriculum and textbooks; and enacted the materials with pedagogical changes as expected. Analysis i of classroom data showed that the quality of CLT practice and child-focused tasks promoted by the English language textbooks was generally poor. The study findings indicate that this lack of quality was related to the teachers’ lack of understanding of a CLT approach in practice and how to apply appropriate methods to teach ESL to young learners.
It was also evident that the spoken English competence of the participating teachers, despite some improvement because of the reform process, remained inadequate to support teaching in English and conducting highly interactive CLT activities. Finally, the study identified factors that would support teachers in the implementation process including in-service training courses, new child-friendly textbook and electronic materials, and a few teaching facilities in schools. Those constraining teachers’ practice of the new pedagogies included the preservation of educational norms on language classes, such as teacher-centred approach, textbook driven teaching, centralising classroom management and noise intolerance. The teachers also reported other restraints, such as lack of ELT expertise supports, or lack of teaching aids to assist the teaching of English communicatively to young learners.
The study identified core competences which would enable EFL teachers to implement a CLT syllabus. These are presented as a model which highlights the importance of a high level of spoken English language competence for EFL teachers. The other three areas of competence are knowledge of the subject, of the learners, and about the teaching method proposed by ESL literature. The study is significant in providing suggestions for Vietnamese ELT reform based on research evidence of classroom teaching practice.
It is also worth presenting voices from teacher-implementers to Vietnamese top-down policy makers of what worked and what needed further actions. ii Declaration I certify that this thesis does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief: i. incorporate without acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institution of higher education. contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text; or iii.
contain any defamatory material. I also grant permission for the Library at Edith Cowan University to make duplicate copies of my thesis as required. Signature… Tram Dang…… Date…23/03/2020……… iii Acknowledgements PhD study is a journey with bumps but also excessive joys, explorations and the winning of self-procrastination. I could not have completed this dissertation without guidance, supports and enormous encouragement from the wonderful people I have met along the journey.
I would like to send my sincere thanks to my three supervisors for their guidance at different stages of my journey. I gained and grew with the expertise knowledge they shared and led me through. I am grateful to Dr. Janet Hunter for her overall guidance, expertise and instructions to handle the complicated data process of my multiple case study.
I would like to express my special thanks to her for her encouragement and emotional support during this journey. I would also love to express my gratitude to Dr. Allen for her dedicated instructions on my thesis, from the data processing through the thesis shaping and completion. I appreciate the countless hours she has spent on my thesis edition, through which I have learnt and improved my academic writing.
I am also indebted to Dr. Yvonne Haig for her guidance in my project initiation and my discussion chapter, particularly her constructive comments on my research model with her ESL expertise. I owe them all the knowledge, the dedication, and empathy for difficulties facing an international student. For my PhD to happen, I am grateful to VIED-ECU Joint Scholarship for its valuable grant for my course.
During the journey, I was lucky to receive assistance and encouragement from kind-hearted academia of ECU. I would like to thank Dr. Bill Allen and Dr. Jo McFarlane for instructing and giving me self-confidence to continue the journey at some of my down moments.
Thank Bev Lurie for her professional edition of my thesis. I am also grateful to dedicating ECU staff of School of Education, School of Postgraduate, Library, and Student Success for creating a professional and supportive environment for my study and research. I am also indebted to Thai Nguyen University and the School of Foreign Languages to send me to the course. I would also like to thank the schools, particularly the teachers and students from the three research sites in Vietnam, who gave their time, willingness and optimism for the project.
I also acknowledge my PhD colleagues for sharing the up and down moments of the PhD journey. iv Particularly, thank you Thinh and Diem, for being patient and listening, helping to clarify my thoughts, and give valuable comments. I would like to leave my final special thanks to my husband, Tuy, for inspiring me to take the PhD road, and providing your support during the years. Thank you, my sons and Little Bear for giving me strength to overcome this harsh challenge.
v Table of Contents Abstract …. iv Table of Contents. vi List of Figures. xv List of Tables.
xvii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. 1 Purpose of the Study. 3 Statement of the Problem. 5 Significance of the Study.
8 Overview of the Study. 8 Organisation of the Thesis. 9 CHAPTER 2: CONTEXT OF THE STUDY. 11 Vietnamese Educational Change: An Historical View.
11 Influence of Chinese Ideologies. 11 Foreign Language Learning in the Past. 14 Doi Moi 1986 and the Prominence of English Language Learning. 15 Structure of the Mainstream Vietnamese Educational System.
16 Primary English Language Education Prior to 2008. 17 Development of the 2003 English Curriculum. 17 Teaching Material Constraints Prior to 2008. 19 Primary English Teaching Staff Constraints Prior to 2008.
20 Primary English Teaching Pedagogy Constraints Prior to 2008. 21 Language Policy Changes to Primary Education Since 2008. 22 Overview of National Foreign Language Educational Innovation. 23 Aims of the 2020 Project.
23 Key Changes in the Primary School English Curriculum. 26 vi Teaching Content in Textbooks. 29 Human Resources: Teachers. 30 Information Communication Technology in EFL.
32 CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE REVIEW. 33 First and Second Language Theories. 33 Operant Conditioning, Behaviourist Theory and EFL. 33 Nativist Theory and Links to EFL.
35 Cognitivist Theory and Links to EAL. 38 Interactionist Theory and Links to EAL. 39 Pragmatist Theory and Links to EAL. 44 Approaches Informing the Current Vietnamese Primary English Syllabus.
46 Communicative Language Teaching. 47 Functional-Notional Approach. 50 Task-Based Language Teaching and Collaborative Learning Strategies. 50 Techniques for Teaching Speaking to Young EFL Learners.
53 Young Learner Characteristics. 53 Teaching Techniques for Children. 55 Research on Pedagogy Used in Vietnamese Primary Schools. 56 Differences Between ESL and EFL Teaching and Learning Contexts.
59 Professional Support and Training for Teachers of Primary English. 63 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY. 64 Recruiting Schools and Participants. 65 Gaining Official Consent.
67 Preparing for the Research Project: A Pilot Case Study. 67 Timing of Data Collection. 68 Data Collection Methods and Instruments. 69 Semi-Structured Interviews.
69 Interviews with Teachers. 69 Focus Groups with Students. 70 vii Establishing Rapport with Interview Participants. 71 Triangulation of the Data and Analysis Strategies.
74 Avoiding Researcher Bias. 75 CHAPTER 5: THE CITY CASES. 76 Teaching Context of Hoa Ban Primary School. 76 Linguistic Background of Hoa Ban Students.
76 ELT in Hoa Ban Primary School. 78 Local ELT Community. 79 Demographic Information of Teacher Participants. 79 Hong’s Professional Background.
79 Lam’s Professional Background. 80 City Teacher 1: Hong – Findings on the Research Questions. 82 Hong’s Curricular and Pedagogical Perceptions. 82 Perceptions of Teaching English to Primary EFL Learners.
82 Interpretation of Teaching Content and Goal. 83 Hong’s Pedagogical Practise and Use of Resources. 84 Tasks and Teaching Materials. 84 Practising the Communicative Language Teaching Approach.
85 Teaching Language Knowledge with a CLT Approach. 85 Practising Language with a CLT Approach. 86 Practising the Project-Based Learning Technique. 89 Practising Child-Focused Teaching Techniques.
89 Teaching with Songs and Chants. 90 Teaching with Stories and Comics. 90 Language Used for Instruction. 91 Managing Phonics-Experienced Learners.
93 viii Pedagogical Impacts from Learners’ Reflections. 93 Summary of Hong’s Pedagogy. 95 City Teacher 2: Lam – Findings on the Research Questions. 95 Lam’s Perceptions of the Curriculum and Pedagogy.
95 Perceptions of Teaching English to Primary EFL Learners. 96 Interpretation of the Teaching Content and Goal. 97 Lam’s Pedagogical Practise and Use of Resources. 98 Tasks and Teaching Materials.
98 Practising the Communicative Language Teaching Approach. 98 Teaching Language Knowledge with a CLT Approach. 98 Practising Language with a CLT Approach. 99 Error Correction and Feedback.
101 Practising Project-Based Learning Techniques. 101 Practising Child-Focused Teaching Techniques. 103 Teaching with Games. 103 Teaching with Songs and Chants.
103 Teaching with Comics and Stories. 104 Visual Aids, Role Play and Imagination. 104 Language Used for Instruction. 105 Managing Phonics-Experienced Learners.
105 Pedagogical Impacts on Learners and their Attitudes to Error Correction. 106 Summary of Case Studies 1 and 2 and Factors Impacting Pedagogical Choice. 107 CHAPTER 6: THE OUTSKIRTS CASE. 110 Teaching Context of Viet Bac Primary School.
110 Linguistic Background of Viet Bac Students .