A CASE STUDY OF VIETNAMESE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND PRACTICES REGARDING TASK BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING

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You will recognise the author’s right to be identified as the author of the thesis, and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate.  You will obtain the author’s permission before publishing any material from the thesis. i ORIENTING TO PEDAGOGICAL INNOVATION A CASE STUDY OF VIETNAMESE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND PRACTICES REGARDING TASK- BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at The University of Waikato by NGUYEN GIA VIET _________ 2013 ii STATEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL OWNERSHIP This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief this thesis contains no material previously published by any other persons except where due acknowledgement has been made. Signature: Date: 3 April 2013 iii ABSTRACT Although research into language teacher cognition has become a well-established domain of inquiry for applied linguists over the past few decades, few in-depth studies have explored language teachers’ beliefs regarding task-based language teaching (TBLT). Furthermore, in the context of Vietnam, where TBLT is claimed to be adopted in the current national English curriculum and textbooks, no studies have been carried out to investigate the extent of orientation of the teachers toward TBLT. This qualitative case study aims to occupy such a research space. Following an extensive review of the literature relating to TBLT principles, task characteristics and teachers’ beliefs, an analysis of the mandated textbook was carried out to consider the extent to which it followed the principles and characteristics recommended by TBLT proponents. The study employed a multi-method approach to data collection. Specifically, it has investigated the beliefs and practices of a group of eleven English language teachers in two provincial Vietnamese upper secondary schools. Ten collaborative lesson planning sessions, twenty-two observations of skills lessons, twenty-two stimulated recall sessions of the observed lessons, and two focus group sessions were carried out to collect the data. The data, together with insights of the context, were subject to a procedure of grounded analysis, through which the data from various sources were compared and contrasted to identify significant themes. The data showed that the teachers’ patterns of practices were not related to current TBLT principles and favourable task characteristics. For example, the teachers tended to employ activities that were forms-focused, and conducted classroom activities in a non-communicative fashion. Their beliefs were found to incline to a structure-based approach, where language items were pre-taught before activities could be performed. A wide range of hindering factors were identified as constraining the implementation of TBLT in the context, such as the teachers’ current state of knowledge and beliefs about language teaching, their perceptions of the significant others, and the role of examinations. In light of a sociocultural iv perspective, the teachers’ beliefs in the present study were situated, shaped by their experiences as language learners and language teachers, and their interactions with the contexts in which they worked. Their beliefs were also found to be resistant to change. Teachers’ beliefs and practices in this study were also viewed through the lens of the Theory of Planned Behaviour through which core beliefs were identified to have close relationships to teachers’ behaviours in the classroom. The findings of the present investigation, being a case study, cannot be generalised beyond the context in which the data were collected. Nevertheless, they make an original contribution to academic understanding of teachers’ beliefs and their practices in the context of Vietnam, and in relatable contexts. Drawing on the findings, implications for theory, research, teacher professional development and language teaching policies are offered. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it" (William Arthur Ward) And yet it is extremely difficult to do so regarding how much support I have received so far during the course of my PhD studies. In fact, my list of acknowledgments could be so long that it cannot be expressed in a number of pages. I would have never had the chance to undertake my PhD studies, and could not have been able to complete this thesis, without the support of many people and organisations. Firstly, thanks are due to MOET Vietnam for their financial support for my four years of study, and specifically to Ms Nguyen Ngoc Lien and Nguyen Thanh Mai for their kind assistance relating to my fees and allowances. More than thanks are due to my chief supervisor, Associate Professor Roger Barnard, for accepting me as his student from the beginning and helping shape my thinking during the process of the study. Appreciation to Roger is not just for his excellent supervision, but also for his, and his wife Yukari’s, kindness in helping me many ways while we are in New Zealand. Thanks are due to Dr James McLellan, my co-supervisor, who has been very patient and conscientious throughout my studies. Although James left the university before my thesis completion, I am extremely grateful for his willingness to continue supervision on my thesis. Gratitude goes to Dr Rosemary de Luca, my other co-supervisor, for getting on board during the difficult time of my studies. Her useful and encouraging feedback on my chapters is highly appreciated. vi I owe thanks to the eleven participants, who cannot be named due to the ethical regulations, but what they have done for me is more than help. This thesis, in fact, is part of their work. I also want to express thanks to the staff members and colleagues at the Department of General and Applied Linguistics, University of Waikato, for helping me in many ways. Thanks are due to Dianne Kenning for helping me sort out those administrative issues. Thanks are particularly to Judy Ng for assisting me in validating the data and sharing her opinion on academic work. I also owe thanks to Loi Nguyen for his sharing at the beginning of my PhD studies. Thanks are also to Ai Pham and Thang Truong for reading my chapters and providing me with constructive feedback. Thanks also go to Jenny McGhee, my subject librarian, for her kind and enthusiastic support regarding the formatting of my thesis. My heart-felt appreciation goes to my wife, Dinh Thi Nguyet, and my beloved children, Nguyen Gia Minh and Nguyen Thi Nguyet Tam, for their sacrifices for this thesis to come into being. More than thanks are for their unconditional understanding and support during the hardest times of my writing. Finally, thanks go to all those who have cared for me, including my colleagues at Ha Tinh University, my home friends, and my friends here at the University of Waikato, as well as many other persons who have helped me in various ways during the course of my studies. “I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks” (William Shakespeare) vii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL OWNERSHIP ii ABSTRACT iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v TABLE OF CONTENTS vii LIST OF FIGURES xi LIST OF TABLES xii LIST OF APPENDICES xiii 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Motivation of the study 1 1.2 Research aims 3 1.3 Significance of the study 4 1.4 Outline of the thesis 6 1.5 Summary 7 2 CONTEXT OF THE STUDY 8 2.1 Brief account of the socio-cultural and educational context 8 2.2 English language learning and teaching in Vietnam 13 2.2.1 Before the Economic Reform (‘Đổi mới’) 13 2.2.2 After the Economic Reform (1986) 15 2.3 Curriculum renovation in Vietnam 18 2.3.1 Previous curriculum 18 2.3.2 New curriculum and accompanying textbooks 20 2.3.2.1 New curriculum 20 2.3.2.2 Production of the English language textbooks 22 2.4 Teacher education and teacher development 26 2.4.1 Pre-service language teacher education 26 2.4.2 In-service language teacher professional development 27 2.5 Context of the study 30 2.6 Summary 34 3 LITERATURE REVIEW 36 viii 3.1 Task-based language teaching 36 3.1.1 Theoretical basis for task-based language teaching 37 3.1.1.1 Communicative language teaching 37 3.1.1.2 Sociocultural Theory 41 3.1.1.3 Input, output and interaction 43 3.1.2 What constitutes a task? 45 3.1.2.1 Definitions of tasks 45 3.1.2.2 Principles of task-based language teaching 48 3.1.2.3 Tasks, activities, and exercises 53 3.1.2.4 Dimensions of task characteristics 57 3.2 Teachers’ beliefs 61 3.2.1 Defining teachers’ beliefs 61 3.2.2 Teachers’ beliefs in relation to other mental constructs 63 3.2.3 Nature of teachers’ beliefs from a sociocultural perspective 67 3.2.4 Understanding classroom decisions: Theory of Planned Behaviour 70 3.2.5 Studies of teachers’ beliefs and practices 73 3.2.6 Relationship between beliefs and practices 81 3.3 Studies on teachers’ beliefs regarding communicative language teaching and task- based language teaching 83 3.3.1 Studies on teachers’ beliefs about communicative language teaching 84 3.3.2 Research studies on teachers’ beliefs about task-based language teaching 87 3.4 Summary 99 4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 102 4.1 Research paradigms 102 4.2 Qualitative research 105 4.3 Case studies 108 4.4 Present study 110 4.4.1 Workshop on TBLT 110 4.4.2 Preliminary studies 113 4.4.3 Sample size, selection, and gaining access 114 4.4.3.1 Samples 114 4.4.3.2 Gaining access 115 4.4.3.3 Approaching participants 116 4.4.4 Participants 117 4.4.5 Ethical issues 119 4.4.6 Methods of data collection 120 4.4.6.1 Lesson planning sessions 121 ix 4.4.6.2 Observation 123 4.4.6.3 Stimulated recall interviews 125 4.4.6.4 Focus groups 126 4.4.7 Managing and transcribing the data 128 4.4.8 Data analysis 129 4.4.8.1 Analysing individual cases 129 4.4.8.2 Analysing cross-case data 131 4.4.9 Validity and reliability 132 4.5 Summary 138 5 ANALYSIS OF A TEXTBOOK UNIT 139 5.1 Overview of the textbooks 139 5.2 Analysis of one textbook unit 141 5.3 Additional issues 151 5.4 Summary 152 6 FINDINGS: VIETNAMESE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND PRACTICES REGARDING TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING 154 6.1 Planning for skills lessons 156 6.1.1 Retention and omission of textbook activities 157 6.1.2 Adapting activities 167 6.1.3 Adding and replacing activities 173 6.2 Classroom practices 183 6.2.1 General conformity of lesson planning data 184 6.2.2 Explicit supplementation of language structures 185 6.2.3 Context-free vocabulary teaching 193 6.2.4 Extent of genuine communication 198 6.2.5 Corrective feedback 205 6.3 Teachers’ beliefs about aspects of language teaching and learning 210 6.3.1 Structure-based approach to teaching 210 6.3.2 Memorisation approach to teaching vocabulary 217 6.3.3 Importance of accuracy 222 6.4 Textbook reflection 228 6.4.1 Constraints 228 6.4.2 Understanding of tasks 237 6.4.3 Attitudes to the textbooks 241 6.4.4 Perception of changes 245 6.5 Summary of findings 248 [...]... Chapter Three reviews the literature about the two topics relevant for this study: task- based language teaching and teachers’ beliefs Section 3.1 reviews relevant literature regarding TBLT Section 3.2 looks closely at teachers’ beliefs and their corresponding practices Section 3.3 reviews studies that specifically addressed teachers’ beliefs regarding communicative language teaching and task- based language. .. beliefs and their practices to the implementation of task- based language teaching among a group of Vietnamese upper-secondary school teachers (N=11) In particular, the study seeks to address the following research questions: 1 What relevance, if any, do the identified characteristics of tasks have for the Vietnamese teachers in their planning for and practices of textbook activities? 2 In what ways do... research questions, the study adopts a holistic perspective of research, using a case study approach in collecting and analysing data 1.3 Significance of the study This research will add to the literature an understanding of language teacher cognition in a context about which little is known, Vietnam Specifically, it will provide an empirical account of teachers’ beliefs and their practices in a context... words, how are tasks and task- based language teaching interpreted and implemented in a context-bound setting? Language teachers’ beliefs and their relationships to classroom practices have gained much interest in the past two decades, much of it stimulated by Borg (1998, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2012) Research into teachers’ beliefs has been recognised as important because teachers are regarded as active... of proficiency in four macro skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing; and to be able to read materials at the same level of their textbooks, using a dictionary; - To have mastered basic English phonetics and grammar; to have acquired the minimum of around 2500 vocabulary items of English; and - To attain a certain level of understanding of English and American cultures; to become aware of cross-cultural... historical and political milestones 2.2 English language learning and teaching in Vietnam Since independence in 1945, the situation of foreign language teaching and learning in Vietnam has experienced several shifts and major changes Due to various political, economic and social changes, a number of languages have been selected to be taught in the school system in Vietnam, leading to the dominance of English... the Vietnamese teachers’ beliefs about language teaching and learning converge with, or diverge from, the principles of TBLT? 3 What factors contribute to the facilitation, or hindrance, of TBLT implementation in the Vietnamese context? 3 4 What can this study contribute to an academic understanding of the nature of the Vietnamese teachers’ beliefs and their relationship with classroom practices? To address... in education and foreign language teaching internationally and domestically: the learner-centred approach and the communicative approach in foreign language teaching, in which task- based language teaching is the principal method of teaching (MOET, 2006c, p 12, 20 italics added) As the aims of ELT specified in the curriculum imply that students should acquire communicative competence so as to use English... learning Apart from limited linguistic competence on the part of the teachers, their lack of a range of pedagogical strategies also constrains teachers from teaching communicatively By and large, classroom teaching has been observed as very traditional, with the teacher explaining grammar rules and models, and students copying linguistic models for learning This way of teaching, although safe on the part of. .. teachers’ beliefs about language, language learning and teaching fit in TBLT principles; facilitative and hindering factors with regard to the orientation of TBLT implementation in the specific context; and, finally, a theoretical consideration about the nature of teachers’ beliefs and their relationships with practices Chapter Eight concludes the study by firstly summarising the key points of the study . Studies of teachers’ beliefs and practices 73 3.2.6 Relationship between beliefs and practices 81 3.3 Studies on teachers’ beliefs regarding communicative language teaching and task- based language. ORIENTING TO PEDAGOGICAL INNOVATION A CASE STUDY OF VIETNAMESE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND PRACTICES REGARDING TASK- BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements. of the study 30 2.6 Summary 34 3 LITERATURE REVIEW 36 viii 3.1 Task -based language teaching 36 3.1.1 Theoretical basis for task -based language teaching 37 3.1.1.1 Communicative language