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Trang 1 THE IMPACT OF POLICY CHANGE ON THE TEACHING OF SPOKEN ENGLISH IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN THE NORTH MOUNTAINOUS REGION OF VIETNAM Tram Quynh Dang This thesis is presented in fulfilmen
THE IMPACT OF POLICY CHANGE ON THE TEACHING OF SPOKEN ENGLISH IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN THE NORTH MOUNTAINOUS REGION OF VIETNAM Tram Quynh Dang This thesis is presented in fulfilment for the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Education Edith Cowan University 2020 Abstract In response to the pressing demand for English as an international lingua franca for socio-economic development, the Vietnamese government has recently undertaken the reform of foreign language education through the National Foreign Language 2020 Project As part of this reform, English classes have been made compulsory from year 3 of primary school and a new English syllabus was introduced An English textbook series for primary education was developed, based on a communicative language teaching approach, focussed on developing speaking and listening components and featured tasks reflecting child-focussed methods Given training courses and seminars on the new curriculum and textbooks, primary English language teachers were put under pressure to implement the new syllabus and pedagogy, so that ELT changes would happen in primary schools across Vietnam This multiple case study investigated how primary language teachers enacted the new English curriculum and its suggested pedagogy to develop learners’ oral English competence Five English language teachers from three teaching contexts were involved as the cases of the study The three research sites included one city school, one outskirts school, and two remote schools located in three provinces in the north mountainous region of Vietnam At each site, data were collected through structured observations, analysis of teaching materials, and interviews with teachers and their students A case-by-case analysis was undertaken, then findings were compared through a cross-case analysis to answer the research questions Findings of the study indicated surface changes of English language teaching, but critical issues remaining at the deep level of the enactment of the pedagogies required At the surface level, the primary language teachers across the three teaching contexts gained some knowledge of the new curriculum and teaching methods required after professional training courses The study also found that primary ELT content and materials were consistent and child-focused across the different contexts of the case studies This might have been a result of the teachers’ strong assumption that textbooks should drive the teaching However, there was little evidence that teachers fully understood the intentions of the new curriculum and textbooks; and enacted the materials with pedagogical changes as expected Analysis i of classroom data showed that the quality of CLT practice and child-focused tasks promoted by the English language textbooks was generally poor The study findings indicate that this lack of quality was related to the teachers’ lack of understanding of a CLT approach in practice and how to apply appropriate methods to teach ESL to young learners It was also evident that the spoken English competence of the participating teachers, despite some improvement because of the reform process, remained inadequate to support teaching in English and conducting highly interactive CLT activities Finally, the study identified factors that would support teachers in the implementation process including in-service training courses, new child-friendly textbook and electronic materials, and a few teaching facilities in schools Those constraining teachers’ practice of the new pedagogies included the preservation of educational norms on language classes, such as teacher-centred approach, textbook driven teaching, centralising classroom management and noise intolerance The teachers also reported other restraints, such as lack of ELT expertise supports, or lack of teaching aids to assist the teaching of English communicatively to young learners The study identified core competences which would enable EFL teachers to implement a CLT syllabus These are presented as a model which highlights the importance of a high level of spoken English language competence for EFL teachers The other three areas of competence are knowledge of the subject, of the learners, and about the teaching method proposed by ESL literature The study is significant in providing suggestions for Vietnamese ELT reform based on research evidence of classroom teaching practice It is also worth presenting voices from teacher-implementers to Vietnamese top-down policy makers of what worked and what needed further actions ii Declaration I certify that this thesis does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief: i incorporate without acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institution of higher education ii contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text; or iii contain any defamatory material I also grant permission for the Library at Edith Cowan University to make duplicate copies of my thesis as required Signature… Tram Dang…… Date…23/03/2020……… iii Acknowledgements PhD study is a journey with bumps but also excessive joys, explorations and the winning of self-procrastination I could not have completed this dissertation without guidance, supports and enormous encouragement from the wonderful people I have met along the journey I would like to send my sincere thanks to my three supervisors for their guidance at different stages of my journey I gained and grew with the expertise knowledge they shared and led me through I am grateful to Dr Janet Hunter for her overall guidance, expertise and instructions to handle the complicated data process of my multiple case study I would like to express my special thanks to her for her encouragement and emotional support during this journey I would also love to express my gratitude to Dr Rosemary J Allen for her dedicated instructions on my thesis, from the data processing through the thesis shaping and completion I appreciate the countless hours she has spent on my thesis edition, through which I have learnt and improved my academic writing I am also indebted to Dr Yvonne Haig for her guidance in my project initiation and my discussion chapter, particularly her constructive comments on my research model with her ESL expertise I owe them all the knowledge, the dedication, and empathy for difficulties facing an international student For my PhD to happen, I am grateful to VIED-ECU Joint Scholarship for its valuable grant for my course During the journey, I was lucky to receive assistance and encouragement from kind-hearted academia of ECU I would like to thank Dr Bill Allen and Dr Jo McFarlane for instructing and giving me self-confidence to continue the journey at some of my down moments Thank Bev Lurie for her professional edition of my thesis I am also grateful to dedicating ECU staff of School of Education, School of Postgraduate, Library, and Student Success for creating a professional and supportive environment for my study and research I am also indebted to Thai Nguyen University and the School of Foreign Languages to send me to the course I would also like to thank the schools, particularly the teachers and students from the three research sites in Vietnam, who gave their time, willingness and optimism for the project I also acknowledge my PhD colleagues for sharing the up and down moments of the PhD journey iv Particularly, thank you Thinh and Diem, for being patient and listening, helping to clarify my thoughts, and give valuable comments I would like to leave my final special thanks to my husband, Tuy, for inspiring me to take the PhD road, and providing your support during the years Thank you, my sons and Little Bear for giving me strength to overcome this harsh challenge v Table of Contents Abstract … i Declaration iiv Acknowledgements iv Table of Contents vi List of Figures xv List of Tables xvi Abbreviations xvii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Purpose of the Study 3 Statement of the Problem 5 Significance of the Study 6 Research Questions 8 Overview of the Study 8 Organisation of the Thesis 9 CHAPTER 2: CONTEXT OF THE STUDY 11 Vietnamese Educational Change: An Historical View 11 Influence of Chinese Ideologies 11 Foreign Language Learning in the Past 14 Doi Moi 1986 and the Prominence of English Language Learning 15 Structure of the Mainstream Vietnamese Educational System 16 Primary English Language Education Prior to 2008 17 Development of the 2003 English Curriculum 17 Teaching Material Constraints Prior to 2008 19 Primary English Teaching Staff Constraints Prior to 2008 20 Primary English Teaching Pedagogy Constraints Prior to 2008 21 Language Policy Changes to Primary Education Since 2008 22 Overview of National Foreign Language Educational Innovation 23 Aims of the 2020 Project 23 Key Changes in the Primary School English Curriculum 24 2010 English Curriculum 24 Textbook Development 26 vi Teaching Content in Textbooks 27 Accreditation System 29 Human Resources: Teachers 30 Information Communication Technology in EFL 32 Chapter Summary 32 CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE REVIEW 33 First and Second Language Theories 33 Operant Conditioning, Behaviourist Theory and EFL 33 Nativist Theory and Links to EFL 35 Cognitivist Theory and Links to EAL 38 Interactionist Theory and Links to EAL 39 Pragmatist Theory and Links to EAL 44 Approaches Informing the Current Vietnamese Primary English Syllabus 46 Communicative Language Teaching 47 Functional-Notional Approach 50 Task-Based Language Teaching and Collaborative Learning Strategies 50 Techniques for Teaching Speaking to Young EFL Learners 53 Young Learner Characteristics 53 Teaching Techniques for Children 55 Research on Pedagogy Used in Vietnamese Primary Schools 56 Differences Between ESL and EFL Teaching and Learning Contexts 59 Professional Support and Training for Teachers of Primary English 60 Chapter Summary 63 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 64 Research Design 64 Recruiting Schools and Participants 65 Gaining Official Consent 67 Preparing for the Research Project: A Pilot Case Study 67 Timing of Data Collection 68 Data Collection Methods and Instruments 68 Document Analysis 69 Semi-Structured Interviews 69 Interviews with Teachers 69 Focus Groups with Students 70 vii Establishing Rapport with Interview Participants 71 Classroom Observations 71 Triangulation of the Data and Analysis Strategies 72 Trustworthiness Considerations 73 Validation Strategies 73 Member Checking 74 Avoiding Researcher Bias 74 Chapter Summary 75 CHAPTER 5: THE CITY CASES 76 Teaching Context of Hoa Ban Primary School 76 General Setting 76 Linguistic Background of Hoa Ban Students 76 ELT in Hoa Ban Primary School 77 English Programs 78 Local ELT Community 79 Demographic Information of Teacher Participants 79 Hong’s Professional Background 79 Lam’s Professional Background 80 City Teacher 1: Hong – Findings on the Research Questions 82 Hong’s Curricular and Pedagogical Perceptions 82 Perceptions of Teaching English to Primary EFL Learners 82 Interpretation of Teaching Content and Goal 83 Hong’s Pedagogical Practise and Use of Resources 84 Tasks and Teaching Materials 84 Practising the Communicative Language Teaching Approach 85 Teaching Language Knowledge with a CLT Approach 85 Practising Language with a CLT Approach 86 Practising the Project-Based Learning Technique 89 Practising Child-Focused Teaching Techniques 89 Teaching with Songs and Chants 90 Teaching with Stories and Comics 90 Language Used for Instruction 91 Managing Phonics-Experienced Learners 92 Teacher’s Role 93 viii