an investigation into the impact of socio-cultural factors on learning english out of class by english majors at hue university college of foreign languages

The current study investigates the impact of socio-cultural factors onlearning English out of class by English majors at Hue University College ofForeign Languages.. The second aim is to

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS 4

ABSTRACT 6

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 7

1.1 Rationale 7

1.2 Aims of the study 8

1.3 Research significance 8

1.4 Research questions 9

1.5 Scope of the study 9

1.6 Structure of the thesis 9

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 11

2.1 Introduction 11

2.2 Socio-cultural factors 11

2.2.1 Social factors 11

2.2.2 Social attitudes 14

2.2.3 Culture 15

2.2.4 Population 17

2.2.5 Learning environment 18

2.3 Learning English out of class versus in class 20

2.3.1 Learning English out of class 20

2.3.2 Learning English in class 22

2.3.2.1.The main roles of the teachers and students in classroom activities……… 2

3 2.3.2.2.The teaching and learning process 25

2.3.2.3.The interaction between the teacher and students 27

2.4 Self-study 29

2.5.The impact of socio-cultural factors on learning English out of class……… ………31

2.5.1.Social factors……… 31

2.5.2.Cultural factors……… 33

2.6 Previous studies relating to the research 36

2.7 Summary 38

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 39

3.1 Introduction 39

3.2 Research design and approach 39

3.3 Participants 40

3.4 Instruments of data collection 40

3.4.1 Questionnaires 40

3.4.2 Interviews 41

3.5 Data collection procedure 42

3.6 Data analysis methods 42

3.7 Summary 42

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 44

4.1 Introduction 44

4.2 Results from the questionnaires and interviews 44

4.2.1 The impact of social factors on learning English out of class (Cluster 1) 45

4.2.2 The impact of cultural factors on learning English out of class (Cluster 2) 50

4.2.3 How the social factors have influences on learning Engish out of class (Cluster 3) 56

4.2.4 How the cultural factors have effects on learning Engish out of class (Cluster 4) 61

4.3 Summary 70

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR

FURTHER RESEARCH 71

5.1 Summary of the key findings 71

5.2 Implications 73

5.2.1 Implications for teachers 73

5.2.2 Implications for administrators 74

5.2.3 Implications for students………75

5.3 Contribution of the study 76

5.4 Limitations of the study 77

5.5 Suggestions for further research 77

5.6 Conclusion 78

REFERENCES 79 Appendix 1: Questionnaires

Appendix 2: Interview questions

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1 Summary of the questionnaire components………41Table 4.1 The reliability of the piloted questionnaires……… 44 Table 4.2 The reliability of the questionnaires………45Table 4.3 Mean score of the impact of social factors on learning English out ofclass by English majors………46Table 4.4 Frequencies and percentage of opinions on the fact that students in bigcities have better English competence than those in rural remote areas………….47Table 4.5 Mean score of the effects of social-factors on learning English out ofclass by English majors at College of Foreign Languages……… 57Table 4.6 Frequency of item 8: I dare not ask for clarification in class for fear oflosing face Therefore, I seek ways of studying English out of class to become moreself-confident in public……….61Table 4.7 Frequency of item 10: Students dare not exchange their ideas with theteachers because of hierarchical relationships, so they want self-study throughfriends, forums, internets and so on………62Table 4.8 Frequency of item 13: Vietnamese students’ unwillingness to expressopinions is due to Confucian morality Thus, they want to learn out of class to havechances to show their own ideas……… 62Table 4.9 Frequency of item 17: Vietnamese students tend to avoid arguing anddebating with others about disagreement of ideas………63

LIST OF FIGURES AND CHARTS

Figure 2.1 Essential aspects of the ideal teaching-learningprocess 27

Chart 4.1 Percentage of English majors’ agreement with the impact of one’s… 50 Chart 4.2 Percentage of students’ opinions of negative learning experiences andpoor achievement due to cultural factors……….51

Chart 4.3 Mean score of the reasons of learning English out of class………52Chart 4.4 Percentage of the influence of “traditional for craving knowledge” onEnglish studying out of class………53Chart 4.5 Percentage of the increasing demand for English learning people due toopen-door policy……… 58Chart 4.6 Mean score of the influence of social classes on studying English out ofclass……… 59

The current study investigates the impact of socio-cultural factors onlearning English out of class by English majors at Hue University College ofForeign Languages The first aim of this study is to examine socio-culturalfactors that affect learning English out of class The second aim is to explorehow these socio-cultural factors have effects on studying English out of class byEnglish majors

The data were collected through interviews and questionnaires with Englishmajors at Hue College of Foreign Languages The results indicated that most of thestudents agreed that socio-cultural factors affect their English learning out of class.English majors were influenced by socio-cultural factors The students want tolearn English out of class more to practice by themselves due to the impact ofConfucianism In fact, they dare not exchange or discuss their ideas with theteachers in classes Besides, they also take advantages of studying English out ofclass to become more active and self-confident because of students’ shyness,passiveness and lack of confidence Indeed, they are not ready to take part inactivities in classes or to express their own ideas before classes Furthermore,students want to seek ways of learning English out of class through friends, forums,English clubs and the Internet since the crowded classroom prevents them from freecommunicative activities Finally, the majority of students want to practice Englishout of class to master it so that they can meet the demand of society andemployment

Based on the findings, recommendations and implications are provided tostudents so that they can have good ways of studying English out of class

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

English has become one of the most important languages in the world It hastrickled even into lesser known countries as something that is needed tocommunicate with others English is used in politics, business dealings, andeveryday life Many people are finding it hard to get by without knowing English(Grace, n.d.) In many countries, most tourism authorities and other officials incontact with the public speak English to interact and engage with tourists andimmigrants English is also one of the most helpful ways to narrow the gaps amongcountries in this new era In addition, English nowadays is considered as the goldenkey that helps us promote our positions and relationships with many othercountries, it obviously becomes a global language Besides, Vietnam is a member

in the community of developing countries, so it seems hard for us to keep up withthe latest changes as well as the day-by-day development of the worldwide nations,

to exchange the matters of culture, society and economy if lacking English Thus,English is a popular tool of communication because of its importance Nowadays,Vietnam is a member of Asian Bloc and World Trade Organization; hence, thereare many Non- Governmental Organizations that come to Viet Nam to invest in thefields of business, economy, education, etc Moreover, our society is changing at arapid speed with the structural shifts in production, education and many other fields

of life, etc From these facts, many serious challenges have presented themselveswith regard to maintenance and function of higher education In line with theseevents, the number of people those who can communicate fluently in English must

be in proportion to that development

In Vietnam, most students at all levels have to learn English because it is acompulsory subject at most schools They realize the essence of English as it is themagic key to the future In the current time, students with Bachelor Degrees who

want to get Master or PhD Degrees in Vietnam or abroad have to equip themselveswith good English skills as one of the first criteria Besides, English has longbeen the international language and globalization has made it more importantthan ever Due to globalization, media from around the world is morereadily available through a variety of sources such as the internet, televisionand radio Thus, besides studying English inside the class, most of the studentstake English out of class to satisfy their requirement and to explore new horizons inthe social and human spheres In addition, the factors out of class enable thestudents with multiple choices to discover new values and relations by wideningtheir understanding of the vivid experience.

Furthermore, English is said to be the global lingua franca that is used byseveral countries so as to communicate with other countries That is why we need

to be proficient in speaking it The need for knowing the English languageincreases because of globalization and our connections, relations and transactionswith other countries Because of this great need, schools from all over the worldrequire the study of the English language Students even tend to study Englishoutside of their country so as to suffice their need of the language Nowadays, themajority of classroom environments are culturally diverse Although the universityhas the capability of providing opportunities to students, there are still other factorsthat could affect the quality of the English language learning (Celis et al., 2011).They are socio- cultural factors

From the above reasons, I have decided to conduct a study titled: “An

investigation into the impact of socio-cultural factors on learning English out ofclass by English majors at hue University College of Foreign Languages”

1.2 Aims of the study

This study focuses on two main aims The first aim is to find out the cultural factors that have influences on learning English out of class by Englishmajors The second aim is to explore how these socio-cultural factors have effects

socio-on learning English out of class by the English majors

1.3 Research significance

It is hoped that the findings of the research will help the Vietnamese EFLteachers as well as students find out the socio-cultural factors which affect learningEnglish out of class As an English teacher, the researcher has a desire to help all ofthe English majors and her colleagues know more about how the impact of thesesocio-cultural factors is so that they can consider success or failure in learning aswell as teaching English In addition, the teachers of English can have new methods

to improve their teaching and English majors can take advantage of every chance toenhance their learning English out of class More importantly, through this thesis,the readers can realize the influences of socio cultural factors out of class onEnglish majors as well as their learning style to find out appropriate ways ofapplying new methods successfully in teaching and learning English in Viet Nam

1.4 Research questions

This thesis seeks the answers for the following questions:

1 What socio-cultural factors affect learning English out of class byEnglish majors?

2 How do these socio-cultural factors have effects on learning Englishout of class by English majors?

1.5 Scope of the study

This study was carried out at Hue University College of Foreign Languageswith 100 English majors

1.6 Structure of the thesis

This thesis consists of 5 chapters:

Chapter 1- The Introduction: introduces the reasons, aims, research

questions and scope of the study, from which the readers can easily have a wholeview of the topic

Chapter 2- The Literature review: tells readers all about the theoretical

background relating to the thesis

Chapter 3- The Methodology: presents research methodology: the participants,

data collection and other steps used during the research process

Chapter 4- The Findings and discussions: describes the findings of the

research and the discussion on what the study has found

Chapter 5- The Conclusion: summarizes the main findings and presents the

conclusion, implications, limitations and suggestions for further research

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2 1 Introduction

This chapter presents the literature review related to the present study Thereare five main parts in this section The first part introduces some socio-culturalfactors The second part presents learning English out of class versus in class Thethird part discusses self study The fourth part emphasizes the impact of socio-cultural factors on learning English out of class The next part reviews the previousreadings relating to the topic The last section provides a summary of the wholechapter

2.2 Socio-cultural factors

It stands to reason that there is an interaction between socio-economic orsocio-cultural factors and language learning As an international language, English

is ubiquitously learnt; and certainly English learning is also influenced by some of

or all of the socio-cultural factors of a certain society where English is being learnt(Bui, 1999)

The socio-cultural factors can be: culture, social demand, social attitudes,population and learning environment Within the scope of this paper, I do not hope

to cover every factor influencing on English learning out of class Instead, I justbriefly go through the factors mentioned in some recent research works

2.2.1 Social factors

More than ever before, the world today is developing in thousand ofrelations among nations in so many fields: politics, economics, technology, science,

information, culture, tourism, education and so forth In such a scene, foreignlanguages became the key to promote the development of each country and to openthe efficient co-operations between countries (Bui, 1999) To satisfy such an urgentpurpose, foreign language teaching and learning has to change; and indeed, it haschanged.

So far social needs make language teaching and learning change a lot Thenumber of people learning foreign languages to meet the demand of society ishighly increasing Consequently, many Foreign Language Centers have come intoexistence, many students have mastered foreign languages to become foreignlanguage teachers and wide ranges of materials have come out These are just a fewexamples showing the changing made by social demands of foreign languages

In response to the increasing demand and the national renewal, educationalsystem is required to change accordingly According to Nguyen (1999:4), the need

of renovation in methodology has risen out of the contradiction between newrequirements for Vietnamese citizens to lend their hands in the industrialization andmodernization of our country and the backward state of traditional methodology aswell as teaching styles

In accordance with a developing society, students’ language needsnowadays vary greatly: “some students learn to go abroad, some to work in foreigntrades or other careers and some to continue their studies Some want to improveoral English, some want to improve written communication, and some still want to

learn grammars Actually, learning needs change faster than the EducationCommission changes the national curriculum and textbooks” (Leng, 1997: 40).

Therefore, “to ensure some success for learners, teachers need to determinewhat each learner needs and wants to need” (Maribel, 1999:30) Through needsanalysis, teachers (and syllabus designers) can adapt the syllabus in terms ofcontent, methodology and evaluation, then, they would use a variety of techniques,strategies and materials to help learners feel more comfortable when dealing withthe language

One problem is the shortage of competent teachers to meet the increasing

of social demands of foreign languages (Hoang, 1998:18) In some countries such

as Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia, “qualified teachers of foreign languages and nativespeakers of these languages whose assistance were much needed were not enough”(Le ,1998:13) Besides, “Most Vietnamese teachers of English nowadays are youngand inexperienced or if they are old enough, they are too conservative They nevergot any training in an English speaking country They teach only what University,their teaching is therefore, more or less limited (Le, 1998:12-13)

Not only Viet Nam or Lao or Cambodia alone suffers such a shortage.Even China, with a fast-developing economy, the problem is similarly serious.According to Leng (1997), most teachers do not have enough opportunities towiden their knowledge, which leads to the inappropriate teaching sooner or later.The above-mentioned points show a truth that the increase in social needs has

resulted in the shortage of language teachers for some places and the shortage of

“academic teachers” for some other places (Hoang, 1998:17)

2.2.2 Social attitudes

Social attitudes toward a foreign language can be understood as aculturally based view of certain society toward a foreign language Social attitudescould lower or higher the interest in learning a foreign language, depending on thenegative or positive attitudes of that society

“In Korea, most middle high school students receive only limited amount

of information about the history or current affairs of other countries Even at thecollege level, courses that focus on understanding other cultures are also relativelyscare” “The media plays an important part in shaping attitudes toward foreignlanguages…Korean newspapers, articles and editions complain about foreignwords that are “contaminating” the Korean language; and therefore, Koreanlanguage must be protected, from an all-out invasion of foreign languages” (Janet,1997:9)

Obviously, Janet (1997) concluded, such a cultural based view wouldlower the interest in teaching and learning foreign language in Korea

Unlike the attitudes toward foreign languages of the Korean society,Vietnamese society has a more optimistic attitude More and more foreignlanguages are being taught and learnt, and this is encouraged As long as theencouragement is nourished, foreign language teaching and learning would be

enhanced Together with the increase in social demands, social attitudes towardlanguage give their hands in making more changes, more renovations for languagelearning Because “students frequently come to language learning with eitherpositive or negative attitudes derived from the society in which they live and theseattitudes in turn influence their motivation to learn a secondlanguage”(Stern,1983:8), teachers should be aware of students’ attitudes in order totake advantage of the positive and to turn off the negative.

2.2.3 Culture

It is true to say that one’ culture greatly affects his/her process of learning

a foreign language As Japanese writer Kiroku (2000:1) wrote about his nativepeople: “It is often pointed out that Japanese people play a limited roleinternationally despite Japan’s great economic power…However, the Japanese whoplay an active role in the world believe that the problem is not so much a lack ofEnglish ability as the deep-seated inward looking character of the Japanese…” InJapanese society, those who stand out too much to speak or argue (in a discussion,for example) are frowned upon But it is usually this type of person who makes it

on the world stage” He assumed that it is the traditional notion (Just like thenotion: “Silence is gold, eloquence is silver”) that hinder the Japanese inassociating communicative activities

Similarly, there are a lot of Chinese notions that discourage Englishlearning of students on the whole According to Leng (1997:38), China basicallyhas a Confucian culture which seeks compromise between people This is the

reason why most Chinese students feel reluctant “to their news loudly for fear oflosing face or offending others” Leng believes that “Chinese students are not in thehabit of arguing for their own points of view, even if teachers accidentally makemistakes Students have been trained to be obedient and to learn by rote ever sincekindergarten” This is an obvious difference between students in China and those inWestern countries

From the experience of being a teacher for many years, Leng affirms thatculture is one of the factors standing on the way of English learning Culturalfactors can result in negative learning experiences and poor achievements instudents due to the common practice of grouping language learners according toclass rank proficiency Janet (1997:9) believes that “In a society where in savingface is vital to self-esteem; this practice sets the stage for potential failures for thosewho enter college with below average language skills and feel unable to keep upwith their classmates”

Shapioro (1997:13), an expatriate in Viet Nam also has the same idea Hesuggests that students would not be successful until they could overcome theircultural-determined characters He had this conclusion when he observed manylearners coming to evening classes wanting to speak the language fluently but aretoo ashamed to practice speaking it Due to shyness, passiveness, hesitation andlack of self-confidence, Vietnamese learners seem unwilling to join publicactivities and to work in groups as well as to express their own views indiscussions As a result, many Vietnamese learners became inactive and confused

when involving real communications in daily life in the foreign languages they arelearning.

Besides, “traditional craving for knowledge” (truyền thống hiếu học) isconsidered as a desire of Vietnamese people, which also belongs to Vietnamesecultural values In fact, the Vietnamese common man seems to have a great love forknowledge and learning He seems to have particular respect and admiration forlearned people Like the virtuous man, the learned man enjoys great prestige inVietnamese society The Vietnamese conceives that knowledge and virtues are butthe two complementary aspects of the ideal man Learning is considered morevaluable than wealth and material success Rich people who are not educated areoften looked down upon by other people and they themselves feel inferior tolearned people who are poor In the traditional social system, the scholar rankedfirst, before the farmer, artisan, and tradesman Even nowadays, the learned man isheld in high esteem and respect The love of learning does not spring from purelydisinterested motives The lure of prestige and the prospect of improved socialstatus are among the strongest incentives to the pursuit of knowledge Educationrepresents the essential stepping stones to the social ladder and to good jobopportunities It is the prime force of vertical mobility in Vietnamese society(Huynh, 2004)

2.2.4 Class population

Along with other factors, population greatly affects English learning Thecrowded classroom leaves hardly any room for free communicative activities,especially the activities requiring students to move around” (Leng, 1997) As anexperienced teacher of University, Leng (1997:39) concluded: “Such a largeEnglish learning population makes learner-centred teaching difficult” Teacherswould find no ease to manage a large class, regardless of the effort of making themost of new methodology as well as the variety of materials

Not quite different from China, Vietnamese classrooms are also socrowded that it is very hard to conduct activities that require space “the classes aretoo big, about 60 or more than that” (Shapioro,1997:13) As a consequence,students become passive and afraid to stand up to speak.

Over-crowded classes result in many unpleasant things including theineffectiveness of teaching pronunciation of a foreign language (Ninh, 1999:25).That there were not enough qualified teachers for so many classes and somestudents never had chance to practice sounds individually are the two typical results

of the population factor toward pronunciation teaching

In short, it is commonly seen that large classes have many disadvantages.With a number of 50 or 55, even 60 students in a class, teachers surely becomevictims when they want to try out different activities with the participation of all ofthe students Smaller classes, therefore, are desirable solution to this problembecause with fewer students in a class, teachers can give more attention toindividual students They also give students opportunities to work in groupactivities and practice their skills together (Mai, 2000:5)

2.2.5 Learning environment

Learning environment plays an important role in improving learning andteaching quality If learning and teaching facilities are not sufficient, teachers willfind it difficult to improve the teaching process and learners could hardly bettertheir learning

Leng (1997:38) complains about the shortage of facilities in China:

“Libraries do not have enough authentic English books, newspapers and magazinesfor teachers and students’ use; overhead projectors and computers are rare and usedfor only a few demonstration classes The unavailability of resources wastesteachers’ energy and time, making teaching preparation a painstaking process.”

As we have seen, with such a prosperous economy as China teaching andlearning will suffer the lack of facilities, let alone the “backward” economy of ourcountry According to Vu (1997: 8-9), the author of a research about “The commonsituation of lower secondary schools in Viet Nam”, the shortage of facilities forboth learning and teaching is commonly seen in most schools of rural, or of remoteand mountainous areas Even the most necessary conditions such as classrooms,tables or chalks are lacking This results in the impossibility for the renewal ofmethodology In addition, essential conditions for teachers’ self studying are alsonot satisfactory Teacher’s knowledge is gradually worn out with time unless it isrenewed and improved everyday Teachers in cities and towns are luckier to havenearly enough opportunities to deepen their knowledge and experiences.Meanwhile, those who work in far areas where no favorable conditions for teachers

is provided will certainly sustain a feeling of loosing knowledge and abilities day

by day with no recovery

As for students, Shapioro (1997:13) claims: “That the students lackcommunication competence was partly due to the lack of qualified teachers offoreign languages and native speakers of these languages whose assistance was

much needed Shortage of good textbooks and audio-visual aids worsened theproblem With a limited number of hours each week varying from 3 to 6 hours andhaving practically no opportunity to practice the language learned in the classroom,the students could hardly use these languages functionally”.

We can see that students can learn better if they possess a favorablecondition This fact is true as the fact that students studying the language in anEnglish speaking country will benefit more opportunities to practice their Englishpopulation Thus, students in big cities or towns normally have better languagecompetence than those in rural and remote areas

2.3 Learning English out of class versus in class

2.3.1 Learning English out of class

Out-of-classroom English learning offers fantastic opportunities andrewards to both students and teachers alike It provides many benefits in terms offun, enjoyment, personal development, motivation and even increased subjectperformance As a holistic approach to teaching and learning, it allows students tohave fun and enjoyment and achieve negotiated goals Besides, students have theopportunity to work with others and to contribute as active citizens in a vast array

of activities, and many in their studying (Hewins & Wells, 1992) Furthermore,they can develop skills and self-confidence that can be applied later in their life.Therefore, learning English out of class should be encouraged

According to Hewins & Wells (1992), home reading is one of the ways oflearning English out of class As far as reading language skill is concerned, studentsshould be encouraged to take home the books for reading They may be asking forassistance from adult members of their families, if they are conversant with EnglishLanguage Reading books is a good way for them to spend their time at least as

entertaining as watching television or playing a video game Reading is not just aclassroom activity but also one that can be carried out anywhere anytime.

Oral presentation is also the way of out-of-class English learning This refers

to the delivery of a message in spoken form, usually, to a special group of peoplefor a special purpose For this reason, such presentation usually takes place informal situations There are many speech events that constitute oral presentation,the difference among them bases on the nature of the message involved, themethods of delivery, the type of the audience involved and the purpose for thespeech event (Hashim, 2002)

Besides, debate is an argument or discussion expressing different opinions

It should be noted that possessing a large number of vocabularies is one thing, butknowing how to use them effectively is quite another thing Students may possessquite a reasonable number of words in their vocabulary stocks, but may fail to usethem appropriately Therefore, we need to give them chances to practice thevocabularies they have in concrete situations One way of achieving this is throughdebate In debate, there are always points of interruption, point of correction, point

of information, and the like Collectively they help students to master their use ofthe language appropriately (Hashim, 2002)

Private speaking (Organizing a conversation) is another way of learningEnglish outside the classroom Conversation is a type of speech involving two ormore participants taking their turns when talking to each other either face to face orvia some technical devices such as telephone or computer This method or activity,essentially helps the learners of English in mastering their speaking as well aslistening skills of a language, bearing it in mind that without listening effectively,one can not correctly respond to the conversation This is emphasized by Leech &Svartvic (2003)

Group discussion allows a number of people to discuss a single topic Aschool being a kind of community the ideas held by the community members can

be shared through group discussion The key point here is not to focus on how thediscussion is conducted but its chief contribution to language learning Sanford(1979) suggests the discussion to take the form of, panel discussion, a round-tablediscussion, or some form of town meeting All these types of discussions allowstudents to express themselves in English thus giving them chances to apply therules of the language they learn in the classroom

Moreover, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is one of theimportant parts in studying English out of the class The computers today may beused as complete teachers by themselves, if both teachers and students use themeffectively Computers may have many Programmed Logic/Learning forAutomated Teaching Operations (PLATO) The computers have what Ahmed et al,(1985: 13) describe as “intelligent features such as tests that are followed bydirections to complete appropriate remedial work depending on the errors a learnerhas made The system also includes rudimentary spelling and grammar checkers.”That being the case, the students will learn the language anywhere, say, at home,assisted by their home computers This is particularly supported by Betty (2003:19)who says, “in ‘PLATO’ the learners have to adapt to the materials by creatingpersonal learning strategies beyond those offered by the teacher or suggested by thelearning materials”

Finally, language clubs also help students to have opportunities to learnEnglish outside the classroom Students who share a common interest get togetherand form clubs and societies that are often subsidized and very well managed Mostschools have language societies (e.g English clubs, Kiswahili clubs,) that organizeevents based on the language they represent This helps them exchange theirknowledge of the language (http://www.articlesbase.com)

2.3.2 Learning English in class

Classrooms are social settings; teaching and learning occur through socialinteraction between teachers and students As teaching and learning take place, theyare complicated processes and are affected by peer-group relationships Theinteractions and relationships between teachers and students, and among students,

as they work side by side, constitute the group processes of the classroom

Teacher-student relationships provide an essential foundation for effectiveclassroom management and classroom management is a key to high studentachievement Teacher-student relationships should not be left to chance or dictated

by the personalities of those involved Instead, by using strategies supported byresearch, teachers can influence the dynamics of their classrooms and build strongteacher-student relationships that will support student learning

(http://www.ed.gov.nl.ca/edu)

Therefore, the following parts will discuss learning English in class: themain roles of the teacher and students in communicative activities, the teaching andlearning process and the interaction between the teacher and the students

2.3.2.1 The main roles of the teachers and students in classroom activities

* The roles of the teachers

William Littlewood (1981), Jeremy Harmer (1991) and Pit Corder (1977)pointed out that the teacher has many tasks to do in communicative activities Histasks are considered less dominant than before but no less important

The most important roles of the teacher are facilitating and guiding.Talking about these roles, Pit Corder (1977: 15) stated, “The teacher is to guidelearners, not to tell them The teacher’s role is recognized as facilitating one, withlearners proceeding according to their own inner capacities, not in a lock step thansolely of the teacher creation An attitude of co-operation and sharing is stressed, aswell as emphasis on group activities” As a facilitator, the teacher has to helpstudents without intruding It means that a facilitator should maintain a low profile

in order to make the students’ own achievement of a task possible Furthermore,

during free-practice activities, this role requires the teacher’s attention to encouragestudents to participate in activities to talk as much as possible and use the languageitems by themselves It is true that if the teacher can assist students reasonably,he/she increases their chances of success and the effectiveness of the practiceactivities as a whole As a guide, the teacher takes the role of guiding students toclarify ideas and limit the task as they are using the language more freely Duringthe activity, the teacher can act the role of a resource and assessor or advisor.Students can expect the teacher’s answers to their questions.

While students are performing their tasks, the teacher can monitor theirstrength and weaknesses and use them as signs of learning needs which he mustcater for later Since communicative activities focus on learner-centered activities,

it is essential to create a relaxed and friendly atmosphere The psychologicaldistance between the teacher and students may be reduced when they both get toknow each other very well If the student can consider the teacher a helpful friend,the activity will then go smoothly In this case, try to be a “friend” and “motivator”

In another word, the teacher can be “co-communicator” to break down tension andbarriers between him/her and the students

* The roles of the students

If the teacher’s roles are less dominant in communicative activities,students are claimed to be more responsible for their own learning Students, first

of all, are communicators who are actively engaged in communicative activities.There, they can exchange meaning and try to make themselves understand thetarget language

William Littlewood (1981) proposed that the students have to attain asmuch as possible linguistic competence of the target language in order to use itspontaneously and flexibly to express his intended message It is the studentsthemselves that have to be responsible for conducting their own learning wheneverthe teacher create a situation and set an activity in motion The students have to be

far away from dependence on their teacher’s control They become centered.

learner-Interaction can be promoted if students cooperate with each other So,cooperation among students in pair/ group work can be regarded as a means to helpstudents develop their skills and strategies for using language to communicatemeaning as effectively as possible Moreover, students should use feedback tocomment his success in using target language In a word, students learn tocommunicate by communicating (Lam, 1998-2002)

2.3.2.2 The teaching and learning process

Individual students may be better suited to learning in a particular way,using distinctive modes for thinking, relating and creating The notion of studentshaving particular learning styles has implications for teaching strategies Becausepreferred modes of input and output vary from one individual to another, it iscritical that teachers use a range of teaching strategies to effectively meet the needs

of individual learners Sound health instruction should incorporate a variety ofteaching methods intended to complement the learning styles of children Thisshould lead to the fact that young learners who are both intrinsically andextrinsically motivated to inquire, infer, and interpret; to think reflectively,critically and creatively; and in the final analysis to make use of the knowledge andskills they have gained by becoming effective decision- makers

Besides, a student-centred approach which actively engages the youngperson in the learning process is critical if skills which result in healthy behaviorsare to be fostered and developed Some of the learning strategies that could beincorporated in a comprehensive approach include self-directed learning, co-operative learning, role playing, behavioral rehearsal, peer education and parentinvolvement Consideration should be given to allowing students to plan somelearning experiences They could be provided with opportunities to identify topics

or areas for further study, contribute information relevant to an issue for study and/

or make suggestions for follow-up activities

In addition, within the classroom, teachers need to be sensitive to valueswhich are promoted by family, peers, and friends, religious and culturalbackgrounds The health classroom provides numerous opportunities for students toshare personal anecdotes ask explicit questions and make disclosures The climate

of the classroom must be such that students may speak openly while being assured

of the confidentiality, trust and respect of their classmates and teacher(http://www.samwiterson.blogspot.com)

Furthermore, it is informative to examine the ideal teaching-learningprocess, as proposed by Diana Laurillard (1993) She argues that there are fouraspects of the teaching-learning process:

(a) Discussion between the teacher and learners

(b) Interaction between the learner and some aspect of the world defined by the teacher

(c) Adaptation of the world by the teacher and action by the learner

(d) Reflection on the learner’s performance by both teacher and learner

She then considers how different educational media and styles can be described inthese terms For example, a text book represents a one-way flow of knowledgefrom the teacher’s conceptual knowledge to the student's conceptual knowledge Alecture or tutorial may be seen the same way, but there is a possibility

of meaningful discussion between teacher and learner The following figure isshown:

Figure 2.1 Essential aspects of the ideal teaching-learning process, by Diana Laurillard

(1993)

2.3.2.3 The interaction between the teacher and students

According to Engin Karadag and Nihat Caliskan (2009), school is an institutionthat plays a significant role in a child's life Being an active employee in thisinstitution, a teacher should be democratic, tender, patient, reliable and humorous

to his/her students during the interaction and communication processes so that theteaching and learning processes are affected positively It is important to create acommon living space in the classroom for students that have different family,economic, cultural and living backgrounds in order to achieve better motivation andlearning In the common living space in the classroom, the teacher creates acommon living space with the students while the students do the same thing amongthemselves and accordingly a common synergy is created

The most important component of education is students Teachers'interactions, ways of communication and verbal-non verbal behaviors, classmanagement and activities affect not only students' behaviors but also teachingsystem directly (Acikgoz, 1996) It is inevitable for teachers who are responsible

Discussion

Interaction

Adaptation of World Adaptation of Action

for the education industry to have a policy and behavior A teacher who alwaysinteracts with students is responsible for planning activities of teaching andapplication Being a qualified teacher plays an important role in providing qualitydisposed behavior (Gokce, 1999).

Interaction simplifies the process of communication between teachers andstudents and provides them with the formation of a shared common area and withthe enlargement of a shared women's area During the enlargement of distracterscan be easily destroyed though communication Communication is the key ofeducation, teaching and learning and it affects the life of an individual throughouthis/her whole life

Moreover, cultural harmony plays an important role in forming positiverelationships between teachers and students If individuals have backgrounds, theycan communicate more easily (Ani-Nader, 1993) If teachers and students have lessshared common areas, it can be difficult to communicate effectively and someconflicts may occur

Celep (2002) also stated that teachers should consider the cultural attributes

of students in the communication; otherwise, the authority of teachers can beweakened as a result of the resistance of some children So, teachers should bebalanced in their approaches and behave according to students' culturalenvironments Teachers who know how to interact and communicate are able toanalyze students, bring a shared common area out of different cultures and makethe teaching learning process more active and enjoyable

In conclusion, in order to provide interaction with his/her students, a teachershould be democratic, lovable, patient, and reliable and humorous If he/she doesnot have those attributes, he/she cannot interact with his/her students So, oral andwriting examination should be applied in order to evaluate teachers' interaction andcommunication performances before recruiting them

2.4 Self –study

As teachers of English, we are intrigued by the potential influence of thiswidely used international language on students Through many types of media,such as film, music and the internet, students are exposed to the Englishlanguage on a daily basis We feel that this language overlaps with popularculture puts English language teachers in a unique position to create interest,motivation and enthusiasm within their subject A look at the syllabus forcompulsory school reveals quite clearly a link between the “real” world andthat which is supposed to be taught in the classroom Examples are thatstudents are asked to both, “develop their ability to read different types of textsfor pleasure and to obtain information and knowledge”, and also “deepen theirunderstanding of spoken English in different situations and contexts”(Skolverket, 2006)

Chusanachoti Ruedeerath (2009) mentioned that using the internet to studyEnglish is another valuable self-study tool There are hundreds of websites forEnglish language students These sites contain a variety of self-study exercises,such as grammar, vocabulary, listening, reading, and writing quizzes They alsohave explanations of grammar points, various topics of interest, useful expressions,and provide an opportunity to chat to other English language students all over theworld

Besides, Maria Rainier (2010) stated some other ways which help students

in their English self study:

Finding English music videos online that have the lyrics as subtitles.Chances are that with images, music, and audio-visual lyrics, students will be able

to remember new vocabulary and grammatical forms more successfully Repetition

is also helpful, and songs often include refrains that reiterate key phrases, whichcould assist them in learning English

Watching TV or Movies is another good way of learning English Keepingthe subtitles on when students watch TV shows or movies This will reinforce newvocabulary words and clarify anything that they think they might have misheard.

As the students make more progress, turn off the subtitles and try to understandwhat’s being said simply by listening It is a great way to test their listening skills,especially if they are watching online and can easily replay segments with thesubtitles on to make sure that they understood correctly

Speaking English whenever possible is also very useful Even if students areapprehensive about making mistakes while speaking English, go ahead and useEnglish for as many conversations as they can If the students are nervous, they canalways ask the people they are talking to if they can help them correct any mistakes– they’re usually happy to help The students will learn a lot about listening andresponding without taking five minutes to formulate an answer, as they might beused to doing so in the classroom Practicing English in the moment is an importantpart of studying that shouldn’t be left out, and the students also learn a lot aboutthemselves

Recording themselves is one of the good ways of practicing English Manypeople dislike the sound of their own voices, but it can be extremely helpful torecord themselves as they learn English Not only will they be able to identify weakpoints in their understanding of the language, but they will also be creatingbenchmarks for monitoring their progress It is a great feeling to play back an oldrecording and realize how much better they are than they used to be

Monitoring students’ progress is also a good way of self-study There aremany English quizzes they can take online, categorized by parts of speech, tense,vocabulary, level, and more The students can easily find a test that addresses aproblem that they tend to encounter often in their English studies Taking the samequiz periodically can show them that they are making significant progress as theirscores and confidence level go up In addition to comparing test scores from

different periods in their English learning process, they can compare recordings oftheir voice answering the same prompts and identify multiple points ofdevelopment

2.5 The impact of socio-cultural factors on learning English out of class

There are many ways in which language and literacy practices vary amonghomes and communities Just about every professional community has its ownlanguage Teaching is not different; there are many different variations in theeducational environment There are also implications with in the educationalenvironment that are derived from these variants Some of the variations are sociocultural factors This means that they are found as part of society, but are particular

to a certain culture Some of the variants include social classes, how different socialclasses use language, the discriminatory language used in cultures, and howethnicity and growing up learning another language affects a person learningEnglish

of the language and social norm of the school serve better their comprehension(http://www.samwiterson.blogspot.com)

In addition, Le (1999) stated that the economic open-door policy pursued

by the Government of Vietnam has increased the demand for English-speakingpeople who are expected to be competent to communicate verbally with the outsideworld and to access technology English has been made compulsory in thesecondary school curriculum Moreover, Le supposed that the recent economicrenovation, or doi moi, in Vietnam has given foreign language the status as a key toits regional and global participation Foreign language now is a compulsory schoolsubject and one of the six national examinations that students have to pass if theywant to get the Secondary School Education Certificate Although schools offereither English or French, many students opt for English due to their perception that

a high proficiency in English may offer more opportunities for employment, andalso due to the fact that English is ‘in fashion’ among young people Schoolstudents who come from cities, apart from the examinations, need either to speak

‘survival English’ to understand pop songs or to use some formulaic expressions inEnglish to help their parents with some small business transactions At the tertiarylevel, English is taught as a minor subject in the training programme There are alsosome colleges and universities where English is the major, and students learnEnglish to become teachers, translators and or interpreters College or universitystudents are better motivated to learn English because they can find a good job withtheir command of English and because colleges and universities are based in citieswhere students can have access to more input of the target language If thesestudents, upon graduation, can find jobs which require communicative ability inEnglish, they tend to use English with other non-native speakers from ASEANcountries, and from countries like Japan, Hong Kong and Korea more often thanthey do with native British, Americans or Australians in their workingenvironments On the other hand, they do not necessarily have to achieve thiscompetence in such a social context Vietnamese learners obviously differ in theirpurpose for learning English In general, students of English in Vietnam fall into

three major categories in terms of needs Some view English as a tool for moreattractive and lucrative employment opportunities; others need a good knowledge

of English to study further at universities or colleges The majority of students,however, learn English just to pass the national examinations These students donot have an obvious communicative need All they need is a sufficiently goodknowledge of grammar and vocabulary of the target language to pass the nationalgrammar-based and norm-referenced examinations (Le, 1999)

In summary, social factors may affect language, depending on the status insociety, for example if a person is poor and cannot afford an education or he wasraised to believe schooling was not important or he grew up in a rural area whereproper grammar was not encouraged, his way of speaking might be different or not

as eloquent as opposed to someone of higher standing (http://wiki.answers.com)

2.5.2 Cultural factors

Ethnicity, what gives humans a sense of identity, is a major factor inlanguage development and variation Not so much the cultural side of things but thelanguage side of things Entering a new culture, a new environment where English

is the common language spoken This is sometimes a benefit Jones Diaz (2001, p.7) commented, “Early bilingual experiences in childhood enhance metalinguisticsawareness – the ability to analyze critically the ways in which different languagesoperate.” This means that children who learn another language will have animproved understanding of how both the first and second language conventionsoperate Hofstede (1997) also stated that oriental people are often willing tomaintain a commitment to a group even when their obligations to the group arepersonal and advantageous For example, the fear of “losing face” may hinderlearners from making oral contribution to class discussion With the attitude ofkeeping harmony with everyone, Vietnamese people do not want to show theirobjection Oriental cultures accept the fact that anything should soon be done withthe help of many hands It means that you need other people and they need you too

Besides, Oriental students are ready to share the results of their homework, evenexamination with their friend

Furthermore, most oriental cultures retain much hierarchical structures andtraditions Knowledge sharing in families, among classes and groups could belimited due to one’s position in the social hierarchy For instance, Vietnamese aretaught “to know your place” at a very early age Their behaviours as adults are alsovery much guided by this principle Most people in Oriental countries are educated

to learn through the seniority system as early as primary school Seniors teach theirjuniors in school show their experience and earn juniors’ respect Junior staff maynot be willing to disagree with their seniors This may lessen the possibility ofcreating positive results or innovative ideas through “creative friction” (Chan &Bonnie, 2003) The older is always considered more experienced so they are wiserand maturer than the younger The old often hold the power so that the young have

to follow

Moreover, in Viet Nam, Confucianism stresses the benefits of the fixedhierarchical relationships in which respect is shown for age, senior rank, and familybackground This leads to the Confucian relationship between teacher and students.The teacher- student relationships are much more hierarchical than those in theUnited States are The teacher is an authority figure and students show absoluterespect and obedience to him or her The teacher is more directive in makingdecisions about what goes on in the classroom (Hudson-Ross & Dong 1990, cited

in Nelson 2002) Who dares to speak or move freely with the presence of an

“authority”! Stebbins (2002) argues that Vietnamese students’ unwillingness toexpress opinions is the products of a cultural tradition based on Confucian moralityand its stress on control and order for the well-being of all

In addition, according to Confucianism, the relationship between teachersand pupils is also hierarchical It is likely that the hierarchical relationship alsomade the traditional Vietnamese teaching-learning style become teacher-centered,with one-way communication Hofstede (1991) indicated that there were fourdimensions of cultural variability One of them was the large versus small power

distance Vietnam as well as other Asian countries which were influenced by aConfucian tradition was listed in the large power distance culture (Ellis, 1995) Insuch large power distance societies, the teacher-student relationship is unequal;students are dependent on and should be respectful of their teachers

Additionally, maintenance of harmony is one of the salient characteristics ofConfucian culture People tend to maintain friendly relations and avoid hurtingothers’ feelings, especially of teachers, parents and elderly people (Biggs, 1996; Jin

& Cortazzi, 1997; Chang & Chin, 1999) Therefore, maintenance of face, one’sdignity, self-respect and prestige are very important in Vietnamese communities aswell as in the classroom Arguing and discussing with teachers, parents or elderpeople is often considered to be ‘rude’ and ‘disrespectful’ Vietnamese studentstherefore seem to avoid arguing and debating with others about disagreement ofideas; if they think differently from other people they often do not write or say theirown thoughts and they seem to be expected to do what the majority think andvalue That is one of the reasons why Western lecturers do not often get feedbackfrom Vietnamese students Rosenthal, Russell & Thomson (2006) conclude thatdifferent attitudes to the authority of teacher and materials and different modes ofteacher-student interaction may also contribute to the difficulties of internationalstudents with academic adjustment Both inside and outside the classroomVietnamese teachers are expected to be a “guru” and a reverential superior interms of his/her “wisdom” (McLaren, 1998: 175; Hofsted, 1986 cited in Ellis,1995: 14; Pho, 1999: 15).In fact, the teachings of Confucius have been acutelyengraved on Vietnamese students’ minds and the shifting from one evolution to theother may be time-consuming, thorny and “easier said than done” (Mc Laren,1998: 174 cited in Vu, 2006:6)

For this reason, students may appear to stay away from debating bluntly andstraightforwardly and may incur the misperceptions of their approach as rudeness,discourteousness, impoliteness or disrespectfulness This is recognized by Phan(2001: 300) Furthermore, teachers are considered as the passer of knowledge andstudents as the receivers of knowledge Teachers generally control their pupils

through both legitimated authority and moral norms In other words, pupils have tofollow their teachers’ instructions without criticism According to McLaren (1998),

in the large power societies, “teachers are Journal of Studies in considered wise,authority figures whose word has great weight” In other words, what teachers sayare unquestioned standard norms Furthermore, the position of teachers intraditional Vietnamese values is likely to be higher than that of parents This isreflected in the order of three words in the proverb: “Vua Thầy-Cha” (King-Teacher-Father) The teacher was the second only after the King It is not surprisingthat Hofstede (1986) states that in the large power distance societies “inteacher/student conflicts, parents are expected to side with the teacher” Therefore,

“the educational process is teacher-centered; in the classroom there is supposed to

be a strict order with the teacher initiating communication; students in class speak

up only when invited to” (Hofstede, 1991)

2.6 Previous studies relating to the research

In the field of the impact of socio-cultural factors on learning English out ofclass, there have been some studies from different parts of the world Those studiesshare the same interest in investigating the socio-cultural factors which affectlearning English outside the classroom

Li Zhengshuan & Wen miao (2006), from Hebei Normal University inChina conducted a research named “Socio-cultural background and ChineseEnglish Majors learning styles” The research had the purpose of tailoring languageinstruction to respond to students diverse learning styles and enriching studentspresent learning styles, the present paper examines Chinese EFL majorsperceptional learning style preferences (PLSP) from the following dimensions：visual, auditory， tactile, kinesthetic, collaborative/independent,

passive active and modeling， and probes into the underlying socio-cultural factorswhich affect Chinese English majors learning styles Based on the style findings,practical suggestions are provided to promote EFL teaching in China

To get overall view on the influences of socio-cultural factors on learningEnglish, Malin Glimäng (2011) did an investigation into “Exposure to Englishoutside the classroom” This study outlined the exposure to English languagestudents in Swedish schools Its aim was to establish the nature of Englishinfluence on teenagers in Swedish schools and then to examine whether thisnaturally occurring acquisition of knowledge is utilized in the more formallanguage learning environment of the classroom

In Vietnam, Pham (2010) made the study of influence of socio culturalperspective on learning English on first-year students of English department, CFL-DNU The study deals with an analysis on the influence of the socio-culturalperspective in learning English on first year students of CFL- DNU from theoreticalviews to case study Afterwards, there were some remarks and recommendationsfor learners as well as teachers when dealing with English so that their work would

be much improved However, these socio cultural factors are inside the classroom

Besides, Le (1999) studied Language and Vietnamese Pedagogical Contexts.This article revealed some socio-cultural factors affect learning English.Furthermore, he mentioned communicative needs of Vietnamese learners in therecent economic renovation In addition, he gave some factors relating to theVietnamese classroom culture and discourse

In brief, the previous studies have dealt with various aspects of cultural factors which affect learning English, however, they just focused mainly onsocio cultural factors inside the classroom Therefore, the author of this researchwishes to find out what socio-cultural factors and how their influences on learningEnglish out of class

socio-2.7 Summary

This chapter provides a variety of issues relating to the impact of cultural factors on learning English out of class In fact, we cannot deny the fact

socio-that English in this time has played a key role in everyday life, thus the influence ofsocio-cultural factors on English out of class is really important

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to supply the information related to the

research methodology Participants and the methods used for data collection aredescribed The chapter also includes the description of the participant students, theuse of questionnaires and interviews to collect data for the research The qualitativemethod and SPSS for data quantitative analysis are used

3.2 Research design and approach

This study adopted a descriptive research design According to Herber andElana (1989), a descriptive design is applied in order to obtain informationconcerning the current status of the phenomena and to depict “what exists”regarding the variables or conditions in a situation In order to answer the projectedresearch questions, both qualitative and quantitative approaches were applied AsCondelli and Wrigley (1999, p.1) mention, “The best research design is a mixedmethod design that integrates qualitative and quantitative research” One reason isbecause the qualitative approach

can “help identify what works, but it still has limited explanatory power” Besides,the qualitative approach can provide data that can give insights into how findingswork and how findings can be translated to practice

Quantitative method made of the questionnaires to seek for the socio-culturalfactors which influence learning English out of class by English majors and howthese factors have an effect on learning English outside the classroom Thanks tothe collected data, some conclusions as well as implications for investigating socio-cultural factors affecting English studying out of class were proposed In addition,the qualitative method was also applied so that we can have more thoroughunderstanding of the situations as well as the perceptions of the participants Thedata from the interview also complemented information from the questionnaires

3.3 Participants

The participants in this research are 100 English majors at Hue UniversityCollege of Foreign Languages They came from different provinces of Vietnam

Among them were first year, second year, third year and fourth year students, agedfrom 19- 22 years These students were chosen randomly to answer thequestionnaires During the process of giving questionnaires, the researcher alsomentioned that the information collected is very necessary to the success of thestudy and the data serve the research purposes After the questionnaires are beingdistributed, one hundred students at Hue University College of Foreign Languagestook part in the research and filled out the questionnaires Most of them concernedabout the socio-cultural factors affecting their English learning out of class because

it was one of the important keys for them to seek essential factors outside theclassroom which have great influences on improving their English

3.4 Instruments of data collection

Two ways of collecting data, namely questionnaires and interviews wereused in the study

3.4.1 Questionnaires

The questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data Questionnaireswere chosen because they are considered an effective way to collect eitherqualitative or quantitative data Using questionnaires, the researcher can obtain agreat number of responses within a limit of time (McMillan & Schumacher, 1993).Each questionnaire consisted of two parts The first part included three questionsabout some general information about the respondents The second part, which isalso the most important part of the questionnaire, included thirty items and it wasrelated to five-point scales: 1- strongly agree, 2- agree, 3- undecided, 4- disagreeand 5- strongly disagree The questions were all close-ended since, according toNewman (2000), this kind of question is quicker and easier for both respondentsand researchers Also, McMillan and Schumacher best for obtaining data that can

be easily categorized

All questions of the questionnaire were divided into four main clusters Thefirst one included 14 items investigating the social factors which affect learningEnglish out of class by English majors The second cluster included 5 items