A study on physics students’ challenges and their coping strategies on an english as a medium of instruction (EMI) program at hanoi university of science, vietnam national university

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ĐỖ THỊ THANH THƯ A STUDY ON PHYSICS STUDENTS’ CHALLENGES AND THEIR COPING STRATEGIES ON AN ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION (EMI) PROGRAM AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE, VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (Nghiên cứu khó khăn biện pháp khắc phục sinh viên khoa Vật lý theo học khóa học chu ên ngành gi ng ng ti ng nh t i trường Đ i học Khoa học Tự nhiên, Đ i học Quốc gia Hà Nội) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English teaching methodology Code: 60140111 Ha Noi, November 2016 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ĐỖ THỊ THANH THƯ A STUDY ON PHYSICS STUDENTS’ CHALLENGES AND THEIR COPING STRATEGIES ON AN ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION (EMI) PROGRAM AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE, VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (Nghiên cứu khó khăn biện pháp khắc phục sinh viên khoa Vật lý theo học khóa học chu ên ngành gi ng ng ti ng nh t i trường Đ i học Khoa học Tự nhiên, Đ i học Quốc gia Hà Nội) (M.A THESIS) Field Code Supervisor : English teaching methodology : 60140111 : Dr Vu Thi Thanh Nha Ha Noi, November 2016 DECLARATION I hereby certify that this thesis is entirely my own work I have provided fully documented references to the other‟s work The material in this thesis has not been submitted for assessment in any other formal course I also accept all the requirements of University of Languages and International Studies relating to the retention and use of M.A Graduation Thesis deposited in the library i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This thesis would not be fulfilled without the help of some people, and in some ways, I would like to thank everyone who has taught me, inspired me, challenged me, and supported me throughout the realization of this thesis I would like to express my deepest thanks to my beloved supervisor, Dr Vu Thi Thanh Nha, for her whole-hearted assistance, encouragement as well as the profound guidance she gave me while I was doing my research I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all lecturers in Faculty of Post-graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their interesting lectures which have inspired me to conduct this thesis Last but not least, I would also like to express my thanks to students at Hanoi University of Science, VNU for their willingness to participate in the research Without their help, this project could not be fulfilled Hanoi, November, 2016 Do Thi Thanh Thu ii ABSTRACT English-medium instruction (EMI) has been a great interest to language and language policy researchers in an era of globalization and internationalization In spite of recognising implemental problems and constraints, EMI has been widely introduced into countries where English is not the native language This paper reported the findings of the study that aimed at identifying second-year physics students‟ challenges and their coping strategies when they studied the EMI program Two issues, hence, are investigated: (1) what challenges the learners face and (2) what are their coping strategies in the implementation of EMI in Vietnam The analysis of empirical data garnered from questionnaires and interviews reveals that the students faced such serious challenges as: students‟ English ability and comprehending lectures Their common strategies were group work, extensive reading, lecture attendance, completing assigned work and memorization Based on these findings, suggestions are made for enhancing the success of similar programs iii LIST OF ABBREVIATION TERMS HUS : Hanoi University of Science VNU : Vietnam National University CBI : Content-based Instruction CLIL : Content and Language Integrated Learning L1 : First Language L2 : Second language MOET : The Ministry of Education and Training ELT : English language teaching EMI : English as the Medium of Instruction iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATION TERMS iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION I.1 Rationale I.2 Aims of the study I.3 Research questions I.4 Scope of the study I.5 Method of the study I.6 Design of the study CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW II.1 The EMI context II.1.1 Context of EMI in the world II.1.2 Context of EMI in Vietnam II.2 Challenges facing EMI students II.3 Previous studies on coping strategies in multilingual higher education 14 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY 18 III.1 Context of the study 18 III.2 Research questions 19 III.3 The study 19 III.3.1 Participants 19 III.3.2 Data collection instruments 19 III.3.3 Data collection procedure 21 v CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS 23 IV.1 The findings of questionnaire 23 IV.1.1 Students‟ challenges 24 IV.1.2 Students‟ coping strategies 26 IV.2 The findings of interview 27 IV.2.1 Students‟ challenges 27 IV.2.2 Students‟ coping strategies 28 CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 32 V.1 Discussion of key findings 32 V.2 Summary of key findings 35 V.3 Implications 35 V.4 Limitations 35 V.5 Suggestions for further research 36 REFERENCES 37 APPENDIX…………………………………………………………………45 vi LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1: Language-in- Education Policy Goals Table 2: Review Findings Regarding the Students‟ Language Proficiencies Table 3: Review Findings Relating to Academic EMI Situation 11 Table 4: Review Findings Relating to EMI support 12 Table 5: Students‟ challenges 25 Table 6: Students‟ coping strategies and suggestions for teachers 26 Figure 1: The students‟ purposes for learning English 23 Figure 2: Areas of using English students often face challenges 25 vii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION I.1 Rationale Globalization and internationalization, combined with the rapid growth of the internet, have resulted in the spread of English worldwide Strongly influenced by this phenomenon, many Asian countries, where English is not officially used, have adopted diverse educational policies that aim to support students in acquiring higher levels of English proficiency and preparing them for better future jobs While Content-based Instruction (CBI) or Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) refers to an approach where language teaching is organized around the informational content rather than a linguistic syllabus (Richards & Rodgers, 2001), EMI is mostly used for educational programs at a tertiary level where professional knowledge is taught through English with the purpose of enhancing students‟ knowledge-specific ability as well as their English (Coleman, 2006) In Vietnam, English is considered as an indispensable subject in all universities‟ curriculum There is a rapidly growing tendency for English to be adopted as the medium of instruction, even when a majority of the population speaks a local language However, when EMI courses have expanded, they not get immediate success At Hanoi University of Science (hereafter HUS), English is a compulsory subject for all students of all faculties EMI is considered a preferable program to make learners understood in a workplace context, or have an advantageous job over the others For the second-year physics students, they have one year to be familiar with the ways of studying at university Learners try their best to improve their English as well as the knowledge of subjects; however, not all students have succeeded The questions of the ways the students choose to overcome are left unanswered in this context There have been not much attempts in investigating this issue Hence, it is greatly important to research the matter intensively evaluate how effective those strategies were; whether strategies were good or bad ones and whether participants‟ abilities were high or low What is more, students‟ challenges are complexly difficult to classify into different types Also, it is contextual and the findings might not be directly applicable to other groups of EMI students With these limitations; all comments on the improvement are welcomed and appreciated V.5 Suggestions for further research For further study, it is suggested that future research can either investigate deeper into this field or extend to find out how effective the coping strategies are Researching about English Medium program is still a new and potential field that needs further investigations The present study has investigated coping strategies that students use to handle the difficulties of having English as the medium of instruction It could equally be of interesting further investigate teachers‟ support strategies in helping students to build up knowledge and understanding of their domain specific content learnt through the medium of English in HUS This concluding chapter has presented the discussion of EMI implementation and major findings, comparing them with previous studies in the literature Besides, it identifies areas for improvement in the study, draws out implication and briefly proposes directions for future research It is hoped that the findings of this research could contribute to understand more about learners, to enhance teaching and learning EMI program at the institution 36 REFERENCES Airey, J., & Linder, C (2006) Language and the experience of learning university physics in Sweden European Journal of Physics, 27(3), 553-560 Andrada, M S (2006) International students in English-speaking universities Journal of Research in International Education 5(1), 131–154 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1475240906065589 Baldauf, R B., Kaplan, R B., Kamwangamalu, N., & Bryant, P (2011) Success or failure of primary second/foreign language programmes in Asia: What the data tell us? 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(You may select MORE THAN one answer if applicable) a Reading b Vocabulary c Listening d Grammar e Speaking g Pronunciation f Writing What are the challenges you often face in the course? (You may select MORE THAN one answer if applicable) a I don‟t understand the requirements of the program b My language skills are poor c I am not motivated to learn English d It takes too much time to prepare for the class e I cannot understand the lectures when they were instructed in English f Others (Please specify) ………………………………………………………………………… What are your methods/ coping strategies to help your learning English in the content course more effective? (You may select MORE THAN one answer if applicable) a I spend a lot of time learning outside classroom (self-study) b I ask for the teacher if I need the help c Practice with friends in pairs and in groups d Others (Please specify) ………………………………………………………………………… What suggestion you have for your teacher? (You may select MORE THAN one answer if applicable) a More interaction between teacher and students in class b Teachers should use more games in class c There are more activities and clubs for students to practice English both outside and inside classroom d Others (Please specify) ………………………………………………………………………… 10 If you are willing to be contacted for the follow-up interview about students‟ challenges in EMI course, please give me your contact details Your contact number: Your email address: …………………………………………… …………………………………………… Thank you very much for your help!!! APPENDIX II BẢNG CÂU HỎI Bảng khảo sát tiến hành cho nghiên cứu chương trình học mơn học khác tiếng Anh trường Đại học khoa học tự nhiên Rất cảm ơn đóng góp bạn tham gia hoàn thiện bảng khảo sát Với câu hỏi, bạn khoanh câu trả lời bạn chọn Giới tính bạn: a Nam b Nữ Thời giạn bạn học Tiếng Anh bao lâu? … …………………… Lý bạn học Tiếng Anh gì? a Bởi chun ngành tơi dạy Tiếng Anh b Bởi tơi thích Tiếng Anh c Bởi hữu ích cho cơng việc tương lai tơi d Bởi tơi muốn nước e Lý khác (xin nêu rõ) ……………………………………………………………………… Bạn dành thời gian để học Tiếng Anh ngồi học? ……… ……………………………………………………………… Bạn có gặp khó khăn học mơn học khác Tiếng Anh hay khơng? c Có d Khơng Bạn thường xun gặp khó khăn lĩnh vực Tiếng Anh (Bạn chọn nhiều câu trả lời phù hợp) a Đọc b Từ vựng c Nghe d Ngữ pháp e Nói f Ngữ âm g Viết Trong ngành học bạn, bạn thường gặp khó khăn gì? (Bạn chọn nhiều câu trả lời phù hợp) a Tôi không hiểu yêu cầu chương trình học b Kỹ ngơn ngữ tơi c Tơi khơng có động lực để học Tiếng Anh d Mất nhiều thời gian để chuẩn bị cho học e Tơi khơng hiểu học dạy Tiếng Anh Bạn có phương pháp/ chiến lược để giúp việc học Tiếng Anh bạn với môn học chuyên ngành hiệu (Bạn chọn nhiều câu trả lời phù hợp) a Tơi dành thời gian học ngồi học b Tôi hỏi giáo viên cần giúp đỡ c Thực hành với bạn theo cặp theo nhóm d Nội dung khác (Xin nêu rõ) ………………………………………………………………………… Gợi ý bạn đưa cho giáo viên bạn gì? (Bạn chọn nhiều câu trả lời phù hợp) a Tăng tương tác giáo viên học sinh lớp học b Giáo viên nên sử dụng nhiều trò chơi học c Tổ chức nhiều hoạt động câu lạc cho học sinh để thực hành Tiếng Anh học d Nội dung khác (Xin nêu rõ) ………………………………………………………………………… 10 Nếu bạn đồng ý tham gia vào phần vấn thách thức sinh viên học môn học khác Tiếng Anh, xin cung cấp thông tin liên hệ: Số điện thoại: Địa email: …………………………………………… …………………………………………… C m ơn giúp đỡ b n! APPENDIX III: INTERVIEW The investigator explains that she is doing a research about the EMI program The researcher would record the interview if the interviewees agree She states that “All of your information and the data obtained will be confidential” Interview questions: - Please briefly introduce yourself - Tell me about your experience in your classroom Did you have any problems when you studied English before entering the university? What were the main challenges for you? Do you have any other challenges in the content class now? What did you to improve the situation? (What are your coping strategies?) Did you join in any activities outside classroom to improve your English? What activities you suggest to help students in EMI program learn English better? APPENDIX IV: BẢN PHỎNG VẤN Người vấn giải thích cô làm nghiên cứu chương trình dạy mơn học khác tiếng Anh Người nghiên cứu ghi âm vấn người vấn đồng ý Cơ nói “Tất thông tin liệu liên quan đến bạn bảo mật” Câu hỏi vấn - Hãy giới thiệu ngắn gọn thân - Kể cho trải nghiệm bạn lớp học, cụ thể là: Trước vào đại học, bạn có gặp vấn đề học tiếng Anh khơng? Khó khăn bạn gì? Hiện tại, bạn có gặp khó khăn lớp học chuyên ngành không? Bạn làm để cải thiện tình hình đó? Bạn có tham gia hoạt động ngồi học để nâng cao trình độ tiếng Anh khơng? Để giúp học tốt môn học khác tiếng Anh, bạn đưa gợi ý gì? APPENDIX V SAMPLED STUDENT INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS Date of interview: 29/09/2016 Interview length: minutes Interviewer: Thu Interviewee: Physics Students (SS1) Interview language: Vietnamese Thu: Hello, let‟s me introduce myself My name is Thu I am in my second year of my M.A study Today, I have some questions for you related to EMI program that you are taking (ISP or Advanced Program) The interview will last for a few minutes Can we start right now? SS1: Yes Thu: Ok Did you have any problems when you studied English before entering the university? SS1: Before entering the university? Yes, I did Thu: What were the main challenges for you? SS1: Actually, I did not remember I just found difficult to learn listening and speaking skills Thu: Do you have any other challenges in the content class now? SS1: There are a lot of new terms They are difficult to remember if I not understand its nature It is very easy to misunderstand the lectures because I just understood some words among words I can hear Thu: What did you to improve the situation? SS1: I often listen to the radio or try to understand some information broadcasting such as BBC every morning and sometimes I read journals or newspapers and as a student I try to read books about my subjects or courses I study here at the university I think group-work is also good at doing exercises or but sometimes I think it is boring Thu: Did you join in any activities outside classroom to improve your English? SS1: Of course, yes, I used to take part in the language programs organized by my friends‟ school They often provided knowledge about some language issues as well as give chances for students to play games Besides, I worked as a waiter in a restaurant where I used English to communicate with foreigners but not much Thu: What you suggest to help students in EMI program learn English better? SS1: I want to learn course books in English rather than in Vietnamese Thu: Did you study course books in Vietnamese? SS1: Yes, some books are Vietnamese I find it easy to understand the books written in English rather than in Vietnamese Some Vietnamese course books are difficult Thu: Ok Did you want to share any else? SS1: No Thu: Ok, thank you very much ... Education and Training (MOET) as a response to the globalization and regionalization, its implementation is a long way off (Manh, 2012) It is a truism that there is always a gap between an idea and. .. Thi Thanh Thu ii ABSTRACT English- medium instruction (EMI) has been a great interest to language and language policy researchers in an era of globalization and internationalization In spite of recognising.. .VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ĐỖ THỊ THANH THƯ A STUDY ON PHYSICS STUDENTS’ CHALLENGES AND THEIR COPING