Designing a British studies syllabus for the third - year English major at Foreign Language Department, Nghe An teachers' Training College = Thiết kế chương trì

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI university of languages and international studies faculty of postgraduate studies    PHẠM THỊ THU HIỀN Designing a British Studies syllabus for the Third-Year English Majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers’ Trainging College (THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH MÔN ĐẤT NƯỚC HỌC ANH CHO SINH VIÊN CHUYÊN ANH NĂM THỨ 3, KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ, TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG SƯ PHẠM NGHỆ AN) Minor M.A Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 16A044 HANOI - 2010 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI university of languages and international studies faculty of postgraduate studies    PHẠM THỊ THU HIỀN Designing a British Studies syllabus for the Third-Year English Majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers’ Trainging College (THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH MƠN ĐẤT NƯỚC HỌC ANH CHO SINH VIÊN CHUYÊN ANH NĂM THỨ 3, KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ, TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG SƯ PHẠM NGHỆ AN) Minor M.A Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 16A044 Supervisor: Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa, PhD HANOI 2010 v Table of contents Declaration……………………………………………………….…………… i Acknowledgements ………………………………………………………………ii Abstract …………………………………………………………………………… iii list of abbreviations ……………………………………………………… iv list of figures and tables……………………………………………… iv table of content …………………………………………………………… … v Part A Introduction I Rationale of the study ……………………………………………………………… II Aims and objectives of the study ………………………………………………………….1 III Scope of the study ……………………………………………………………………… IV Methods of the study……………………………………………………………… V Design of the study …………………………………………………………… ……… part B: Development Chapter one: literature review 4- 15 1.1 An overview of Syllabus……………………………………………………………… 1.1.1 Syllabus………………………………………………………………………… 1.1.2 Curriculum and syllabus ………………………………………………………… 1.2 The roles of syllabus in training program….………………………………………… 1.3 Steps in designing a syllabus…………………………………………………………… 1.3.1 Needs analysis …………………………………………………………………… 1.3.2 Goal setting ……………………………………………………………… …… 1.3.3 Selecting the content……………………………………………………… …… 1.3.4 Grading the content ……………………………………………………………… 1.3.5 Selecting and grading tasks and activities………………………………………… 1.3.6 Summary ………………………………………………………………………… 1.4 Needs analysis in syllabus design ……………………………………………… …9 1.4.1 The meaning of "Needs"……………………………………………… ……… 1.4.2 Kinds of needs ………………………………………………………………… 10 vi 1.4.2.1 Target needs ………………………………………………………………10 1.4.2.1.1 Necessities ………………………………………………… … 10 1.4.2.1.2 Lacks ………………………………………………………… 10 1.4.2.1.3 Wants ………………………………………………………… 11 1.4.2.2 Learning needs …………………………………………………………… 11 1.4.2.3 Summary ………………………………………………………………… 12 1.5 Viewpoints of teaching Country Studies ……………………………………………… 12 1.6 British Studies programs in some Vietnamese Colleges and Universities …………… 14 1.6.1 British Studies programs at University of Languages and International Studies, VNU, Hanoi………………………………………………………….… 14 1.6.2 British Studies programs at Department of Foreign Languages, Vinh University 14 Chapter two: Methodology 16 - 19 2.1 The setting of the study………………………………………………………………… 16 2.2 Research questions ………………………………………………………………….… 16 2.3 Data collection instruments ………………………………………………………… 17 2.3.1 Questionnaires ………………………………………………………………… 17 2.3.2 Interviews ……………………………………………………………………… 17 2.4 Subjects of the study ………………………………………………………………… 17 2.4.1 Students ………………………………………………………………………… 17 2.4.2 Teachers ……………………………………………………………… ……… 18 2.5 Data collection procedures …………………………………………………………… 19 2.6 Summary ……………………………………………………………………… …… 19 Chapter three: Results and Data analysis 20 - 30 3.1 Target needs …………………………………………………………………………… 20 3.1.1 Necessities ……………………………………………………………………… 20 3.1.1.1 In terms of topics and sub-topics ……………………………….……… 20 3.1.1.2 In terms of tasks/ activities …………………………………………….… 23 3.1.2 Lacks …………………………………………………………………………… 25 3.1.3 Wants …………………………………………………………………… …… 26 3.1.3.1 In terms of students’ goals of a British Studies course……………… 26 3.1.3.2 In terms of students’ objectives of a British Studies course …………… 27 3.2 Learning needs ……………………………………………………………………….… 28 3.2.1 Resources and administrative constraints …………………………………… … 28 3.2.1.1 Class – size and the facilities ………………………………………… 28 vii 3.2.1.2 Time ………………………………………………………………… … 28 3.2.1.3 Materials …………………………………………………………… … 28 3.2.2 The learners ………………………………………………………………… … 29 3.2.2.1 Age and level …………………………………………………… … 29 3.2.2.2 Motivation for learning/ learning styles/ preference ……………… …… 29 3.2.3 The teaching staff ……………………………………………………………… 30 Chapter four: A proposed syllabus 31 - 37 4.1 Aims and objectives of the course ………………………………………………… … 31 4.2 Time allotment ……………………………………………………………………… 31 4.3 Content and tasks/activities ……………………………………………………… … 31 4.3.1 Topics in the syllabus ……………………………………………………… … 31 4.3.2 Tasks and activities …………………………………………………………….…33 4.4 Organization of the syllabus …………………………………………………………… 33 4.5 Assessment …………………………………………………………………………… 35 4.6 Materials available …………………………………………………………………… 36 4.6.1 Books ………………………………………………………………………… …36 4.6.2 Websites ………………………………………………………………………… 36 4.7 Summary ……………………………………………………………………………… 36 Part C: Conclusion ………………………………… 38 References …………………………………………………………………… … 40 Appendixes ………………………………………………………………….… I – XIV Appendix 1: Questionnaire 1…………………………………… I Appendix 2: Questionnaire …………………………………… IV Appendix 3:` Interviews ………………………………………… VII Appendix 4: A sample unit …………………………………… VIII Appendix 5: A sample test …………………………………… XIV Appendix 6: Course outlines ………………………………… XVIII iv list of abbreviations ACTFL American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages TESOL Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages MOET Ministry of Education and Training NTTC Nghe An Teachers' Training College EFL English Foreign Language FLD Foreign Languages Department BSS British Studies Syllabus BSC British Studies Course BS British Studies T Teacher S Student list of figures and tables Table 2.1 Student subjects’ background information …………………………………… 18 Table 2.2 Teacher subjects’ background information ………………………………… 18 Table 3.1 Teachers’ and students’ ranking of topics…………… …………………… … 20 Table 3.2 Teachers’ and students’ ranking of sub-topics …………………… ………… 21 Table 3.3 Students’ ranking of topics and sub-topics …………………………… ……… 23 Table 3.4 Teachers’ and Students’ ranking of tasks …………………… ……………… 24 Table 3.5 Students’ ranking of tasks …………………………………………………… 25 Table 3.6 Students’ ranking of constraints in studying BS ………………… ………… 25 Table 3.7 Students’ ranking of BSC’s goals ………………………… …………… 26 Table 3.8 Students’ ranking of BSC’s objectives ………………………………………… 27 Table 4.1 The topics' and sub-topics' order………………… …………… 32 Table 4.1 A detailed syllabus………………… ………………………….…… … 33 Part A Introduction I Rationale of the study Vietnam started conducting its Open Door Policy with a great number of Joint-Venture projects and flows of foreigners coming to work and to visit Vietnam Being aware that English is not only a compulsory subject in the training curriculum but also a very useful tool in the period of integration and globalization, both teachers and learners in Vietnam have made endless effort to advance the quality of teaching and learning English for the different purposes It is evident that the study of language cannot be separated from the study of the country's background knowledge of that language such as people, geography, history, government and politics, economy, cultures and lifestyle, education, transportation and environment Therefore, it is important to raise the teachers' and students' countries studies awareness of the target languages If the students are well equipped with the country's background knowledge, they can better understand the language Especially, the third-year English majors at Nghe An Teachers' Training College (NTTC), it is more significant to educate students this However, in reality, since the Foreign Languages Department (FLD) was founded in 1997, it started to teach "British Studies" as a compulsory subject without an official syllabus In the early years, some voluntary English teachers carried out on their own lectures Recently, there are five teachers of the department in charge of teaching the subject and they made a series of lectures followed an "ordered topics" These things caused problems when teaching the subject in 30 to 60 class-hours per the sixth semester for the third-year English majors "British Studies" teaching has encountered a number of problems such as content burden, inappropriate materials, lack of time so on Those things related to a syllabus Although it is undeniable that the essential roles of syllabuses in providing a practical basis for the division of assessment, textbooks and learning time and telling the teacher and students what should be learned so forth Being a teacher in charge of teaching "British Studies" for the third-year students of FLD, NTTC, the author finds that it is urgent to design a British Studies syllabus (BSS) for the third - year English majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers’ Training College which is practical, applicable and suitable for students II Aim and objectives of the study Aim The major aim of the study is to design an appropriate British Studies syllabus for the third year English majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers’ Training College 2 Objectives In order to achieve the main aim, the specific objectives are as follows: - to find out the third-year English majored students' needs for the British Studies course - to identify the components of a British Studies course such as objectives, contents, order of the content, tasks/activities and assessment and to suggest a proposed British Studies syllabus for the third - year English majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers’ Training College based on their needs analysis III Scope of the study Due to the narrow scope of a minor thesis, this study only focuses on syllabus designing process, but not all the theories relating to syllabus design such as implementing, teaching method and evaluating It is also limited itself to designing a British Studies syllabus including objectives, contents, order of contents, assessment ect based on Survey's results of students' needs and the fact of teaching and learning for the third-year English majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers’ Training College IV Methods of the study Then, the study used quantitative methodology to collect data through two questionnaires This helps the author find out their target needs and learning needs for a British Studies course - The first questionnaires were designed for the third-year English majors at FLD, NTTC - The second ones were designed for some English teachers at English majored group at FLD, NTTC Besides, several informal interviews were carried out for the English teachers of British Studies at FLD, NTTC by the use of qualitative methodology After necessary data has been gathered, the author based on the collected numbers and percentage ratios to interpret the results of the study Then the findings were grouped together and compared to find out the important factors relating to the proposal of a British Studies syllabus for the third-year English majors at FLD, NTTC V Design of the study The study consists of three major parts (Introduction, Development and Conclusion), a list of references and appendixes Part A: Introduction presents the rationale, the aim and objectives, the scope, the methodology and the design of the study Part B: Development includes three important chapters Chapter one reviews the literature relevant to the topic of research, provides the theory of syllabus design Chapter two presents the research methodology of the study It provides the setting of the study, research question, the instruments and the data collection procedures Chapter three is the main part of the study that reports the results and data analysis and major findings Chapter four proposes a British Studies syllabus Part C: Conclusion aims at summarizing the main ideas of the study, offering some implications for teaching British Studies and some suggestions for a further research are included Hopefully, the syllabus might be useful for those who are concerned Appendixes include the questionnaires, interviews, a sample unit and a sample test Part B: Development Chapter one: literature review 1.1 An overview of syllabus 1.1.1 Syllabus There have been several ways in which a syllabus can be defined Jack C Richard (2001) states “a syllabus is a specification of the content of a course of instruction and lists what will be taught and tested” According to Wilkins (1997), syllabus is specification of the content of language teaching which have been submitted to some degree of structuring or ordering with the making teaching and learning a more effective process to Prabhu's more specific "specification of what is to be learnt" (1987:89) For Allen (1984), the syllabus is " that subpart of curriculum which is concerned with a specification of what units will be taught" (Allen 1984:61), whereas for Yalden (1987), it is primarily a teacher's statement about objectives and content, with formal and functional components in a dual progression of linear and spiral learning (cf Stern 1984:14) Brumfit (1984d) specifies content (linguistic, sociolinguistic, pragmatic, cultural, substantive) In contrast, Kumaravadivelu sees the syllabus as "a preplanned, preordained, presequenced inventory of linguistic specifications imposed in most cases on teachers and learners" and claims that this is a “ widely recognized” perspective (1993b: 72) A universal definition for "syllabus" therefore seems impractical, since different educational theories and approaches differ on syllabus goals and functions What can be said is that syllabi tend to be representations, reflecting the originator's ideas about language learning: "every syllabus is a particular representation of knowledge and capabilities And this representation will be shaped by the designer's views concerning the nature of language, how the language may be most appropriately taught or presented to learners, and how the language may be productively worked upon during learning” (Breen, 1987a: 83) 1.1.2 Syllabus and curriculum In defining syllabus, there are several conflicting views on the distinction between syllabus design and curriculum development Douglas Brown (1995) views curriculum/syllabus as designs for carrying out a particular language program Features include a primary concern with the specification of linguistic and subject matter objectives sequencing, and materials to meet the needs of a designated group of learners in a defined context Karl Krahnke (1987:2) also holds that “ A syllabus is more specific and more concrete than a curriculum, and a curriculum may contain a number of syllabi” Similarly, Allen (1984: 61) proposes “curriculum is a very general concept which involves consideration of the whole complex of philosophical, social, and administrative factors which contribute to the planning of an educational program Syllabus, on the other hand, refers to that “subpart of curriculum” which is concerned with a specification of what units will be taught” (as distinct from how they will be taught, which is a matter for methodology) Traditionally, syllabus design has been as a subsidiary component of curriculum design Curriculum is concerned with the planning, implementation, evaluation management, and ... content, tasks/activities and assessment and to suggest a proposed British Studies syllabus for the third - year English majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers’ Training College based... needs and the fact of teaching and learning for the third- year English majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers’ Training College IV Methods of the study Then, the study used quantitative... standard stresses the use of language for communication in "real life" situations It emphasizes "what students can with language" rather than "what they know about language. " Students are asked