VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN ĐỨC ÂN THE CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL PROFICIENCY STANDARDS WITH ETHNIC MINORITY STUDENTS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY AT TAY BAC UNIVERSITY Những thách thức trong việc áp dụng khung năng lực chuẩn quốc gia cho sinh viên dân tộc thiểu số: Nghiên cứu tại trường Đại học Tây Bắc M. COMBINED PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Hanoi – 2016 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN ĐỨC ÂN THE CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL PROFICIENCY STANDARDS WITH ETHNIC MINORITY STUDENTS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY AT TAY BAC UNIVERSITY Những thách thức trong việc áp dụng khung năng lực chuẩn quốc gia cho sinh viên dân tộc thiểu số: Nghiên cứu tại trường Đại học Tây Bắc M. COMBINED PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Assoc. Lê Văn Canh Hanoi - 2016 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “The challenges of implementing the national proficiency standards to ethnic minority students: an exploratory study at Tay Bac University” is entirely my own research work and has not been taken from the work of others save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my work.
Hanoi, 2016 Nguyễn Đức Ân i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I would like to show my deepest gratitude to Associate Professor Le Van Canh, my supervisor, who supported and encouraged me generously throughout my research. I do appreciate his rigorous and meticulous working attitude as well as his academic professionalism. During the process of conducting the current study, he gave me many sound suggestions and comments, which helped a great deal in working out the final thesis. Without his illuminating instruction, I could not have gone this far.
Secondly, I would like to acknowledge the support of the staff at the Training Bureau who gave me generous access to the reports and particularly of the Dean, Vice-Dean and Group Leaders of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, who provided me with related legal documents. Thirdly, my heart-felt thanks go to all the participants who contributed data to this study. Without their enthusiastic participation and outstanding cooperation, this thesis would not have been completed. I wish them the very best on their English learning and teaching paths.
Last but not least, I would like to extend my gratitude and deepest love to all my family members; especially my dearest parents, my husband and my elder sister, who always encourage me with all their love, understanding and accompanying. Besides, I would like to thank all my dear friends at Son La who have given me considerable assistance and kindly encouragement. ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT Stepping into the new century, Vietnam has been facing more and more opportunities and challenges than ever before in the global and regional competitive environments. English, the widely used international language, has been regarded as the powerful tool for national sustainable development and personal success.
The National Project 2020 launched by the Government is an attempt to achieve an obvious advance in labor force‟s English language competence by 2020. The common language framework CEFR-V, which allows the standardization in the field of English education nationwide, was introduced to ensure the consistency for measuring learners‟ proficiency-and-progress of English language and the quality of the educational outcomes. However, its implementation is just at the early stage but a hot issue and a matter of argument among policy makers, managers and educators in the field of foreign language education for its various complicate challenges faced by its target users. By providing a picture of the current complex English learning situations of minority students in such an ethnically diverse university like Tay Bac University, this study aims at pointing out what formidable challenges those students are facing in achieving the outcome standard by exploring factors affecting English language education, and how realistic in implementing the mandated level of English proficiency to students of ethnic minorities.
The research was accomplished by using data from the placement test and questionnaires of 159 students of five majors, and from the interviews of 2 lecturers who were involved with student participants. Analysis of the survey allowed for purposeful selection of 7 students for the focus group interview to fully investigate the research problem. Results indicated the minority students‟ prominent difficulties including their tri-language barrier, low English background level, negative attitudes, low learning motivations, poor-and-inflexible learning strategies, inactiveness and over-anxiety in English learning; difficult curriculum and strange textbook; teacher behavior; and iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com inadequate time. The revealed findings cast serious doubt on the outcome standard attainment of the target users - the minority students at TBU.
I propose in the conclusion some recommendations to enhance minority students‟ English language learning and outcome achievement by selecting more appropriate materials and textbooks to better suit the local students‟ needs and levels; as well as boosting up their positive attitudes on English language learning and attainment. Especially, I emphasize the roles of policy makers in adjusting their great expectations for outcome standard achievement by minority students with a more realistic viewpoint of their actual levels of English and attention to their voices. iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENT DECLARATION………………………………………………………………. ii ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………… iii TABLE OF CONTENT……………………………………………………….
v LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………. viii LIST OF CHARTS……………………………………………………………. ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS…………………………………………………. Background to the study……………………………………………….
English education in Vietnam……………………………………. CEFR-V standards/ National standards on foreign language proficiency or six-level proficiency framework…………………………. Basic information about ethnic minorities in North-west 5 Vietnam. English education for ethnic minorities in North-west Vietnam….
English education for minorities at Tay Bac University………… 8 1. Aims of the study………………………………………………………. Organization of the thesis……………………………………………… 10 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………. Second language acquisition………………………………………….
Influence of proficiency in L1 and L2 on the acquisition of L3…… 13 2. Factors affecting L2 acquisition………………………………………. Mandated outcome standard to CEFR-V for tertiary level…………… 23 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY…………………………………………… 26 v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Description of the subjects…………………………………………….
Data collection instruments…………………………………………… 28 3. Semi-structure questionnaire ……………………………………. Validity and reliability………………………………………………. Data analysis…………………………………………………………… 33 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS…………………………………………………….
Background information of the questionnaire participants……………. The implementation of CEFR-V at TBU……………………………… 38 4. Current situation of English language learning of ethnic minority students at TBU ……………………………………………………………. Minority students‟ English proficiency level……………………… 41 4.
Minority students‟ attitudes towards English language learning… 43 4. Minority students‟ motivations in English language learning……. Minority students‟ English learning strategies…………………… 49 4. Challenges faced by minority students in achieving the outcome standard…………………………………………………………………….
Tri-language barrier……………………………………………. Attitudes to the achievement of outcome standard to CEFR-V…. Curriculum and textbook…………………………………………. 69 vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Limitations of the study………………………………………………. Further research suggestions…………………………………………. Student questionnaire ………………………………………… I Appendix 2. Interview guide for students………………………………….
Interview guide for teachers ………………………………… VIII Appendix 4. Detailed description of levels A2 and B1 to CEFR-V ……… IX vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1 The 6 levels to CEFR-V.2 Number of students at TBU in terms of minority groups…….1 Student age and ethnicity……………………………………… 35 Table 4.2 Results of student‟ evaluation of their language use at home… 37 Table 4.3 Students‟ English placement test scores……………………… 41 Table 4.4 Students‟ self-assessment of English language competence… 42 Table 4.5 Students‟ results regarding the importance of English in future job……………………………………………………………… 44 Table 4.6 Students‟ results regarding their attitudes towards English learning………………………………………………………… 45 Table 4.7 Student motivation toward learning English………………….8 Total time that minority students weekly spend on learning English………………………………………………………….9 Students‟ English learning strategies………………………….10 Students‟ frequently used learning methods at home………….11 Students‟ evaluation on the effect of Vietnamese proficiency on English……………………………………………………… 55 Table 4.12 Students‟ preference in teachers‟ in-class language use……….13 B1 level to CEFR-V: respondents‟ self-assessment grid……… 59 Table 4.14 Students‟ results on teacher‟s language skill coverage in class.15 Students‟ general evaluation on the current English curriculum 64 Table 4.16 Students‟ evaluation on the difficult part in the current curriculum…………………………………………………….17 Students‟ difficulties in learning English……………………… 66 viii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF CHARTS Chart 4.1 Place of students‟ secondary education……………………… 36 Chart 4.2 Student English year-set program…………………………… 36 Chart 4.3 Student Vietnamese proficiency level……………………….4 Students‟ preferences of language use in life and future job… 43 Diagram 4.1 TBU‟s itinerary to achieve the standardization phase 2016-2020 …………………………………………………… 40 ix LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CEFR Common European Framework of Reference CEFR -V Vietnamese version of CEFR ELE English language education FL Foreign language L1 First language L2 Second language L3 Third language LLS Language learning strategies MOET Ministry of Education and Training TBU Tay Bac University WTC Willingness to communicate x LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1. Background to the study 1. English education in Vietnam Vietnam has a complex history of language policies toward English.
Before 1986, English was taught in Vietnam but not as widely as French, Russia or Chinese. In the period 1986-2002, English was introduced as a compulsory subject at upper secondary level and as an elective subject at lower secondary school nation-wide. However, English language education (ELE) during this time was mainly grammar-based, and research on language teaching and learning was inadequate. Following Vietnam‟s economic reform and open-door policy to reintegrate to the world at the beginning of the 21st century, ELE was more valued.
With the national project of new curriculum and new textbooks launched by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in 2002, English was a compulsory subject at both lower and upper secondary levels and an elective subject at primary level. Stepping into the new century, Vietnam has been facing more and more opportunities and challenges than ever before in the global and regional competitive environments. With Vietnam‟s entry into World Trade Organization and freer movement of labor very soon due to the ASEAN community, English, the widely used international language, has been regarded as a powerful tool for both national sustainable development and personal success; ability in English could well become more important. At the national level, ELE has been viewed as the gatekeeper for national industrialization, modernization, development and international-and- regional integration.
As for individuals, proficiency in English is seen as a key to a host of opportunities: to enter and graduate from university; to go abroad for further education; to secure desirable jobs in public and private sectors, foreign-invested companies or joint ventures; and to be eligible for promotion to higher professional ranks. The fast process of globalization, the strongest external force for English language teaching and learning, particularly in the ten recent years, has made it 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com difficult for Vietnam to maintain the existing low standards in its teaching and value. Instead, the country has expressed a resurgent interest in English and witnessed a so-called “English Fever” (Johnson, 2009), in which countless Vietnamese people have been showing their unprecedented enthusiasm in learning English, considerable national and individual endeavors and resources have been invested in ELE. Attempts to fully embrace English were officially announced when Vietnamese Prime Minister issued Decision 1400/QD-TTg on September 30, 2008 on approving and launching the 10-year National Plan called Vietnam‟s National Foreign Language Project 2020 (Project 2020) which highly emphasizes English education and teacher professional development in the Period of 2008- 2020‟ (worth 9.378 billion VND or 5 billion USD).
To the Decision, English is proclaimed to be a compulsory foreign language (FL) subject for all students nationwide from primary schools onward in an attempt to achieve an obvious advance in labor force‟s English language competence by 2015.