A study on the importance of learner ideal self to the success in learning english of the learners at the border guard academy

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ************************* PHÙNG THỊ PHƯƠNG LAN A STUDY ON THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNER IDEAL SELF TO THE SUCCESS IN LEARNING ENGLISH OF THE LEARNERS AT THE BORDER GUARD ACADEMY (Một nghiên cứu tầm quan trọng lý tưởng người học thành công việc học tiếng Anh Học viện Biên phòng) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HA NOI – 2015 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ************************* PHÙNG THỊ PHƯƠNG LAN A STUDY ON THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNER IDEAL SELF TO THE SUCCESS IN LEARNING ENGLISH OF THE LEARNERS AT THE BORDER GUARD ACADEMY (Một nghiên cứu tầm quan trọng lý tưởng người học thành công việc học tiếng Anh Học viện Biên phòng) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: DR PHẠM THỊ THANH THÙY HA NOI – 2015 DECLARATION BY AUTHOR PHÙNG THỊ PHƯƠNG LAN, hereby certifies that this thesis, which is entitled “A Study on the Importance of the Learner Ideal Self to the Success in Learning English of the Learners at The Border Guard Academy”is created from my original work I have firmly declared the contribution of others to my thesis such as data analysis, practical strategies,and all other researches that were employed or reviewed in my thesis This thesis is the result of my own study in the fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts at Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi Hanoi, 2015 Phùng Thị Phương Lan i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Phạm Thị Thanh Thùy,whoseinsightful comments, criticism, direction and kind support were of great assistance to me in carrying out this study My sincere thanks also go to all the lecturers and staff of the Faculty of Post- Graduate Studies, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for their valuable knowledge and invaluable guidance and help during my two years of study at the Faculty I am also indebted to my colleagues as well as my students at the Border Guard Academy, who have helped me a lot in my data collection to fulfill this paper Last but not least, I would like to express my appreciation to my family for their understanding and strong encouragement to me throughout the study Phùng Thị Phương Lan ii ABSTRACT Drawing on the model L2 Motivational Self System by Dörnyei (2005), this study explores the importance of the learner ideal self to the success in studying English of the learners at the Border Guard Academy using survey research methodology The participants are 100 freshmen in the Border Guard Academy, Sontay, Hanoi, where I am working Two data collection instruments are employed: questionnaires and individual open-ended interviews The findings show that the learner ideal self is the key to success in English studying of the learners at the Border Guard Academy Despite the existence of ideal self in the students’ mind, the number of students with ideal self is still humble, which accounts for the border officers’ inefficiency in solving English using cases The study puts forward practical suggestions to all the academy, the teachers of English and the students with a view to improving English teaching and learning at the academy The most important proposal is disseminating the role of the learner ideal self to their own success in English studying and the demand for buiding up, maintaining and motivating the ideal selffor the learners at the Border Guard Academy iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION BY AUTHOR i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF CHART vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study Aim of the study Objectives of the study Research question Scope of the study Methods of the study Significance of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 Learner ideal self 1.1 Motivation 1.1.2 Learner ideal self 11 1.2 Success in English learning and criteria to measure English learners’ improvement 17 1.2.1 Success in general 17 iv 1.2.2 Success criteria in second/foreign language learning 18 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 21 2.1 Research setting of the study 21 2.1.1 An overview of the research site 21 2.1 English teachers 21 2.1.3 Students and their background 21 2.1.4 The English teaching and learning in The Border Guard Academy 22 2.2 Research methodology 23 2.2.1 Description of the subjects 23 2.2.2 Data collection instruments 23 2.2.3 Procedures 25 2.2.4 Data analysis 25 2.3 Summary 26 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 27 3.1 Data analysis 27 3.1 Types of students’ motivation in English learning 27 3.1.2 Factors affecting students’ motivation in English studying 29 3.1.3 Students’ interest in English lessons 31 3.1.4 The ways in which the students learn English 32 3.1.6 The students’ English results after the first year at the BGA 36 3.2 Findings and discussions 37 3.2.1 The learner ideal self - a motivator in English learning 37 3.2.2 The effects of learner ideal self on the students’ attitude to English studying 37 v 3.2.3 The effects of learner ideal self on the student’s investment in English studying 38 3.2.4 The effects of learner ideal self on the students’ improvement in English studying 40 PART C: CONCLUSION 41 3.1 Recapitulation of the main ideas 41 3.2 Implications 42 3.2.1 Implications for the Border Guard Academy 42 3.2.2 Implications for the teachers of English at the Border Gard Academy 43 3.2.3 Implications for the students at the Border Guard Academy 44 3.3 Limitations of the study 44 3.4 Suggestions for further research 45 REFERENCES 46 APPENDIXES I APPENDIX I APPENDIX VIII APPENDIX X vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Students’ reasons for studying English 28 Table 2: Factors affecting students’ motivation in English studying 30 Table 3: Students’ studying English 32 Table 4: Students’attitude when reaching a goal in English studying 34 Table 5: Students’attitude when failing to reach a goal in English studying 35 Table 6: the students’ English results after the first year at the BGA 36 LIST OF CHART Students’ interest in studying English 31 \ vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS M.A: Master of Art BGA: Border Guard Academy L2: Second language viii Sheldon, K.M and Lyubomirsky, S (2006) How to increase and sustain positive emotion: The effects of expressing gratitude and visualizing best possible selves Journal of Positive Psychology (2), 73_82 Skehan, P (1989) Individual differences in second-language learning London: Edward Arnold Spolsky, B (1989) Conditions for second language learning Oxford: Oxford University Press Ushioda, E (2001) Language learning at university: Exploring the role of motivational thinking In Z Dörnyei & R Schmidt (Eds.), Motivation and second language learning (pp 91-124) Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press Ushioda, E., & and Dörnyei, Z (2009) Motivation, language identities and the L2 self: A theoretical overview In Z Dörnyei & E Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp 1-8) Bristol, England: Multilingual Matters Taylor, S.E., Pham, L.B., Rivkin, I.D and Armor, D.A (1998) Harnessing the imagination: Mental simulation, self-regulation, and coping American Psychologist 53 (4), 429_439 Weiner, B (1985) An attributional theory of achievement motivation and emotion Psychological Review, 92, 548-573 Yashima, T (2000) Orientations and motivation in foreign language learning: A study of Japanese college students JACET Bulletin, 31, 121-133 Zentner, M and Renaud, O (2007) Origins of adolescents’ ideal self: An intergenerational perspective Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 92 (3), 557_574 50 APPENDIXES APPENDIX A questionnaire for the fresh students in the Border Guard Academy Please tick (√) where appropriate or write in brief where necessary (Đánh dấu √ vào hoăc viết trả lời ngắn gọn vào chỗ cần thiết ) Items Strongly Agree No idea Disagree Strongly agree (đồng (hoàn toàn ý) đồng ý) (Khơng (Khơng disagree biết) (Hồn đồng ý) tồn khơng đồng ý) You A You think it is study necessary for you in English your job after you because graduate from school (Bạn nghĩ Tiếng Anh cần thiết cho công việc sau bạn trường) B You want communicate to with foreigners in English (Bạn muốn giao tiếp với người nước tiếng Anh) C You are interested in English culture and people I (Bạn quan tâm đến người văn hóa Anh) D You want to go abroad to study further (Bạn muốn nước để học thêm) E English is a compulsory subject in the syllabus (Tiếng Anh mơn học bắt buộc chương trình.) F You want to live up to your parents’ expectations (Bạn muốn đáp ứng mong muốn bố mẹ) G You are afraid of being looked down on for being bad at English (Bạn sợ bị coi thường tiếng Anh.) H You want to get good marks and/ or positive remarks for II your English in or out of the class (Bạn muốn điểm tốt nhận lời khen ngợi cho tiếng Anh bạn lớp học) You feel interested in studying English (Bạn cảm thấy hứng thú học tiếng Anh) In an A nothing ( English Khơng làm gì) lesson, B only what the you teacher (Trong học requires lớp (Chỉ làm tiếng giáo yêu cầu) Anh, bạn…) C ask the teacher to explain to what you don’t understand about the lesson ( Yêu cầu giáo viên giảng bạn khơng hiểu) D You study beyond the syllabus and always discuss what you study with the teacher III (Bạn học thêm chương trình ln thảo luận với giáo viên bạn học.) E participate in the studying activities very enthusiastically (Tham gia hoạt động học tập cách nhiệt tình ) Your A the attitude and motivation teaching methods in studying of the teacher (Thái English may độ phương pháp be affected giảng dạy giáo by viên.) (Động học lực B your idea of tiếng what you would Anh bạn like to become (a có ảnh thể bị good English hưởng speaker) (Ý tưởng bởi…) bạn muốn trở thành người nào, ví dụ người nói tiếng Anh tốt) C Your idea of IV what you are afraid of becoming (a bad English speaker) ( ý nghĩ việc bạn sợ trở thành người nào, ví dụ người nói tiếng Anh kém) D Your idea of what you might become ( ý nghĩ việc bạn trở thành người nào) E self-confidence (sự tự tin) F the classroom atmosphere ( khơng khí lớp) Your A attitude when get marks stimulated feeling and you study better ( cảm good thấy khuyến or khích học tốt remarks, or hơn) achieve a B taking it for goal ( Thái granted and feeling độ bạn normal ( coi điều V hiển nhiên điểm cảm thấy bình lời nhận xét thường) tốt, đạt C still feeling unsatisfied and mục tiêu trying more (vẫn cảm thấy chưa hài lòng cố gắng nữa) D feeling overconfident and showing off (cảm thấy tự tin khoe khoang) Your A feeling attitude discouraged and when wanting to give up getting bad ( cảm thấy chán marks or nản muốn từ bỏ) remarks, or B taking it for failing to granted and feeling achieve a normal ( coi điều goal ( Thái hiển nhiên độ bạn cảm thấy bình bị điểm thường) nhận C feeling sad, but xét kém, encouraging không yourself to try (cảm thể đạt thấy buồn VI mục tiêu) tự động viên thân cố gắng) D losing self- confidence (mất tự tin) What are your Very good Good Average Below average scores in the (9 – 10 (7 -8 marks) (5-6 marks) (Below 5) English tests and marks) (Điểm khá) (Điểm trung (Điểm exams at the (Điểm giỏi) bình) trung bình) Border Guard Academy? (Điểm số bạn kiểm tra thi Tiếng Anh học viện) Thank you for your cooperation! VII APPENDIX Interview questions for the freshmen at the Border Guard Academy Can you tell me the reasons why you study English? Bạn cho tơi biết lý bạn học tiếng Anh? If English were optional, would you choose it? Nếu Tiếng Anh môn tự chọn, bạn có chọn khơng? How you study English? ( You only attend class but nothing; you try to follow the teacher in the class but nothing at home; you enthusiastically participate in all learning and teaching activities and spend a lot of time practising English skills by yourself) Bạn học tiếng Anh nào? ( Bạn có mặt lớp khơng làm gì; bạn cố gắng nghe theo giáo viên lớp khơng làm nhà; bạn tham gia hăng hái hoạt động dạy học lớp dành nhiều thời gian tự luyện kỹ tiếng Anh) How you feel when you study English? ( You feel bored with English lessons; you feel interested in English lessons because of the teacher’s attitudes and teaching methods; You feel motivated by your gaining good goals in English studying; You feel stimulated by your good self image when you succeed; you feel it your duty to study it so you get ready;…) Bạn cảm thấy học tiếng Anh? (Bạn cảm thấy tiếng Anh chán; bạn cảm thấy hứng thú với tiếng Anh thái độ phương pháp giảng dạy giáo viên; bạn cảm thấy thúc đẩy đạt mục tiêu tốt học tiếng Anh; bạn cảm thấy thúc đẩy hình ảnh tốt đẹp thân thành cơng; bạn cảm thấy học tiếng Anh trách nhiệm bạn sẵn sàng học;….) As for you, what is success in studying English? Who is considered to be successful in learning English?(a student gaining high scores in the exams; a student learning English well in the class but getting no high scores in the exams; a student communicating well in English but not doing the exams well; a student both studying and doing the exams well, …) VIII Đối với bạn, thành cơng việc học tiếng Anh gì? Ai bạn coi người thành công việc học tiếng Anh? ( sinh lớp đạt điểm cao kỳ thi cuối kỳ môn Tiếng Anh; sinh viên học giỏi lớp điểm ko cao; sinh viên giao tiếp tốt tiếng Anh làm thi không tốt; sinh viên vừa học tốt vừa làm thi tốt,…) What goals you want to achieve when you study English? (Bạn muốn đạt mục tiêu học tiếng Anh?) What are your scores for the tests and examinations of English at the Border Guard Academy? (Điểm số cho thi mơn tiếng Anh bạn Học viện Biên phịng điểm?) Have you participated any international tests for English like Ielts or Toefl?Which score have you gained? (Bạn tham gia kỳ Tiếng Anh quốc tế Ielts Toefl chưa? Bạn đạt điểm?) How you feel when you achieve your goals when studying English? ( Bạn cảm thấy bạn đạt mục tiêu đưa học tiếng Anh?) 10 How you feel when you fail to achieve your goals when studying English? (Bạn cảm thấy không đạt mục tiêu đề ra?) Thank you for your cooperation! IX APPENDIX The interview transcripts I Interviews through emails Intervewee First of all, English has become an international language Since childhood, I have always dreamed of attending the international conferences, at which all the experts speak English To understand them, I have no alternative but to study English The second reason is that I want to upgrade my knowledge through learning English because most of the knowledge of the human beings is in English The last reason is that English helps me to get on well with people in the world easier As a border guard, I sometimes have chances to communicate with foreigners at the border gates Imagine how would I carry out my work without English I not only enthusiastically participate in all learning and teaching activities but also spend a lot of time practising English skills by myself I realize the enormous significance of the internet to my English study I learn a lot from the interesting programs designed and supplied by the experts in English Only with a computer connected to the internet, I experience the satisfaction of widening my eyes with numerous knowledge of English Each English lesson is a new land that I desire to explore Can you imagine my happiness every time I finish one lesson and discover something new to me? I think that a student successful in English must both get the high score in the English exams and use English accurately and fluently I have got 6.0 for ielts and then my target is getting 6.5, at which point I stand the good chance of going abroad for my further study With the goal set up, I have a firm faith in my success and I feel proud of having gained good score for my English examinations at BGA Interviewee X I will mainly work with ethnic people, so I see no point of learning English At the border, we can use sign language with foreigners I find it difficult to communicate in English, so I never use it, even in English class I only study English in the class under the instruction and supervision of the teacher I never study it by myself I think a successful learner of English is one that can communicate in daily English.That’s enough All that I want to with English is I can pass the final exam because I don’t want to learn it again In fact, I got points,4 points and points for my English writing,reading and listening midterm tests For speaking, I can speak nothing except my name and hometown I am looking forward to my classmates’ assistance for my next final exams I have no care for high scores Interviewee As for me, English is not only an efficient tool for their job but also a bridge connecting me to an enormous source of knowledge in the world It is my realization of the importance of English that leads me to decide to invest in it In addition to English lessons in the class with the teacher, I spend a lot of time selfstudying I have exploited the advanced technology such as the internet and softwares of English to study English in the most effective and interesting way My short-term goals are to get high scores in the forthcoming final exams, and my longterm ones are to acquire a good knowledge of English and the ability to communicate well with foreigners in English I propose that a successful English learners necessarily have a good knowledge of English and use it correctly However, I find no reason for a successful English learners getting low scores in the exams I consider successfully reaching a goal as an impetus to their endeavors for higher goals Interviewee XI I study English because it is a requirement in the curricula I not want to major in it What I want is being able to communicate in daily English English is not really necessary for my job because we work with neighboring countries and ethnic people, all of whom not speak English I follow the teacher in the class but I rarely spend time on English at home I only want to be an ordinary soldier I have no goals for my English All that I want is points for my final examination I have no feeling of sadness or happiness whether I pass or fail As for me, a successful English learner did not necessarily gain high score in the exams Instead, he or she just needs to communicate well in daily English Interviewee I have a phobia about studying English Given a choice between learning English and walking from the north to the south, I prefer the latter I never think that I have aptitute for English Therefore, I am always pessimistic about my chance of success in learning English Besides that, I have some doubts about the significance of English to my job I not understand why I have to study English I only want to become a soldier working in the frontier areas I think all that I need is the strength of body, martial arts, tactics, the ability to use guns and the basic knowledge of ethnic people and the army Studying English in the class is enough Outside the class, I have many other things to During English lessons, I only take note of what the teacher write on the board In fact, I only can follow the teacher during the first lessons when the knowledge is easy However, gradually, I have been left behind because I understand nothing I only wish that God would help me in the final examination Interviewee “all fields require certified proficiency in English.” English is the language that people all over the world use I always wish to have a chance to go to other XII XII countries to have a better comprehension of people in the world Moreover, I cannot my work efficiently if my English is poor because at the border gate, I usually communicate with foreigners On behalf of the Vietnamese people, I not want to be looked down on just because my English is not good enough to make myself and my instruction understood to foreigners Another important thing is that the more I study English, the more interested I feel, particularly when I am able to make more discoveries about the world through the internet with my English Besides that, I am also given an impetus to learn English by the Director of BGA’s story when he was working in the border that in a negotiation with the neighboring countries, except the interpreter, noone else knew English, which led to difficulties in the work Everyday, I spend at least hours studying English I only study when I feel relaxed and motivated Fortunately, I always feel stimulated by what English has brought to me I never consider English studying as a duty, but as an interest It’s fantastic when putting myself in the situation using English to solve problems Besides that, my teacher is always an inspiration to my progress Her comments make me have self-confidence in expressing in English I not consider marks in the examinations as the criteria to evaluate a successful learner of English However, according to me, it is incredible that a good English learner who excells at all four skills can not get high scores for the exams I got points for Ielts by British Council What goal I set for myself to achieve in the future is the fluency and accuracy in English I want to say that my vision for my future is the greatest motivation for me to master English Interviewee At first, when hearing of the requirements for going abroad to study, I intended to give up because 6.5 for ielts is unimaginable to me Nevertheless, with XIII the encouragement from my teacher of English at the BGA, I had the willpower to realize my ambition With basic knowledge of English gained from class and XIII instruction from my teachers, I collected a lot of English programs on the internet and English books I spend at least hours everyday studying English While doing other tasks, I used my ipod to listen to BBC news For speaking, I imagined the situations and spoke to myself Sometimes, my teachers suddenly asked me unavailable questions to check my ability to respond to difficult scenarios For writing, I not remember exactly how much paper I have used I set the alarm clock for exactly 60 minutes for writing every day, I got down to writing and tried to finish it on time My teachers helped me find the mistakes and suggest some more ideas After months, when I had enough faith in my ability, I made up my mind to take the exam Unluckily, I only got 5.75 (6.0) for this exam I was a bit disappointed, but my teachers continued expressing their belief in my competence in English So during the next months, I tried another three times, for each of which I made a little more progress I got respectively 6.0; 6.125 (6.0) and 6.5 One more time, I have confidence in myself A successful learner of English not only gains high scores in the English exams but also be fluent and accurate in all skills That is the reason why I still spend a lot of time studying English even after reaching my goal On the way to my success, I went through a number of failures It was these failures that made me have more honour of myself when I achieved success II Interviews face to face (recorded) XIV ... learning of the learners at the Border Guard Academy - To examine the extent of effect of learner ideal self on the success in English learning of the learners at the Border Guard Academy - To. .. out factors building up the ideal self of the learners at the Border Guard Academy, and what should be done to maintain and motivate the ideal self of learners at the Border Guard Academy Research... in the success in learning English of the learners at the Border Guard Academy Depending on the research result, the teachers and learners at the Border Guard Academy can improve their teaching