Luận văn thạc sĩ VNU ULIS an exploratory study on teachers’ use of the textbook tieng anh thi diem 10 in the classroom at a high school in quang ninh

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

The textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem has been in use in our school for 5 years and it has received rhetorical approvals and postitive feedbacks from teachers and students However, how this new textbook is being used in the actual classroom remains to be under-researched As the book is being piloted, it is necessary to obtain empirical evidence of the way it is being used by teachers with their students

This is the reason that motivates my exploratory study that is reported in this thesis

This study also finds out the reasons why the teachers do so and the results of this study will therefore help teachers have better understanding and assessment of this new textbook then can make appropariate adaptions for better exploitaiton of it in their future‟s teaching.

Aims of the study

With the above presented rationale, the purpose of this study is to examine the implementation of the new textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10 inside high school classrooms Specifically, it aims to:

(1) find out how the intended methodology of Tieng Anh Thi Diem textbook

10 is being implemented in the classroom;

(2) understand teachers‟ attitudes towards and beliefs about the innovation implied in the textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10; and

(3) find out the factors affected teachers‟ use of the textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10.

Research questions

In order to achieve the above-stated aims, the following research questions were formulated:

1 How is the new textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10 implemented in the classrooms?

2 Why do they use the textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem that way?

3 To what extent does such implementation match the underlying methodology of the textbook?

Methods of the study

The study is to explore the implementation of the new textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10 in the context of the recent curriculum renewal The purpose of the study is not to evaluate, but to understand how the innovation is being implemented by looking at the way the textbook is being used Therefore, it is designed as a single qualitative case study The case here is a gifted high school in Quang Ninh province Qualitative data were collected through interviews and classroom observations

The subjects chosen for the research include 6 English teachers at a high school in Quang Ninh province The research is carried out during the second semester of the school year 2017-2018

Data for this study were obtained by means of class observations and teacher interviews

- Class observations: There are total 8 lessons being observed.Sixlessons for each teachers teaching different skills will be video recorded Three other lessons will be observed and taken notes

- Recording classroom atmosphere in lessons

Scope of the study

As the study was designed as a single qualitative case study, it is limited to the exploration of the implementation of the new textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem for Grade 10 in one single upper secondary school Generalization is therefore not intended The reasons for the scope of the study was that the new textbooks Tieng Anh Thi Diem for 10 th grade have been in use in all classes of grade 10 in our school this year.

Significance of the study

This study can be significant in a number of ways First, as discussed earlier, the curriculum and textbook is a key component in most language programs In an

EFL context like Vietnam, it may even constitute the main source of language input that learners receive and the basis for language practice that occurs both inside and outside the classroom For many Vietnamese senior high school learners, textbooks may even help to supplement teachers‟ instruction, which is constrained by three class hours a week In order to serve their purposes most effectively, textbooks need to be professionally designed, fit the curriculum and closely correspond with the aims of the teaching program and the needs of the students However, a close look at the MOET funded new textbooks has indicated that there might be several problems with them Thus, teachers and learners working with the new curriculum and textbooks might experience considerable difficulty in achieving the ultimate goal of their teaching and learning program, which is developing students‟ communicative competence

The research helps to identify the problems and suggests ways of improving them This contribution would be of practical value to textbook authors, teachers and teacher trainers in Vietnam

Findings of this study may also provide useful information for curriculum and textbook writers, teacher educators and educational authorities so that they can make appropriate decisions on how to achieve the goal of innovating the teaching of English in the upper secondary schools It may also contribute to the common knowledge about the role of textbooks in educational innovation.

Organization of the thesis

There are 5 chapters in my thesis:

Chapter 1 is the Introduction presenting the rationale, aims, scope, significance, research questions and methods of the study

Chapter 2 is the Literature Review, which reviews theoretical issues related to the role of textbooks in English language education in general and in innovation in particular as well as previous studies on the implementation of innovation and the role of textbook in English language teaching (ELT) innovation

Chapter 3 is the Research Methodology, which is composed of 3 parts: research design, research procedures, the settings (the case) and the participants of the study

Chapter 4 is the discussion of the findings through an analysis of the data collected by means of classroom observations and semi-structured interviews

Chapter 5 is the Conclusion In this chapter, major findings of the study will be briefly summarized as well as the acknowledgement of the limitations of the study will be made

Besides, the classroom transcripts and interview transcripts are included in the Appendixes.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The role of textbooks in English language teaching (ELT)

2.1.1 The role of textbooks in ELT

ELT textbooks play a very important role in many language classrooms but in recent years there have been a lot of debates throughout the ELT profession on the actual role of textbooks in teaching English as a second/ foreign language

Arguments have encompassed both the potential and limitations of textbooks for

„guiding‟ students through the learning process and curriculum as well as the need and preferences of teachers who are using textbooks Other issues that have arisen very recently include textbook design and practicality, methodological validity, and the role of textbooks in innovation Nonetheless, there has been very little research on the role of textbooks in ELT innovation

Materials are among the five important components in language instruction

Allright (1990) argues that materials should teach students to learn, that they should be resource books for ideas and activities for instructions/ learning, and that they should give teachers rationale for what they do Textbooks are one type of teaching and learning materials, and they as a matter of fact share the role materials

Textbooks are considered to be a key component in most language programs

Among many important components of English language instruction, textbooks used by language instructors are considered as the most essential constituent to any language program Hutchinson and Torres (1994) have claimed that

The textbook is an almost universal element of [English language] teaching…No teaching-learning situation, it seems, is complete until it has its relevant textbook (p 315)

Thus, textbooks, in Hutchinson and Torres‟ view, are the nuts and bolts of a language program or a language course Textbooks play such a crucial role simply because they offer a variety of different benefits to both students and teachers (Sheldon, 1998; Croft 1988) For example, Sheldon (1998) argues that

[Textbooks] represent not merely the visible heart of any ELT program but also offer considerable advantages for both the students and the teachers when they are being used in the ESL/EFL classroom (p.237)

A textbook, as described by Cunningsworth (1995), is “a syllabus” which not only defines the learning objectives but also helps less experienced teachers who have yet to gain in confidence to feel more confident in teaching

From learners‟ perspectives, textbooks are useful in the sense that they function as a guide-map which helps learners know exactly what they have learned, what they are going to learn, what they will have learned by the end of the course, and what they should revise for achievement exams (Wendy, submitted by Admin, 2008) In addition, Anon (submited by Admin, 2008) has maintained that textbooks add a definite structure which allows students to work on their own at their own pace

Thus, textbooks are useful because they are considered as not only a starting point but also as a finishing point; students know exactly what they are supposed to be learning during the lesson of the day and what they need to revise before the next one To those students who are working for the exams, the use of a course book is even more essential in order to be sure that they have already covered all the grammar, structures and vocabulary they need

It is these advantages that give such credibility to textbooks that it is hard to imagine a language program or a language course without a textbook Of course, there are people who advocate a zero option or teach English without using a particular textbook, but teachers will be overburdened if they are supposed to develop the teaching materials themselves This is not to say that a textbook can be a source of available activities or learning tasks for both the teacher and the learners (Cunningsworth, 1995) Richards‟ (online manuscript) words may best summarize the role of textbooks, according to which textbooks have been and will be, no doubt, a useful resource for both teachers and learners He observes that textbooks not merely provide learners with major source of contact they have in language practice that occurs in the classroom but also give primary supplement to teachers to plan their lessons appropriately and perfectively He concludes that it seems not to be able to carry out any language teaching throughout the world without the extensive use of textbooks

Despite the above-mentioned undeniable advantages of textbooks in language teaching, the limitations of textbooks are also well documented

According to Allright (1981), these limitations include the inflexibility, the writers‟ biases in terms of the underlying methodology, the selection of linguistic content, and the ignorance of learners‟ needs Therefore, textbooks may „de-skill‟ the teachers who use them (Richards, 1998) Another drawback of textbooks has been pointed out by Sheldon (1988) that many ELT textbooks are often regarded as the

“…tainted end-product of an author‟s or a publisher‟s desire for quick profit”

(p.239) This drawback is understandable Too many textbooks are often marketed with grand artificial claims by their authors and publishers, yet these same books tend to contain serious theoretical problems, design flaws and practical shortcomings They also present disjointed material that is either too limited or too generalized in a superficial and flashy manner and the vast array of “…single edition, now defunct [text]books produced during the past ten years testifies to the market consequences of the teachers‟ verdicts on such practices” (Sheldon, 1988 p.239)

In dealing with these limitations of textbooks, Cunningsworth (1995) has advised that textbooks should be adapted rather than adopted The advice is sound enough, but whether all teachers in the role of textbook users have the required skills to adapt the textbook or not is a question

N Reynaud (submitted by Admin, 2008), who has been teaching English for over 30 years also concludes that textbooks are all right because they offer a

"progression" in grammar which is to be studied so textbooks are perfect when the schedule of your classes include “British literature.”

Researchers of language teaching have much in common in the role of textbooks as a controller factor of the procedure of teaching and learning It is really difficult for inexperienced teachers to teach languages without textbooks and the important thing to do is that teachers need to be awarded for selecting a good book for their perfect lectures

Textbooks play a pivotal role in language classrooms in all types of educational institutions - public schools, colleges, and language schools - all over the world In some contexts, teachers are free to choose their own textbooks The vast majority of teachers, however, have textbooks suggested, prescribed, or assigned to them (Garinger,2001)

Previous studies on the use of textbooks in ELT

As a number of writers have noted, effecting curriculum renewal or curriculum innovation is a complex process Putting a new curriculum, which is represented by the new textbook, in place does not necessarily mean that a change in classroom behaviors will occur Nunan (1988, pp.138-141) for example, discusses the frequent mismatch between what was planned (the planned curriculum) and what actually occurs in the language classroom (the implemented curriculum) The planned curriculum here is understood as the new textbook and the implemented curriculum as how the new textbook is used in the classroom Nunan also emphasizes the importance of establishing the degree of mismatch (the evaluated or assessed curriculum) White (1988), citing Sockett (1976, p 22), continues the latter‟s metaphor of comparing a curriculum with the plan of a house, but takes the metaphor further, saying that the curriculum is three things First, it is the plan which is “directed towards an objective yet to be realized.” Second, it is the plan of how to build the house – “the systems that are needed in order successfully to build the house.” Third, he says that curriculum also has to include the view of the house after it has been completed – and how it matches up to the requirements and expectations This important evaluative aspect provides a feedback loop so that

“planned and actual outcomes can be compared and appropriate remedial action taken to repair failures or deficits” (White, 1988, p 4)

Although the role of textbooks as tools of innovation implementation has recently acknowledged, not much research has ever been conducted in this regard

Despite the researcher‟s strenuous efforts in identifying studies on how teachers use the textbook in the context of innovation, just a couple of studies on this topic were found in the literature

Harrison (1996) examines changes in learner and teacher behaviors as a way of evaluating a large-scale curriculum renewal project in the Middle East The focus of the investigation is whether learners‟ classroom language behavior changed as a result of the introduction of a new EFL curriculum with new textbooks and a new examination system The data for the study include lesson transcripts, inspectors‟ reports, interviews with inspectors, and reports from teachers‟ meetings Harrison concludes from his investigation that simply changing the raw materials of the curriculum – that is, the materials that teachers and learners use – will not necessarily effect a change in language behavior Bathmaker (2007) conducted a study to investigate teachers‟ beliefs in the use of English textbooks for teaching English in the upper secondary Normal Technical stream in Singapore Through the analysis of the semi-structured questionnaire data, the researcher found that there was a relationship between teachers‟ use of textbooks and their attitudes towards the less academically-inclined Normal Technical students Also teachers‟ use of the textbook was greatly influenced by their beliefs about factors related to the institution and the classroom such as the demands of meeting the stipulated pass rate in English examinations and the students‟ cognitive weakness and behavioral problems

Kurgoz (2008) conducted a two-year case study on teachers‟ instructional practices, and the impact of teachers‟ understandings and training on teachers‟ implementation of the Communicative Oriented Curriculum initiative in the context of a major curriculum innovation in teaching English to young learners in Turkish state schools Using multidimensional qualitative research procedures, comprising classroom observations, teacher interviews and lesson transcripts, a picture is developed of how two teachers implemented the Communicative Oriented Curriculum Results showed that teachers‟ instructional practices ranged along the transmission and interpretation teaching continuum, and teachers‟ understandings and their prior training had an impact on the extent of their implementation of the curriculum initiative

In Vietnam, Canh and Barnard (2008) used questionnaires and semi- structured interviews to explore upper secondary teachers‟ beliefs about, and their self-reports of the implementation of, the new English curriculum with the new textbook which is theme-based, task-based and learner-centered Findings showed that although teachers‟ beliefs about the new textbook were positive, their self- report of actual classroom practice did not seem to be consistent with their stated beliefs According to their self-report through semi-structured interviews teachers found that the teaching methodology underlying the new textbook did not match up with their students‟ level of proficiency and expectations as well as with the physical conditions of their school Teachers taught the new textbook, which is communicative and task-based, in a conventional manner The study supports the idea that innovation is unlikely to be fully implemented if it is just transmitted through the introduction of a new curriculum Also, the study reinforces the truism that there can be no curriculum development without teacher development.

The design of the three pilot English curricula and their innovative points

New challenge requires new objectives, and new objectives require a new curriculum In implementing the Prime Minister‟s Decision 1400/QĐ-TTg, MOET assigned the VNIES to design three pilot English curricula for three levels of Vietnamese general education The result was that three pilot English curricula for Vietnamese schools came into being:

(i) Pilot English Curriculum for Vietnamese Primary Schools (ii) Pilot English Curriculum for Vietnamese Lower Secondary

Schoolsand (iii) Pilot English Curriculum for Vietnamese Upper Secondary Schools

The three pilot English curricula for Vietnamese schools were designed with the close collaboration between curriculum designers of the VNIES and those from Vietnamese foreign language universities

In terms of the structure, they are multi-component curricula, taking the development of communicative competence through four macro-skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) as the focus, and seeing theme/topic, language elements (pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar) and intercultural aspects as the components that contribute to the comprehensive development of students‟ communicative competence in English Three innovative points can be seen in the three pilot English curricula for Vietnamese schools First, unlike MOET‟s English Curriculum for Vietnamese Schools or the Seven-year English Curriculum, the three pilot English curricula for Vietnamese schools, as mentioned above, was designed with the participation of British curriculum designers Secondly, the three pilot English curricula define clearly and consistently the levels of communicative competence school pupils are required to achieve at each grade and each level of education, reflecting a continuity of knowledge and skills from primary, to lower secondary, and to upper secondary level And thirdly, the three pilot English curricula calibrated output standards equivalent4 to CEFR5 levels of communicative competence, using them as important bases for curriculum design, textbook development and the development of competence framework for each grade and each level of education This is a professional approach to curriculum design, defining clearly the role of each component in the sequence: design (of curriculum) → application (textbook writing) → implementation (teaching, learning and testing & assessment)

- At primary level: students are required to achieve CEFR Level A1 or VNFLPF (Sixlevel Foreign Language Proficiency Framework for Vietnam, 2014)

- At lower secondary level: students are required to achieve CEFR Level A2 or VNFLPF Level 2

- At upper secondary level: Students are required to achieve CEFR Level B1 or VNFLPF Level 3

● Primary level: Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type Can introduce himself/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help

● Lower secondary level: Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment) Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters Can describe in simple terms aspects of his or her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need

● Upper secondary level: Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken Can produce simple, connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest Can describe experiences and events, dreams and hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans

The Student‟s Book Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10 consists of 10 learning units At the beginning of each Unit, the learning contents consisting of the language points and sub-skills to be taught are stated Each unit has five sections to be learnt in eight 45-minute lessons These 10 richly illustrated and theme-based units are designed with a view to providing students with memorable lessons and joyful learning experiences

Section 1: Getting started: is the first section of the unit It begins with a conversation which introduces the overall topic of the Unit, the basic vocabulary and the main grammatical structures for students to start the lesson The conversation is followed by a number of activities for checking students‟ comprehension and providing them with practices in using the vocabulary and grammatical structures presented in this section

Section 2: Language: The Language section is comprised of three subsections: Vocabulary, Pronunciation and Grammar In the Vocabulary and Grammar subsection, some of the vocabulary and grammar points presented in Getting started are now practiced in some depth and some new ones are presented to expand students‟ vocabulary and grammatical structures In the Pronunciation subsection, students are given opportunities to practice sounds, sound clusters or word stress which are thought to be difficult for them When teaching these subsections, it is advisable that all the three aspects of a new language point-form, meaning and use-are each paid due attention to Word collocation is also a focal point in the Vocabulary subsection The “Do you know….?” box summarizes the meaning, and the „ Watch out‟ box is the reminder of the grammar points presented and learnt in the section

1 Reading: This section provides students with language and ideas about the topic through the reading text, which they can use later in the Speaking and Writing lessons

The Reading subsection follows a three-stage teaching procedure: pre- reading, while-reading, post-reading On average, there are 5 or 6 activities in each

Reading lesson The first activities are the pre-reading stage It introduces the topic of the reading text, providing students with an opportunity to brain storm on the topic or activate their knowledge about it It also helps students become involved in the reading lesson The next two or three activities are the while reading stage The most basic reading skills of skimming, scanning, understanding word meaning in context, referencing, ect are practiced through various types of tasks such as deciding the best title for the text‟, multiple choice, true/false comprehension questions, gap-filling The last activity in the reading subsection is the post-reading stage It is usually a discussion activity in which students are asked to give their own ideas/opinions or share their own experience with their partners about the issue presented in or related to the reading text This helps students both understand the contents of the text more thoroughly and have a chance to practice the language used in the text

2 Speaking: Students can use the ideas and apply the language they learnt for their speaking There are three to four activities in this subsection The more guided practice activity is followed by a less controlled one The language and ides are built up through the continuation of activities and examples are given when necessary, so that in the last activity students are fully prepared for free production of the language on the given topic In all speaking activities, students are encouraged to apply and share their own knowledge and experience to talk about the topic, therefore the learning is highly personalized

3 Listening: The Listening one also consists of 4 or 5 activities representing the three stages of the lessons: pre-, while-, and post- The first activity is to draw students‟ attention to the topic of the lesson, making them interested in the content of the listening text This is also a chance for students to share with their peers their background knowledge related to the topic The following two activities provide students with practice in the skills of listening for gist and/or listening for details

There are also tasks that help students learn new vocabulary or additional definitions of previously leant of the vocabulary in meaningful contexts The last activity, which can be considered post-listening, is checking students‟‟ listening comprehension and asking them to express their opinions of the contents of the listening lesson

4 Writing: When students learn to write in English, the two biggest problems they usually experience are lack of ideas and lack of the necessary language to express ideas The Writing subsection prepares students to cope with both of those It often begins with a pre-writing activity that presents the topic and gives students an opportunity to brainstorm on ideas related to the given topic In the following activity, useful phrases are presented and practiced so that students can use them later Sometimes, a model text is presented with one or two tasks for students to study its structure and format before producing their own text This supported the approach to writing gives students some guidance so that they will feel more confident and are better prepared for the writing task

The communication subsection provides students with an opportunity for further practice and consolidation of the skills and the language learnt previously in the unit The skills are integrated: speaking with either reading or listening, or with both After getting some input from the reading or listening activities, students are engaged in a discussion about the issue brought up in the reading or listening texts

Compared to the speaking activities in the Speaking lesson, speaking in communication is less controlled Students are encouraged to apply what they have learnt to communicate their ideas and opinions freely Extra vocabulary is provided in this subsection if necessary

The intended methodology of the textbook

This chapter presents the research questions and research methods used for the data collection as well as research procedures The first section of the chapter presents the background information of the study, i.e., the recent introduction of the new curriculum for English in the high school in Vietnam and the institutionalization of a new textbook series as the mediator of such innovation

Then it presents the research questions which constitute the focus of this study and a discussion of the methodology which was used to guide the present study Next, information about the case including the bounded context and participants is provided The Chapter concludes with a discussion of the instruments of data collection as well as the procedure of data collection

There are many solutions to improving the quality of teaching and learning foreign languages in general and teaching and learning English in Vietnamese schools in particular One of the most important solutions is probably the renovation in curriculum design and textbook development In the world of today, international exchanges have been increasingly developing Along with the ever increasing development of international exchanges, communication between nations, organizations, and people through language is also developing The most effective and indispensible means of communication to maintain and develop international exchanges is language In the article „Renovation in Curriculum Design and Textbook Development: An Effective Solution to Improving the Quality of English Teaching in Vietnamese Schools in the Context of Integration and Globalization‟ by Hoang Van Van he states that „the aim of teaching and learning a foreign language today is no longer limited to the teacher‟s providing the student with an understanding of the nature of the foreign language being learnt; neither is it limited to the teacher‟s asking the student to do lexical and grammatical exercises, or to develop one or two language skills such as reading or writing Rather, the aim of teaching and learning a foreign language today is for communication in which the

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Background

There are many solutions to improving the quality of teaching and learning foreign languages in general and teaching and learning English in Vietnamese schools in particular One of the most important solutions is probably the renovation in curriculum design and textbook development In the world of today, international exchanges have been increasingly developing Along with the ever increasing development of international exchanges, communication between nations, organizations, and people through language is also developing The most effective and indispensible means of communication to maintain and develop international exchanges is language In the article „Renovation in Curriculum Design and Textbook Development: An Effective Solution to Improving the Quality of English Teaching in Vietnamese Schools in the Context of Integration and Globalization‟ by Hoang Van Van he states that „the aim of teaching and learning a foreign language today is no longer limited to the teacher‟s providing the student with an understanding of the nature of the foreign language being learnt; neither is it limited to the teacher‟s asking the student to do lexical and grammatical exercises, or to develop one or two language skills such as reading or writing Rather, the aim of teaching and learning a foreign language today is for communication in which the language elements such as pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar (linguistic competence) are the means and the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing (communicative competence) and the learner‟s cultural competence are the targets (the ends) which the teaching and learning process should target at so that when communicating with foreigners we can understand them and they can understand us.‟

In the introduction of the textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10 it sets its aims as follows:

“Tieng Anh 10 is the first of a three-level English language set of textbooks for Vietnamese upper secondary schools It follows the systematic, cyclical and theme-based curriculum approved by the Minister of Education and Training on

23 rd November 2012 The aim of this set of textbook is to develop students‟ communicative competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing so that upon completion of upper secondary schools, students will achieve level three of the Vietnamese Foreign Language Competence Framework for the Vietnamese ( equivalent to B1 in the Common European Framework of Reference of Language.)

It is also stated in the new English curriculum for secondary schools that

“communicative skills are the goal of the teaching of English at the secondary school while formal knowledge of the language serves as means to the end” (p.6)

The new curriculum has become an ordinance, which is promulgated and prescribed by the MOET, for all secondary schools throughout the country

The Experimental textbooks are theme-based and skill-based which adopt the

“two currently popular teaching approaches, the learner-centered approach and the communicative approach In terms of the structure, they are multi-component curricula, taking the development of communicative competence through four macro-skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) as the focus, and seeing theme/topic, language elements (pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar) and intercultural aspects as the components that contribute to the comprehensive development of students‟ communicative competence in English „In the Upper secondary level students can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc Students can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken and can produce simple, connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest and can describe experiences and events, dreams and hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.‟(Council of Europe, [6, 24])

Research questions

This is a single qualitative case study The major goal of the study is to explore the implementation of the Experimental textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem for grade 10 at an upper secondary school in Quang Ninh province The design and methodology oriented around the following research questions:

1 How is the new textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10 implemented in the classrooms?

2 Why do they use the textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem that way?

3 To what extent does such implementation match the underlying methodology of the textbook?

The case of the study

The case in my study is a High school for gifted students where I am currently teaching, which is located in Ha Long city Quang Ninh province This city is a fast-developing city in terms of economy and tourism This gifted high school was founded in 1990 When the study was carried out, the school had about 1400 pupils, among whom 350 were students of grade 10 Admission into this gifted high school was selected according to their academic records in the junior high school and a special exam for gifted students and a compulsory admission subject is English Therefore the overall English level of the 10 th form students is relatively high However, that level is not even in different specialized classes Students at English major classes are at the highest in terms of English level, followed by Literature class, Math class, IT class, Natural science class and the least is in the Social Science Class of History and Geography

There were 11 English language teachers working for the school Most of them are experienced teachers with Master Degree, two of whom studied in

Australia and the US As the state-run school, teachers have to work full time not only for official classes in the morning but also extra classes in the afternoon Of the teachers in English group, in the school year 2017-2018, 6 of whom were assigned to teach English for 10 th form students From the year 2012 until 2017, only the English and Literature majoring classes were chosen to experiment the new textbook One of the outstanding features of this school year is that all classes have to study the Experimental English textbook 10 As for this reasons, a lot of difficulties arise when the students‟ English levels are not the same in the 10 classes Therefore teachers cannot use the same lesson plan but have to adapt it to suit the students‟ levels and expectations

As this city is economically developing, there are many opportunities for students to improve their English level Some families let their children to have extra classes to improve their English speaking and listening skills Therefore, in general the students‟ English skills are quite good.

Participants of the study

Participants were six female teachers of English (ranging from 29 to 54 years old) who had been teaching both the old textbook and the Experimental one at the school Five of them had Master degree and they all have at least six years of English teaching experience The participants all have taught this new textbook for at least 2 years and are familiar with the methodology as well as the contents of the book That is the reason why they are chosen to take part in the study.

Instruments

For the purpose of this study, two different methods were used for data collection These included classroom observation, post-observation interviews and an analysis of the existing information related to the English language teaching innovation in the secondary school, i.e., the curriculum and the current student textbook Each teacher was required to teach one or two period and the total lessons observed were 8

Of these methods, video-recorded lessons and classroom observations help the researchers in understanding accurately the innovation implementation in the natural setting whereas post-observation interviews helps to provide more useful information about how and why teachers taught the new textbook in the way they did In other words, interviews help to obtain in-depth and rich information about the teacher behaviors All these instruments will be discussed in detail in the following sections

In this study, I video recorded and observed all 6 lessons and I observed two others in which the teachers did not allow me to record the lesson due to the personal reasons There were one lesson of getting started, one lesson of language, one lesson of speaking skill, one lesson of listening skill, one lesson of speaking skill, one lesson of writing and one lesson of communication and culture

The purpose of the interviews was to understand the reasons for teachers‟ behaviors in the classroom The design of unstructured interviews helped me to gain understanding of why teachers taught the way they did in the classroom

The interviews were conducted after the classroom observation if the teachers were having a short break waiting for their next period Otherwise I had to wait until they had free time later in the day Each interview lasted around 15 minutes and the language of the interview was Vietnamese to ensure mutual understanding between the teacher and myself as an interviewer The interviews were not recorded Instead I took notes of important points during the interviews.

Data collection and data analysis procedures

In order to get information for this research, I intended to video the lessons of the teachers in the English group so as to get a clear understanding of the matter being studied However, because some teachers did not allow me to video their lesson for many private reasons, I only had permission to attend and record the procedure in the lesson As a result, I could only record 4 lessons and then took notes 2 others for analyzing In order to have an overview understanding of the textbook I tried my best to record and took notes as many skills and sections in the unit as possible ranging from getting started to communication and culture The fact is that when having the lesson observed the teachers often perform rather than teaching like what they often do in everyday lesson Therefore, the teachers in charge of the class being observed were asked to teach as naturally as they can so that I can get the most authentic results

Classroom observations were conducted for two three Unit 8,9,10 in 2 nd semester for each teacher in two months, totaling one or two period per teacher or 8 lessons altogether for 6 teachers Because two teachers were not comfortable with their lessons being video or audio-recorded, the author took notes of all the observed events in the classroom in the most possible naturally detailed manner to determine the teaching styles of a single case As a result, classroom observation helped me collect the data “which is not what participants have written on the topic (what they intend to do, or should do), not what they say they do” (Gillham, 2000, p 47) The interviews were conducted after the classroom observation if the teachers were having a 10 minute- short break for their next period Otherwise the writer of this research had to wait until they had free time later in the day For some teachers the author had to get information from email because they hardly had spare time for me at during the very short break Since teachers were not comfortable with their interviews being audio-recorded, the researcher took notes of important points focusing on the critical issues arising from the observed lessons as well as issues related to teachers‟ rationale underlying their implementation of the intended syllabus innovation

Each interview lasted around 15-20 minutes and the interviews were conducted in English or in Vietnamese depending on the teacher participants‟ preference The interview was guided by an interview protocol (see Appendix 1:

The Interview Protocal) ii Data analysis procedures

The procedures of collecting data took me only a month but it took me nearly a month and a half to analyze the data Data collected from the above different sources were categorized into i) Teachers‟ classroom implementation ii) Factors affecting teachers‟ teaching

The data was categorized this way simply for seeking answers to the research questions established for this study The data was then analyzed The qualitative data from classroom observation and the interviews were presented by quoting relevant responses from the respondents.

DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

The implementation of the textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem in the Classroom 31 1 Findings

4.1.1.1 Teachers’ Adaptations of the Textbook

First of all, we can see clearly from the classroom observation that the teachers tried their best to adapt the textbook to motivate students so as to encourage students to participate in the lesson as much as possible The adaptations here show that teachers show their effort to change the textbook to the point that interests and motivates students of different levels in different classes

Example 1: In the Unit 8: New ways to learn- Skill Reading

Teacher asked students to brainstorm to find some adjectives to describe the benefits of electronic devices: modern, useful, versatile, convenient, portable, effective

In Unit 10: Ecotourism- Skill: Speaking: Teacher‟s adaptations can be seen clearly in this lesson In the first part: Warmer- up teacher asks students to find out the interesting places in Vietnam by doing the quiz game:

- There are five interesting places in Vietnam

- Students find out the names for each place from the cues given by teachers

- The quickest answer can get a small gift

About interesting places in the world

• This place is in the central Vietnam

• It is famous for a beautiful river

• It has a lot of ancient buildings of previous Kings

• This place is in the North of Vietnam

• You can enjoy the traditional lifestyles of people in mountainous areas

• It is famous for a love market

• This place is in a valley of a highland

• There are a lot of pine trees and flowers

• It has four seasons during the day

• This place is in the centre Viet nam

• It is a coastal city with beautiful beaches

• It is a new, modern and active city

• This place is in the south of Vietnam

• This place is famous for a big market

• It had a new name from 1975 Then teacher had students review the term “Ecotourism” by letting them see a video clip made by the students themselves

In the post-speaking part in the textbook: Work in groups Choose one ecotourism destination in Viet Nam and prepare a presentation about what tourists can see and do there Then report to other groups

Competition: WE LOVE OUR HOMETOWN QUANGNINH

• Aim of the contest: Introduce interesting places and traditions for ecotourists coming to Quang Ninh province

• Rule of the contest: each team can present or perform in 3-4 minutes to show what you know about the region

- Group 1: A PowerPoint presentation on ecotourism in Ha Long

- Group 2: A talk show: Introducing interesting places and traditions, foods, culture…… of Binh Lieu district

- Group 3: Make a presentation using video clip (2-3 minutes) about Dong Trieu district and recommend activities for an ecotour there

• Assessment: The group with the most votes will be the winner and receive present from teacher

4.1.1.2 Teachers’ Dependence on the Textbook

From the above part we see that although the teachers may adapt the textbook but the changes are not too much and may differ in different classes From the videos and notes and from the observations, it is interesting to see that most teachers strictly follow the textbook in terms of the procedure as well as the sections mentioned We can see teachers‟ dependence on the textbook more clearly in the middle parts of the lesson, as this is the core knowledge in the period so teachers tried to keep it as much as possible Changes are only made at the beginning or at the end of the lesson

Example 1: Unit 8: New ways to learn: Skill: Listening: Triple „E‟ at Your

Fingertips Teacher tended to keep the activities the textbook and followed them strictly without making any changes from task 1 to task 4

In Unit 8: Ecotourism –Skill: Writing: Let‟s Go on an Eco Tour!

It is observed from the video clip that teacher followed the procedures in the textbook from task 1 to task 3

The dependence is observed clearly in the classes whose level of English is not good in comparison with the high level classes

4.1.1.3 Changes towards students-centered and project-based teaching

In some of the lessons observed, teachers tend to change the methodology in which teachers are only the instructors who assigns students to do the assignment at home Students can work in pairs or in groups to accomplish what the teachers asks them to do The most common types of project and assignments are PowerPoint presentations, video clips making, acting or poster drawing In the lesson, students can present what they have prepared Teacher, together with the whole class, can assess the performance basing on criteria given For this way of teaching, we have received many positive feedbacks As for teachers, they only have to give instructions and help when necessary As for students, they will improve their collaboration through group-work and pair work Moreover, they can also enhance their speaking and presentation skills and other soft skills as well

In Unit 10: Ecotourism- Skill: Speaking: Teacher assigned students to do a project by preparing at home a clip introducing to the whole class about Ecotourism This group then interviewed students in other classes on what they knew about ecotourism and places suitable for an eco-tour The project-based learning can be seen in the Post- speaking part For the presentation and performance, students in three groups were asked to prepare a PowerPoint presentation on Ha Long tourism, a talk-show about interesting places in Dong Trieu district, and a video clip introducing tourism in Binh Lieu

The student-centered learning could be seen in the assessment method in which each student could take part in the marking of their friend‟s presentation and performance which could enhance their contribution in the lesson and competition among themselves

We can see in the handout below which the teacher gives to the rest of the students to evaluate the group who is presenting on the blackboard basing on the criteria given: Content, organization, delivery and interaction The maximum point for each part is 5 and the minimum point is 1 Then the point for the group‟s presentation will be the total points of the students‟ marking

Example 2: In the second example, with the same lesson: Unit 10: Ecotourism- Skill: Speaking but by different teacher in different class

In the post- speaking part, teacher divided the classes into 6 groups then asked students to prepare at home posters about one eco-tour destination in Vietnam, then presented to the whole classes Teachers then gave remarks and marked to each group

4.1.1.4 The use of L1 in the lesson

It is interesting to see that the use of L1 in English lesson is less and less and teachers try their best to use English as much as possible Vietnamese is used only in difficult tasks when students need clearer explanations and instructions Another thing to consider is that the use of L1 in English classroom depends on different classes For example, in classes English major, teachers hardly use Vietnamese, but in classes majoring in History or Geography, the use of Vietnamese is much more often, if English is used teachers have to speak as slowly and clearly as possible to make students understand instructions and explanations

Example 1: In Unit 10 – Skill: Writing, teacher used most English but sometimes

Vietnamese when giving instructions or explanations of the things that students cannot understand

T: What is ecotourism ? Du lich sinh thái là gì?Có phải gồm có thăm các nơi có động vật và cây cối không nhỉ?

S: I think….Em có thể nói tiếng Viê ̣t được không ạ?

T: Try to speak in English please S: Ecotourism is nature, animals, plants

T: Các em thấy câu trả lời của bạn có chính xác không?

Example 2: In Unit 10- Speaking: Teacher used English together with Vietnamese equivalence which seemed unnecessary

T: Now let’s work in group and write down all the national park that you know Nào bây giờ các em hãy làm viê ̣c th eo nhóm và viết tên tất cả các national park mà các em biết nhé

T: Let’s check your friends’ work Nào bây giờ chúng ta cùng kiểm tra nhé

4.1.1.5 Emphasis on forms as well as on communication

The next issue arising from most observed lessons demonstrates that the teachers tended to focus on forms in parallel with the students‟ communication

However, the stress on form is a little bit more than the emphasis on communication especially in the Language lesson The excerpt below is a typical example

Example : In the lesson of Unit 10: Language- Vocabulary:

T: Now I think you work in pairs to form an adjective from noun or verb

T: I will call some students to go to blackboard and write down the answers T: Now, we will check

Then teacher moved on to the next activity: Gap filling and then called on some other students to check

In this part, teacher just focused on the right answers but not on how to produce those answers Instead teacher should ask students to explain why they chose this and also asked them to make sentences (meaningful contexts) with those words By this way they can remember the words in a meaningful context

However, in the skill lessons, teachers tended to organize activities for students to practice so as to improve their language competence and skills by organizing pair- work and group-work activities, presentation homework assignment ,etc

4.1.1.6 Teaching is more product-based than process-based

Another meaningful result emerges from the observation classroom data reflects the dominance of mechanical drilling and practice during teaching and learning process Below is an example I recorded from the video

Example: In the lesson Unit 8: Listening in the While-listening part, when teacher checked the students‟ listening, she just called some students and wrote down the correct answer

T: What about number 1 true or false?

T: Ok that is true Very good Task 3:

T: Number 1, who can tell me your answer please?

S: easily and effectively T: yes, easily and effectively 4.1.2 Discussion

From the parts above I presented an overview on how teachers in Ha Long gifted high school used the new English textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem for grade 10 in their real teaching When compared with the methodology at the beginning of the textbook (Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10 page 8) we can see that:

Factors affecting teachers‟ implementation of the new textbook

In order to have a better understanding of why teachers implemented the textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10 that way, I carried out an interview with the teachers of the classes I observed The interview lasted 15-20 minutes during break times or during periods or through emails when they don‟t have lessons which help the researchers get more information about the reasons why they implemented the textbook in the way they did so that so know about the factors affecting the methodology of those teachers This also helps to answer the second questions of the research: Why do teachers use the textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem that way? The contents of the interviews were taken down for the main ideas However, some teachers were too busy to have interview so I had to collect the data through email

All of the questions in the interview were in English but teachers could give their answers in Vietnamese According to what participants revealed in the interviews, I categorized the reasons why the teachers used the book as the way they did as follows:

4.2.1 Teachers’ understanding of the textbook methodology

When being asked to name the new teaching methods underlying the textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10 as compared to the textbook 10 that they used before, the teachers being asked tended to give different answers except for one teacher who didn‟t understand the question Their answers all centered on project- based method, communicative approach, learner-centered method, integrated approach, task-based method… From the data collected, we can see that all the methods of teaching that the teachers mentioned correspond to the methodology in the textbook All of them understood what communicative approach was: that is to improve the ability of students to communicate in English in four skills: speaking, listening, writing and reading One teacher said that in order to use this book effectively, teachers should also use traditional method: grammar translation method to explain the grammatical structures and rules Some of them shared the view that project-based method is a very interesting method

“…because it can help improve students’ autonomy, group-work, and learner centered method Moreover, using this method for teaching and learning because it motivates the interaction among students, promote students’ learning autonomy, stimulate group work and develop students’ self-study ability and creativity.”

One of the teachers replied that:

“The teaching of both language skills and language elements follows a three- stage procedure The pre-, while-, and post-stage procedure is used for the skill lessons and the presentation- practice- production (PPP) procedure for the language lessons.”

When talking about the drawbacks of using this textbook, some teachers said that even though teaching skills is important, we needed to spend more time on teaching the language items such as grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation because the current trend in teaching and learning English is more exam-oriented, therefore the grammar-translation method is still necessary

“…Teachers need more time for students to practice the language items because they are necessary for exams (The language focus is too much, meanwhile in 45 period, teachers cannot cover all the knowledge).”

Moreover, the unequal level of students in the same class and in different class is also one big advantage of teachers to carry out the book effectively For instance, the class majoring in English need more extra challenging and difficult activities, meanwhile, the class majoring in History or Geography, some students still struggle to take in and memorize all the basic knowledge of the lesson

What is more, sometimes they had to work very hard to finish the textbook This was in the following words:

“The new textbook is interesting, meaningful and practical but some lessons are so long, especially the reading is full of new words and grammatical structures (Ex:

Reading Acupuncture Unit 2).There are three Tasks in each part of the Unit, but the forty five minutes lesson is enough for just two Tasks We have to push the pupils all the time; otherwise, we will “have the lesson plan burnt” The result is that some time students feel that it was too much for them to digest.”

This matter is also what the teachers complained about the shortage of time for the students to practice inside the classroom This leads to a noticeable gap between the teachers‟ support, and their actual implementation of the intended innovation

The reason given by the teachers for the use of the traditional method which focuses on language knowledge other than on language meaningful use in the lessons was the pressure of the regular assessment through National examination sometimes teachers can combine the two period speaking and listening together so as to spare time for further exercises in the Language for students to practice In other lessons, teachers only spend a half or two thirds of the period on Speaking and Listening skills since the remaining time is used for asking the students to do grammatical exercises which they supply them The national examinations do not require them to speak or listen to the tape recorder Doing exercises focuses on forms is interesting and much more helpful for them, Furthermore, if the students do not get good marks on their tests, they, their teachers are considered to be incompetent

4.2.2 The level of suitability of the textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10 on the teachers and students

Firstly, teachers in our school are quite young with the teaching time on Tieng Anh Thi Diem ranging from 2 months to 5 years Of the teachers interviewed, only one hasn‟t attended any Master course for English teacher, meanwhile the rest are already of Post Graduate Level

In the observation, the teachers use most of English in the lesson with only little Vietnamese just in case of introducing new language elements or when necessary

“Most teachers in my school are young, thus they are open to changes and willing to adopt new teaching methodologies Project-based learning also helps teachers in my school assess students’ language competence more accurately.”

In the the response to the suitability of Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10 on the teachers most of them said that “It is also suitable for teachers because all the teacher staff in our

English group are well-trained, most of whom have Master degree, many of whom are in charge of English majoring classes, so they can use English rather fluently and frequently.”

CONCLUSION

Summary of the findings

The findings of the study provide information to answer three questions of the study This part I am going to present very briefly below

5.1.1 How is the new textbook implemented in the classrooms?

As can be seen from the findings in the previous chapter, there were several important issues concerning how the teachers implement the new English textbook for grade 10 Those issues evidenced that the classroom behaviors were really learner-centered, textbook-dominated, project-based and grammatical and vocabulary accuracy-focused and exam-oriented teaching

5.1.2 To what extent do such implementations match the underlying methodology of the textbook ?

In general the teaching methods that the teachers are using are relevant to the underlying methods of the textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem that is the teachers all used the communicative approach, learner-centered method, project-based method and traditional method, etc.The teaching of both the language skills and language elements follow a three-stage procedure The pre-,while-,post- stages procedure is for the skill lessons and the presentation-practice-production (PPP) procedure is for the language lessons Both procedures should be handled appropriately with respect to the prior knowledge, beliefs and expectations that students bring to class and the stress on the needs to develop awareness, self-reflection, critical thinking and learning strategies

Teachers organized class with different activities such as pair work, group work However, in accordance with the national examination requirements, the current conditions of each classes, teachers also make many adaptions and changes in their own teaching methodology to make the best effects Therefore, traditional method of teacher-centered method, Grammar- Translation method are still used

5.1.3 What are teachers' rationales for their innovation implementation?

There appear to be three major reasons for the way they implemented the new textbook

First and foremost, all teachers understand that the new textbook is more communicative, more interesting, more authentic and more motivating to their students than the old one The majority of the teachers made all effort to use the relevant and realistic topics in the new textbook like recreation, nature, community, and so on to activate their students‟ existing knowledge Most of the teachers tried their best in adapting the activities given in the new textbook to get a vivid lesson

However the teachers still based much on the textbook and most of the classroom activities were controlled by the teachers themselves because of the class size, the allocated timeframe and the nationally prescribed examination

Secondly, teachers greatly realize the advantages of using this book to both teachers and students Therefore, teachers can apply communicative method and student-centered and project-based method without many difficulties If any problems arise, teachers are flexible to find right solutions and adaptions so that all students can benefits from the book and find it useful

Thirdly, teachers‟ perception of their students‟ motivation and attitude towards learning English is also an explanation for their approach They highly appreciate the teachers‟ and students‟ high level of English in carrying out this book successfully “My students’ level is good enough to learn the Tieng Anh Thi Diem

10 I am well-trained enough to be qualified for teaching the Tieng Anh Thi Diem

10 I am in favor of communicative methods.”

To sum up, the new textbook intended to promote a more leaner-centered communicative and project- based teaching approach, the actual implementation of the new textbook in this study is in general successful Most of the participants believe that “with this book and the new teaching method, my students have chances to improve their English in all language skills, not only Reading and Grammar and structures They become more confident to express their opinions thanks to the familiar topics and open questions to discuss.”

Moreover, the new textbook has encouraged the teachers to develop themselves professionally in the way that it meets the expectations of teachers and students Most of them agree that “there are a number of advantages of using TA

TD 10 However, tasks arranged logically is a dominant strength which overwhelmingly and constantly supports students in reviewing language learned.”

However, in order for this book to be used as it was intended, teachers must be very flexible in implementing on different kinds of students Teachers who are used to teaching students at English majoring class whose English level is quite high must be ready to change the lesson more simple and suitable for students in History class, for example In addition, teachers must not only accomplish all the tasks in the textbook but also supplement students with extra grammar and vocabulary exercises for the National examination.

For infrastructure and equipment

More investment should be spent on education and its innovation, on the upgrading of infrastructure and teaching equipment at schools Classes must be better equipped with modern techniques such as Wifi, intelligent blackboards or head projector for teachers to teach and for students to practice language skills

Some of the following things should be done immediately

• Encouraging teachers to design interesting extra and interesting activities, colorful and vivid lessons to motivate students by using updated applications

• Encouraging students to work at home in groups, in pairs to complete a project

• Requesting educational authorities to supply modern equipment to facilitate the teaching and learning process.

For teachers

Teachers of English should attend regular workshops and training courses on either teaching methodology or language improvement This is of great help to them because for a more effective exploitation of the new textbook teachers need both knowledge of language teaching methodology and knowledge of English language

Many specialists have agreed that this kind of professional support is really helpful to teachers especially when it comes to new textbook like Tieng Anh Thi Diem

From my classroom observations I have realized some of the problems teachers made when conducting their lessons The most important one is teachers‟ pronunciation They have problems with the pronunciation of individual sounds, words, stress and intonation Their poor pronunciation affects negatively the students‟ pronunciation, but not many teachers are aware of this Teachers‟ low level of proficiency in the target language has a bad effect on the implementation of the new method, and this is likely to lead to the fact that the new textbook is used from a traditional perspective

Most importantly, teachers should be helped to understand the underlying methodology of the new textbook, to analyze their teaching situation and to make necessary modifications depending on their particular condition

Moreover, teachers should be encouraged to observe each other not to evaluate but to share with each other problems and solutions Peer observation is considered to be one of the most effective approaches to teacher development

- be hardworking, be well-informed of the latest information, always improve background knowledge about many aspects

- diligently take part in some training courses taught by well-qualified trainers as well as observe the colleagues‟ lessons to improve teaching methods

- study more reference books, authentic materials

- improve IT knowledge to have more interesting mediated-lessons

For administrators

The new English textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem for grade 10 has been used officially for some years, and it helps to apply the new approach in teaching English nationwide In order to use the new textbook more effectively as the underlying communicative methodology, greater efforts should be made on the part of the teachers, the students, the parents, the educational authorities, and the whole society

It seems that the administrative staff must be informed of the fact that the levels of students in different class is different so the adaptions is understandable

Therefore, they must be flexible in assessing the teachers without the misconception that the teachers do not obey the curricular of the textbook In short, teachers should have their own freedom in designing their own lesson plans to get the best benefits for their students

There must be an urgent change in testing in order to help to change the teaching methodology underlying the textbook Change must happen in both test format, test focus and test administration Both teachers and specialists must be given training in new methods of testing Test writers should remember that they need to test what the students have learnt The following testing practice should be considered:

• Giving students the revisions covering the knowledge and skills that students have learnt

• Testing what students have learnt and using items that are familiar to students

• Giving diversified question types and different level to classify students

• Administering the test and having it piloted first

• Writing the test in a certain amount of time for checking mistakes

• Not ignoring textbook content when designing test items

Limitations of the study

Although the researcher has made every effort to offer some interesting findings, like other studies there are some limitations

To start with, the study, in terms of methodology, is limited to a general reflection of the use of the textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem in innovation The classroom observations, in a sense, help to provide useful information of how the textbook is really implemented in the classroom Nevertheless, these observations were not frequent and what the researcher saw in the classroom may not true to what was really going on in the classroom The observed teachers may teach differently to get convinced demonstration for fear of negative evaluation from the observer Being aware of these problems during the observations the researcher tried to minimize their impacts though they cannot totally eliminated

What is more, case studies involve only a single individual school and therefore may not be representative of the general group or population The study should investigate 3 other high schools in the province of Quang Ninh where the Textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem is on the Experimental teaching

Finally, at the time the study was conducted all the three graders 10 th , 11 th ,

12 th had used the innovative English textbooks Tieng Anh Thi Diem , but the researcher was just able to focus on the implementation of the Experimental English textbook for grade 10.

Suggestions for further study

On the basis of the findings and limitations of the study, the following suggestions are made for further research

As indicated in the findings, the Experimental English textbook for grade 10 has been likely welcomed by the teaching staff but the goal to enable learners‟ communicative ability of English was not really achievable As a result, the study of the implementation of the textbook is really a matter of concern and need more in- depth examination

Moreover, this study is only on the teachers‟ use of Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10 in the classroom, more study should be on the use Tieng Anh Thi Diem 11 and 12

Finally, the case as well as the scope of the study, as indicated above is a limitation of the study which needs much more attention on in further studies It would be interesting to conduct a similar study in another single case and the scope would be broadened to all of the new series of innovative textbooks.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the present study has not only helped us understand how the Experimental English textbook for grade 10 was used in real practice, but also pointed out the reasons why teachers implemented the new textbook the ways they did to answer the question “To what extent does such implementation match the underlying methodology of the textbook? Then it contributes to highlight the need of professional support for teachers to employ the textbook more creatively and more effectively The study has realized many different factors hindering teachers from using the textbook Some of these factors are administrative, some are professional, and others are physical

Looking at the implications that can contribute to ELT in general, this study has made a case for recognizing that the Experimental English textbook for grade

10 in particular and the new series of Experimental English textbooks in general can make effective instructional materials for Vietnamese upper secondary school teachers and learners in the current innovative context It incorporates the most up- to-date methodologies and the current trends in English language teaching in the world The textbook is indeed a great contribution to the improvement of teaching and learning English in high schools throughout the country

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APPENDIXES Appendix 1: The Interview Protocal

1 How long have you been using the Tieng Anh thi diem?

2 What do you think are the differences in terms of teaching methods between Tieng Anh thi diem and the tieng anh textbooks you used before? Could you give one example?

TEACHING METHODS Tieng Anh Thi Diem Tieng Anh textbook you used before

3.What do you think are the strengths of Tieng Anh thi diem as compared with the Tieng anh textbooks you used before? What are the weaknesses?

4 How suitable do you think the Tieng Anh Thi Diem to YOUR students? and suitable to you as a teacher? What do you do with what you think is not suitable to your students? and to you? How effective are those solutions to those difficulties? a How suitable?

……… b What do you do with what you think is not suitable?

……… c How effective are those solutions?

5 Do you think the Tieng Anh thi diem 10 helps you to learn new teaching skills? If yes, what are those skills? Give specific examples

6 Do you think your students have difficulties in using Tieng Anh thi diem? If yes, what do you think are those difficulties? How do you help your students overcome those difficulties?

 How to help them overcome?

5 Do you, as a teacher, have any difficulties using tieng Anh thi diem? What do you do to help you overcome those difficulties? How effective are your solutions to those difficulties?

 How to help yourself overcome?

 How effective are your solutions?

Thank you so much for your cooperation

1 How long have you been using the TiengAnhthidiem 10?

2 What do you think are the differences in terms of teaching methods between TiengAnh thi diem 10 and the tieng anh textbooks 10 you used before? Could you give one example?

TEACHING METHODS TiengAnhThi Diem TiengAnh textbook you used before

Cập nhật nhiều phương pháp hay nên gv mất ít thời gian soạn bài

Từ vựng phong phú da dạng trong cùng chủ đề nên bài hoc thú vị hấp dẫn

Phương pháp cũ và nghèo nàn nên gv phải tìm nhiều thủ thuật và mất thời gian soạn bài

Bài giảng ngắn và từ vựng không cập nhật nên bài giảng tẻ nhạt

3.What do you think are the strengths of Tieng Anh thi diem 10 as compared with the Tieng anh textbooks 10 you used before? What are the weaknesses?

Strengths: Được soạn chi tiết và đầy đủ nên chỉ cần dựa vào sách hướng dẫn là bài giảng đã hấp dẫn,thiết kế từng kỹ năng rõ rang với hình ảnh sống động giúp thu hút hs,Sách bài tập cũng đầy đủ,chi tiết nên hs khá giỏi có thể làm them để củng cố kiến thức

- Sách giáo viên cũng khá chi tiết nên hỗ trợ giáo viên rất nhiều trong việc soạn bài

Phần nghe còn hơi dễ so với hs nên gv phải đưa thêm bài ngoài vào

4 How suitable do you think the TiengAnhThi Diem to YOUR students? and suitable to you as a teacher? What do you do with what you think is not suitable to your students? and to you? How effective are those solutions to those difficulties? a How suitable?

Phù hợp với hs không chuyên, học sinh chuyên Anh thì hơi bị dễ

Tương đối phù hợp trừ phần nghe , các task phần nghe hơi dễ và ngắn nên dạy chỉ

30 phút là xong b What do you do with what you think is not suitable?

Hs kém hơn cần soạn bài và tra cứu từ trước khi đến lớp

Khai thác biên soạn thêm bài tập bổ trợ để đáp ứng hs kéo dài thời gian bài đọc hoặc dạy sang bài mới

5 Do you think the Tieng anh thi diem 10 helps you to learn new teaching skills? If yes, what are those skills? Give specific examples a New teaching skills: kĩ năng sử dụng ngôn ngữ nghe nói đọc viết , kĩ năng hướng dẫn học sinh tự học , học nhóm và thuyết trình b Specific examples: trong phần học dự án cuối bài giáo viên phải hướng dẫn học sinh

6 Do you think your students have difficulties in using Tieng Anh thi diem 10?

If yes, what do you think are those difficulties? How do you help your students overcome those difficulties? a Difficulties for students:

Hầu hêt các học sinh đều tiếp cận tốt với sách nàyhọc sinh còn quen với kiểu học cũ ghi chép và phụ thuộc vào giáo viên , ngại giao tiếp nên sách mới này yêu cầu học sinh giao tiếp nhiều học sinh phải tự học tra cứu từ mới học tốt và hiểu bài trên lớp được b How to help them overcome?

Giáo viên hướng dẫn học sinh làm quen với sách mới và cách học mới , giúp học sinh khi cần thiết

7 Do you, as a teacher, have any difficulties using Tieng Anh thi diem 10?

What do you do to help you overcome those difficulties? How effective are your solutions to those difficulties? a Difficulties for teachers:

Giáo viên phải làm quen với sách và các phương pháp dạy học m ới theo đường hướng giao tiếp

Giáo viên phải tìm và tự thiết kế nhiều bài tập bổ trợ cho hs vì sách này ít tài liệu tham khảo vì nó vẫn còn chưa phổ câp

Giáo viên phải dùng nhiều các thiết bị dạy học thông minh nên khó khăn cho giáo viên cao tuổi b How to help yourself overcome?

Tự nâng cao trình độ bản thân Tăng cường học hỏi từ đồng nghiê ̣p Tham gia các khóa học bồi dưỡng c How effective are your solutions?

1 How long have you been using the Tieng Anh thi diem?

2 What do you think are the differences in terms of teaching methods between Tieng Anh thi diem 10 and the tieng anh textbooks 10 you used before? Could you give one example?

TEACHING METHODS Tieng Anh Thi Diem 10 Tieng Anh textbook 10 you used before communicative approach, leaner-centered and integrated approach, traditional methods

Traditional methods, communicative grammar translation method, teacher- centered method

In the new textbook Tieng Anh Thi Diem, I can improve the four skills for students using the wide range of topics given up to date However, in the old textbook the topics are not up to date and cannot motivate students to improve their language skills Teacher tend to present and students listen and take note with little communication

3 What do you think are the strengths of Tieng Anh thi diem 10 as compared with the Tieng Anh textbook 10 you used before? What are the weaknesses?

- The textbook has many updated topics familiar with the students, so they find it more interesting and motivating

- The textbook has new and good looking coverage which can attract students to learn