Good English Teaching Practices” As Perceived In Teaching Contests In Hai Duong Province, Vietnam.pdf

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN HẢI NGUYÊN “GOOD ENGLISH TEACHING PRACTICES” AS PERCEIVED IN TEACHING CONTE[.]

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN HẢI NGUYÊN “GOOD ENGLISH TEACHING PRACTICES” AS PERCEIVED IN TEACHING CONTESTS IN HAI DUONG PROVINCE, VIETNAM “Dạy giỏi Tiếng Anh” nhìn nhận từ thi giảng tỉnh Hải Dương, Việt Nam MA MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Language Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01 HANOI, 2019 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN HẢI NGUYÊN “GOOD ENGLISH TEACHING PRACTICES” AS PERCEIVED IN TEACHING CONTESTS IN HAI DUONG PROVINCE, VIETNAM “Dạy giỏi Tiếng Anh” nhìn nhận từ thi giảng tỉnh Hải Dương, Việt Nam MA MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Language Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01 Supervisor : Dr Vũ Hải Hà HANOI, 2019 DECLARATION I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “Good English teaching practices as perceived in teaching contests in Hai Duong Province, Vietnam” is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of English teaching methodology at the University of Languages and International Studies, Viet Nam National University This thesis has not been previously submitted for any other degrees The work was done under the guidance of Doctor Vu Hai Ha, at the University of Languages and International Studies Hanoi, January 2019 Nguyễn Hải Nguyên i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Vu Hai Ha for his careful supervision, great support and encouragement during the whole process of research I myself would not have accomplished this paper without his expert, specific instruction and criticism I am also grateful to my colleagues at nearly 40 high schools in Hai Duong province, especially Nguyen Binh Khiem High School, Tu Ky High School, Thanh Ha High School, Gia Loc High School and Pha Lai High School, for their enthusiastic participation and feedback in the stage of data collection Finally, my special thanks go to my family who gave me time and encouragement to overcome all difficulties along the course of research and complete this study ii ABSTRACT The following paper involves discovering how “good English language teaching practices” are perceived in the provincial teaching contests in Hai Duong province which is somehow a form of teachers‟ assessment, and exploring the correspondences, if any, between these perceptions and those described in the ETCF, which is acting as a guidance for teachers‟ training and development Within the scope of this study, 18 examiners and 55 examinees who are teachers of high schools in Hai Duong province and have participated in the teaching contests agreed to voice their opinions on “good English teaching practices” The data was collected from questionnaires, follow-up interviews and document observation Then the perceptions of “good English teaching practices” shown in the teaching contests were compared with those characterized in the content of ETCF with a view to investigating the connection between practice and theory Consequently, the examinees and the assessment criteria including documents and the examiners‟ evaluation bear considerable similarities regarding the characteristics of effective English language teaching, namely Culture Teaching, Communicative Approach, Assessment, Technology and Teaching materials, etc The findings also added to the existing framework of Brown (2009), which serves as the backbone of the study, in terms of outside classroom factors such as Lesson Planning, Teachers‟ professionalism, Contribution to language teaching and Students‟ Learning Outcomes and Development Besides, the teaching contests show noticeable agreement with the ETCF on what characterize “good English teaching practices” However, ETCF covers broader and more comprehensive concepts while the teaching contests deals with more detailed ones Interestingly, it is suggested from the teaching contests that the utilization of different ways to grab students‟ attention in class and development of students‟ autonomy in learning play an important role in achieving good English teaching practices, which is not mentioned in any competency in the ETCF At the end of the day, it is also implied that training programs and theoretical guidelines have a significant impact on teachers‟ beliefs about effective English teaching and on their teaching practices iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ETCF: English Teacher Competency Framework SLTE: second language teacher education FL: foreign language L2: second language iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv LIST OF TABLES v CHAPTER – INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale for the study 1.2 Research objectives 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Research scope 1.5 Significance of the study CHAPTER – LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Theoretical background 2.1.1 Perspectives on teaching 2.1.2 English language teacher education 2.1.3 English language teacher assessment 2.1.4 Perceptions of good English language teaching 2.2 Case study background 12 2.2.1 English language teacher education in Vietnam 12 2.2.2 English language teacher assessment in Vietnam and the English Teacher Competency Framework (ETCF) 14 2.2.3 EFL teaching and Teaching contest in Hai Duong Province 18 2.3 Research gaps 20 CHAPTER – METHODOLOGY 21 3.1 Research paradigm research design 21 3.1.1 Research paradigm 21 3.1.2 Research design 22 3.2 Data collection 22 3.2.1 Research setting 22 3.2.2 Research participants 23 3.2.3 Instruments 25 3.2.4 Data collection procedure 31 v 3.3 Data analysis 32 3.4 Methodological limitations 32 CHAPTER – FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 34 4.1 Analysis of research question 34 4.1.1 Questionnaire result 34 4.1.2 Interview result 38 4.1.3 Document observation 42 4.1.4 Summary of findings and data source 43 4.2 Analysis of research question 44 4.2.1 Questionnaire result 44 4.2.2 Interview results 46 4.2.3 Summary of findings and data sources 49 4.3 Analysis of research question 50 4.3.1 Similarities 50 4.3.2 Differences 52 4.4 Discussion 53 CHAPTER – CONCLUSION 56 5.1 Research summary 56 5.2 Practical implications 56 5.3 Research limitations and future research 57 REFERENCES 59 APPENDIX 1: ILLUSTRATION OF THE MAIN CONTEMPORARY MODELS OF LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION I APPENDIX 2: EXAMPLES OF ETCF ASSESSMENT TOOLS III APPENDIX 3: EFFECTIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING QUESTIONNAIRE (FOR THE JUDGES) XXIII APPENDIX 4: EFFECTIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING QUESTIONNAIRE (FOR THE CONTESTANTS) XXXI APPENDIX 5: FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEWS (TRANSCRIPT) XXXVI APPENDIX 6: ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS ABOUT ROUND (EXPERIENCEBASED INTIVATIVE PAPER) AND ROUND (THE COMPETENCY TEST) OF THE TEACHING CONTESTS XLII vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Five models of teaching Table 2: Some main contemporary models of language teacher education Table 3: Some competency frameworks/ models for English language teachers Table 4: Domains and Competencies in ETCF 16 Table 5: Category of effective language teaching in the questionnaire 27 Table 6: Data collection procedure 31 Table 7: Questionnaire revisions 32 Table 8: Result of aspect of Grammar Teaching (Examiners) 34 Table 9: Result of aspect of Error Correction (Examiners) 35 Table 10: Result of aspect of Target Language Use (Examiners) 35 Table 11: Result of aspect of Culture (Examiners) 36 Table 12: Result of aspect of Computer-based technology (Examiners) 36 Table 13: Result of aspect of Communicative Language Teaching Strategies (Examiners) 37 Table 14: Result of aspect of Assessment (Examiners) 38 Table 15: Result of document observation (good language teaching practices) 42 Table 16: Research question - Summary of findings 43 Table 17: Descriptive result of the examinees' beliefs 44 Table 18: Identical opinions in both examiners' and examinees' perceptions of good English language teaching 46 Table 19: Research question - Summary of findings 49 vii CHAPTER – INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale for the study Starting from the time of economic reforms, Vietnam has adopted the open-door policy to involve in international business and attract foreign investments, so the interaction with other nations is unavoidable As a result, in order to increase capabilities of the country to grow in nowadays environment, it is necessary for Vietnamese to improve their second language ability as an essential communicative tool (Hamano, 2008) Vietnamese children have been encouraged to learn English from the age of since national education system has covered English in its teaching content for all primary schools (Pham, 1998) Nevertheless, the effectiveness of teaching and learning English at these schools is very low The students have learned this language rigidly, so they cannot use it in reality at all (Hamano, 2008) This is the point where old methods of teaching show certain limitations These teaching processes which only concentrate on linguistic accuracy and are controlled by the teacher in class restrict students‟ opportunities to practice and apply English structure in a flexible way Hence, after a long time of learning and doing many boring grammar exercises, the students can only remember the meaning of individual words and formula of grammar structure, but they cannot apply these things to comprehend the content of the whole sentences in different contexts nor compound meaningful sentences to express themselves It is even worse when they have to speak out in English While speaking is considered one of the most significant skill of effective communication (Hamano, 2008), the lack of confidence, slow reflex and poor pronunciation has made it very difficult for Vietnamese students to open their mouth fluently Hence, the necessary to find new teaching methods has been proposed with the effort to improve the effectiveness of English learning process Therefore, the issue of quality in teaching foreign languages has become a matter of concern In 2008, the Prime Minister approved the Decision 1400 about “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, Period 2008-2020”, most frequently referred to as the National Foreign Languages 2020 Project (Department of Education and Training - Hai Duong Province, 2014) Since then, there have been many changes in teaching and learning foreign languages in general, and teaching and learning English in particular with the central focus on English teachers‟ Table 14: Result of aspect of Assessment (Examiners) Item Criteria of good English teaching Result Assessment round practices base at least some part of students‟ grades Agree (100%) on completion of assigned group tasks 11 Real teaching practice assessment allows students to explain their answers to Agree (16.7%) Real teaching questions in listening and reading in Disagree (83.3%) assessment not grade English language production Agree (16.7%) Real (i.e., speaking and writing) primarily for Disagree (83.3%) assessment Agree (100%) Real practice Vietnamese rather than in English in the classroom 15 teaching practice grammatical accuracy 27 base at least some part of students‟ grades on their ability to interact with classmates teaching practice assessment successfully in the English language It could be seen from Table 14 that the perception of student assessment aspect of English teaching practices in the teaching contests was heavily influenced by the communicative approach Groupwork, interactions, and the utilization of English in all modules played a vital role in evaluating students‟ effectiveness in learning English All these dimensions of the Assessment aspects were examined when teachers actually teach in the real classroom settings 4.1.2 Interview result Follow-up interviews with the examiners From the extra comments and the follow-up interviews of the examiners who participated in the study, some additional features of an effective English language teachers defined in the assessment criteria of the teaching contests were identified Firstly, in terms of lesson planning and conducting a lesson, the examiners gave high marks for the teachers who had good observation and was flexible when teaching in class by adjusting his/ her teaching methods, techniques, and activities: Examiner A: “Teachers should watch students working to find out if they have any difficulties and change activities or teaching methods if necessary For example, in listening activities, where students have to give long answers to the questions, teachers may use “fill-in-the-blank” or “multiple-choice” questions instead.” 38 Secondly, it was necessary for the teachers to construct good interactions with their students, which was influenced by the communicative approach According to the examiners, this was to build good relationships between teachers and students and a harmonious atmosphere in the classroom By smiling, supporting students, and being friendly, students would find it easy and free to share what they thought with teachers and vice versa An examiner also noted that teachers should show concerns and respects for students and be able to create a friendly and exciting atmosphere in class in order for students to acquire knowledge effectively Examiner G: “With a friendly and exciting atmosphere in class, students don’t feel any pressures and stress when learning They find studying fun and exciting.” Thirdly, another aspect of lesson planning was the arrangement of classroom activities, which also contributed greatly to the effectiveness of language teaching It was important to ensure that the activities in class helped teachers achieve the teaching aims and objectives in a logical way with a focus on key concepts and students‟ misunderstanding rather than covering the ground Examiner E: “In a lesson, teachers should focus on the key themes, knowledge, or skills and make sure that students comprehend these In case there is not enough time to cover everything in the lesson, other points, which is not critical, should be removed/ ignored.” In addition to the achievement of learning objectives, classroom activities also should be able to raise students‟ interests in English Examiner C: “The activities should be interesting and exciting, so that they can engage students into learning When students are interested in the lessons, they learn more effectively and efficiently.” Another important aspect of good English language practices was the capability to develop students‟ autonomy in gaining knowledge, which is a part of understanding learners‟ development to motivate them It means making students became active in learning on their own Two examiners gave some example activities and ways that would help teachers obtain this development in students via student assignments and projectbased assessments Examiner C: “For example, give students assignments that encourage students to search for or look up new words before the lesson.” Examiner N: “Project-based assignment is extremely effective for developing students’ autonomy in learning Students must search for information on their own, assemble, 39 analyze and put the data together into a final work that achieves the project objectives Presenting the final the report to the whole class also encourages them to learn and train their soft skills.” Some internal characteristics and motivations for teaching English in the teachers were also of examiners‟ concerns in defining effective language teaching According to the result of the interviews, the teachers should show the following characteristics in their personality and approach to teaching These characteristics demonstrated the teaches‟ professionalism in language teaching  A desire to share their love of the subject with students;  A commitment to encouraging independence;  A desire to learn from students and other sources about the effects of teaching and how it can be improved;  Speak in a way that students can understand the messages;  Motivate students The assessment method and feedback to students/ error correction were also important factors in effective language teaching as noted by one examiner Teachers should use valid assessment method and give the highest quality feedback on students‟ works Examiner E: “Giving high quality feedback is to motivate students and make them feel appreciated, but teachers should not only deliver compliments but also give appropriate corrections on students’ mistakes or errors Lastly, another examiner stated that she highly appreciated teachers‟ efforts to utilize different ways encourage students‟ attendance when conducting a lesson Examiner L: “There are some ways that I find effective in grabbing students’ attention and engagement in the classroom when learning English For example, when students become distracted from the lesson, teachers can tell a funny story, organize activities that involve the whole class, practice singing an English song, etc.” Additional interviews with the examiners Previously, according to Primary Education Forum of Ha Tinh Province (2016), it was found out that an adequate understanding about the nature of the activity of writing experience-based initiative report (round of the teaching contests) was not achieved among the public schools However, the interview result is inconsistent with this assumption The initiative report is not only a part of the teaching contests but also applied 40 to improve the teaching reality and management efficiency The fundamental difference between this type of research paper and normal research paper was also shown in terms of research objectives, contents, theoretical foundation and application/ implication as one examiner commented: Examiner 2: “According to my understanding, the critical points of this type of paper is the real teaching experiences of the teachers with a clear issue and practical solutions that have been applied to solve it A comparison of the pre- and postapplication situation of the solutions are needed to prove their effects This paper is more subjective since it is prone to individual experiences On the other hand, the topic of normal research paper is not purely subjective It must contain a certain degree of objectivity with both theoretical and empirical foundation This foundation is the basic point to distinguish between initiative research and normal research” Nonetheless, this finding is not surprising since the interview participants were the examiners Besides that, more qualities of an effective English language teachers were examined from the result of the initiative report These qualities mostly concerned with professional development and life-long learning, contributing to the language teaching profession and reflecting on language teaching and learning The teachers were required to have the ability to construct and implement self-learning and self-development plan as well as use different resources and materials for improving knowledge and skills It is essential for them to actively participate in training programs and share their experiences with their colleagues They should also constantly reflect on their experiences and evaluate their teaching, learning, and development Examiner 1: “From my point of view, this round shows three things about the English teachers who participate in the contests First, they are capable of constructing and implementing self-learning and self-improvement plan They know how to search for and make use of resources and materials to broaden their knowledge and develop essential skills Second, they make contributions to the improvement of teaching quality by actively participation to training programs and sharing with other teachers Third, it also shows their constant reflections on their experiences to fix and overcome their own shortcomings” At the same time, the report showed how well the teachers perceived and understood the teaching subject, knowledge of teaching and students, which depends on the research topic 41 Examiner 2: “I think it demonstrates how well they understand the teaching subject, pedagogy teaching knowledge, and understanding of the students, which depends on the researched aspect of the initiative paper.” Regarding the teacher‟s competency test, the examiners believed that it is a reference to the teachers‟ knowledge of language, knowledge of the curriculum as well as teaching methods Examiner 1: “The examinees have to take a test on the English language which is similar to the one intended for gifted students That is to ensure that the teachers have adequate knowledge of the language and have the ability to use it well.” Examiner 2: “The teachers who take part in the contests need to show a reasonable level competence of their English, proper understandings of the curriculum and their mastery of teaching methods.” 4.1.3 Document observation There was an extremely limited number of documents that give specific measurement and criteria of good English language practices in teaching contests Within the scope of this research, only two documents were found to cover such contents, which were the Document no 1156/QĐ-SGDĐT dated 28 August 2015 and Decree 21/2010/TTBGDĐT by Ministry of Education and Training dated 20 July 2010 However, the documents were applied to all the subjects being examined in the contests and not only English subject Therefore, the following characteristics of effective English teachers were actually identified and developed based on a general guideline and criteria: Table 15: Result of document observation (good language teaching practices) Dimension Criteria of good English teaching practices The objectives regarding knowledge, skills, attitudes, and development plan and the requirements for each task/ activity must be clear Lesson planning The plan to organize teaching activities is suitable, logical, and ensure the proper steps of educational teaching The approach to use teaching tools and assessment method is appropriate Content The teaching content is precise, logical, focused, related to the reality and ensures educational values The organization and control make students active and engaged in learning The method Teaching – Learning activities and ways for transferring learning tasks are suitable The solutions for encouraging and supporting learning are effective Students is willing, ready and interested in carrying out the learning tasks Students are active, engaged and creative in carrying out the learning tasks and 42 presenting, discussing the learning results Teachers are effective in analyzing, examining, and summarizing students‟ learning results Teachers distribute teaching time in a suitable way, have a polite appearance and behave in an appropriate manner Tools Result Teachers use effective and suitable tools and equipment in teaching process Students obtain the crucial knowledge and points of the lesson and are able to apply them to solve exercises and real problems Note: Reprinted from Department of Education and Training - Hai Duong Province (2015) Decision 1156/QD-SGDT dated 28 August 2015 about issuing Assessment Form of Teachers' Real Teaching Lesson 4.1.4 Summary of findings and data source Table 16: Research question - Summary of findings Category Grammar Findings Data source Grammar-based approach to teaching was not encouraged Questionnaire It was better to indirectly correct students‟ errors instead of direct correction Questionnaire It was important to give high quality feedbacks (complementing students and delivering Interviews teaching Error correction suitable corrections) Target language Teachers should encourage students to practice English as much as possible Teachers‟ use English proficiency and fluency in terms of speaking also influenced students‟ speaking and Questionnaire listening ability Culture Teachers were required to be knowledgeable of cultures of the English-speaking countries and Questionnaire incorporated this element in their teaching process, but they should not devote a great amount of time to teaching cultures Technology and Teachers regularly used technologies in teaching English Questionnaire teaching tools Suitable tools and equipment were utilized effectively in teaching process Document observation Communicative Communicative approach was favored by the examiners of teaching contests Teachers were Questionnaire approach required to flexibly use different communicative teaching strategies in their teaching Teachers should build good interactions and relationship with students by being friendly and Interview and document showing concerns and respects to students As a result, students became interested, willing, observation active and creative They engaged in learning and discussion Assessment Teachers were required to deliver learning message in an understandable way but Interview and simplification should be avoided questionnaire Teachers should use valid and suitable assessment methods Interview, document observation and Questionnaire Lesson planning Students‟ assessment was strongly influenced by communicative approach Questionnaire Learning objectives and requirements for tasks and activities were clear and appropriate Document observation Activities were planned and arranged in a logical way and followed proper steps of teaching Interview and document observation Conducting a Teachers should have good observation and be flexible by adjusting their methods, techniques, Interview and document lesson and activities in accordance with the situation observation Learning objectives were achieved via suitable arrange of activities with a concentration on Interview and document 43 the key concepts, knowledge, and skills observation Teaching contents were reality-related and delivered proper educational values Questionnaire and document observation Teachers were required to be efficient in the analysis and examination of students‟ learning Document observation results Teachers‟ Teachers behaved in an appropriate manner Document observation professionalism Teachers showed desire to share their love of English with students Interview and commitment Teachers showed commitment to encouraging the development of students‟ independence and Interview to teaching autonomy in learning English Teachers showed desire to learn from students and other sources about teaching Interview methodologies to improve their profession Teachers motivated students to learn Interview Teachers could learn new information, develop skills, and research about language teaching Interview on their own Contributing to Teachers were required to actively take in professional training/ development opportunities the Language and contribute to the exchange of ideas in the teaching community to benefit other teachers Interview Teaching Profession Language Teacher demonstrated their own knowledge of language, language learning, language Teaching teaching, and language learners (students) Interview Knowledge Reflecting Teachers showed ongoing reflections on their own language learning and teaching Interview Students‟ Students obtained the critical points and knowledge of the lesson and developed the ability to Observation learning results apply them in real situations 4.2 Analysis of research question Research question 2: What characterizes “good English language teaching practices” as perceived by the teachers (examinees) taking part in these contests? This section interprets the data regarding the beliefs about what characterizes effective English teacher practices from the examinees of the teaching contests The sources of data include questionnaire and interviews 4.2.1 Questionnaire result Table 17 shows the descriptive result regarding the examinees‟ beliefs about effective teacher practices: Table 17: Descriptive result of the examinees' beliefs Std Item Criteria of good English teaching practices Mean frequently use computer-based technologies (Internet, CD–ROM, email) in 1.768 0.5718 Deviation teaching the language base at least some part of students‟ grades on completion of assigned group tasks 1.589 0.4964 devote as much time to the teaching of culture as to the teaching of language 2.518 0.7133 require students to use the language outside of class with other speakers of the 1.964 0.3283 language (e.g., Internet, email, clubs, community events, etc.) 44 10 not correct students immediately after they make a mistake in speaking 1.321 0.5755 11 allow students to respond to test questions in listening and reading via Vietnamese 2.411 0.6544 rather than English 12 not use English in the foreign language classroom 2.268 0.6464 13 only give indirect corrections instead of direct corrections when they produce oral 1.946 0.4009 1.393 0.4928 1.661 0.5486 1.714 0.5629 3.179 0.6355 errors (e.g., correctly repeating back to them rather than directly stating that they are incorrect) 14 be as knowledgeable about the culture(s) of those who speak English as the English language itself 15 not grade English language production (i.e., speaking and writing) primarily for grammatical accuracy 16 teach English primarily by having students complete specific tasks (e.g., finding out prices of rooms and rates at a hotel) rather than grammar-focused exercises 17 address errors by immediately providing explanations as to why students‟ responses are incorrect 18 require students to speak in the English language from the first day of class 1.732 0.5219 19 not use predominantly small groups or pair work to complete activities in class 2.107 0.7306 20 mostly use activities that practice specific grammar points rather than activities 3.107 0.4125 2.875 0.5741 1.375 0.5897 whose goal is merely to exchange information 21 ask students to begin speaking the English language only when they feel they are ready to 22 not present a particular grammar point without illustrating how the structure is used in a specific, real-world context 23 speak the English language with native-like control of both grammar and accent 2.054 0.3526 24 teach grammar by giving examples of grammatical structures before explaining the 1.393 0.5284 1.964 0.6019 3.214 0.6242 1.893 0.3657 1.804 0.4439 grammar rules 25 use predominantly real-life materials (e.g., music, pictures, foods, clothing) in teaching both the language and the culture rather than the textbook 26 not simplify or alter how they speak so that students can understand every word being said 27 base at least some part of students‟ grades on their ability to interact with classmates successfully in the English language 28 use activities where students have to find out unknown information from classmates using the English language The examinees‟ opinions of the issues on the questionnaire were quite polarized Their responses ranged from 1.32 to 3.21 on the four-point scale, with (strongly agree) as the minimum to (strongly disagree) as the maximum In short, the majority of the items received agreements from the examinees, except for item 17, 20, and 26 Immediate and direct error correction, grammar-based activities, and simplification of language speaking were not favored by the English teachers Additionally, there were item and 21, of which 45 the responses were mixed The mean scores for item and item 21 were 2.52 and 2.9 respectively These scores were higher than the score 2, which represents Agree by a bigger difference of 0.5 It means that teachers who participated in the teaching contests as examinees had neutral attitudes towards ideas of using the same amount of time as teaching the English language to teaching cultures and letting students speak in English only when they are ready Other items‟ score ranged from 1.32 to 2.41, which depicted their favors towards these approaches to teaching English in an effective manner 4.2.2 Interview results Follow-up interviews with the examinees From the additional comments to question 29 of the survey for the examinees, several more characteristics of good English teacher practices were discovered, which proves that the framework of Brown (2009) does not provide a comprehensive list of the perceived features from the examinees‟ side Among these features, there were some opinions that are almost the same or consistent with the examiners‟ ideas about what effective English teachers should The features are shown in Table 18: Table 18: Identical opinions in both examiners' and examinees' perceptions of good English language teaching Category Lesson planning and Characteristics  conducting a lesson Having good observation in class in order to adapt different and flexible teaching techniques and encourage their students in a logical way to engage in the activities;  Utilizing different ways encourage students' attendance and make students feel free to speak;  Understanding the aims of each lesson clearly and making changes to lesson plan if necessary;  Using a variety of teaching methods, techniques, and activities to make the lesson enjoyable; Communicative  Having good interactions with and being friendly to students;  Having the ability to make students interested in and love learning English;  Developing students‟ autonomy in learning English;  Motivating students to participate and engage in learning approach Leaners‟ development The examinees who had new and unique beliefs about good English teaching practices were interviewed in order to have further explanation and examples (if possible) 46 One examinee claimed that it was significant to establish a good rapport between teachers and students, which is a close and harmonious relationship in which teachers and students concern, understand each other's feelings or ideas, and communicate well This idea belongs to the category of communicative approach to teaching and partly being a part of understanding leaners‟ development Examinee A: “I reckon that teachers should understand learners' intellectual and emotional development, so teachers are able to communicate well with students both in and outside the classroom That may strengthen the relationship between teachers and students so that the teaching and learning become more effective.” Several teachers attached special importance on teachers‟ soft skills such as time management, problem-solving and communication One examinee even connected good communication and fluent English-speaking skills with showing respects and concerns to students This opinion concerns with both teachers‟ English competency and conducting a lesson Examinee B: “Teachers need to develop soft skills such as management and communication They need to listen to their students in order to understand them well, their strength, weakness, desire, etc They also need to control the learning environment so that all the students pay attention to the lesson Time management is another essential skill Teachers should spend an appropriate amount of time on each activity and maximize the effectiveness of time to attain the lesson's goal by removing or alter inappropriate tasks.” Examinee F: “In a lesson there may be a variety of unexpected issues Teachers need to be calm to solve the problems quickly and effectively so that there is no negative impact on the lesson.” Another important aspect of effective English teachers was having a good understanding of students regarding what they lack and need, their strengths, weaknesses, and psychological states, which is categorized as understanding learners‟ development Examinee C: “It's necessary for teachers to acknowledge the needs and lack of knowledge and skills so that they adapt suitable teaching methods and techniques and help students improve their English For example, if students have difficulty in remembering new words, teachers may give assignments about vocabulary for students to at home and test their vocabulary at the beginning or at the end of the lesson.” Additionally, the teachers should be patient, logical, willing to change and be able to support students when conducting a lesson 47 Examinee L: “Students may have difficulties when performing tasks, so teachers should be there to help them For example, in a speaking task, students may need to know some new words to express their ideas, teachers need to give some suggestions of synonyms that they already know or to tell them the words.” Examinee Q: “Students vary from class to class Some may be attentive, while others, trouble-makers The teacher needs to patiently guide students to gain knowledge, the tasks and find new and improved ways to maintain their attention, not to mention the ability to patiently re-teach.” Examinee J: “A teacher should be open-minded to consider new ideas and opinions, which may help them improve their teaching and communicating with students.” Teachers should ensure that students understand the lessons and are able to apply the knowledge and skills in real life by asking them to practice what they learnt as much as possible, which is one of the ideas of communicative approach Examinee I: “Teachers should make use of tasks to know if students understand the lessons or not and to know if students can apply what they learnt in communication in English outside the classroom.” Examinee N: “When knowledge and skills are learnt without practicing, students may easily forget them Therefore, teachers need to ask students to practice as much as possible in class or outside the classroom It is also necessary that teachers have suitable assessment tools to check if students really work or not.” In terms of conducting a lesson, it was also important for teachers to follow proper steps of teaching according to the main stages teaching and learning process for an effective lesson from the warm-up or lead-in to the wrap-up Lastly, teachers should have a reasonable board presentation, which is what they write on the board Examinee M: “There should be a logical connection between each two stages The tasks should also be set up in a logical way and present the teacher's intention Students may find it easy to follow and understand the lesson better.” Examinee R: “What teachers write on the board affects students' learning The writing on the board should be adequate, logical but simple enough for students to know what to copy down on the notebook and to understand the lesson better.” Additional interviews with the examinees The outcome of the additional interviews revealed that the contest participants actually had a sufficient understanding regarding the nature of the activity of writing experience-based initiative report and their understanding is consistent with that of the examiners These evidences are inconsistent with the reality presented by Primary 48 Education Forum of Ha Tinh Province (2016) Additionally, the features of an effective English language teachers examined in this round of the teaching contests, which were perceived by the examinees, were identical to the perception of the examiners The qualities that were being sought for concerned with the teachers‟ professional development and life-long learning, contributing to language teaching, ongoing reflections on their experiences and their knowledge level of language, language teaching, and language Tải FULL (117 trang): https://bit.ly/3oRpHVu learners Dự phòng: fb.com/TaiHo123doc.net Examinee 1: “In my opinion, it shows three qualities of an effective English language teachers They include: - Ability to self-learn and self-enhance for professional career - Capability to use resources and materials to learn and develop, contribution to improving teaching efficiency - Ongoing reflections on their teaching and learning experiences, willingness and capabilities to fix weaknesses.” Showing agreement with the examiners on how good English teaching practices are perceived from the teacher‟s competency test in round 2, the examinees added that teachers are required to master the English language, not to mention other principles that a typical teacher should know before they started to work as an English teacher Examiner 2: “The test is needed to examine teachers’ English competence and their understandings of English teaching and curriculum, which are necessary to achieve good English language teaching.” 4.2.3 Summary of findings and data sources Table 19: Research question - Summary of findings Category Findings Data source Grammar teaching Teachers preferred communicative approach to teaching English to grammar-based approach Questionnaire Error correction Teachers used indirection correction over direct correction Questionnaire Target language use Students‟ use of English inside as well as outside of the class should be emphasized as much as Questionnaire possible and teachers should have native-like English proficiency Culture The knowledge of cultures is necessary to and a part of teaching English, but its significance is not the Questionnaire same as the teaching of English itself Technology and Teachers should frequently use technologies in teaching process Questionnaire Communicative Communicative approach was emphasized in the teaching of language and the variety of Questionnaire approach communicative teaching strategies was encouraged teaching tools Teachers should have good interactions with students and be friendly in order to build a good rapport Interview with students Assessment Communicative approach played a big role in student assessment Questionnaire Lesson planning Teachers should have good observation to be able to adapt different ways and methods of teaching to Interview make students engage in the learning activities 49 Teachers should thoroughly understand the teaching and learning objectives and alter the lesson plan if Interview needed Teachers should use a variety of teaching methods, techniques, and activities to make the lesson Interview enjoyable and encourage students‟ attendance as well as their freedom to speak up Conducting a lesson Teachers should have good problem-solving skills to deal with unexpected situations in class Interview Teachers should be able to support students Interview Teachers should follow proper steps of teaching to ensure effective lesson Interview Teachers should have a reasonable and logical presentation on the board Interview Teachers‟ Teachers should have good soft skills, especially time management, problem-solving, and time Interview professionalism management Teachers should be logical, patient and willing to change and open to new ideas Interview Teachers should be capable of self-learning and self-developing Interview Contributing to Teachers should be able to ongoing professional development opportunities and contribute to the Interview language teaching exchange of ideas in their teaching community to benefit other teachers Reflection Teachers should practice ongoing reflections on their own language learning and teaching Interview Students‟ learning Teachers should be able to make students interested in and love learning English Interview results and Teachers should encourage students to develop autonomy in learning Interview development Teachers should motivate students to learn English Interview Teachers should understand students in terms of their strengths, weaknesses, demands and needs Interview Students were able to understand the lesson and apply the knowledge and skills in real life Interview 4.3 Analysis of research question Research question 3: What are the similarities and differences between the perceptions of “good English teaching practices” in these contests and in the ETCF? This section gives a comparison about the criteria of good English language teaching practices between the assessment criteria of the teaching contests and ETCF The research results and findings of research question were utilized and compared with the contents of ETCF, which were presented in the literature review Tải FULL (117 trang): https://bit.ly/3oRpHVu 4.3.1 Similarities Dự phòng: fb.com/TaiHo123doc.net With the regard to the similarities, the aspects, which are almost identical with each other, were discussed first, namely culture, technology, teachers‟ English competency, knowledge of English teaching and using resources The dimensions, which are only similar in some points were examined after that They include students‟ learning results, teaching strategies and teachers‟ personalities and professional development The differences of these dimensions were discussed in session 4.3.2 Firstly, in terms of dimensions with identical ideas, the result obtained from the first survey for the examiners of the teaching contests, which was designed based on the framework of Brown (2009), revealed a number of similarities between two sides in terms of Culture, Computer-based Technology, Teachers‟ English Competency and Knowledge and Students‟ learning assessment In terms of Culture dimension (competency 1.5 of 50 ETCF), both approaches attached special attention on the significance of cultural knowledge of the English-speaking countries in the teaching of this language Teachers were required to know the culture of these countries and be able to include them in their teaching The second resemblance was the requirement regarding teachers‟ computer skills and the ability to use technology for language teaching (competency 2.6 of ETCF) There were other similarities between assessment criteria of teaching contests and ETCF These similarities were found from the interviews with the examiners about their extra comments in the survey and the available documents regarding the teaching contests Both the teaching contest and the ETCF agree that English teachers need to acquire a level of English competency and knowledge of the English language The other similarities were related to lesson planning (competency 2.2), the requirements of teaching – learning activities and classroom atmosphere (competency 2.3), using resources (competency 2.5) and assessment of students‟ learning results (competency 2.4) Specifically, teachers should have sufficient knowledge of lesson planning and plan effective lessons with appropriate assignments and activities to achieve the critical learning/ teaching objectives and aims It was also essential for teachers to have good observation and be flexible in their teaching methods, techniques, and activities Teaching – learning activities should make students interested in and engage in learning English A fun, exciting, supportive and risk-taking atmosphere was needed in the classroom in order to facilitate students‟ engagement in the teaching and learning process Aside from understanding and adopting textbooks effectively for teaching, the variety of materials and resources was of importance as well At the end of the day, students had to gain the critical knowledge and skills and have the ability to apply them in the real world Secondly, with regards to the dimensions with only some similarities, regarding students‟ language development (competency 3.2 of ETCF), immediate and constant correction was not favored in any side and feedbacks should be of highest quality, constructive and delivered in a positive way to students Feedbacks should not just consist of compliments but also pointing out students‟ mistake and correction Effective teachers should analyze errors as a part of students‟ learning results for informing further instructions and future planning Next, different teaching strategies (competency 2.1 of ETCF) were also favored by the two sides; however, those under communicative approach were preferred The use of valid and suitable assessment methods in teaching process 51 received the same attention as an aspect of effective English language teacher practices as well In terms of professional development (competency 4.3 and 4.4 of ETCF), teachers should be capable of self-learning and implementing self-development and contribute to language learning by finding ongoing development opportunities and exchanging ideas within the teaching community Ongoing reflections (competency 5.2 of ETCF) are also important for teachers‟ life-long language teaching and learning 4.3.2 Differences When comparing the data results of assessment criteria of teaching contests with the requirements of ETCF, the differences falls under four categories, namely Students‟ learning results, Culture, Teaching strategies and Teachers‟ personalities and professional development The differences of the first two categories were mainly identified using the data coming from the questionnaire for the examiners The differences of the other two categories were revealed utilizing the information from the follow-up interviews with the examiners and document observation Regarding assessment of students‟ learning results, while indirect correction without constant frequency received the attention from the teaching contests, competency 2.4 of ETCF only mentions the variety of assessment methods which include error correction without specifying it With regard to the aspect of teaching cultures, in competency 1.4 of ETCF, teachers should be able to look at the similarities and differences between Vietnamese and Englishspeaking countries, which was not considered by the examiners of teaching contests Appropriate cultural texts utilized for teaching should be age appropriate as well While the criteria of teaching contests focused on some particular language teaching strategies only (for example, total physical response, interaction, etc.), competency 2.1 of ETCF provided much more comprehensive guidance which concentrates on developing students‟ communication and interactions The strategies used in teaching process were required to be relevant to students‟ abilities, needs, and interests as well Finally, although both criteria of the teaching contests and ETCF took into account of teachers‟ personalities and commitment to teaching, the teaching contests mainly evaluated teacher practices in terms of their desires for sharing their love of English language with students, and some aspects of professional development, life-long learning, 52 6811776 ... multilingual speaker models Reflecting on Language Learning & Teaching Asking questions about teaching, Finding answers to teaching questions 17 2.2.3 EFL teaching and teaching contest in Hai Duong. .. and assessment in Vietnam in general and in Hai Duong in particular The context regarding the provincial teaching contests in Hai Duong province is also discussed in detail Finally, the gaps in. .. following paper involves discovering how ? ?good English language teaching practices” are perceived in the provincial teaching contests in Hai Duong province which is somehow a form of teachers‟ assessment,