An investigation into foreign language anxiety on classroom involvement of non english major students at a university in vietnam

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY - HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE AN INVESTIGATION INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY ON CLASSROOM INVOLVEMENT OF NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT A UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM A thesis submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics & Literature in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL By TRAN VIET ANH Supervised by TRAN THE PHI, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY, JUNE 2023 AN INVESTIGATION INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY ON CLASSROOM INVOLVEMENT OF NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT A UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Tran The Phi, for his insightful comments and thorough instruction during the accomplishment of this thesis Without his continuous support, valuable guidance and unceasing encouragement, this thesis of mine would have never been completed I would love to extend my sincere thanks to Dr Le Hoang Dung for allowing me to collect data for my study at the Center for Foreign Languages I am also grateful to the teachers and students there for their cooperation and support during my data collection procedure Moreover, I owe the completion of my thesis to Dr Pham Thi Bich Ngoc for helping me find relevant literature My heartfelt appreciation also goes to Dr Tran Anh Tien, Dr Nguyen Thanh Tung, and Mr Nguyen Xuan Truong for supporting me with statistical computation and analysis Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my family for trusting me, accompanying me during the toughest time, and encouraging me to keep going when I wanted to give up i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of this thesis entitled ‘An investigation into foreign language anxiety on classroom involvement of non-English major students at a university in Vietnam’ This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other institution Ho Chi Minh City, June, 2023 Tran Viet Anh ii RETENTION OF USE I hereby state that I, Tran Viet Anh, being the candidate for the degree of Master of Arts in TESOL, accept the requirements of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City relating to the retention and use of master’s thesis deposited in the library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the library should be accessible for the purpose of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the library for the care, loan or reproduction of theses Ho Chi Minh City, June, 2023 Tran Viet Anh iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ii RETENTION OF USE iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF FIGURES x ABSTRACT xi CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Significance of the study 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Organization of thesis chapters CHAPTER 2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW Anxiety 2.1.1 Definitions of anxiety 2.1.2 Approaches to anxiety study in language learning 2.2 Foreign language anxiety 10 2.2.1 Definition of foreign language anxiety 10 2.2.2 Components of foreign language anxiety 10 2.2.2.1 Communication apprehension 14 iv 2.2.2.2 Test anxiety 15 2.2.2.3 Fear of negative evaluation 16 2.2.3 2.3 Measure of foreign language anxiety 16 Classroom involvement 18 2.3.1 Definition of classroom involvement 18 2.3.2 Components of classroom involvement 19 2.3.2.1 Behavioral involvement 22 2.3.2.2 Emotional involvement 22 2.3.2.3 Cognitive involvement 23 2.3.3 Measure of classroom involvement 24 2.4 The effects of foreign language anxiety on classroom involvement 25 2.5 The conceptual framework 28 2.6 Chapter summary 29 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 31 3.1 Research questions 31 3.2 Research design 32 3.3 Context of the study 32 3.4 Sample and sampling procedures 33 3.5 Pilot study 35 3.6 Research instruments 37 3.6.1 Questionnaire 37 3.6.2 Semi-structured interview 41 3.6.3 Validity and reliability of research instruments 44 3.7 Data collection procedure 45 v 3.8 Data analysis scheme 47 3.8.1 Questionnaire 47 3.8.2 Semi-structured interview 48 3.9 Chapter summary 48 CHAPTER 4.1 Findings 49 4.1.1 Quantitative findings 50 4.1.1.1 Descriptive statistics 50 4.1.1.2 Assessment of the reliability of the questionnaire 52 4.1.1.3 Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) 54 4.1.1.4 Pearson correlation analysis 56 4.1.1.5 Multiple linear regression 57 4.1.2 4.2 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 49 Qualitative findings 65 4.1.2.1 Communication apprehension on classroom involvement 65 4.1.2.2 Fear of negative evaluation on classroom involvement 72 Discussion 77 4.2.1 Research question 77 4.2.2 Research question 81 4.3 Chapter summary 82 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 83 5.1 Summary of findings 83 5.2 Pedagogical implications 84 5.2.1 For teachers of non-English major students 84 5.2.2 For non-English major students 87 vi 5.2.3 For teacher trainers 88 5.3 Limitations of the study 88 5.4 Recommendations for further study 89 REFERENCES 92 APPENDICES 108 Appendix A: Summary of the participants’ demographic information 108 Appendix B: Reliability statistics of the preliminary pilot questionnaire 111 Appendix C: Reliability statistics of the revised pilot questionnaire 113 Appendix D: Questionnaire (English version) 115 Appendix E: Questionnaire (Vietnamese version) 118 Appendix F: Interview protocol for students (English version) 121 Appendix G: Interview protocol for students (Vietnamese version) 122 Appendix H: Interview protocol for teachers (English version) 123 Appendix I: Interview protocol for teachers (Vietnamese version) 124 Appendix J: Research consent form (English version) 125 Appendix K: Research consent form (Vietnamese version) 126 Appendix L: Exploratory Factor Analysis statistics 127 Appendix M: Pearson correlation analysis statistics 130 Appendix N: Interview transcript 131 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ANOVA: Analysis of variance β: Beta CFA: Confirmatory Factor Analysis CFL: Center for Foreign Languages EFA: Exploratory Factor Analysis EFL: English as a foreign language FLA: foreign language anxiety FLCAS: Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale H: hypothesis KMO: Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin NFLP: National Foreign Languages Project S: student SES: Student Engagement Scale Sig.: significance level SPSS: Statistical Product and Services Solutions T: teacher USSH, VNUHCM: University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City VIF: Variance Inflation Factor viii Interviewee: Like speaking English in pairs or groups, my heart beats very fast I also tremble and stutter However, I feel more scared of making presentations than speaking in pairs or groups because you know I’m afraid of the crowd I don’t want many people to look at me, especially when I haven’t well-prepared and don’t know what to say Interviewer: So if you prepare your presentation well, you won’t be afraid anymore, right? Interviewee: Not really Even when I have prepared my presentation well, I still tremble because as I said before, I’m afraid of the crowd My hands are sweaty and I still don’t dare look at anyone while presenting But of course, it’s better than when I don’t prepare anything Interviewer: How you feel when you are listening to your teacher delivering lectures in English? Interviewee: I go to English class because I have to, so there’s nothing special when I’m listening to my teacher delivering lectures Interviewer: There’s no special feeling even when you don’t understand the lesson? Interviewee: It’s usual for students not to understand the lesson Interviewer: How you feel about your teacher’s negative evaluation when you make mistakes in your English class? Interviewee: I feel shy because other classmates will look at me Even though I still feel shy when being negatively evaluated in front of other classmates, the teacher’s subtlety in giving feedback makes me more comfortable Interviewer: How you feel about your friends’ negative evaluation when you make mistakes in your English class? Interviewee: I don’t really know about my feelings then My friends rarely give me negative evaluations Interviewer: So in these situations, you experience negative or positive emotions? Interviewee: Uhm, maybe negative I think I feel shy a little bit or something like that Interviewer: How you think the feelings you have shared affect your classroom involvement? Interviewee: I’m shy when communicating with classmates in English, so I try to avoid discussion activities as much as I can It’s the same for making English presentations My deep anxiety about speaking English in front of many people prevents me from actively participating in public speaking activities Interviewer: You’re also shy when the teacher and friends give you negative evaluations How these feelings affect your classroom involvement? Interviewee: I think they reduce my level of classroom involvement I feel extremely ashamed of being negatively evaluated publicly, so I don’t dare to raise my hand to express ideas Interviewer: You find it OK when listening to the teacher delivering lectures in English How does this feeling affect your classroom involvement? 141 Interviewee: As I said before, there’s nothing special when I’m listening to my teacher delivering lectures, so I don’t think it affects my classroom involvement STUDENT Interviewer: What is your faculty or department? Interviewee: My faculty is Psychology Interviewer: What is your year of study? Interviewee: I’m a sophomore Interviewer: When did you start learning English? Interviewee: I’ve been learning since I was in grade Interviewer: How often you use English in your daily life? Interviewee: In daily life? Interviewer: Yeah, outside the university Interviewee: I sometimes use English to talk with my close friends, but most of the time we use Vietnamese Interviewer: How you feel when you are speaking English in pairs or groups? Interviewee: I’m a bit embarrassed You know, my English is OK, but my speaking skills are not good I know this grammar point, obviously, but when I speak, I cannot control myself and make a lot of grammatical mistakes Interviewer: How you feel when you are making an English presentation in front of the whole class? Interviewee: I’m a bit afraid of public speaking In such situations, you know my hands suddenly become sweaty and shaky; my heart rate increases I suddenly forget some parts in my presentation although I have prepared it carefully Interviewer: How you feel when you are listening to your teacher delivering lectures in English? Interviewee: I’m interested in listening to my teacher speaking English because I consider it a chance for me to improve my listening skills Interviewer: So you understand all of what the teacher says? Interviewee: Of course, not Interviewer: So, in case you don’t understand the lecture, how you feel? Interviewee: I think it’s normal If we understood all of what the teacher was saying, we wouldn’t be students anymore Interviewer: How you feel about your teacher’s negative evaluation when you make mistakes in your English class? Interviewee: I get used to receiving criticisms, so I’m not afraid of teacher’s negative evaluations They are inevitable in class, you know Interviewer: How you feel about your friends’ negative evaluation when you make mistakes in your English class? Interviewee: I’m a bit shy Interviewer: Earlier you said that you are used to receiving criticisms, so why you feel shy now? 142 Interviewee: I don’t know Maybe I feel better to receive negative evaluation from people older than me Interviewer: How you think the feelings you have shared affect your classroom involvement? Interviewee: I’m embarrassed when speaking English with friends, so when we’re discussing one topic, it’s easy for me to lose concentration I cannot generate ideas effectively Similarly, I get bored with presentations I dislike being chosen to be the representative of my group to present in front of the class Interviewer: How about the feelings in the other three situations? How they affect your classroom involvement? Interviewee: Well, I listen to the lectures in a relaxed mood I think it makes me understand the lesson better And the more I understand the lesson, the more I’m interested in the class Can you please repeat the last two situations? Interviewer: Sure, they are when you receive negative evaluations from the teacher and friends Interviewee: I really appreciate these evaluations from teacher and try to get involved more in activities to be evaluated Honestly, I have great respect for dedicated teachers who try their best to find out students’ mistakes and give suggestions to them In contrast, I don’t like my friends a little bit though it goes away very quickly STUDENT 10 Interviewer: What is your faculty or department? Interviewee: I’m studying at the Faculty of Sociology Interviewer: What is your year of study? Interviewee: I’m a freshman Interviewer: When did you start learning English? Interviewee: In grade Interviewer: How often you use English in your daily life? Interviewee: Almost never Interviewer: Can you explain more in detail? Interviewee: Outside my English class, I seldom communicate with others in English Interviewer: How you feel when you are speaking English in pairs or groups? Interviewee: Every time I have to participate in group discussion or pair work speaking activities, I am very shy because I don’t know what to say It usually takes me a long time to come up with a single idea I think it’s because my vocabulary is poor Interviewer: How you feel when you are making an English presentation in front of the whole class? Interviewee: I’m shy even when speaking English in just a small group, so of course I feel anxious about making an English presentation in front of the class Interviewer: Can you say something more about your anxiety in this case? 143 Interviewee: I tremble When I can prepare my presentation in advance at home, I feel less shaky However, when I’m suddenly called upon to present ideas in class, I’m very scared Interviewer: How you feel when you are listening to your teacher delivering lectures in English? Interviewee: I’m glad when I understand what the teaching is saying However, when I don’t understand the lesson, I’m very confused and my heart seems to beat faster Interviewer: How you feel about your teacher’s negative evaluation when you make mistakes in your English class? Interviewee: I welcome teacher’s negative evaluations I note them down and learn from them so that I won’t repeat the mistakes anymore I don’t feel worried about being laughed at when I make mistakes Interviewer: How you feel about your friends’ negative evaluation when you make mistakes in your English class? Interviewee: I welcome negative evaluations from friends I even feel comfortable with them than those from the teacher However, friends are not teachers Friends’ level of English proficiency is also nearly similar to mine, so it’s hard to completely believe in their feedback Interviewer: How you think the feelings you have shared affect your classroom involvement? Interviewee: Even though I’m anxious about speaking activities, I still get involved in them, first to satisfy the requirements in class, second to improve my English so that I can get the certificate for graduation Interviewer: As you’ve shared, you can get confused and your heart rate increases when listening to the teacher giving lectures in English Does this affect your classroom involvement? Interviewee: Yes, the more anxious I am when listening to English lectures, the more I try to invest in improving my English skills More specifically, if there’s something unclear to me, I will more research on this at home Interviewer: How about the last two situations which are when you receive negative evaluations from teacher and friends Do the feelings you experience affect your classroom involvement? Interviewee: I really appreciate these evaluations because thanks to which, I can know my mistakes Therefore, I tend to make use of chances to express myself so that I can get more evaluations to improve my English STUDENT 11 Interviewer: What is your faculty or department? Interviewee: I’m studying at the Faculty of Archives and Office Management Interviewer: What is your year of study? Interviewee: I’m a freshman Interviewer: When did you start learning English? 144 Interviewee: As I remember, I started learning English when I was in grade Interviewer: How often you use English in your daily life? Interviewee: I rarely use it in my daily life because almost everyone around me is Vietnamese Only when I’m in the mood for practicing English, I will use it to chat with my friends, but it’s not often because I’m so lazy Interviewer: How you feel when you are speaking English in pairs or groups? Interviewee: I feel a bit worried because my English is not good in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary, etc I’m afraid that I cannot contribute anything to the discussions, which can affect my friends regarding evaluative activities after that Interviewer: How you feel when you are making an English presentation in front of the whole class? Interviewee: I feel confident about making presentations in class Interviewer: Earlier you said that you feel worried about group discussions, but now confident about making English presentations which is believed to be difficult than speaking in a group Can you explain it? Interviewee: Ah, I’m worried about group discussions because I’m afraid that my English will affect my group This is different from presentation which is my own work, so I was like take it easy Interviewer: How you feel when you are listening to your teacher delivering lectures in English? Interviewee: Actually, there’s nothing special It’s easy to just sit and listen to someone speaking If you don’t understand, you can ask Take it easy Interviewer: How you feel about your teacher’s negative evaluation when you make mistakes in your English class? Interviewee: I don’t really like receiving negative feedback even constructive and elegant feedback It’s because I hate the fact that everyone will look at me when the teacher calls me and give me feedback Interviewer: How you feel about your friends’ negative evaluation when you make mistakes in your English class? Interviewee: I’m not worried about my friends’ negative comments I feel relaxed and I think these comments are more receptive than teachers’ comments Interviewer: How you think the feelings you have shared affect your classroom involvement? Interviewee: I really don’t want to participate in discussion activities because I’m worried about them Interviewer: You don’t feel worried when making English presentations and listening to the teacher delivering lectures in English Do these feelings make you want to participate in class activities more? Interviewee: I don’t think the feelings in these situations affect my classroom involvement I still get involved in activities as usual Interviewer: How about the last two situations, when you receive negative evaluation from teacher and friends? 145 Interviewee: I don’t like my teacher a little bit when he gives me negative feedback Maybe it’s because I feel self-pitying In contrast, I feel comfortable with friend’s feedback, so I tend to ask them to help find out my mistakes Teacher interview TEACHER Interviewer: What is your highest earned degree? Interviewee: Bachelor of English Linguistics I’d completed the courses in the Master’s program in Education Management, but I didn’t finish my thesis on time, so it’s gone Never mind Interviewer: How long have you been teaching English for non-English major students? Interviewee: Since 2003 Up to now, it’s been ten years Interviewer: Do you think that your students have difficulty speaking English in pairs or groups? Interviewee: Yes, of course They’re non-English major students, so they’re not confident about speaking English They feel shy because they cannot express their ideas in English clearly Interviewer: Do you think that your students have difficulty making English presentations in front of the whole class? Interviewee: As I said before, my students are non-English majors They have difficulty even in speaking in pairs or groups, so it must be far more difficult for them to make an English presentation Many of them are anxious about this type of task Interviewer: Can you share more about their anxiety? Interviewee: They’re scared of public speaking Moreover, this is English public speaking, so they’re more scared of I can see they trembling and their voice quivering while presenting However, they will feel better if I give them a period of time for preparation Interviewer: When you are delivering lectures in English, what are your students’ reactions? Interviewee: Some look at me intently Some avoid eye contact with me I’m not really sure, but these students seem to miss some points in the lecture Interviewer: What are your students’ reactions when they make mistakes and receive your negative evaluation in English class? Interviewee: They just listen to and accept my evaluation Interviewer: So they accept your evaluation with ease, without any negative reactions? Interviewee: I don’t know what they really think or feel However, based on what I can observe, I haven’t seen students’ negative reactions I often encourage my students not to worry about making mistakes and receiving my comments because these things are normal in a foreign language class Instead, they should acknowledge their mistakes and rectify them 146 Interviewer: What are your students’ reactions when they make mistakes and receive their classmates’ negative evaluation in English class? Interviewee: Like the case of teacher’s evaluation, I don’t notice students’ negative reactions when receiving their friends’ evaluations They seem to feel more comfortable with friends’ evaluations than teacher’ evaluations If they’re not sure about the evaluations from friends, they will ask me for confirmation Interviewer: How you think the reactions you have shared affect your students’ classroom involvement? Interviewee: At the beginning, the students are anxious about speaking in front of others and hate being selected as the presenter After given practices, their anxiety level seems to be lower and they are more engaged in speaking activities Interviewer: How the feelings students experience when you deliver lectures in English affect their classroom involvement? Interviewee: Well, those who seem to be anxious when they don’t understand the lesson tend to get distracted easily Interviewer: How the feelings your students experience when receiving negative evaluations from the teacher and friends affect their classroom involvement? Interviewee: They tend to raise voice more to be evaluated Some even ask me whether they a word right or wrong Regarding whether students feel comfortable or suffer from fear of friends’ negative feedback has effects on their classroom involvement, I cannot say However, theoretically I think this fear is likely to reduce students’ interest in class discussions TEACHER Interviewer: What is your highest earned degree? Interviewee: Bachelor of English Linguistics Interviewer: How long have you been teaching English for non-English major students? Interviewee: I’ve been teaching English for non-English major students since 1994, when this university was the University of Ho Chi Minh City Interviewer: Do you think that your students have difficulty speaking English in pairs or groups? Interviewee: Yes, sometimes they don’t have ideas to discuss with friends Some students have ideas, but don’t have enough vocabulary to express them Interviewer: Then these difficulties result in their negative emotions? Interviewee: I don’t think so I notice that when students have the difficulties that I’ve just shared, they will ask their friends for ideas or look up the dictionary for vocabulary I don’t see they’re anxious or something like that Interviewer: Do you think that your students have difficulty making English presentations in front of the whole class? Interviewee: Yes, it’s like the case of speaking in pairs or groups, the students lack English input I also don’t think they suffer from anxiety because you know students 147 today are fearless and full of energy Moreover, I always create a friendly atmosphere in class, so there’s nothing to be anxious about Interviewer: When you are delivering lectures in English, what are your students’ reactions? Interviewee: Those who understand what I’m saying don’t have any special reaction They just look me in the eye and listen to me Those who don’t understand tend to frown and avoid eye contact with the teacher Interviewer: What are your students’ reactions when they make mistakes and receive your negative evaluation in English class? Interviewee: Some students are excited about my evaluation because they can recognize their mistakes Others don’t have any special reactions I often heard that students tend to feel afraid of teacher’s evaluation, but honestly, I don’t think my students It’s probably because I don’t give comments on any specific student in front of the class I collect common mistakes and make evaluation Interviewer: What are your students’ reactions when they make mistakes and receive their classmates’ negative evaluation in English class? Interviewee: Actually, friends don’t often give each other feedback In case they are asked to do, the evaluations tend to be positive Negative evaluations usually come from close friends, so there is nothing to be afraid of Interviewer: How you think the reactions you have shared affect your students’ classroom involvement? Interviewee: I don’t think students’ reactions affect whether they participate in speaking activities such as discussions and presentations They still participate in these activities because they’re asked to that However, those who tend to feel anxious and frown when listening to me don’t seem to focus on the lesson as much as others Interviewer: How reactions students experience when receiving teacher’s and friends’ negative evaluations affect their classroom involvement? Interviewee: Students who aren’t afraid of teacher evaluation tend to be more active than others They try to speak and draw my attention because they want to receive feedback However, I don’t think students’ feelings about peer feedback affect their classroom involvement TEACHER Interviewer: What is your highest earned degree? Interviewee: I got the MA’s degree in TESOL, also at this university Interviewer: How long have you been teaching English for non-English major students? Interviewee: Since September, 2021 Interviewer: Do you think that your students have difficulty speaking English in pairs or groups? Interviewee: My students are non-English majors, so it’s inevitable for them to have problems speaking English in pairs or groups 148 Interviewer: Can you tell me more about that? Interviewee: Sure Some students are afraid to speak English with friends due to a shortage of vocabulary and ideas Their worry can be seen through their stammering and eye-rolling Interviewer: Do you think that your students have difficulty making English presentations in front of the whole class? Interviewee: Actually, I rarely let my students this type of activity because we don’t have time in class, so I think my opinions may be quite subjective But I still think my students have difficulty with public speaking skills Interviewer: Can you clarify a little bit? Interviewee: Well, a lack of ideas and vocabulary is also a difficulty they’re facing Besides, they seem to worried about speaking in front of many people I also notice they stammer and roll eyes Interviewer: When you are delivering lectures in English, what are your students’ reactions? Interviewee: Students still pay attention to the lecture when I first say one or two sentences in English When I continue speaking English, some of them don’t get my points Interviewer: What these students then? Interviewee: Some students raise their hand to ask me to repeat or explain the points they missed during the lesson; some others wait until the break Interviewer: What are your students’ reactions when they make mistakes and receive your negative evaluation in English class? Interviewee: Well, there’s nothing special They feel it’s normal to receive my evaluation when they make mistakes Interviewer: They aren’t anxious about your negative evaluations, right? Interviewee: I don’t think students are anxious about my negative evaluations They usually listen to my suggestions carefully and sometimes nod in agreement Interviewer: What are your students’ reactions when they make mistakes and receive their classmates’ negative evaluation in English class? Interviewee: Students feel more comfortable receiving negative evaluations from peers than those from the teacher It is easy to understand because they are of the same generation However, the students are sometimes a bit doubtful about their peers’ feedback Interviewer: How you think the reactions you have shared affect your students’ classroom involvement? Interviewee: I think negative reactions reduce and positive reactions increase students’ level of classroom involvement Particularly, the anxiety students suffer from when speaking English with classmates considerably reduces their attentiveness The more they feel anxious, the more they lose concentration Likewise, students are worried about making presentations, so they don’t find this activity interesting 149 Interviewer: How reactions students have when listening to you delivering lectures in English, receiving negative evaluations from you and friends affect their classroom involvement? Interviewee: As I’ve shared, students are not worried about anything when listening to me I think this is the reason why they greatly concentrate on the lesson It’s the same when students receive teacher and peer evaluations They don’t worry about these evaluations, so they feel free to express opinions to contribute to the lesson TEACHER Interviewer: What is your highest earned degree? Interviewee: It’s bachelor and I’m studying for a master’s degree at Ho Chi Minh University of Technology Interviewer: How long have you been teaching English for non-English major students? Interviewee: It’s more than two years, but I just started teaching here one year ago Interviewer: Do you think that your students have difficulty speaking English in pairs or groups? Interviewee: In the first few days of the course, many students didn’t know each other well, so they were a bit timid when being asked to speaking activities in pairs or groups After that, some become more confident while some are still shy Interviewer: Can you tell me more about that? Interviewee: Sure Some students are afraid to speak English with friends due to a shortage of vocabulary and ideas Their worry can be seen through their stammering and eye-rolling Interviewer: Do you think that your students have difficulty making English presentations in front of the whole class? Interviewee: Yes, of course There’re many difficulties that students encounter when making an English presentation First, their vocabulary is poor Second, their pronunciation is not really good These limitations make the students shy and not confident about speaking English in front of others, which is clearly reflected by their reactions Interviewer: Can you name some of these reactions? Interviewee: Well, whenever shy students are asked to present in front of the class or just simply stand up and answer my questions, their hands keep waving; their eyes keep rolling seeking support from the teacher and close friends Interviewer: When you are delivering lectures in English, what are your students’ reactions? Interviewee: They seem to be relaxed when they understand what I’m saying Sometimes, they nod in agreement Interviewer: What if they don’t understand the lesson? Interviewee: Well, their faces seem to be, how to say, a little bit “silly”, but then they’re OK You know, I often use concept checking questions to see whether 150 students understand what I have said or not If they not understand, I will explain to them again Interviewer: What are your students’ reactions when they make mistakes and receive your negative evaluation in English class? Interviewee: Some nod in agreement They were like oh so it is Some keep silent They seem to feel a bit shy when being evaluated in front of the class Interviewer: What are your students’ reactions when they make mistakes and receive their classmates’ negative evaluation in English class? Interviewee: If students with a higher level of English proficiency give feedback to those with a lower level of English proficiency, the latter will agree with the feedback with ease Interviewer: What if students with higher level of English proficiency receive feedback from those with lower level of English proficiency? Interviewee: Well, I haven’t seen this situation Maybe students with a lower level of English proficiency are not sure about their English, so they don’t dare to give feedback to others Interviewer: How you think the reactions you have shared affect your students’ classroom involvement? Interviewee: Regarding students’ reactions to pair or group discussions, confident students with better communication skills tend to participate actively in class and volunteer to be the first person to share their ideas In contrast, timid students want to keep silent as much as possible Regarding reactions to presentations, confident students tend to volunteer to talk first or represent their group to deliver their presentations and anxious students usually remain silent during public speaking activities Interviewer: How about the other three situations? Interviewee: Well, I notice students listen to me during the lesson carefully Besides, students who feel comfortable with my negative comments tend to raise their voice more to receive feedback Although they sometimes still make the same mistakes, I can notice their efforts in learning from the mistakes that have been pointed out Sorry, I don’t remember the last situation Can you repeat it, please? Interviewer: It is when students receive negative evaluations from their friends Interviewee: Well, I’m not sure, but maybe when they feel comfortable with these evaluations, they will raise their voice more TEACHER Interviewer: What is your highest earned degree? Interviewee: Master of English Linguistics Interviewer: How long have you been teaching English for non-English major students? Interviewee: It’s ten years Interviewer: Do you think that your students have difficulty speaking English in pairs or groups? 151 Interviewee: Yes, they’re quite passive in these activities It’s probably because they don’t have ideas to share or don’t have enough vocabulary to express opinions I also notice that whenever they encounter these difficulties, they tend to get worried; some even encounter trembling and stuttering Interviewer: Do you think that your students have difficulty making English presentations in front of the whole class? Interviewee: Certainly, they’re non-English major students Most of my students are not confident about presenting in front of the whole class They avoid making eye contact with listeners; some even tremble badly Interviewer: When you are delivering lectures in English, what are your students’ reactions? Interviewee: There’s nothing special with the students who understand the lectures Regarding those who don’t understand what I’m saying, I notice emptiness in their look Interviewer: Do you recognize any negative feelings experienced by students who don’t understand the lesson? Interviewee: No I often tell my students that I’m here to answer your questions Thus, if you don’t understand anything, don’t worry, please ask me I think it greatly contributes to the students’ emotions Interviewer: What are your students’ reactions when they make mistakes and receive your negative evaluation in English class? Interviewee: They don’t have any negative reactions They’re comfortable about receiving my feedback Interviewer: What are your students’ reactions when they make mistakes and receive their classmates’ negative evaluation in English class? Interviewee: Like teacher’s evaluation, they’re comfortable about receiving that from friends I think they even feel more relaxed about the latter Interviewer: How you think the reactions you have shared affect your students’ classroom involvement? Interviewee: As I’ve mentioned, students are worried about and passive in pair or group discussion activities Therefore, it can be said that students afraid of oral communication are not interested in speaking activities Similarly, confident students are interested in presentations because they consider these activities an opportunity for them to show their English level as well as to improve their English In contrast, for shy students, presentation exercises are really like a nightmare Interviewer: How the reactions students have when listening to you delivering lectures in English affect their classroom involvement? Interviewee: They know they can ask me if they don’t understand something, so they seem to concentrate more on the lesson Interviewer: How the reactions students have when receiving negative feedback from teacher and peers affect their classroom involvement? Interviewee: Students feel comfortable about my feedback, so when I give them feedback, they try to listen to me carefully and learn from it For peer feedback, it’s 152 hard to say, but probably fear of peer negative feedback can decrease the students’ talking time during class TEACHER Interviewer: What is your highest earned degree? Interviewee: Master of Education Management Interviewer: How long have you been teaching English for non-English major students? Interviewee: I started teaching English for non-English majors since 2010 Interviewer: Do you think that your students have difficulty speaking English in pairs or groups? Interviewee: I think most of the students don’t have difficulty speaking English in pairs or groups because they’re at the same level and they have the support from the Internet Interviewer: How about the other? Interviewee: Some other students are shy and passive Based on my observations, they rarely raise their voice It can be because of first their introvert personality, second their low level of language proficiency compared to others Interviewer: Do you think that your students have difficulty making English presentations in front of the whole class? Interviewee: I think many of my students are extremely anxious about this type of activity Interviewer: Can you share more about these students? Interviewee: When anxious students are asked to make a presentation or just simply give an answer in front of the class, I can see that they feel extremely stressed They speak incoherently and may not even speak at all I think they have ideas but they will probably present them better in a more private context Interviewer: When you are delivering lectures in English, what are your students’ reactions? Interviewee: It’s easy to notice when students don’t understand the lecture They tend to squirm Based on their facial expressions, I can imagine that they seem to have thousands of unanswered questions, so I start to speak Vietnamese again Interviewer: What are your students’ reactions when they make mistakes and receive your negative evaluation in English class? Interviewee: They’re happy to receive my evaluation They also try to absorb it, but they forget it quite easily They often repeat their mistakes Interviewer: What are your students’ reactions when they make mistakes and receive their classmates’ negative evaluation in English class? Interviewee: It’s almost the same as when students receive my evaluations that I’ve just shared However, while they tend to completely believe in the teacher’s evaluations, sometimes, they seem to feel doubtful about their friends’ Interviewer: How you think the reactions you have shared affect your students’ classroom involvement? 153 Interviewee: I’ve shared already Students rarely raise their voice because they’re shy when communicating with friends in English Similarly, anxious students don’t want to take part in presentation activities Interviewer: Based on what you’ve shared about the reactions students have when listening to you delivering lectures in English, it can be inferred that your students experience receiver anxiety So, how does it affect your students’ classroom involvement? Interviewee: It’s interesting that students suffering from receiver anxiety frequently don’t want to seek the teacher’s explanation for unclear points They gradually cannot catch up with the others and leave the class early more often Interviewer: How reactions students have when receiving negative evaluations from teacher and friends affect their classroom involvement? Interviewee: As I’ve said, students try to absorb my evaluations I think they also try to participate more in class because if they keep passive, I cannot tell them what their mistakes are However, I don’t think students’ level of classroom involvement increases because they feel comfortable with peer feedback I think it may because they don’t really trust their friends TEACHER Interviewer: What is your highest earned degree? Interviewee: Bachelor of English Linguistics Interviewer: How long have you been teaching English for non-English major students? Interviewee: It’s more than eight years, since 2014 Interviewer: Do you think that your students have difficulty speaking English in pairs or groups? Interviewee: It depends on the students Some have and some don’t Interviewer: Can you clarify it a little bit? Interviewee: Those whose English proficiency is greater than that of others tend to find it easy to speak English in groups or pairs Those who seem to be introvert, especially those whose English proficiency is lower than others in pairs or groups, are quite anxious They appear to be afraid of these activities, and every time I stand next to them or just pass by them, I can notice they start to stammer Interviewer: Do you think that your students have difficulty making English presentations in front of the whole class? Interviewee: Honestly, I don’t usually ask students to make presentations because it’s quite time-consuming in a general English class you know However, through a few presentations, I can see that my students experience a fear of public speaking I remember a term used to call this fear Ah, it’s stage fright Interviewer: Can you share more about these students? Interviewee: There will be some tangible signs of these students that you can easily notice For example, the students who experience stage fright tend to lean on the 154 teacher’s desk, and cannot speak clearly Their eyes often look at the ceiling or somewhere else, but hardly look at the audience Interviewer: When you are delivering lectures in English, what are your students’ reactions? Interviewee: To be honest, most of the time I use Vietnamese to deliver lectures When I change to English with the aim of improving students’ listening comprehension, those who understand what I’m saying feel OK They don’t have any special reactions However, those who don’t understand tend to frown more and more heavily Interviewer: What are your students’ reactions when they make mistakes and receive your negative evaluation in English class? Interviewee: There are two cases Extrovert students are comfortable with my evaluation Some even ask me for explanation if the evaluation doesn’t sound logic to them However, introvert students feel a bit shy Interviewer: What are your students’ reactions when they make mistakes and receive their classmates’ negative evaluation in English class? Interviewee: Students accept the evaluations from their friends easily Introvert students are a little bit shy like when they receive my negative evaluation Interviewer: How you think the reactions you have shared affect your students’ classroom involvement? Interviewee: I don’t think the reactions students have when speaking English in pairs or groups affect their classroom involvement Both anxious and confident students get involved in the activities as required However, interestingly, students with stage fright tend to avoid making presentations whenever they can like group presentation but one presenter Interviewer: According to you, anxious students still get involved in the speaking activities in pairs or groups, but try to avoid making presentations It doesn’t sound logic to me Interviewee: Well, it’s because making presentation is much harder than speaking in pairs or groups Interviewer: How reactions students have when listening to you delivering lectures in English affect their classroom involvement? Interviewee: Students who seem to be anxious will gradually lose focus, then lose interest in the lesson, and end up surfing their mobile phones Since then, they don’t even bother thinking about what is going on in the class Interviewer: How reactions students have when receiving negative evaluation from teacher and friends affect their classroom involvement? Interviewee: For teacher’s evaluations, anxious students always want to avoid evaluative situations by trying to keep quiet in class Regarding friends’ evaluations, it’s hard to determine whether students’ reactions have effects on classroom involvement or not However, in my opinion, negative reactions contribute to reducing classroom involvement and vice versa 155