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 STANDARD[.]
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 việc áp dụng khung lực chuẩn quốc gia cho sinh viên dân tộc thiểu số: Nghiên cứu trường Đại học Tây Bắc M.A COMBINED PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Hanoi – 2016 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 việc áp dụng khung lực chuẩn quốc gia cho sinh viên dân tộc thiểu số: Nghiên cứu trường Đại học Tây Bắc M.A COMBINED PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Assoc Prof Lê Văn Canh Hanoi - 2016 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 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 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 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 lecturers who were involved with student participants Analysis of the survey allowed for purposeful selection of 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 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 TABLE OF CONTENT DECLARATION……………………………………………………………… i ACKNOWLEDGMENT……………………………………………………… ii ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………… iii TABLE OF CONTENT……………………………………………………… v LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………… viii LIST OF CHARTS…………………………………………………………… ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS………………………………………………… x CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………… 1.1 Background to the study……………………………………………… 1.1.1 English education in Vietnam…………………………………… 1.1.2 CEFR-V standards/ National standards on foreign language proficiency or six-level proficiency framework………………………… 1.1.3 Basic information about ethnic minorities in North-west Vietnam 1.1.4 English education for ethnic minorities in North-west Vietnam… 1.1.5 English education for minorities at Tay Bac University………… 1.2 Aims of the study……………………………………………………… 10 1.3 Organization of the thesis……………………………………………… 10 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………… 12 2.1 Second language acquisition………………………………………… 12 2.1.1 Definitions………………………………………………………… 12 2.1.2 Influence of proficiency in L1 and L2 on the acquisition of L3…… 13 2.2 Factors affecting L2 acquisition……………………………………… 14 2.2.1 Internal factors…………………………………………………… 15 2.2.2 External factors…………………………………………………… 21 2.3 Mandated outcome standard to CEFR-V for tertiary level…………… CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY…………………………………………… v 23 26 3.1 Research site………………………………………………………… 27 3.2 Description of the subjects…………………………………………… 27 3.3 Data collection instruments…………………………………………… 28 3.3.1 Semi-structure questionnaire …………………………………… 28 3.3.2 Document review ………………………………………………… 29 3.3.3 Interviews ………………………………………………………… 30 3.4 Validity and reliability……………………………………………… 30 3.5 Procedures…………………………………………………………… 31 3.6 Data analysis…………………………………………………………… 33 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS…………………………………………………… 35 4.1 Background information of the questionnaire participants…………… 35 4.2 The implementation of CEFR-V at TBU……………………………… 38 4.3 Current situation of English language learning of ethnic minority students at TBU …………………………………………………………… 41 4.3.1 Minority students‟ English proficiency level……………………… 41 4.3.2 Minority students‟ attitudes towards English language learning… 43 4.3.3 Minority students‟ motivations in English language learning…… 46 4.3.4 Minority students‟ English learning strategies…………………… 49 4.3.5 Learning conditions……………………………………………… 52 4.4 Challenges faced by minority students in achieving the outcome standard…………………………………………………………………… 54 4.4.1 Tri-language barrier…………………………………………… 55 4.4.2 Attitudes to the achievement of outcome standard to CEFR-V… 59 4.4.3 Teacher factor…………………………………………………… 61 4.4.4 Curriculum and textbook………………………………………… 64 4.4.5 Time……………………………………………………………… 66 4.4.6 Others…………………………………………………………… 66 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS……………………………………………… 69 5.1 Conclusions…………………………………………………………… 69 vi 5.2 Limitations of the study……………………………………………… 70 5.3 Implications…………………………………………………………… 71 5.4 Further research suggestions………………………………………… 73 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………… 74 APPENDIXES………………………………………………………………… I Appendix Student questionnaire ………………………………………… I Appendix Interview guide for students………………………………… VII Appendix Interview guide for teachers ………………………………… VIII Appendix Detailed description of levels A2 and B1 to CEFR-V ……… IX vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1 The levels to CEFR-V ……………………………………… Table 1.2 Number of students at TBU in terms of minority groups…… Table 4.1 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………………… 47 Table 4.8 Total time that minority students weekly spend on learning English………………………………………………………… 49 Table 4.9 Students‟ English learning strategies………………………… Table 4.10 Students‟ frequently used learning methods at home………… 51 Table 4.11 Students‟ evaluation on the effect of Vietnamese proficiency 50 on English……………………………………………………… 55 Table 4.12 Students‟ preference in teachers‟ in-class language use……… 56 Table 4.13 B1 level to CEFR-V: respondents‟ self-assessment grid……… 59 Table 4.14 Students‟ results on teacher‟s language skill coverage in class 61 Table 4.15 Students‟ general evaluation on the current English curriculum 64 Table 4.16 Students‟ evaluation on the difficult part in the current curriculum…………………………………………………… Table 4.17 64 Students‟ difficulties in learning English……………………… 66 viii ...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. .. demonstrated in the annual national examination are quite low Minority students at TBU The size of the ethnic minority students at TBU at the beginning of the first semester of the school year 2015-2016... 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,