The implementation of the new english textbook for grade 10 in innovation a case study pdf

DEPARTMENT OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES NGUYEN THI BiCH HANG THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW ENGLISH TEXTBOOK FOR GRADE 10 IN INNOVATION: A CASE STUDY ĐIỂN CỨU VỀ VIỆC THUC HIEN CUON SACH GI

DEPARTMENT OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYEN THI BiCH HANG

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW ENGLISH TEXTBOOK

FOR GRADE 10 IN INNOVATION: A CASE STUDY

(ĐIỂN CỨU VỀ VIỆC THUC HIEN CUON SACH GIAO KHOA

TIENG ANH 10 MỚI TRONG ĐỔI MỚI PHƯƠNG PHÁP)

Combined Programme Thesis Field: Methodology

Code: 60.14.10 Supervisor: LÊ VĂN CANH

HA NOI- 2009

textbook for grade 10 in innovation A case study’ is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts is the result of my own work, except where otherwise acknowledge and that this combined thesis or any part of the same has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other universities or institutions

Signed:

Hanoi, February 2009

of special and wonderful people

First of all, I would like to acknowledge my indebtedness and gratitude to Mr Le Van Canh, for his unfailing encouragement, constant support and supervision during all stages of the study His enthusiastic assistance, guidance, support, and his wisdom greatly contributed to the fulfillment of my thesis I would also like to thank my supervisor for his patience in reading and editing my draft It must be an excruciating experience

Iam also indebted to Dr Nguyen Hoa, Dr Le Hung Tien, Dr Hoang Van Van, Dr

Vo Dai Quang, Dr Nguyen Quang, Dr Nguyen Thi Thuy Minh, Dr Roger Barnard and all

the professors for their encouragement and wonderful lectures while I was taking the M.A

course in language methodology at College of Foreign Languages Vietnam National University (VNU) Their constructive ideas, assistance and advice helped me much during various stages of learning and my M.A study

Many thanks to Dr Roger Barnard who gave me significant materials and valuable

suggestions during the process of my writing literature reviews

My heartfelt gratitude is also to the four English teachers and students of Hadong upper secondary school for their tremendous supports in the collection of data and information for my study

My appreciation also goes to my loving parents, my uncle Dr Nguyen Huu Tho,

my husband and my two little sons whose unconditional love, understanding, encouragement, and support are invaluable during my whole study

Special thanks to my friends, Luong Quynh Trang and Nguyen Ngoc Quynh for their critical reading and comments on my dissertation They helped me in more ways than they can ever imagine how huge help they made the fulfillment of my thesis

To all these people I only hope that the achievement of my thesis will be favorable enough to satisfy their expectation

Ha Noi-2008

Nguyén Thi Bich Hing

Innovation in ELT tends to be materialized through the introduction of new materials, textbooks, teaching methods, and teacher education programs There is a taken- for-granted view that the introduction of the new textbook which claims to be based on the findings of current theory and research results in the improvement of teaching Despite the

fact that textbooks can influence the quality of classroom teaching and learning, there has

been relatively little research in ELT on how teachers use the textbook inside the classroom

Through interviews, classroom observation, and informal chats with classroom teachers this study demonstrates the gap between the intended innovation embedded in the textbook and the actual delivery in the classroom Also, the study seeks to identify factors that affect the way teachers use the textbook Some conclusions deriving from the study will be drawn to inform teacher educators of how to help teachers approach the innovative textbook more effectively

5 Scope of the study

6 Significance of the study

7 Organization of the study

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW

1 The role of textbooks in English language teaching

2 The role of textbooks in ELT innovation

3 Previous Study on the Use of textbooks in ELT Innovation

4 Conditions Necessary for the Success of Curricular Innovations

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

6.3 Data collection and data analysis procedures

6.3.1 Data collection procedures 6.3.2 Data analysis procedures

I Findings

1.1 Teachers’ Classroom Practice

1.1.1 Teachers’ Adaptation of the Textbook 1.1.2 Dependence on the Textbook

1.1.3 Emphasis on forms rather on communication 1.1.4 Teaching is more product-based than process-based 1.1.5 Extensive use of L1

1.2 Factors affecting teachers’ implementation of the new textbook

1.2.1 Teachers’? understanding of communicative teaching

approach 1.2.2 Teachers’ perceptions of their students’ level of English proficiency

1.2.2 Teachers’ perceptions of their students’ motivation and

attitudes towards learning English

II Discussion

III Conclusion

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION

V.1 Summary of the findings

V.1.1 How is the new textbook implemented in the classroom?

V.1.2 To what extent does such implementation match the underlying

methodology of the new textbook?

V.1.3 What are teachers’ rationales for their innovation

implementation?

V.2 Recommendation for more effective use of the new textbook

V.2.1 Physical dimension V.2.2 Professional dimension V.2.3 Administrative dimension V.2.4 Providing teachers with more professional support V.3 Limitation of the study

REFERENCES

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Confirmation Letter

Appendix 2: Classroom Observations Schedule

Appendix 3: Post-Observation interview schedule

Appendix 4: Observations and Post-Observation interviews 1-6

59

H

II IV

For some decades Vietnam has seen an explosion in the demand for English and the knowledge of English has become the passport to a better job in all aspects of modern life English is taught as a compulsory subject in almost all secondary schools in 61 provinces and cities throughout Vietnam where students learn English for three 45-minute periods a week, which means that before entering upper secondary schools students had four years experience studying English “communicatively” in lower secondary schools However, the fact is that after those years of learning English, not many pupils have a clear cut purpose

of learning English in their mind and they are likely passively motivated to learn English basing on the textbooks and teachers’ method of delivery Consequently, most pupils find themselves unable to use English for day-to-day communication after having passed the English national examination as a requirement for the General Education Diploma

To remedy such a problem and to satisfy the demand of its economic open door policy as well as its integration into the world economy, the Vietnamese has required the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) to reform English language teaching at upper secondary schools toward a greater emphasis on communication and student centeredness

In implementing this reform, a new textbook series for upper secondary school students have recently been institutionalized in schools nation-wide It has been claimed that the new textbook will help teachers to change their teaching toward a greater emphasis on communication and student-centeredness However, the practical information about how the prescribed change affects teachers, students, and the school as well as how teachers respond to such prescribed change has not been researched yet This study is an attempt to look into the issue more empirically

It is my hope that the findings of this study will inform concerned people of how innovation is being implemented and what further actions are needed to achieve the targeted success

II AIMS OF THE STUDY

With the above presented rationale, the purpose of this study is to examine the implementation of the new textbook inside high school classrooms Specifically, it aims to (1) find out how the described innovation is being implemented through the use of the new

textbook in the classroom; (2) understand teachers’ attitudes towards and beliefs about the

innovation embedded in the new textbook; and (3) find out the factors affected teachers’

use of the new textbook

Il RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study intends to find out the answers to the following questions:

1 How is the new textbook implemented in the classrooms?

2 To what extent does such implementation match the underlying methodology of the textbook?

3 What are teachers' rationales for their innovation implementation?

IV RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Since this study sets out to explore the implementation of the new textbook in the context of the recent curriculum renewal, it is a natural inquiry in nature The purpose of the study is not to evaluate, but to understand how the innovation is being implemented by looking at the way the new textbook is being used Therefore, it is designed as a single qualitative case study The case here is an upper secondary school on the outskirts of

Hanoi The school has both the characteristics of an urban school and a rural school

Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations

V SCOPE OF THE STUDY

As the study was designed as a single qualitative case study, it is limited to the exploration of the implementation of the new textbook for Grade 10 in one particular secondary school Generalization is therefore not intended The reasons for the scope of the study was that the new textbooks for 10" grade have been in use for three year meanwhile

the textbooks for grade 11 is being used at the first time, 12 grade textbook is not in use

yet

VI SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This project can be significant in a number of ways First, as discussed earlier, the textbook is a key component in most language programs In an EFL context like Vietnam,

it may even constitute the main source of language input that learners receive and the basis for language practice that occurs both inside and outside the classroom For many Vietnamese senior high school learners, textbooks may even help to supplement teachers’

instruction, which is constrained by less than three class hours a week In order to serve

their purposes most effectively, textbooks need to be professionally designed, fit the curriculum and closely correspond with the aims of the teaching program and the needs of the students However, a close look at the MOET funded new textbooks has indicated that there might be several problems with them Thus, teachers and learners working with the new textbooks might experience considerable difficulty in achieving the ultimate goal of their teaching and learning program, which is developing students’ communicative

competence

The current project helps to identify the problems and suggests ways of improving

them This contribution would be of practical value to textbook authors, teachers and teacher trainers in Vietnam Besides, the project focuses on a teaching context that is largely unheard of and under-represented in the world’s TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) scholarship Therefore, for the scholars outside Vietnam, the project report would be a rich source of information for their use and reference

Findings of this study may also provide useful information for textbook writers, teacher educators and educational authorities so that they can make appropriate decisions

on how to achieve the goal of innovating the teaching of English in the upper secondary schools It may also contribute to the common knowledge about the role of textbooks in educational innovation

VII ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS

There are 5 chapters in my thesis:

Chapter 1 is the Introduction presenting the rationale, aims, scope, significance, research

questions and methods of the study

Chapter 2 is the Literature Review, which reviews theoretical issues related to the role of textbooks in English language education in general and in innovation in particular as well

as previous studies on the implementation of innovation and the role of textbook in English language teaching (ELT) innovation

Chapter 3 is the Research Methodology, which is composed of 3 parts: research design, research procedures, the settings (the case) and the participants of the study

Chapter 4 is the discussion of the findings through an analysis of the data collected by means of classroom observations and semi-structured interviews

Chapter 5 is the Conclusion In this Chapter, major findings of the study will be briefly summarized as well as the acknowledgement of the limitations of the study will be made Besides, the classroom transcripts and interview transcripts are included in the

Appendices.

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW

Chapter one presents the rationale, the aim, scope and significance of the present study This Chapter reviews the literature on teachers’ implementation of innovation and the role of textbooks in ELT innovation It begins with a discussion of the role of textbooks

in ELT in general This will lead to the discussion of the role of textbooks in ELT innovation, which is followed by a review of previous studies of the issue under

investigation The last section discusses necessary conditions for successful

implementation of curricular innovation

2.1 The role of textbooks in English language teaching

ELT textbooks play a very important role in many language classrooms but in recent years there have been a lot of debates throughout the ELT profession on the actual role of textbooks in teaching English as a second/ foreign language Arguments have encompassed both the potential and limitations of textbooks for ‘guiding’ students through the learning process and curriculum as well as the need and preferences of teachers who are using textbooks Other issues that have arisen very recently include textbook design and practicality, methodological validity, and the role of textbooks in innovation

Nonetheless, there has been very little research on the role of textbooks in ELT innovation

Materials are among the five important components in language instruction Allright (1990) argues that materials should teach students to learn, that they should be resource books for ideas and activities for instructions/ learning, and that they should give teachers rationale for what they do Textbooks are one type of teaching and learning

materials, and they as a matter of fact share the role materials Textbooks are considered to

be a key component in most language programs Among many important components of

English language instruction, textbooks used by language instructors are considered as the

most essential constituent to any language program Hutchinson and Torres (1994) have claimed that

The textbook is an almost universal element of [English language] teaching No teaching-learning situation, it seems, is complete until it has its relevant textbook (p 315)

Thus, textbooks, in Hutchinson and Torres’ view, are the nuts and bolts of a

language program or a language course Textbooks play such a crucial role simply because

they offer a variety of different benefits to both students and teachers (Sheldon, 1998; Croft 1988) For example, Sheldon (1998) argues that

[Textbooks] represent not merely the visible heart of any ELT program

but also offer considerable advantages for both the students and the

teachers when they are being used in the ESL/EFL classroom (p.237)

Those advantages include their greater credibility in comparison with teacher-

generated materials or in-house materials (Sheldon, op.cit), their sensitivity to students’ needs as well as their efficiency in terms of time and money (O’Neill, 1982) These advantages have been elaborated by Sheldon (1988) that textbooks yield a respectable return on investment and relatively inexpensive and involve low lesson preparation time, whereas teacher-generated materials can be time, cost, and quality defective In this way, textbooks can reduce potential occupational over-load and allow teachers the opportunity

to spend their time undertaking more worthwhile pursuits

A textbook, as described by Cunningsworth (1995), is “a syllabus” which not only

defines the learning objectives but also helps less experienced teachers who have yet to gain in confidence to feel more confident in teaching

From learners’ perspectives, textbooks are useful in the sense that they function as

a guide-map which helps learners know exactly what they have learned, what they are

going to learn, what they will have learned by the end of the course, and what they should

revise for achievement exams (Wendy, submited by Admin, 2008) In addition, Anon (submited by Admin, 2008) has maintained that textbooks add a definite structure which allows students to work on their own at their own pace

Thus, textbooks are useful because they are considered as not only a starting point

but also as a finishing point; students know exactly what they are supposed to be learning

during the lesson of the day and what they need to revise before the next one To those

students who are working for the exams, the use of a course book is even more essential in

odder to be sure that they have already covered all the grammar, structures and vocabulary

they need

It is these advantages that give such credibility to textbooks that it is hard to

imagine a language program or a language course without a textbook Of course, there are

people who advocate a zero option or teach English without using a particular textbook,

but teachers will be overburdened if they are supposed to develop the teaching materials

themselves This is not to say that a textbook can be a source of available activities or learning tasks for both the teacher and the learners (Cunningsworth, 1995) Richards’ (online manuscript) words may best summarize the role of textbooks, according to which

textbooks have been and will be, no doubt, a useful resource for both teachers and learners

He observes that textbooks not merely provide learners with major source of contact they have in language practice that occurs in the classroom but also give primary supplement to teachers to plan their lessons appropriately and perfectively He concludes that it seems not

to be able to carry out any language teaching throughout the world without the extensive use of textbooks

Despite the above-mentioned undeniable advantages of textbooks in language teaching, the limitations of textbooks are also well documented in the literature According

to Allright (1981), these limitations include the inflexibility, the writers’ biases in terms of the underlying methodology, the selection of linguistic content, and the ignorance of learners’ needs Therefore, textbooks may ‘de-skill’ the teachers who use them (Richards, 1998) Another drawback of textbooks has been pointed out by Sheldon (1988) that many

“

ELT textbooks are often regarded as the “ tainted end-product of an author’s or a

publisher’s desire for quick profit” (p.239) This drawback is understandable Too many

textbooks are often marketed with grand artificial claims by their authors and publishers, yet these same books tend to contain serious theoretical problems, design flaws and practical shortcomings They also present disjointed material that is either too limited or too generalized in a superficial and flashy manner and the vast array of “ single edition, now defunct [text]books produced during the past ten years testifies to the market consequences of the teachers’ verdicts on such practices” (Sheldon, 1988 p.239)

In dealing with these limitations of textbooks, Cunningsworth (1995) has advised that textbooks should be adapted rather than adopted The advice is sound enough, but whether all teachers in the role of textbook users have the required skills to adapt the textbook or not is a question

N Reynaud (submitted by Admin, 2008), who has been teaching English for over

30 years also concludes that textbooks are all right because they offer a "progression" in

grammar which is to be studied so textbooks are perfect when the schedule of your classes

include “British literature.”

Researchers of language teaching have much in common in the role of textbooks as

a controller factor of the procedure of teaching and learning It is really difficult for

inexperienced teachers to teach languages without textbooks and the important thing to do

is that teachers need to be awarded for selecting a good book for their perfect lectures Textbooks play a pivotal role in language classrooms in all types of educational

institutions - public schools, colleges, and language schools - all over the world In some

contexts, teachers are free to choose their own textbooks The vast majority of teachers, however, have textbooks suggested, prescribed, or assigned to them (Garinger,2001) According to Riazi (2003, p 52), "textbooks play a very crucial role in the realm of language teaching and learning and are considered the next important factor (element) [italics added] in the second/foreign language classroom after the teacher." The textbook is

a tool in the hands of the teacher, and the teacher must know not only how to use it, but also how useful it can be The wealth of published materials for English language teaching (ELT) available in the market makes selecting the right course book a challenging task Moreover, the selection of a particular core textbook signals an executive educational decision in which there is considerable professional, financial, and even political investment

(Sheldon,1988)

In some situations, textbooks serve as the basis for much of the language input learners receive and the language practice that occurs in the classroom They may provide the basis

for the content of the lessons, the balance of skills taught, and the kinds of language tasks

students actively use In other situations, textbooks may serve primarily to supplement the teacher's instruction For learners, textbooks may provide a major source of contact they

have with the target language, excluding the input provided by the teacher In the case of

novice teachers, textbooks may also be utilized as a form of teacher training; that is, they provide ideas on how to plan and teach lessons as well as formats that teachers can use

Much of the language teaching that occurs throughout the world today could not take place

without the extensive use of commercial textbooks Learning how to use and adapt textbooks is hence an important part of a teacher’s professional knowledge (Richards,

2001)

2.2 The role of textbooks in ELT innovation

The role of textbooks in ELT program is identified much clearer and it is much

more important in innovation Dealing with the help of textbooks in times of educational

change Hutchinson and Torres (1994, p 232) identify that textbook is considered as:

e avehicle for teacher and learner training

e a “support and relief” from the burden of looking for materials e® acompleted picture what the change will look like

e the psychological support they give to teachers

However, the fulfillment of these goals, especially the first and the third, depends

on the approach and quality of the textbook The materials may not be in tune with the new kind of teaching being encouraged, following instead the methodology already commonly being practiced; alternatively, the materials may be so difficult to use that teachers are unable to follow them as intended, making them revert to their previous practice In either case, rather than agents of change, books will be “agents of conservatism,” reducing the likelihood of teachers trying out new, alternative approaches and methods (Garinger,

2001)

No doubt, a course book is looked upon as an indispensable vehicle for foreign

language acquisition whose validity and significance are seldom impugned Many students working with a course book feel secure and have a sense of progress and achievement They always have a book to relate to; they are not groping in the dark Consequently, they become more confident and satisfied as they tackle the target language within a certain

framework Furthermore, a textbook provides students with the opportunity to go back and

revise They can also use the textbook for self-study and as a reference tool Besides, a

well-illustrated book, equipped with eye-catching phrases and sensational pictures or titles,

is preferable to tons of photocopied material, which teachers and students often take a dim viewof

Hutchinson and Torres (1994) also see the textbook as a possible agent of change This can be achieved if a number of conditions are met First, the textbook needs to become a vehicle for teachers and learners training In other words, as well as an explicit and detailed teacher’s guide, the student book should also include appropriate learning-

how-to-learn suggestions Second, the textbook must provide support and help with

classroom management, thus freeing the teacher from coping with new content and procedures Third, the textbook will become an agent of change if it provides the teachers with a clear picture of what the change looks like and clear practical guidance on how to implement it in the classroom Finally, if adopted by a school, a textbook can result in the collegial support and shared responsibilities for, and commitment to, the change Again, more research is needed to see whether preplanned materials actually do change practice or are simply adapted to maintain the status quo Stodolsky’s study of the use of textbooks by social-studies teachers (1989) suggests that innovative curriculum packages may produce stricter adherence to content and procedures than standard textbooks, but that teachers frequently make instruction more teacher-centered by eliminating group projects and the use of exploratory, hands-on activities, or those focused on higher-order mental processes

In other words the textbook writer’s aims may be overridden vitiated by the teacher’s

implementation skills (Jarvis, 1987) or reading of the text (Apple, 1992)

Another function of textbooks that is often overlooked is their role as a structuring tool Communicative language classes are social events, and so, inherently unpredictable and potentially threatening to all participants (e.g., Reid, 1994) This is particularly so in periods of change (Luxon, 1994) such as those experienced by teachers implementing new programs or working with unfamiliar learners types Learners are, of course, by definition always facing enormous and possibly threatening change as their language skills develop One strategy both teachers and students use in dealing with this uncertainty is ‘social

routilization’, the process by which classroom interaction becomes increasingly

stereotyped to reduce the unpredictability and, thereby, the stress Materials can play a key role in this process: ‘Textbooks survive and prosper primarily because they are the most convenient means of providing the structure that the teaching and learning system - particularly the system in change — requires’ (Hutchinson and Torres, 1994, p 317) A textbook, from this perspective, does not necessarily drive the teaching process, but it does provide the structure and predictability that are necessary to make the event socially tolerable to the participants It also serves as a useful map or plan of what is intended and expected, thus allowing participants to see where a lesson fits into the wider context of the language program Hutchinson and Torres (1994) suggest that this is important because it allows for:

1 Negotiation: The textbook can actually contribute by providing something negotiate about This can include teacher and learner roles as well as content and learning strategies

2 Accountability: The textbook show all stakeholders ‘what is being done in the closed and ephemeral world of the classroom’

3 Orientation: Teachers and learners need to know what is happening elsewhere, what standards are expected, how much work should be

covered, and so on

Again, it is a question of balance Using a textbook does reduce some options for learners, but it can also allow for greater autonomy They can, for example, know what to expect and better take charge of their own learning It may well be this sense of control which explains the popularity of textbooks with many students Consequently, a teacher’s

decision not to use a textbook may actually be a ‘touch of imperialism’ — in the words of a

TESLMW-L colleague — because it retains control in the hands of the teacher rather than in the learners

Therefore, despite the frequently expressed reservations about published materials, these do not need to be a debilitating crutch used only by those unable to do without Indeed, the preceding discussion suggests that the use of appropriate teaching materials can advantage both teachers and learners The issue, then, is not whether teachers should or

should not use such materials — most do so at some point in their career (Cunningsworth,

1984) — but what form these materials should take if they are to contribute positively to teaching and learning

Finally, Hutchinson and Torres (1994) have drawn attention to the pivotal role of textbooks in innovation They prove that textbooks can support teachers through potentially disturbing and threatening change processes, demonstrate new and/or untried methodologies, introduce change gradually, and create scaffolding upon which teachers can build a more creative methodology of their own

Above we have looked at the roles that textbooks can play and researchers have

shown that the contribution of textbooks in any language program needs not debilitating to teachers and learners; textbooks can not only scaffold the work of teachers and learners but also serve as agents of change, provided act as guides and negotiating points, rather than strait-jackets However, practitioners need to look carefully at the principles underpinning

such textbooks to ensure that they contribute positively to the language

environment.Teachers obviously need much information about how to use the textbooks to facilitate their teaching and learning process

As can be seen from the fact that the most common activity that educators whenever conduct research on textbooks is looking at the quality of the books, the content

as well as the format and the appropriateness they supply for students in terms of vocabulary and ethnic and gender biases Educator researchers have found out that it does matter if students do not know what the books say and the way in which teachers use the textbooks aids students learning

In short, the textbook can play a significant role in curriculum renewal However, how the textbook can function as an agent of change is conditioned In the following section, the conditions for the textbook to play its role in the curriculum renewal will be discussed

2.3 Previous studies on the use of textbooks in ELT Innovation

As a number of writers have noted, effecting curriculum renewal or curriculum innovation is a complex process Putting a new curriculum, which is represented by the new textbook, in place does not necessarily mean that a change in classroom behaviors will occur Nunan (1988, pp.138-141) for example, discusses the frequent mismatch between what was planned (the planned curriculum) and what actually occurs in the language classroom (the implemented curriculum) The planned curriculum here is understood as the

new textbook and the implemented curriculum as how the new textbook is used in the

classroom Nunan also emphasizes the importance of establishing the degree of mismatch (the evaluated or assessed curriculum) White (1988), citing Sockett (1976, p 22), continues the latter’s metaphor of comparing a curriculum with the plan of a house, but takes the metaphor further, saying that the curriculum is three things First, it is the plan which is “directed towards an objective yet to be realized.” Second, it is the plan of how to build the house — “the systems that are needed in order successfully to build the house.”

Third, he says that curriculum also has to include the view of the house after it has been

completed — and how it matches up to the requirements and expectations This important evaluative aspect provides a feedback loop so that “planned and actual outcomes can be compared and appropriate remedial action taken to repair failures or deficits” (White,

Bathmaker (2007) conducted a study to investigate teachers’ beliefs in the use of English

textbooks for teaching English in the upper secondary Normal Technical stream in Singapore Through the analysis of the semi-structured questionnaire data, the researcher found that there was a relationship between teachers’ use of textbooks and their attitudes towards the less academically-inclined Normal Technical students Also teachers’ use of the textbook was greatly influenced by their beliefs about factors related to the institution

and the classroom such as the demands of meeting the stipulated pass rate in English

examinations and the students’ cognitive weakness and behavioral problems

Kurgoz (2008) conducted a two-year case study on teachers’ instructional practices, and the impact of teachers’ understandings and training on teachers’ implementation of the Communicative Oriented Curriculum initiative in the context of a major curriculum innovation in teaching English to young learners in Turkish state schools Using multidimensional qualitative research procedures, comprising classroom observations, teacher interviews and lesson transcripts, a picture is developed of how two teachers implemented the Communicative Oriented Curriculum Results showed that teachers’ instructional practices ranged along the transmission and interpretation teaching continuum, and teachers’ understandings and their prior training had an impact on the extent of their implementation of the curriculum initiative

In Vietnam, Mr Canh (2008) used questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to explore upper secondary teachers’ beliefs about, and their self-reports of the implementation of, the new English curriculum with the new textbook which is theme-

based, task-based and learner-centered Findings showed that although teachers’ beliefs

about the new textbook were positive, their self-report of actual classroom practice did not seem to be consistent with their stated beliefs According to their self-report through semi-

structured interviews teachers found that the teaching methodology underlying the new

textbook did not match up with their students’ level of proficiency and expectations as well

as with the physical conditions of their school Teachers taught the new textbook, which is communicative and task-based, in a conventional manner The study supports the idea that innovation is unlikely to be fully implemented if it is just transmitted through the

introduction of a new curriculum Also, the study reinforces the truism that there can be no

curriculum development without teacher development

2 1 Conditions necessary for the success of curricular innovations

Curriculum development, according to Nunan and Lamb (2001, p.36) is “a delicate juggling act” for change agents as they consider the various issues and stakeholders within their educational environments The literature is replete with impressive lists that describe the attributes needed for innovations to thrive Based upon his research of over 1,500 studies on innovations in various educational fields, Rogers (1962/1995) concludes that innovations succeed when they are:

e Advantageous to the end users

¢ Compatible with earlier educational practices in the institution

e Simple to understand and utilize

e Easy to try out and easy to back away from

e Visible to all the stakeholders

In addition to our earlier discussion of stakeholders’ salient beliefs, Kennedy et al (1999, pp 53-54) identify further issues to consider:

e There must be a collaborative environment that is conducive for

innovations to occur

e Support from management is crucial for successful implementation

e Teachers need to be trained in the innovation

e Change agents must maximize benefits and minimize costs to stakeholders

e Change agents must be skilled in the subject content, and need

expertise in management and interpersonal relations

e Change agents must remember that innovation is as much a political

as a rational activity

These and related studies can be summarized by identifying three important factors that should be considered when planning innovations: the change agent, the educational environment, and the real needs of stakeholders

Change Agents

It is often the case that much of the responsibility for the success or failure of innovations is placed on the change agents This is unfortunate, since in many projects, change agents are inexperienced foreign language teachers who lack knowledge about the

wider dynamics within the institutions they are serving Teachers are the most important change agents, and there are three major teacher variables related to the success or failure

of innovation, i.e teachers’ attitudes, teachers’ training and teachers’ understanding of innovation (Fullan, 1991; Markee, 1997)

Teachers’ attitudes, which are derived from their experience as language learners and teachers, their training and their interaction with colleagues, affect their behavior in the classroom If teachers’ attitudes are congruent with the innovation, then they are positively disposed towards its implementation However, teachers who are initially enthusiastic about an innovation may easily become disillusioned if there is a lack of support for the innovation implementation, such as inadequate resourcing or students’ low motivation There have been a number of recent reviews of unsuccessful attempts to implement learner-centered communicative curricula amongst teachers whose background and experience tends toward more traditional teacher-centered methods (Hui, 1997; Penner, 1995; Holliday, 1994; Karavas-Doukas, 1995; Harrison, 1996)

Teacher training and support are a critical issue in preparing teachers to implement

a new curriculum and can play a major role in shaping teachers’ attitudes Without sufficient training and support, even teachers initially enthusiastic about an innovation may become frustrated by implementation problems (Gross et al., 1971; Verspoor, 1989)

If teachers are to implement an innovation successfully, they need to have a thorough understanding of the principles and practices underlying the innovation Fullan

(1991) warns that “people will always misinterpret and misunderstand some aspects of the purpose or practice of something that is new to them” (p 199)

For the reason of limited space I just focus on the most important factors that

should be looked upon as planning innovation, change agents, here

Conclusion

This Chapter has reviewed the Literature on teachers’ implementation of innovation

or curriculum renewal in ELT Two critical issues emerge in this review First, there is a gap between the planned curriculum and the implemented curriculum In other words, teachers appear to interpret the planned curriculum according to their understandings, experiences and perceptions of contextual factors Second, the role of the textbook in the context of ELT innovation or the role of the textbook as agent of change in ELT remains under-researched The gap is even wider in the Vietnamese context This study is therefore

an attempt to narrow the gap and to contribute to the common knowledge of how teachers implement curriculum renewal through their use of the textbook in the classroom

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research questions and research methods used for the data

collection as well as research procedures The first section of the chapter presents the background information of the study, i.e., the recent introduction of the new curriculum for English in the high school in Vietnam and the institutionalization of a new textbook series

as the mediator of such innovation Then it presents the research questions which constitute the focus of this study and a discussion of the methodology which was used to guide the present study Next, information about the case including the bounded context and participants is provided The Chapter concludes with a discussion of the instruments of data collection as well as the procedure of data collection

1 Background

Responding to the need to increase the number of people who can communicate completely in English to support the recent adoption of a market economy as well as the entry into the ASEAN bloc and World Trade Organization in Vietnam, the Vietnamese MOET has recently decided to reform the English language curriculum for secondary school which starts from Grade 6 through to Grade 12 The new series of English textbooks aim to enable school pupils

a To communicate in English at the basic level in all modes of communication, i.e., listening, speaking, reading and writing;

b To master the basic formal knowledge of the English language; and

c To have general understanding of, and a positive attitude towards the cultures of the English speaking countries

(Ministry of Education and Training, 2006, p 5)

It is also stated in the new English curriculum for secondary schools that

“communicative skills are the goal of the teaching of English at the secondary school while formal knowledge of the language serves as means to the end” (p.6) The new curriculum has become an ordinance, which is promulgated and prescribed by the MOET, for all secondary schools throughout the country

The innovative textbooks are theme-based and skill-based which adopt the “two currently popular teaching approaches, the learner-centered approach and the communicative approach A focus is on task-based teaching as the leading methodology”

Hoang et al (2006, p 12) The topic fields covered in the textbooks are “You and me”,

“Education”, “Community”, “Nature and Environment”, “Recreation”, and “People and Places” The textbook is structured according to standard pattern consisting of 16 didactic units, each comprising five sections: Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing, and Language Focus which presents the target grammatical structures and phonetic sounds Each of these sections is prescribed to be dealt within one 45-minute lesson Although the new textbook was introduced in 2002 for Grade 6, it was not until 2006 that the new curriculum was approved and institutionalized

After the new textbook set had been piloted, revised and institutionalized, in- service teacher training workshops were organized through a cascading model The curriculum developer led the workshop with ‘key’ teachers nominated by provincial educational authorities, who then went back to the provinces and ran the workshop for other teachers (among whom were the four teachers in this study) These workshops

usually lasted 10 days each during the summer break with key trainers being the textbook

writers themselves During the workshop, teachers were introduced the structure of the

textbook, the underlying methodology and classroom techniques that teachers were

supported to employ in delivering the textbook

2 Research Questions

This is a single qualitative case study The major goal of the study is to examine the implementation of the new textbook for grade 10 at an upper secondary school on the outskirts of Hanoi The design and methodology oriented around the following research questions:

1 How is the new textbook implemented in the classrooms?

2 To what extent does such implementation match the underlying methodology of the new textbook?

3 What are teachers' rationales for their innovation implementation?

3 Rationale for Choosing a Case Study

With regard to the choice of research methodology, Larsen-Freeman and Long (1991) maintain that

What is important for researchers is not the choice of a priori paradigms

or even methodologies, but rather to be clear on what the purpose of the study is to match that purpose with the attributes most likely to accomplish it Put another way, the methodological design should be determined by the research question (p 14)

What is implied in the above quotation is that it is the purpose of the study that determines the choice of research methodology, not the other way round The purpose of this study is to explore how teachers implement English language teaching innovation which is promoted by the Ministry of Education and Training in the classroom and the rationale behind their implementation Such a purpose fits well the choice of a single

qualitative case study

Case studies, as described by Yin (2003) are “the preferred strategy when “how”

or “why” questions are being posed, when the investigator has little control over events, and when the focus is on a contemporary phenomenon within some real-life context” (p.1) Yin also goes on to assert that the case study method allows the researcher to get insights into the holistic and meaningful characteristics of real-life events (p 2) A study on the implementation of innovation in the classroom is, in effect, an exploration of a pedagogical phenomenon in its natural context, i.e., in the classroom

A case can be defined in a variety of different ways, but fundamentally is referred

to as a ‘bounded system’, a term originally coined by Louis Smith, an educational

ethnographer (see Stake, 1995) However, the notion of ‘boundedness’ is complex at the operational level In this study I used Hitchcock and Hughes’ (1995,p 319) definition of

‘boundedness’ according to which a case can be “looked at in terms of ‘key players’, ‘key

situations’ and ‘critical incidents’ in the life of the case (McDonough and McDonough,

1997, p 205) In addition to this, the definition by Miles and Huberman (1994 cited in

McDonough and McDonough, 1997, p.205) was also used Miles and Huberman relate

‘boundedness’ to the following:

With regard to typology, Yin (2003) categorizes case studies into three main types:

(i) exploratory case studies; (ii) descriptive case studies; and (iii) explanatory case studies

(p 1) This study is a combination of an exploratory study and a descriptive study It is exploratory in the sense that it sets out to explore the way teachers implement innovation

in their classroom and their explanation of the way they implemented innovation But it is descriptive, too, because it aims to describe the extent to which the methodology underlying the innovation is employed in real classrooms

4 The Case

The case in this study is a private senior high school, which is located in the central area of Ha Tay province Economically, this area is developing fast The school was

founded in 2005 At the time when the study was conducted, the school had a pupil

population of almost 1600 Of this pupil population, 560 were in Grade 10 Admission was

selected according to their academic records in the junior high school One of the

prerequisites for admission was that the pupils had earned the title “hoc sinh tien tien” for all four years of schooling in the junior high school

There were 11 English language teachers working for the school Like teachers of

other subjects working in this school, all these English teachers had their permanent jobs in other state-run senior high schools Most of them had five years or more of teaching experience except for two who had just retired from other schools All of them were employed on the contractual basis

Originally I planned to conduct the study in a state-run school However, after I

tried with two schools, I failed to get the permission from the teachers who did not agree to get involved in the study This private school was my third choice, and the reason for choosing it was just for convenience I did not have to travel very far to the school when I paid field trips to the school But more important was the permission I got from the school leadership and the teachers who were teaching English in the school Although this was a private school, it had many similar characteristics of many other state-run senior high schools in the rural area On average, 50 pupils were put in one classroom which was basically furnished with rows of long desks Every five pupils shared one desk Between rows of desks was a narrow aisle for the teacher to move around

Although the area is economically developing, there are very few opportunities for the students to use English outside the school because this is not a tourist destination Neither is it an industrial area which accommodates joint-venture or foreign-owned companies Local people live chiefly by working as state officials or having their own business

5 Participants of the study

Participants were four female teachers of English (ranging from 29 to 45 years old) who had been teaching both the old textbook and the new one at the high schools (both private and state-run) in Ha Tay province All of them were university graduates and they all have at least six years of English teaching experience at different high schools in urban

as well as suburban areas of Ha Tay All these teachers attended a short in-service training workshop organized by the MOET on using the new textbook, and three of them were even trained in using the new textbook by the English Language Trainer Training Project

(ELTTP) with British trainers.

6 Instruments

McDonough and McDonough (1997) have cautioned that cases are objects to be

explored rather than methods or techniques of data collection According to them, the battery of possible instruments for a case study typically includes:

e naturalistic and descriptive observation

(student’s book and teacher’s book)

Of these methods, classroom observation assists the researcher in understanding accurately the innovation implementation in the natural setting whereas post-observation interviews helps to provide more useful information about how and why teachers taught the new textbook in the way they did In other words, interviews help to obtain in-depth and rich information about the observed behaviors All these instruments will be discussed

in detail in the following sections

6.1 Classroom observation

According to Hopkins (cited in Mr Donough, J and Mr Donough, S 1997, p.101)

“Observation is a pivotal activity with a crucial role to play in classroom research” Observing classrooms helps to see the various interactions between the instructor and students Over time patterns of interaction that are complex in nature will emerge These in turn will assist the researcher in exploring accurately and quickly how the instructional

processes carry out, then the validity of information in the way that teachers empirically

use to implement the new textbooks can be tested and clarified

In this study, I observed all four teachers who are in charged of 10" grades, and

among the classes I observed, there were two lessons of speaking skill, two of reading skill, two of language focus, one of listening and one of writing skill

6.2 Post-observation interview

According to Nunan (1992), in a research interview “the agenda is totally predetermined order and the types of interview one chooses will be determined by the nature of the research and the degree of control the interviewer wishes to exert” (p 149)

As the aim of this study was to explore the implementation of the new textbook, it is of naturalistic inquiry by nature The aim of the interviews was to understand the rationale of teachers’ behaviors in the classroom, and for this aim all post-observation interviews were unstructured The design of unstructured interviews helped me to gain understanding of why teachers taught the way they did in the classroom

The interviews were conducted after the classroom observation if the teachers were having an interval waiting for their next period Otherwise I had to wait until they had free time later in the day Each interview lasted around 25 minutes and the language of the interview was Vietnamese to ensure mutual understanding between the teacher and myself

as an interviewer The interviews were not recorded Instead I took notes of important

points during the interviews

6.3 Data collection and data analysis procedures

6.3.1 Datacollection procedures

In order to get empirical information about teachers’ implementation of the intended syllabus innovation in their real classroom and the rationales for their implementation, on the 18'" of March I decided to come to meet the leader of the school to ask for cooperation for my study It was really lucky for me to be given warm welcome by all four English teachers of 10" graders Some days later, on March 27" 2008, I wrote them a letter to inform them of my visits to their lessons in advance Data collection

methods used for the study comprised classroom observation and post-observation in-depth

interviews Classroom observations were conducted for two lessons for each teacher in

three weeks, totaling 2 lessons per teacher or 8 lessons altogether for four teachers Because teachers were not comfortable with their lessons being video or audio-recorded, I took extensive field notes of all the observed events in the classroom in the most possible naturally detailed manner to determine the teaching styles of a single case As a result,

classroom observation helped me collect the data “which is not what participants have

written on the topic (what they intend to do, or should do), not what they say they do” (Gillham, 2000, p 47) The interviews were conducted after the classroom observation if the teachers were having an interval waiting for their next period Otherwise I had to wait until they had free time later in the day Since teachers were not comfortable with their interviews being audio-recorded, I took notes of important points focusing on the critical issues arising from the observed lessons as well as issues related to teachers’ rationale

underlying their implementation of the intended syllabus innovation

Each interview lasted around 25 minutes and all the interviews were conducted in Vietnamese in order for the participants to fully articulate their views without being

constrained by the use of English or it helped them to avoid getting confused in

understanding the English interviewing questions and giving answers to the asked questions They were then translated and analyzed by the researcher to uncover the

emerging themes The full transcript of the interviews is given in Appendix 4 Each

interviewee was asked seven questions:

1 How long have you been teaching English?

2 Can you name the teaching methodology underlying the curricular innovation?

3 Does the new teaching methodology tally with the teachers and the students’

English learning purpose at your school? Why? And Why not?

4 Do you find any advantages or disadvantages of the new teaching methodology underlying the new curricular innovation? What are they?

5 Do you focus on teaching vocabulary and grammar or teaching language skills? Why?

6 Do you agree with the recent survey that the quality of English teaching is very poor?

7 In your mind what should be done to appraise the quality of English teaching? 6.3.2 Data analysis procedures

The procedures of collecting data took me only a month but it took me about

months to analyze the data Data collected from the above different sources were

categorized into i) Teachers’ classroom practice and ii) Factors affecting teachers’ teaching The data was categorized this way simply for seeking answers to the research questions established for this study The data was then analyzed both descriptively and interpretively The qualitative data from classroom observation and the interviews were

presented by quoting relevant responses from the respondents

7 Conclusion

This chapter presented the research questions, the research methodology and a description of the instruments for data collection Given the aims and objectives of the study as stated in Chapter I the researcher decided to use mixed instruments in qualitative method with a hope to get a provision of reliable and valid data for analysis in the following chapter

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION The first Chapter presents the rationale and the aims of the study as well as the research questions and the research methods Chapter II reviews the literature on the role

of the textbook in ELT innovation and factors affecting the way to use the textbook in the context of innovation Chapter III presents the research questions and research methods used for the data collection as well as analysis procedures This Chapter presents and

discusses the findings that arise from the data which were collected for answering the

intended research questions There are two types of data which were analyzed and presented separately, i.e classroom observation data and post-observation interview data

Firstly, the analysis of the classroom observation data will be presented to provide

empirical information of how the intended innovation embedded in the new textbook was actually implemented in the classroom Secondly, the data collected from the post- observation interviews will be analyzed and presented The outcome of this part will be

used to answer the second research question about why teachers taught the textbook the

way they did In other words, this will help to understand the factors that affect the way teachers implemented the intended innovation from the teachers’ perspectives Finally, a discussion of these findings will be presented

Collecting data from classroom observation and post-observation interviews I decided to categorize into two main issues: 1) Teachers’ classroom practice and 2) Factors affecting teachers’ teaching The data was categorized that way simply for answering the research question presented in chapter I Following is the description of the data in detail

I Findings

In order to get empirical information about the way teachers implemented the new

English textbook for grade 10 I came to visit 8 English lessons which were conducted by

four different teachers, the participants of the study, at a private senior high school for three weeks from 27 April 2008 to 20 April 2008 Due to technical constraints as well as getting the permit and approval from the participants of the study, I informed them of my visits to their lessons in advance and while I was attending their classroom I did not

videotape or audio-tape the lessons I observed Instead, I took notes of classroom procedures and activities in the most possible naturally detailed manner which determining teaching styles to reflect on a single case After collecting the data from classroom

observations and post observation interviews, some most interesting and significant

findings were selected to present below

1.1 Teachers’ Classroom Practice

1.1.1 Teachers’ Adaptation of the Textbook

First and foremost, it can be seen obviously from the classroom observations that teachers tried to adapt the tasks and activities employed in the new textbook to attract their learners’ participation Below are two typical extracts from two different lessons implemented by two different teachers

Extract 1 (Observation 2 Unit 13 Language Focus) In stead of asking students to

do exercise 1 on Grammar and Vocabulary (Appendix 6) in their textbook, the teacher created a table of three columns and asked her students to complete the table in order to make adjectival forms of the verbs

T: Can you complete the table on the board by adding “ing” or “ed” to the verbs? Now two students go to the board

Ss: (Two students go to the board and complete the table)

1 fascinate 1 fascinating 1 Fascinated

2 excite 2 exciting 2 Excited

3 terrify 3 terrifying 3 Terrified

4 irritate 4 irritating 4 Irritated

5 horrify 5 horrifying

5 Horrified

Extract 2 from observation 2: The teacher helped her students practice

pronouncing the sounds /v/ and /f/ She herself found two pictures as visual aids to

introduce the sounds

T: Look at the poster and answer my questions What’s this?

S: (in chorus) it’s a face /feis/

T: And this?

S: (just silent)

T: It’s a vase /veis/ Who can tell me the difference between them?

S: (some audible) v and f

T: yes the meaning, the pronunciation of these words are different Today we’ll practice

two sounds: /v/ and /f/

Extract 3: Another extract from observation I which describes the way the teacher

tried to adapt the tasks provided in the book Instead of answering four questions one after

another in Task 2, p 148: Listen again and answer the questions, the teacher asked her

students to work in groups, then each group had to answer two questions in the table

T: Bây giờ cô cho 2 nhóm lên bang, now Questions land 3 group A;

Questions 2 and 4 group B Trong khi các bạn 2 nhóm làm trên bảng, các bạn dưới

lớp chú ý quan sát và nhắc trợ giúp các ban néu can (Now two groups go to the

board, questions 1 and 3 group A; Questions 2 and 4 group B While your friends are

doing the others can assist them if necessary)

3 he play (plays) for an American club before | understanding through friendly sport activities

It can be seen obviously from the extracts above the ways the teachers tried to adapt the tasks provided in the textbook for activating their students to get involved in the activities as much as possible As a result, it helps the class to run more effectively during the period because they could understand what to do and how to find and retrieve information from the lesson

1.1.2 Dependence on the textbook

The teachers tried to adapt the classroom activities to get a more interesting and lively lessons However, the adaptation that teachers made seemed to be simple and really

little Basically, most classroom activities as well as teaching methods and classroom

procedures as shown from observation data relied so heavily on the textbook As a result, the textbook is the center of instruction influencing the teaching and learning process in the class Below is a typical excerpt from one of the lesson transcripts

T: Today we come to unit 5 Cities Let’s start the first part reading

T(writes on the board) : A Reading

I Before you read T: Look at the pictures and answer the questions

T: Now who can match the pictures with the places

(Extract from observation 5, a reading lesson) Since all four observed teachers employed a similar textbook-based format for their lessons: before you read/ listen; while you read/listen; and after you read/listen, ect , I just give only one extract here as a typical example Although the students could finish all the prescribed tasks in their textbook, they might not be able to improve their language skills What they did to answer their teachers is simply repeated all the words, phrases and sentences from the textbooks; there seemed not any communicative interactions between the teachers and students as well as among students

1.1.3 Emphasis on forms rather than on communication

The next issue arising from most observed lessons demonstrates that the teachers tended to focus on forms and there was little emphasis on communicative ability, the

meaningful use of language Two of the excerpts below are typical examples of the

problem

Excerpt 1: from observation 6, a language focus lesson on the use of will and be going to The students had just done their two first exercises on the use of be going to and will to express future plans or future predictions In this part they practiced using will to make offers

T: (writes on the board) 3 Will: making offers

T: Ta ding will dé dua ra mot lời đề nghị Chẳng hạn một bạn bảo là Its very hot

thì em sẽ đưa ra lời để nghị là tớ sẽ mở cửa cho bạn thì ndi thé nao?(points to a

students) (We use “will” to make an offer For example someone says “It’s hot”then how do you make an offer to open the door for her?)

S: I will open the window

T: Còn bạn bạn nói tớ sẽ bật quạt bằng tiếng Anh thé nao?(points to another student)

S: I will turn on the fan

T: good Vậy là chúng ta sẽ dùng will để đưa ra lời dé nghị giúp ai đó

Excerpt 2: from observation 2 Teacher explained a grammatical phenomenon:

“ing” adjective and “ed” adjective)

T (writes on the board) The film is interesting “ing” — active meaning

I am interested in the film “ed”_ passive meaning T: ta sử dụng dạng “ing” với nghĩa bản chất của sự việc còn dang “ed” thi thể hiện tâm trạng

1.1.4 Teaching is more product-based than process-based

Another meaningful result emerges from the observation classroom data reflects the dominance of mechanical drilling and practice during teaching and learning process Below I exemplify three extracts from three observations of three different teachers

Extract 1: from observation 7, a reading lesson (Unit 14 p.142-144) The students read the passage and did the tasks in their textbooks

T: Now do Task 1 Các em đọc rồi kết hợp từ, cụm từ cột A với cột B

T (After J minute) Have you finished? number | with?

Ss (in chorus): b

T: right, number 2 please?

Ss (in chorus): ¢

(The other words are done in the same procedure)

Extract 2: from Observation 4 Unit 15 p.156-158, reading lesson

T: Now you move to Task 2 in your books Chúng ta làm bài 2 là bài tập đúng hay sai, sai thì sửa, chúng ta có năm trả lời câu đầu tiên Cường?

S (Cường): Thưa cô true a

T: Minh tiếp nào

Minh: False

T: Vậy câu đúng là gì?

Minh: Thưa cô là It”s ice-free in all seasons

(The same procedure was repeated for the remaining sentences)