Good English teaching practices” as perceived in teaching contests in Hai Duong province, Vietnam

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN HẢI NGUYÊN “GOOD ENGLISH TEACHING PRACTICES” AS PERCEIVED IN TEACHING CONTESTS IN HAI DUONG PROVINCE, VIETNAM “Dạy giỏi Tiếng Anh” nhìn nhận từ thi giảng tỉnh Hải Dương, Việt Nam MA MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Language Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01 HANOI, 2019 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN HẢI NGUYÊN “GOOD ENGLISH TEACHING PRACTICES” AS PERCEIVED IN TEACHING CONTESTS IN HAI DUONG PROVINCE, VIETNAM “Dạy giỏi Tiếng Anh” nhìn nhận từ thi giảng tỉnh Hải Dương, Việt Nam MA MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Language Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01 Supervisor : Dr Vũ Hải Hà HANOI, 2019 DECLARATION I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “Good English teaching practices as perceived in teaching contests in Hai Duong Province, Vietnam” is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of English teaching methodology at the University of Languages and International Studies, Viet Nam National University This thesis has not been previously submitted for any other degrees The work was done under the guidance of Doctor Vu Hai Ha, at the University of Languages and International Studies Hanoi, January 2019 Nguyễn Hải Nguyên i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Vu Hai Ha for his careful supervision, great support and encouragement during the whole process of research I myself would not have accomplished this paper without his expert, specific instruction and criticism I am also grateful to my colleagues at nearly 40 high schools in Hai Duong province, especially Nguyen Binh Khiem High School, Tu Ky High School, Thanh Ha High School, Gia Loc High School and Pha Lai High School, for their enthusiastic participation and feedback in the stage of data collection Finally, my special thanks go to my family who gave me time and encouragement to overcome all difficulties along the course of research and complete this study ii ABSTRACT The following paper involves discovering how “good English language teaching practices” are perceived in the provincial teaching contests in Hai Duong province which is somehow a form of teachers‟ assessment, and exploring the correspondences, if any, between these perceptions and those described in the ETCF, which is acting as a guidance for teachers‟ training and development Within the scope of this study, 18 examiners and 55 examinees who are teachers of high schools in Hai Duong province and have participated in the teaching contests agreed to voice their opinions on “good English teaching practices” The data was collected from questionnaires, follow-up interviews and document observation Then the perceptions of “good English teaching practices” shown in the teaching contests were compared with those characterized in the content of ETCF with a view to investigating the connection between practice and theory Consequently, the examinees and the assessment criteria including documents and the examiners‟ evaluation bear considerable similarities regarding the characteristics of effective English language teaching, namely Culture Teaching, Communicative Approach, Assessment, Technology and Teaching materials, etc The findings also added to the existing framework of Brown (2009), which serves as the backbone of the study, in terms of outside classroom factors such as Lesson Planning, Teachers‟ professionalism, Contribution to language teaching and Students‟ Learning Outcomes and Development Besides, the teaching contests show noticeable agreement with the ETCF on what characterize “good English teaching practices” However, ETCF covers broader and more comprehensive concepts while the teaching contests deals with more detailed ones Interestingly, it is suggested from the teaching contests that the utilization of different ways to grab students‟ attention in class and development of students‟ autonomy in learning play an important role in achieving good English teaching practices, which is not mentioned in any competency in the ETCF At the end of the day, it is also implied that training programs and theoretical guidelines have a significant impact on teachers‟ beliefs about effective English teaching and on their teaching practices iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ETCF: English Teacher Competency Framework SLTE: second language teacher education FL: foreign language L2: second language iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv LIST OF TABLES v CHAPTER – INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale for the study 1.2 Research objectives 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Research scope 1.5 Significance of the study CHAPTER – LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Theoretical background 2.1.1 Perspectives on teaching 2.1.2 English language teacher education 2.1.3 English language teacher assessment 2.1.4 Perceptions of good English language teaching 2.2 Case study background 12 2.2.1 English language teacher education in Vietnam 12 2.2.2 English language teacher assessment in Vietnam and the English Teacher Competency Framework (ETCF) 14 2.2.3 EFL teaching and Teaching contest in Hai Duong Province 18 2.3 Research gaps 20 CHAPTER – METHODOLOGY 21 3.1 Research paradigm research design 21 3.1.1 Research paradigm 21 3.1.2 Research design 22 3.2 Data collection 22 3.2.1 Research setting 22 3.2.2 Research participants 23 3.2.3 Instruments 25 3.2.4 Data collection procedure 31 v 3.3 Data analysis 32 3.4 Methodological limitations 32 CHAPTER – FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 34 4.1 Analysis of research question 34 4.1.1 Questionnaire result 34 4.1.2 Interview result 38 4.1.3 Document observation 42 4.1.4 Summary of findings and data source 43 4.2 Analysis of research question 44 4.2.1 Questionnaire result 44 4.2.2 Interview results 46 4.2.3 Summary of findings and data sources 49 4.3 Analysis of research question 50 4.3.1 Similarities 50 4.3.2 Differences 52 4.4 Discussion 53 CHAPTER – CONCLUSION 56 5.1 Research summary 56 5.2 Practical implications 56 5.3 Research limitations and future research 57 REFERENCES 59 APPENDIX 1: ILLUSTRATION OF THE MAIN CONTEMPORARY MODELS OF LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION I APPENDIX 2: EXAMPLES OF ETCF ASSESSMENT TOOLS III APPENDIX 3: EFFECTIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING QUESTIONNAIRE (FOR THE JUDGES) XXIII APPENDIX 4: EFFECTIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING QUESTIONNAIRE (FOR THE CONTESTANTS) XXXI APPENDIX 5: FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEWS (TRANSCRIPT) XXXVI APPENDIX 6: ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS ABOUT ROUND (EXPERIENCEBASED INTIVATIVE PAPER) AND ROUND (THE COMPETENCY TEST) OF THE TEACHING CONTESTS XLII vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Five models of teaching Table 2: Some main contemporary models of language teacher education Table 3: Some competency frameworks/ models for English language teachers Table 4: Domains and Competencies in ETCF 16 Table 5: Category of effective language teaching in the questionnaire 27 Table 6: Data collection procedure 31 Table 7: Questionnaire revisions 32 Table 8: Result of aspect of Grammar Teaching (Examiners) 34 Table 9: Result of aspect of Error Correction (Examiners) 35 Table 10: Result of aspect of Target Language Use (Examiners) 35 Table 11: Result of aspect of Culture (Examiners) 36 Table 12: Result of aspect of Computer-based technology (Examiners) 36 Table 13: Result of aspect of Communicative Language Teaching Strategies (Examiners) 37 Table 14: Result of aspect of Assessment (Examiners) 38 Table 15: Result of document observation (good language teaching practices) 42 Table 16: Research question - Summary of findings 43 Table 17: Descriptive result of the examinees' beliefs 44 Table 18: Identical opinions in both examiners' and examinees' perceptions of good English language teaching 46 Table 19: Research question - Summary of findings 49 vii CHAPTER – INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale for the study Starting from the time of economic reforms, Vietnam has adopted the open-door policy to involve in international business and attract foreign investments, so the interaction with other nations is unavoidable As a result, in order to increase capabilities of the country to grow in nowadays environment, it is necessary for Vietnamese to improve their second language ability as an essential communicative tool (Hamano, 2008) Vietnamese children have been encouraged to learn English from the age of since national education system has covered English in its teaching content for all primary schools (Pham, 1998) Nevertheless, the effectiveness of teaching and learning English at these schools is very low The students have learned this language rigidly, so they cannot use it in reality at all (Hamano, 2008) This is the point where old methods of teaching show certain limitations These teaching processes which only concentrate on linguistic accuracy and are controlled by the teacher in class restrict students‟ opportunities to practice and apply English structure in a flexible way Hence, after a long time of learning and doing many boring grammar exercises, the students can only remember the meaning of individual words and formula of grammar structure, but they cannot apply these things to comprehend the content of the whole sentences in different contexts nor compound meaningful sentences to express themselves It is even worse when they have to speak out in English While speaking is considered one of the most significant skill of effective communication (Hamano, 2008), the lack of confidence, slow reflex and poor pronunciation has made it very difficult for Vietnamese students to open their mouth fluently Hence, the necessary to find new teaching methods has been proposed with the effort to improve the effectiveness of English learning process Therefore, the issue of quality in teaching foreign languages has become a matter of concern In 2008, the Prime Minister approved the Decision 1400 about “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, Period 2008-2020”, most frequently referred to as the National Foreign Languages 2020 Project (Department of Education and Training - Hai Duong Province, 2014) Since then, there have been many changes in teaching and learning foreign languages in general, and teaching and learning English in particular with the central focus on English teachers‟ tiếng Anh học sinh cảm thấy sẵn sàng (*) 22 khơng trình bày chủ điểm ngữ pháp cụ thể mà khơng minh họa cấu trúc sử dụng hoàn cảnh thực tế cụ thể (*) 23 nói tiếng Anh với kiểm soát người xứ ngữ pháp giọng (*) 24 dạy ngữ pháp cách đưa ví dụ cấu trúc ngữ pháp trước giải thích chủ điểm ngữ pháp (*) 25 chủ yếu sử dụng tài liệu thực tế (ví dụ, nhạc, tranh ảnh, đồ ăn, quần áo) giảng dạy ngơn ngữ văn hóa thay sử dụng có sẵn sách giáo khoa (*) 26 khơng đơn giản hóa hay thay đổi câu nói để học sinh hiểu từ câu (*) 27 chấm điểm học sinh phần dựa khả giao tiếp thành cơng với bạn lớp tiếng Anh (*) 28 sử dụng hoạt động mà học sinh phải sử dụng tiếng Anh để tìm thơng tin chưa biết từ bạn lớp (*) 29 Theo anh/ chị, việc dạy giỏi tiếng Anh cịn có đặc điểm khác khơng? Nếu có, viết câu trả lời anh/ chị ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………… XXX APPENDIX 4: EFFECTIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING QUESTIONNAIRE (FOR THE CONTESTANTS) English version EFFECTIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING QUESTIONNAIRE (FOR THE CONTESTANTS) This survey is a part of a university dissertation, which investigates the perception of good English teaching practices in teaching contests of Hai Duong province, Vietnam Therefore, it will not in any way influence the real-life situation of the topic Your participation is voluntary, so you may terminate your participation at any point, before, during, or after the survey Your information is kept confidential entirely and will only be known among the researcher and the colleagues that are involved in the data analysis and research process The survey will take approximately 20 minutes Your responses will be recorded for the purpose of data analysis Thank you for agreeing to take part in this survey Note: The question with (*) mark is required with an answer *** PART 1: RESPONDENT’S INFORMATION What is your full name? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……… What is your age? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……… Which school are you currently working for? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……… How many years have you been teaching English? (*) ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……… XXXI How many times have you participated in provincial teaching contest for English subject? (*) ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……… PART 2: WHAT CHARACTERIZES GOOD ENGLISH PRACTICES? Please reflect on your personal beliefs regarding what characterizes effective English language teaching Please carefully read each statement and indicate to what extent you agree or disagree by circling the statement that best describe your opinions There are no right or wrong answers, just those that are right for you Your sincere, personal responses will guarantee the success of the study = Strongly agree, = Agree, = Disagree, = Strong disagree Effective English language teachers should: Agree/ Disagree Item frequently use computer-based technologies (Internet, CD–ROM, email) in teaching English (*) base at least some part of students‟ grades on completion of assigned group tasks (*) devote as much time to the teaching of culture as to the teaching of English (*) require students to use English outside of class with other speakers of English (e.g., Internet, email, clubs, community events, etc.) (*) 10 not correct students immediately after they make a mistake in speaking (*) 11 allows students to explain their answers to questions in listening and reading in Vietnamese rather than in English in the classroom (*) 12 not use Vietnamese in the English language classroom (*) 13 only give indirect corrections instead of direct corrections when they produce oral errors (e.g., correctly repeating back to them rather than directly stating that they are incorrect) (*) 14 be as knowledgeable about the culture(s) of those who speak English as the English language itself (*) 15 not grade English language production (i.e., speaking and writing) primarily for grammatical accuracy (*) 16 teach English primarily by having students complete specific tasks (e.g., finding out prices of rooms and rates at a hotel) rather than grammar-focused exercises (*) 17 address errors by immediately providing explanations as to why students‟ responses are incorrect (*) 18 require students to speak in the English language from the first day of class (*) 19 not use predominantly small groups or pair work to complete activities in class (*) 20 mostly use activities that practice specific grammar points rather than activities whose goal is XXXII merely to exchange information (*) 21 ask students to begin speaking the English language only when they feel they are ready to (*) 22 not present a particular grammar point without illustrating how the structure is used in a specific, real-world context (*) 23 speak the English language with native-like control of both grammar and accent (*) 24 teach grammar by giving examples of grammatical structures before explaining the grammar rules (*) 25 use predominantly real-life materials (e.g., music, pictures, foods, clothing) in teaching both the language and the culture rather than the textbook (*) 26 not simplify or alter how they speak so that students can understand every word being said (*) 27 base at least some part of students‟ grades on their ability to interact with classmates successfully in the English language (*) 28 use activities where students have to find out unknown information from classmates using the English language (*) 29 In your opinion, are there more characteristics of good English teaching practices? If there are, please write down your answer below: ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………… Vietnamese version KHẢO SÁT VỀ VIỆC DẠY GIỎI TIẾNG ANH (DÀNH CHO THÍ SINH) Khảo sát phần luận văn đại học nghiên cứu quan niệm việc dạy giỏi tiếng Anh nhìn nhận từ hội giảng tỉnh Hải Dương, Việt Nam Vì vậy, khảo sát khơng có ảnh hưởng đến tình hình thực tế đề tài Việc anh/ chị tham gia khảo sát tình nguyện, nên anh/ chị dừng khảo sát lúc nào, trước, khi, sau khảo sát Thông tin anh/ chị giữ bảo mật hoàn toàn có người nghiên cứu đồng nghiệp liên quan đến q trình phân tích nghiên cứu biết đến thông tin Làm khảo sát khoảng 20 phút Câu trả lời anh/ chị ghi lại cho mục đích phân tích liệu Rất cám ơn anh/ chị tham gia khảo sát Chú ý: Bắt buộc trả lời câu hỏi có dấu (*) *** XXXIII PHẦN 1: THƠNG TIN NGƯỜI THAM GIA KHẢO SÁT Họ tên đầy đủ anh/ chị gì? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……… Anh/ chị tuổi? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……… Anh/ chị công tác trường nào? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……… Anh/ chị có năm kinh nghiệm giảng dạy tiếng Anh? (*) ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……… Anh/ chị tham dự hội giảng cấp tỉnh (môn tiếng Anh) lần? (*) ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……… PHẦN 2: ĐẶC ĐIỂM CỦA VIỆC DẠY GIỎI TIẾNG ANH LÀ GÌ? Hãy xem xét quan niệm anh/ chị đặc điểm việc dạy giỏi tiếng Anh Hãy đọc kĩ câu mô tả đặc điểm cho biết mức độ đồng ý anh/ chị với câu mô tả cách chọn phương án với ý kiến anh/ chị Khơng có câu trả lời hay sai, có câu trả lời phù hợp với anh/ chị = Rất đồng ý, = Đồng ý, = Không đồng ý, = Rất không đồng ý Giáo viên dạy tiếng Anh hiệu nên: Đồng ý/ Không đồng ý Mô tả thường xuyên sử dụng công nghệ thông tin (Internet, CD, thư điện tử, v.v…) việc giảng dạy tiếng Anh (*) chấm điểm cá nhân học sinh có phần dựa mức độ hồn hành nhiệm vụ nhóm (*) dành tương đối thời gian để dạy văn hóa bên cạnh việc giảng dạy tiếng Anh (*) yêu cầu học sinh sử dụng tiếng Anh học với người sử dụng tiếng Anh khác (ví dụ thông qua Internet, thư điện tửu, câu lạc bộ, kiện cộng đồng, v.v.) (*) 10 không sửa lỗi học sinh sau học sinh mắc lỗi nói (*) 11 cho phép học sinh giải thích câu trả lời cho câu hỏi nghe đọc tiếng Việt XXXIV tiếng Anh (*) 12 không sử dụng tiếng Việt tiết học tiếng Anh (*) 13 sửa lỗi học sinh cách gián tiếp thay trực tiếp học sinh mắc lỗi nói (ví dụ, thay nói học sinh mắc lỗi, nhắc lại phần sai theo hướng đúng) (*) 14 Vừa hiểu biết văn hóa người nói tiếng Anh vừa biết kiến thức ngơn ngữ (*) 15 không chấm điểm kỹ diễn đạt tiếng Anh (ví dụ nói viết) chủ yếu dựa xác mặt ngữ pháp (*) 16 dạy tiếng Anh chủ yếu việc cho học sinh hồn thành nhiệm vụ (ví dụ, tìm giá phịng khách sạn) thay tập đặt trọng tâm vào ngữ pháp (*) 17 lỗi cách giải thích câu trả lời/ phản ứng học sinh sai (*) 18 yêu cầu học sinh nói tiếng Anh từ ngày học (*) 19 khơng sử dụng chủ yếu hình thức nhóm nhỏ ghép đơi để hồn thành hoạt động lớp học (*) 20 chủ yếu sử dụng hoạt động thực hành chủ điểm ngữ pháp cụ thể hoạt động nhắm đến trao đổi thông tin (*) 21 yêu cầu học sinh nói tiếng Anh học sinh cảm thấy sẵn sàng (*) 22 khơng trình bày chủ điểm ngữ pháp cụ thể mà không minh họa cấu trúc sử dụng hồn cảnh thực tế cụ thể (*) 23 nói tiếng Anh với kiểm soát người xứ ngữ pháp giọng (*) 24 dạy ngữ pháp cách đưa ví dụ cấu trúc ngữ pháp trước giải thích chủ điểm ngữ pháp (*) 25 chủ yếu sử dụng tài liệu thực tế (ví dụ, nhạc, tranh ảnh, đồ ăn, quần áo) giảng dạy ngơn ngữ văn hóa thay sử dụng có sẵn sách giáo khoa (*) 26 khơng đơn giản hóa hay thay đổi câu nói để học sinh hiểu từ câu (*) 27 chấm điểm học sinh phần dựa khả giao tiếp thành công với bạn lớp tiếng Anh (*) 28 sử dụng hoạt động mà học sinh phải sử dụng tiếng Anh để tìm thơng tin chưa biết từ bạn lớp (*) 29 Theo anh/ chị, việc dạy giỏi tiếng Anh cịn có đặc điểm khác khơng? Nếu có, viết câu trả lời anh/ chị ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………… XXXV APPENDIX 5: FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEWS (TRANSCRIPT) I For teachers who acted as the judges of teaching contests (examiners) Interview question: Please explain the characteristics of effective English language teaching in the assessment criteria of the teaching contests, which you have made additional comments in the survey (final question) and provide examples (if possible) Examiner A: Have good observation and be flexible when teaching in class Teachers should watch students working to find out if they have any difficulties and change activities/ teaching methods if necessary For example, in listening activities, where students have to give long answers to the questions, teachers may use “fill-in-the-blank” or “multiple-choice” questions instead Examiner B: Good interaction with students, be friendly Teachers should smile and support students if needed and be friendly in order to build good relationships with them Examiner C: Ensure the activities in class help teachers achieve the teaching aims and objectives in a logical way raise students' interest in English; develop students' autonomy in gaining knowledge a Ensure the activities in class help teachers achieve the teaching aims and objectives in a logical way: This is about lesson planning Teachers should prepare activities so that they are well-arranged and help students gain the main knowledge and central points of the lessons b Raise students‟ interest in English: The activities should be interesting and exciting, so that they can engage students into learning When students are interested in the lessons, they learn more effectively and efficiently c Develop students‟ autonomy in gaining knowledge: It means making students become active in learning on their own For example, give students assignments that encourage students to search for or look up new words before the lesson Examiner D: Speak in a way that students can understand the messages It means the way teachers speak should be easy to understand Teachers should use simple words and short sentences Body languages can be used in combination with speaking Examiner E: A desire to share your love of the subject with students; Showing concern and respect for students; A commitment to encouraging independence; Using XXXVI valid assessment methods; A focus on key concepts, and students’ misunderstandings of them, rather than covering the ground; Giving the highest quality feedback on student work; A desire to learn from students and other sources about the effects of teaching and how it can be improved a A desire to share your love of the subject with students: When you share your love of English with your students, you will inspire them to become more interested in learning this language b Showing concerns and respects for students: It means showing attention to all students in the class without favoritism and unfair treatment Teachers should use kind words to students and let them speak and express their ideas/ opinions freely without being judgmental c A commitment to encouraging independence: It is to avoid free-riding in group works and also useful for students‟ future development d Using valid assessment methods: Each activity should be given suitable assessment method For example, group work should be tested and assessed with both individual result and group performance f A focus on key concepts, and students‟ misunderstandings of them, rather than covering the ground: In a lesson, teachers should focus on the key themes/ knowledge/ skills and make sure that students comprehend these In case there is not enough time to cover everything in the lesson, other points, which is not critical, should be removed/ ignored g Giving the highest quality feedback on student work: This is to motivate students and make them feel appreciated However, teachers should not only deliver complements but also give appropriate corrections on students‟ mistakes/ errors h A desire to learn from students and other sources about the effects of teaching and how it can be improved: This will allow teachers to understand students more and improve their teacher-student relationship In addition, teachers may reflect on their teaching and have follow-up actions in order to make their lessons more effective Examiner F: Good interaction between teachers and students This is to construct a harmonious atmosphere in the classroom Students are free to share what they think with teachers and vice versa Examiner G: Be able to create a friendly and exciting atmosphere in class in order for students to acquire knowledge effectively XXXVII Students don‟t feel any pressures and stress when learning They find studying fun and exciting Examiner H: Motivate students This statement includes: - Teachers share their love of English with students and inspire them to learn this language; - Teachers set up interesting and funny activities - Teachers create a supportive and risk-taking atmosphere in the classroom Examiner I: Prepare such activities that students feel interested in Teachers should have a good understanding of their students in order to prepare suitable activities that may engage them in the learning process Examiner J: Teachers should have good class observation to adjust her/his method, techniques or activities By observing the students, teachers can gain a better understanding whether the learning process is effective or not In case learning is not effective, teachers should consider changing the way they deliver the knowledge and engage students in the classroom For example, when presenting a particular grammar point, if students don‟t understand, teachers should use or give others examples Examiner K: Achieve the lesson's aims and objectives It means to make students understand the main points of the lesson and gain the critical knowledge and skills Examiner L: Utilize different ways to encourage students' attendance There are some ways that I find effective in grabbing students‟ attention and engagement in the classroom when learning English For example, when students become distracted from the lesson, teachers can tell a funny story, organize activities that involve the whole class, practice singing an English song, etc Examiner N: Encourage students' autonomy in learning Project-based assignment is extremely effective for developing students‟ autonomy in learning Students must search for information on their own, assemble, analyze and put the data together into a final work that achieves the project objectives Presenting the final the report to the whole class also encourages them to learn and train their soft skills XXXVIII II For teachers who participated in the teaching contests (examinees) Interview question: Please explain your perceptions of effective English language teaching that you have made additional comments in the survey (final question) and provide examples (if possible) Examinee A: Good rapport between teacher and students I reckon that teachers should understand learners' intellectual and emotional development, so teachers are able to communicate well with students both in and outside the classroom That may strengthen the relationship between teachers and students so that the teaching and learning become more effective Examinee B: Have good soft skills Teachers need to develop soft skills such as management and communication They need to listen to their students in order to understand them well, their strength, weakness, desire, etc They also need to control the learning environment so that all the students pay attention to the lesson Time management is another essential skill Teachers should spend an appropriate amount of time on each activity and maximize the effectiveness of time to attain the lesson's goal by removing or alter inappropriate tasks Examinee C: Teachers must understand what students really lack and need It's necessary for teachers to acknowledge the needs and lack of knowledge and skills so that they adapt suitable teaching methods and techniques and help students improve their English For example, if students have difficulty in remembering new words, teachers may give assignments about vocabulary for students to at home and test their vocabulary at the beginning or at the end of the lesson Examinee D: Good soft skills such as time management Time management is an important factor to tell whether the teaching is good enough or not If the teacher lacks time to fulfil the objectives of the lesson, students may not comprehend the knowledge or skills, which means a total failure Examinee E: Good communication skills, speak fluent English Teachers speak English fluently so that students find it easy to follow and understand and in a friendly tone to encourage students engage in open communication with teachers Also, good communication skills include that teachers show respect to students by carefully listening to them, making eye contact and using positive feedback XXXIX Examinee F: Good at problem solving skills in class In a lesson there may be a variety of unexpected issues Teachers need to be calm to solve the problems quickly and effectively so that there is no negative impact on the lesson Examinee H: Understand students’ strength, weakness and psychological state Understanding students' psychological state, as well as their strength and weaknesses is of great importance in making decisions on preparing and applying suitable activities and work arrangement It is also necessary for teachers to notice all of the above when giving feedback For example, students who are not very sociable and outgoing tend to avoid speaking and being involve in a dispute Activities like discussion are not for them, then teachers should make some changes to ensure that they don't feel uncomfortable but can give their own opinions about the matter Examinee I: Students understand the lessons and are able to apply the knowledge and skills in real life Teachers should make use of tasks to know if students understand the lessons or not and to know if students can apply what they learnt in communication in English outside the classroom Examinee J: Willing to change A teacher should be open-minded to consider new ideas and opinions, which may help them improve their teaching and communicating with students Examinee K: Time management skill, problem solving skill Teachers who are able to make use of time make the lesson clear and effective to students For instance, when there is too much to cover in a lesson, teachers should choose the central core of the knowledge and skills that is essential for students while other tasks can be given as homework When there is any problem in class, teachers need to perform quick analysis and give appropriate solution so that it doesn't affect students' learning much Examinee L: Willing and able to support students Students may have difficulties when performing tasks, so teachers should be there to help them For example, in a speaking task, students may need to know some new words to express their ideas, teachers need to give some suggestions of synonyms that they already know or to tell them the words Examinee N: Ask students to practice what they've learnt as much as possible XL When knowledge and skills are learnt without practicing, students may easily forget them Therefore, teachers need to ask students to practice as much as possible in class or outside the classroom It is also necessary that teachers have suitable assessment tools to check if students really work or not Examinee M: Follow proper steps of teaching The teaching and learning process should include main stages for an effective lesson, from the warm-up or lead-in to the wrap-up and there should be a logical connection between each two stages The tasks should also be set up in a logical way and present the teacher's intention Students may find it easy to follow and understand the lesson better Examinee O: Be able to solve unexpected problems in class To avoid any negative impact on the teaching and students' learning, teachers need to be able to solve unexpected problems such as technological issues, students' lack of attention, misunderstanding of the knowledge or others unexpected ones as quick and reasonable as possible Examinee P: Students understand what they are taught and can apply the knowledge The effectiveness of the teaching is measured partly by the result of the lesson that students comprehend the knowledge and skills learnt from the lesson A more important thing is that students are able to make use of the knowledge and skills that they learnt If students don't understand the lesson and cannot apply the knowledge, it means that the teaching is not effective For example, after a language focus lesson where teachers present a new grammatical point, students need to understand how to use it and apply it well in specific situations Examinee Q: Being patient and logical Students vary from class to class Some may be attentive, while others, trouble-makers The teacher needs to patiently guide students to gain knowledge, the tasks and find new and improved ways to maintain their attention, not to mention the ability to patiently reteach Examinee R: Reasonable board presentation What teachers write on the board affects students' learning The writing on the board should be adequate, logical but simple enough for students to know what to copy down on the notebook and to understand the lesson better XLI APPENDIX 6: ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS ABOUT ROUND (EXPERIENCEBASED INTIVATIVE PAPER) AND ROUND (THE COMPETENCY TEST) OF THE TEACHING CONTESTS I Interviews with the examiners Can you describe in details what the first round of the teaching contests is about? Examiner 1: The round of writing a report of experience-based initiatives is often mistaken as writing a normal research paper In fact, there are many similarities in the way to write both types of paper, but the most fundamental difference in the required contents and topic The concerned topic of initiative paper is the knowledge, skills, techniques, and methods that the writers/ researchers have obtained from their practical teaching and professional process in order to improve or fix a certain issue The paper must clearly state the solutions for the problem and show real result before and after the application of those solutions as evidence for the effectiveness or efficiency Experience-based-initiative papers are not required to be as comprehensive as the research paper Examiner 2: According to my understanding, the critical points of this type of paper is the real teaching experiences of the teachers with a clear issue and practical solutions that have been applied to solve it A comparison of the pre- and post-application situation of the solutions are needed to prove their effects This paper is more subjective since it is prone to individual experiences On the other hand, the topic of normal research paper is not purely subjective It must contain a certain degree of objectivity with both theoretical and empirical foundation This foundation is the basic point to distinguish between intiative research and normal research How you understand the purposes of this round? What is it for? Examiner 1: Writing experience-based-initiative paper is a type of practice in teaching for both teachers and the individual managers of the teachers Its purpose is to improve and enhance the quality and effectiveness of teaching in a positive and brief manner Examiner 2: I think it is a practical teaching drill to figure out positive solutions for a real teaching issue This will improve the teaching quality In your opinion, how does experience-based initiative paper demonstrate effective English language teaching and in which aspects? XLII Examiner 1: From my point of view, this round shows three things about the English teachers who participate in the contests First, they are capable of constructing and implementing self-learning and self-improvement plan They know how to search for and make use of resources and materials to broaden their knowledge and develop essential skills Second, they make contributions to the improvement of teaching quality by actively participation to training programs and sharing with other teachers Third, it also shows their constant reflections on their experiences to fix and overcome their own shortcomings Examiner 2: Well, a good experience-based initiative paper will reveal if the examinees have the capability for life-long professional learning and contribute to the teaching and learning of English language It will also show if they are reflective teachers, who can reflect their own experiences and knowledge I think it demonstrates how well they understand the teaching subject, pedagogy teaching knowledge, and understanding of the students, which depends on the researched aspect of the initiative paper In your opinion, how are good English language teaching practices perceived in the second round of the teaching contests? Examiner 1: The examinees have to take a test on the English language which is similar to the one intended for gifted students That is to ensure that the teachers have adequate knowledge of the language and have the ability to use it well Examiner 2: The teachers who take part in the contests need to show a reasonable level competence of their English, proper understandings of the curriculum and their mastery of teaching methods II Interviews with the examinees Can you describe in details what the first round of the teaching contests is about? Examinee 1: I think this round is about submitting a research report constructed from a real situation that the teachers have experienced and found a solution for a teaching issue Unlike normal research report, a review of the relevant literature is not required to make a comparison between the previous foundation and the present report However, it is essential to compare the situation of the teaching issue before and after applying the solutions Examinee 2: I understand that experience-based initiative report comes from my own knowledge, skills, and teaching techniques as a teacher I write about a problem that I XLIII encountered in real life during my teaching procedure and how I tackled it The solutions that I applied to improve the situation is a key point in the report This report is purely subjective in my opinion and it is not a comprehensive research paper How you understand the purposes of this round? What is it for? Examinee 1: I think it is a type of practice for the teachers and also a way to reflect on what they have learnt, done and applied in the teaching and learning of English Teachers can gain several self-lessons from the reflection to enhance the quality of teaching and improve students‟ learning results Examinee 2: For sure, it is a practicing and way to learn from your own experiences and the reality that I encounter The report presents what I have learnt and implemented In your opinion, how does experience-based initiative paper demonstrate effective English language teaching and in which aspects? Examinee 1: In my opinion, it shows three qualities of an effective English language teachers They include: - Ability to self-learn and self-enhance for professional career - Capability to use resources and materials to learn and develop - Contribution to improving teaching efficiency - Willingness and capabilities to fix weaknesses Examinee 2: Of course, the report first shows the self-learning capability of the writer as well as his passion for self-development in his career It also presents whether they are capable of reflecting on their own experiences, knowledge and skills for career advancement How can the second round of the teaching contests prove teachers’ good English language teaching? Examiner 2: The test is needed to examine teachers‟ English competence and their understandings of English teaching and curriculum, which are necessary to achieve good English language teaching XLIV