Teacher change in science education in a Vietnamese university

1.1 Introduction This thesis reports on a qualitative participatory action research inquiry into the ways in which teacher change occurred in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Science classes at a Vietnamese university. The main goal of this study was to investigate how Science lecturers conceptualised and managed change to include more active teaching approaches to enhance student learning and meet the Vietnam government’s goals of reforming teaching and learning in higher education. In particular, the study examines lecturer beliefs about active learning, their change process, and the key factors that influenced their beliefs about change. I have been interested in leading and encouraging changes in curriculum and instruction. In particular, during my past teaching, I had conducted two research projects. The first project was an action research study on how to facilitate reading strategies for students in an in-service educational centre. The second one focused on developing oral communication skills for intermediate students at the Centre for Foreign Languages at a university. These experiences inspired me to do more research on changes in practice. As a dedicated lecturer over 25 years, I wanted to have the opportunity to share my knowledge in teaching methods, particularly in ESP and to contribute to change in this area. Through this PhD journey, as a researcher, I provided support for lecturers by working alongside them, reflecting with them on their practice, and developing new teaching strategies to enhance their capacity for change, thus promoting more active student learning. The focus for the study is Science lecturers who instruct ESP students. In this chapter, the rationale for the study is presented and a detailed account of the historical influences on higher education in Vietnam is described. These trajectories of social, political, and economic contexts have become the catalyst for teacher change in the course of educational development. There is also a description of the current government policy about active learning which underpins this study. Finally, the chapter concludes with a summary of key points and outlines the structure of the thesis. 1.2 Rationale and significance of the study This study is based on the perspective of change as a process of learning and growth developed by Clarke and Hollingsworth (2002). Clarke and Hollingsworth proposed a dynamic model of teacher change that comprises four domains: personal (teacher knowledge and beliefs), practice (experimentation), consequence (outcomes), and external (support). Change in one domain influences change in another through the processes of action and reflection. Clarke and Hollingsworth noted that experimenting with new teaching approaches can change lecturer beliefs about the outcomes, and experimentation may be sustained through providing lecturers with support. Thus, their views confirmed the need to support the lecturers in the present study to change their teaching strategies. Although a search of the literature identified that there has been research on teacher change, no studies were found on teacher change in ESP classes within a non-western context such as Vietnam. This study therefore fills the gap in research about the impact of teacher change in ESP classes where both language and Science lecturers are Vietnamese. There is an increasingly pressing demand for active learning in higher education in Vietnam (T. N. Pham, 2010). However, teaching in Vietnamese universities is still largely based upon traditional lecturing. In particular, active learning requires a change to lecturers’ roles and their instructional strategies, which may need support. At the same time, there remain three challenging issues in the context of teaching ESP at a university which may trigger teacher change: the scarcity of teaching materials; the range of student English language proficiency; and time constraints. Scarcity of teaching materials Lecturers in Vietnamese universities often have to develop their own teaching materials because no guidelines or framework are provided for the course of study. Both lecturers and students find this very demanding. The lecturer instinctively thinks of what can be applicable to, or adapted from, or supplementary to the textbook he or she is using for a particular subject. Students, therefore, only learn what their lecturers present to them or assign them to do on a particular day. The department head generally decides if each lecturer’s material is aligned with the existing curriculum. However, in reality the content knowledge of the texts of a particular subject and that of the supplementary materials are frequently left unchecked. This laissez-faire approach may have implications with respect to quality and relevance of materials, and often students are not engaged in active learning. Moreover, student learning depends largely on the commitment and capability of lecturers to design materials that motivate active learning. Range of student English language proficiency Student English language proficiency varies because there is a big difference in education levels among learners from different provinces. Students who have seven full years of English study at high school outperformed those who have three years of English instruction. Students from some rural or remote areas, who may have taken only a three-year program of English at high school, may find it difficult to comprehend even a simple text. Other students may have had no English classes at all at high school. This group may find the study of English the most challenging and is unlikely to catch up with the others who have had longer periods of studying English. These differences in English proficiency are likely to influence the beliefs that lecturers hold about change to implementing more active learning activities. Time constraints The time available for students to study ESP at university is limited. In reality, students are taught with only 30 fifty-minute periods of ESP for their specialised subject in a 15week semester. They often learn only basic parts of the content knowledge. As a result, reading and vocabulary are predominantly used in lecturers’ syllabi, and speaking activities or tasks are usually not encouraged in the classroom. This study contributes to the body of academic knowledge about how lecturers change their teaching strategies in order to align with the increasing pressure on university lecturers to place greater emphasis on more active learning.

TEACHER CHANGE IN SCIENCE EDUCATION IN A VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Manawatu New Zealand NGUYEN BUU HUAN 2014 11 Abstract This research investigated the ways in which Science lecturers changed their teaching strategies to enhance active learning in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classes It also included the examination of the beliefs of the eight lecturers about active learning, their change process, and the factors that influenced their beliefs about change The qualitative action research study was conducted through interviews, observations, and planning meetings over three sequential semesters The findings of the present study revealed that participating lecturers underwent varying degrees of positive pedagogical shift, from traditional lecturing to an active learning approach Their positive beliefs about active learning were primarily related to studentcentredness and classroom interaction The collaboration with the researcher also allowed the lecturers to understand more about the roles they played as agents of change and to implement interactive activities relevant to their current practice This thesis aims to contribute to the knowledge of teacher change in ESP by developing a holistic theoretical model of the intertwined linkage of lecturer beliefs, and their professional roles as well as contextual factors Understanding the dynamic relationships within this holistic model provides insights into the nature of teacher change as a process of personal learning and professional growth in relation to social practice Teacher change towards more active learning of students is connected to the Vietnam government’s goals of reforming teaching and learning in higher education Thus, the present findings suggest a need for further action research into the positive impact in a wider community of ESP teaching Insights into the beliefs about support for teacher change led to the implications and recommendations for ESP lecturers, Science lecturers, and policy makers 1H 1V Acknowledgements I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to many people who have contributed to my action research journey I wish to express my deep gratitude and respect to my PhD supervisors, Dr Penny Haworth and Associate Professor Sally Hansen for their generous supervision time, insightful comments, and constant support and encouragement Their constructive feedback on the drafts of my thesis has allowed me to sharpen my research knowledge and complete the thesis Their challenge by raising “so what’ questions or requiring me to tease out some concepts of the study has pushed me to work harder and improve the quality of my research and writing skills I am indebted to New Zealand Aid Programme for awarding me a scholarship to conduct my research Thanks go to Sylvia Hooker, Jamie Hooper, Leuaina Vaai-Hatier and other Massey staff for their timely support Thanks also to Nguyen Anh Tuan and Truong Vo Dung for their facilitation of the paperwork for my study I want to acknowledge Dr Jenny Poskitt who taught me qualitative research I would like to thank the staff at the Institute of Education for their support I am appreciative of the homely feeling brought by the Truyen family Thanks also go to Nguyen Van Long, Tran Cong An, Ly Hong Phuc, Lien and Gary Pederson, and Ngo My Hanh for their friendship and get-togethers I am grateful to all lecturers who volunteered to participate in this project Their considerable time, strong interest, and enthusiasm were invaluable to my research I am deeply indebted to my parents and siblings who always stood by my side throughout my PhD journey For my wife, Huynh Thi Trang and my son, Nguyen Buu Toan, their encouragement and support have inspired me to finish this thesis I love you all VI Table of Contents ADSULACT ACKnOW]led gement Table 00609 ttiiiiaiadddidiiiẳẳẳiẳiẳiẳ .Ô —= ill V Vil List Of tables oo Xill I0 77 XV (Ô10i51806),1-00050)949)910/04919)) Ả ÔỎ x00 0o 1.2 Rationale and significance of the StUdV .2S v2 xxz 1.3 Historical influences on higher education In Vietnam ««