EFL Faculty Mentorship Programs at HEIs in Vietnam by Hung Quoc Tran A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Secondary Education University of Alberta © Hung Quoc Tran, 2020 ii Abstract This qualitative study investigated the extant English as a foreign language (EFL) faculty mentorship programs at four higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Mekong River Delta (MRD) of Vietnam The findings were interpreted through a social constructivist research paradigm drawing on three theoretical lenses: Vygotsky’s (1978) Sociocultural Theory of Development, Knowles’ (1970, 1998) Adult Learning Theory, and Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological Systems Theory of Human Development Purposeful sampling was utilized to choose four novel faculty members (mentees), four senior faculty members (mentors), and two experienced faculty administrators among these HEIs Each of these actors participated in two individual semi-structured interviews in the Vietnamese language conducted by the researcher Interviews were recorded, summarized, transcribed verbatim, and translated into the English language by the researcher They were then verified by an EFL Vietnamese instructor and doctoral graduate from the University of Alberta One week prior to the first interview, participants completed pre-interview activities (PIAs) provided Data analysis revealed that the mentorship program mandated by Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has been implemented differently at each participating HEI and that there was no an officially endorsed mentorship document that guided the mentorship programs at these HEIs Other themes include successes and challenges experienced by mentees, mentors, and administrators The successes were reported in the mentees’ and the mentors’ personal and professional development; their dyadic relationships; their unexpected benefits; and the administrators’ increased ease in making the mentee-mentor pairings, satisfaction with being good listeners, and expression of self-efficacy The challenges were found in the mentees’ and the mentors’ personal pressures, their dyadic relationships, their additional issues, and the iii administrators’ challenge of different gender pairings and their insufficient scrutiny of the mentoring work Practically, the current study has offered the actors in the mentorship triad a description of benefits and some best practices of tertiary EFL mentorship Participants conveyed thoughts about an improved mentorship program and suggested that a national mentorship guide for EFL instructors at HEIs would be “a lifebuoy” for administrators, mentors, and mentees in helping the mentees socialize into the first stage of the teaching profession Theoretically, this study has contributed its findings to the world’s growing knowledge of post-secondary mentorship by enriching the modest literature on Vietnamese tertiary EFL mentorship Results may be of interest to other Asian contexts iv Preface This thesis is an original work by Hung Quoc Tran The research project, of which this thesis is a part, received research ethics approval from the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board, Project Name “EFL FACULTY MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS IN VIETNAM”, No Pro00078854, March 03, 2018 v Acknowledgements Having accompanied me in this painstaking but rewarding journey to pursue my dream are those acquaintances with whom I have maintained varying relationships Without their exhortation, this dissertation would not have been finished In academia, I, first and foremost, would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Dr Olenka Bilash for her ceaseless, wholehearted and vigorous supervision Not only has she provided me with much useful expertise I had accumulated from her courses, but she has also given me numerous insightful and constructive advice on every single thesis chapter I had submitted to her Exceptionally, Dr Bilash inspired me to initiate this research topic with her tireless lifetime devotion to second language teacher education Secondly, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my supervisory committee, Dr Maryanne Doherty and Dr David Chorney, for their invaluable comments on my writing work and their spiritual support on our traditional holidays Thirdly, I am extremely grateful to my examining committee, Dr Sharon Compton and Dr Jorge Sousa, for their valuable time and critical questions about my study Fourthly, I very much appreciate my external examiner, Dr Amy Burns, for her comprehensive and detailed evaluation of my study My special thanks are also extended to my final examination committee’s chair, Dr Margaret Iveson, for her professional management of my exam Last but not least, I cannot leave the University of Alberta without acknowledging the department’s administrative and support staff; particularly, the faculty instructors whose courses have equipped me with up-to-date knowledge to venturesomely expose and interpret my true thinking via my term papers and this dissertation At the researched higher education institutions in the Mekong River Delta of Vietnam, I am deeply indebted to the associate deans, chairs, senior and novel faculty members for their vi enthusiastic and empirical contributions of experience and expertise to my study I also had great pleasure of working with each of them Without these colleagues, I could not have produced this study account to publicize their true stories In my home country, I am grateful to Vietnam International Education Development for granting me a scholarship to pursue my study at the University of Alberta My thanks should also go to Can Tho University for allowing me to temporarily leave my teaching position to make this doctoral journey happen Predominantly, I, as a token of my heart, would like to dedicate this work to my late beloved parents, Father passing away while I was teaching away from home and Mother passing away while I was studying in Canada, for their ever-sensed and ever-present blessings over me during my academic journey vii Table of Contents Abstract ii Preface iv Acknowledgements v Table of Contents vii List of Figures xii Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 Locating Myself 1.2 Statement of the Problem 14 1.3 Rationale for the Study 21 1.4 Significance of the Study 23 1.5 Definition of Terms 24 Chapter Two: 27 Review of the Literature 27 2.1 Overview of Mentoring 27 2.1.1 Origin of mentoring 27 2.1.2 Definition of mentoring 28 2.2 Mentoring in Education 32 2.2.1 Benefits of mentoring for mentees 36 2.2.2 Benefits of mentoring for mentors 38 2.2.3 Benefits of mentoring for administrators 40 2.2.4 Benefits of mentoring for the organization 41 2.2.5 Drawbacks of mentoring for mentees 42 2.2.6 Drawbacks of mentoring for mentors 43 2.2.7 Drawbacks for mentoring for administrators 44 2.2.8 Drawbacks of mentoring for the organization 45 2.3 The Mentoring Relationship 45 2.3.1 Types of the mentoring relationship 45 2.3.1.1 Informal mentoring relationship 47 2.3.1.2 Formal mentoring relationship 49 2.3.2 Factors that affect a formally assigned mentoring relationship 52 2.3.2.1 A successful mentoring relationship 52 2.3.2.2 A poor mentoring relationship 55 2.4 The Mentee 58 2.4.1 Characteristics of the mentee 58 2.4.2 Roles of the mentee 59 2.5 The Mentor 60 2.5.1 Characteristics of the mentor 60 2.5.2 Roles of the mentor 61 2.6 A Chronicle of Research on Educational Mentoring 62 2.7 Mentorship in Higher Education 65 2.7.1 Benefits of faculty mentoring 65 2.7.2 Challenges of faculty mentoring 66 viii 2.8 Mentorship in Second Language Education 68 2.8.1 Factors affecting successful mentorship in second language education 68 2.8.2 Novice second language teacher socialization 69 2.8.3 Second language teacher mentoring procedures 72 Chapter Three: 74 Mentorship in English as Foreign Language Education in Vietnam 74 3.1 Historical timeline of English as a Foreign Language Education in Vietnam 74 3.1.1 The French invasion [1945-1954] 74 3.1.2 The U.S resistance war or Vietnam war [1955-1975] 75 3.1.3 The pre - Doi Moi [1976-1985] 77 3.1.4 The Doi Moi [1986-present] 78 3.2 EFL in Vietnamese Higher Education 84 3.2.1 EFL teacher education programs 84 3.2.2 EFL as a subject in other discipline programs 87 3.3 EFL Teacher Mentorship in Vietnam 89 3.3.1 An overview 89 3.3.2 Evidence of mentoring EFL education in Vietnam 92 Chapter Four: 98 Methodology 98 4.1 Theoretical Lenses for the Study 98 4.1.1 Vygotsky’s (1978) Sociocultural Theory of Development 99 4.1.2 Knowles’s (1970, 1998)) Adult Learning Theory 104 4.1.3 Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological Systems Theory of Human Development 108 4.2 Research Paradigm 112 4.2.1 Research paradigm 112 4.2.2 Social constructivist paradigm 114 4.3 Methodology for the Present Study 117 4.3.1 Research design 117 4.3.2 Research setting 119 4.3.3 Research participants 120 4.3.4 Role of the researcher 122 4.3.5 Data collection 123 4.3.5.1 Pre-interview activities (PIAs) 123 4.3.5.2 The interview 125 4.3.5.3 Field notes 127 4.3.5.4 Data triangulation 128 4.3.6 Data analysis 129 4.3.7 Trustworthiness of qualitative research data 137 4.3.8 Ethics 140 Chapter Five: 144 Mentees 144 5.1 Mentees’ Background 144 5.1.1 Trang 144 5.1.2 Nghi 145 5.1.3 Han 146 ix 5.1.4 Nam 147 5.2 Key Themes 150 5.2.1 Mentees’ gains in the mentorship program 150 5.2.1.1 Personal development 150 5.2.1.2 Professional development 155 5.2.1.3 Relationship between mentees and mentors 160 5.2.1.4 Additional sources of support 164 5.2.2 Mentees’ challenges in the mentorship program 168 5.2.2.1 Personal pressures 169 5.2.2.2 Mentor-related issues 174 5.2.2.3 Additional issues 178 Chapter Six: 182 Mentors 182 6.1 Mentors’ Background 182 6.1.1 Tri 182 6.1.2 Yen 183 6.1.3 Minh 184 6.1.4 Lan 185 6.2 Key Themes 187 6.2.1 Mentors’ successes in the mentorship program 187 6.2.1.1 Personal development 187 6.2.1.2 Professional development 192 6.2.1.3 Relationship between mentors and mentees 197 6.2.2 Mentors’ challenges in the mentorship program 200 6.2.2.1 Personal pressures 201 2.2.2 Mentee – related issues 203 6.2.2.3 Additional issues 206 Chapter Seven: 212 Administrators 212 7.1 Administrators’ Background 212 7.1.1 Thu 212 7.1.2 Hau 213 7.2 Key Themes 216 7.2.1 Administrators’ successes in the mentorship program 216 7.2.1.1 Increased ease of mentee-mentor matching 216 7.2.1.2 Administrators as good listeners 218 7.2.1.3 Expression of self-efficacy 220 7.2.2.1 Different gender pairing 222 7.2.2.2 Insufficient scrutiny of the mentoring work 223 7.2.2.3 Absence of a mandated mentoring guide 224 Chapter Eight: 226 EFL Faculty Mentorship Program in Light of Educational Theories 226 8.1 Vygotsky’s (1978) Theory of Development 226 8.2 Knowles’s (1970, 1998) Adult Learning Theory 229 8.3 Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological Systems Theory of Human Development 235 x 8.3.1 Mentees in relationships with mentors and administrators [Microsystem] 236 8.3.2 Participating HEIs in the MRD of Vietnam [Mesosystem] 237 8.3.3 Vietnam MOET – mandated mentorship program [Exosystem] 238 8.3.4 World literature on educational mentorship [Macrosystem] 239 8.4 Social Constructivist Paradigm 240 Chapter Nine: 242 Summary of New Findings, Recommendations, Comparing Findings of the Previously Reported Studies and This Study, Limitations, and Future Research 242 9.1 Summary of New Findings 242 9.1.1 The mentees 243 9.1.2 The mentors 244 9.1.3 The administrators 245 9.1.4 The mentorship program 246 9.2 Recommendations 247 9.3 Comparing Findings of the Previously Reported Studies and This Study 247 9.4 Limitations of the Study 248 9.5 Future Research 249 References 252 Appendix A: INFORMATION LETTER and CONSENT FORM [to the Mentee] 308 Appendix B: INFORMATION LETTER and CONSENT FORM [to the Mentor] 311 Appendix C: INFORMATION LETTER and CONSENT FORM [to the Administrator] 314 Appendix D: Pre-Interview Activities 317 Appendix F: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR MENTOR 321 Appendix G: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR ADMINISTRATOR 323 Appendix H: A Proposed EFL Faculty Mentorship Guide 325 ... 3.2 EFL in Vietnamese Higher Education 84 3.2.1 EFL teacher education programs 84 3.2.2 EFL as a subject in other discipline programs 87 3.3 EFL Teacher Mentorship in. .. qualitative study investigated the extant English as a foreign language (EFL) faculty mentorship programs at four higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Mekong River Delta (MRD) of Vietnam. .. that a national mentorship guide for EFL instructors at HEIs would be “a lifebuoy” for administrators, mentors, and mentees in helping the mentees socialize into the first stage of the teaching profession