An investigation into the impact of bilingual education on students’ english speaking competence at a secondary school in hanoi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ********************* NGUYỄN LAN HƢƠNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IMPACT OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION ON STUDENTS’ SPEAKING COMPETENCE AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HANOI Điều tra ảnh hƣởng giáo dục song ngữ tới khả nói tiếng Anh học sinh trƣờng trung học sở Hà Nội M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Method Code: 8140231.01 Hanoi, 2018 i VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ********************* NGUYỄN LAN HƢƠNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IMPACT OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION ON STUDENTS’ SPEAKING COMPETENCE AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HANOI Điều tra ảnh hƣởng giáo dục song ngữ tới khả nói tiếng Anh học sinh trƣờng trung học sở Hà Nội M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Method Code: 8140231.01 Supervisor: Prof Dr Nguyễn Hoà Hanoi, 2018 ii DECLARATION I, Nguyễn Lan Hương, an M.A student of the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies of University of Languages and International Studies, hereby certify my authority of the study entitled “An investigation into the impact of Bilingual education on students’ English speaking competence at a secondary school in Hanoi” My study has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Teaching Methodology Except where the reference is provided, no other person’s work has been utilized without the acknowledgement in the text of the thesis i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Initially, I would like to express my appreciation to my supervisor, Professor Dr Nguyễn Hòa for his guideline and support Without his precious advice and constructive suggestion, my thesis could have not been as flourishing Mr Nguyễn Hòa’s remarkable encouragement kept me moving forwards I wish to thank the Management Board, lecturers and staff members of Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their tremendous encouragement to students throughout the course Additionally, I would like also to extend my thanks to teachers and students at the local secondary school where I conducted my study Their dedication inspires me to complete my thesis regardless several emerging difficulties during the process Finally, I also owe a great debt of gratitude to my dearest family and colleagues for accompanying and supporting me during my period of study and through the process of researching and doing the thesis This accomplishment would not have been possible without all their support Hanoi, May 2018 Nguyễn Lan Hương ii LIST OF ABBREVIATION CEFR The Common European Framework of Reference CELTA Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages ERB Educational Records Bureau ESL English as a Second Language ESOL English for Speaker of other Languages ETS Educational Testing Service ICT Information Communications Technology IGCSE International General Certificate of Secondary Education MOET Ministry of Education and Training PET Preliminary English Test iii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table Weekly subjects’ distribution Table Participants’ profile Table Cambridge PET exam procedure Table Participants’ English speaking level Table Participants’ length of learning in Bilingual school Figure Pre- test speaking results Figure While- test speaking results Figure Post-test speaking results Figure Participants’ speaking progress Figure Distribution of the interview reporting the reasons to choose Bilingual Education Figure Distribution of the interview reporting the expectation to Bilingual education Figure Distribution of the interview reporting the frequency of speaking English at Bilingual school iv ABSTRACT This study was to determine the impacts of Bilingual program on the ability of speaking English of a secondary Bilingual school in Hanoi The participants were four eighth and ninth graders who have been enrolling in bilingual program The study used qualitative method; therefore, the data was collected through classroom observation and semi-structured in-depth interview with participants: four students and two teachers This study was based on an interpretive approach concerned with subjective meaning in a particular context with the collected data analyzed inductively The study revealed that those Bilingual school students were capable of speaking English quite well Besides, the study’s result was to suggest that bilingual education has had a concrete impact on the instructional approach of bilingual students, namely, the learning environment or the attitude towards English speaking v TABLE OF CONTENT Content Page CHAPTER – INTRODUCTION 1- 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Scope of the study 1.4 Significance of the study CHAPTER – LITERATURE REVIEW -10 2.1 Definition of Bilingual Education 2.2 Characteristics of Bilingual Education 2.3 The concept of speaking competence 2.4 Review of previous studies CHAPTER – METHODOLOGY 11- 23 3.1 Context of the study 11 3.1.1 Description of the Program and the school’s philosophy 3.1.2 Curriculum, learning - time proportion and assessment 3.1.3 Type of Bilingual education in the context 3.2 Research instrument and design of the study 15 3.3 Data collection procedure 16 3.4 Data analysis 19 3.4.1 Testing vi 3.4.2 Semi- structured interview and interview protocol 3.4.3 Observation CHAPTER – FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 24- 36 4.1 Testing 24 4.2 Semi- structured interview 29 4.3 Observation 33 CHAPTER – CONCLUSIONS 37- 39 REFERENCES APPENDICES vii CHAPTER – INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale In recent years, bilingual education has continued to fuel controversy in the national and local areas “Bilingual schools are frequently found in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, and they are widely understood to be schools that promote bilingualism and literacy in two (or more) languages as goals for all students” (Baker, 2001, Crawford, 2004) The protesters assume that this program is a catalyst for the dominant culture while neglecting minorities found in the society The advocates, nevertheless, strongly believe that bilingual education breaks down the language barrier to acceptance into a new culture as well as create a positive self-concept allowing students to learn more effectively Bilingual education provides human cultures with an opportunity to diverse It is a chance of studying from the distinction instead of being scared of them Once people learn a second language, they will obviously found it will be much easier to learn even more languages Bilingual education enriches brain and mind growth, encourages students’ concentration, and reduces the amount of transition time when switching tasks Tozer (2009) claimed that those students who experience discriminatory practices will retreat into “a posture of resistance in which they stop working with the school and its agent” Therefore, bilingual education, to some extent, can boost students to feel being accepted and communicate more easily As an international language, English has been widely used in all fields of activities throughout the world English is spoken in so many different countries and there are numerous schools and centers around the world which offer 1A 60 Part (3 minutes) [to both students] Now I’d like each of you to talk on your own about something I’m going to give each of you a photograph of a living room [to student A] Here’s your photograph [give student A Photo 1B] Please show it to Student B but I’d like you to talk about it Student B, you just listen I’ll give you your photograph in a moment Student A, please tell us what you can see in your photograph Thank you [take back photo] [to student B] Now, Student B, here’s your photograph [give student B Photo 1C] It also shows a living room Please show it to Student A and tell us what you can see in the photograph Thank you [take back photo] 61 1B 62 1 APPENDIX – INTERVIEW Question 1: Can you introduce yourself? (Name, age, native language, language spoken at home/ at school) Question 2: How long have you been learning at bilingual school? Question 3: Have you ever lived/ studied abroad? If so, when and where? Question 4: Why you and your family choose to study in bilingual education? Question 5: What is your expectation while learning in bilingual education? Question 6: Do you speak English often at school? Do you like speaking English? Question 7: Have you participated in any English speaking competitions or activities at school? If so, how you feel about that experience? Question 8: How important is English speaking to you? Thank you so much for your participation PARTICIPANT A Question 1: My name is A I'm 14 years old My native language is Vietnamese but I can speak both English and Vietnamese at school and at home Tên A Con 14 tuổi Ngôn ngữ thứ tiếng Việt, nói tiếng Anh tiếng Việt Question 2: I've been learning at bilingual school for years Con học trường song ngữ năm Question 3: I have never lived or studied abroad However, I've traveled to a few English-speaking and Western countries Con chưa sống học tập nước ngồi Tuy nhiên, có du lịch vài quốc gia nói tiếng Anh quốc gia phương Tây Question 4: We choose to study in bilingual education because I will still be educated about Vietnamese culture such as literature or history and I will also have access to foreign education Therefore, leading to a better career and more opportunities in the future Chúng chọn học trường song ngữ vừa học văn hóa Việt Nam văn học hay lịch sử, lại vừa tiếp cận giáo dục nước ngồi Vì Con có hội công việc tốt tương lai Question 5: My expectation while learning in bilingual education is I don't lose the core value of being Vietnamese but I am more knowledgeable than an average human being Kỳ vọng học trường song ngữ có lượng kiến thức tốt người khác mà không đánh giá trị cốt lõi người Việt Question 6: I often speak English at school because it is a part of bilingual education In Vietnam, the environment which we are studying in, it is impossible to communicate efficiently in English For those reasons, I enjoy speaking English Con thường nói tiếng Anh trường phần giáo dục song ngữ Trong môi trường giáo dục Việt Nam, học sinh khó giao tiếp nhuần nhuyễn tiếng Anh lý đó, thích nói tiếng Anh Question 7: I have participated in a lot of English-speaking activities at school such as Ambassadors, TEDWIS, etc These activities help me apply the knowledge I acquired into real life Con thích tham gia hoạt động nói tiếng Anh trường Ambassadors, TEDWIS Những hoạt động giúp nâng cao kiến thức cần thiết sống Question 8: English has become a major part in my life It does not only affect my present education but also my future English has opened a new aspect of life for me because I get to interact with more new people Tiếng Anh trở thành phần quan trọng sống Nó khơng ảnh hưởng tới việc học lúc mà tới tương lai sau Tiếng Anh mở khía cạnh sống lẽ giao tiếp với nhiều người PARTICIPANT B Question 1: Can you introduce yourself? (Name, age, native language, language spoken at home/ at school) My name is B, I am 14 years old, my native language Vietnamese but I also speak English decently, the language I use at home is my mother tongue which is Vietnamese But at school, I interchange between English and Vietnamese Tên B, năm 14 tuổi, tiếng mẹ đẻ Tiếng Việt nói Tiếng Anh, ngôn ngữ sử dụng nhà Tiếng Việt Nhưng trường, nói hai thứ tiếng Tiếng Anh Tiếng Việt Question 2: How long have you been learning at bilingual school? I have been learning at a bilingual school for years now Con học trường song ngữ năm Question 3: Have you ever lived/ studied abroad? If so, when and where? I have never studied abroad Con chưa du học Question 4: Why you and your family choose to study in bilingual education? I think studying in a bilingual environment prepares me for when I study abroad so I think it is helpful to get used to it from a young age Con nghĩ học môi trường song ngữ cho thấy phần học nước nên nghĩ học trường song ngữ giúp nhiều Question 5: What is your expectation while learning in bilingual education? I expect learning here to be interactive and involving because I never got the chance to speak up when I was in a public school and it hindered my soft skills Con mong học lớp học có nhiều tương tác người khơng có cảm giác bị bỏ rơi học trường công, cảm thấy chưa thật nói lên điều muốn nói làm hại kỹ xã hội Question 6: Do you speak English often at school? Do you like speaking English? I speak English almost every day, at school, at home, anywhere, and I really like to speak English, it is a great language that is wide-spread, and that is one of the reasons I like speaking English Con nói Tiếng Anh nơi, lúc thích nói Tiếng Anh, ngơn ngữ phổ biến hay, thích nói Tiếng Anh Question 7: Have you participated in any English speaking competitions or activities at school? If so, how you feel about that experience? I have participated in the Spelling Bee competition that my school gave me the opportunity to join And I thought it was quite relaxing, fun, and I learnt so much from it Con tham gia thi Spelling Bee mà trường cho hội để tham gia Con nghĩ thoải mái, vui nhộn, học nhiều từ Question 8: How important is English speaking to you? I think speaking English is not a must, but it is helpful to be able to learn it Because it helps me in so many ways, from going to a high-quality school to getting a high paying job abroad, the possibilities are endless Con nghĩ Tiếng Anh điều thiết yếu hữu ích nhiều lĩnh vực,ví dụ : vào trường cao cấp , có công việc trả lương cao, vân vân… Thank you so much for your participation PARTICIPANT C Question 1: Can you introduce yourself? (Name, age, native language, language spoken at home/ at school) My name is C, I’m 15 years old I grow up and live in Hanoi, Vietnam so Vietnamese is my first language At home, I talk to my family by Vietnamese and at school is both Vietnamese and English because I’m studying in the bilingual school Con tên C, năm 15 tuổi Con sinh lớn lên Hà Nội, Việt Nam tiếng Việt ngôn ngữ mẹ đẻ Ở nhà nói chuyện với gia đình tiếng Việt cịn trường dung tiếng Việt tiếng Anh học mơi trường song ngữ Question 2: How long have you been learning at bilingual school? I have been learning at this bilingual school for two years Con học trường năm Question 3: Have you ever lived/ studied abroad? If so, when and where? I haven’t lived or studied abroad before Con chưa sống hay du học nước Question 4: Why you and your family choose to study in bilingual education? The reason my family and I choose for study in Wellspring Bilingual school mainly because I wish to join the IGCSE program My mum has been researching on this program and found out that it has a lot of advantages, new things to explore and she want me to go to Wellspring in order to join IGCSE next year Lí gia đình chọn học trường song ngữ Wellspring nguyện vọng muốn tham gia hệ thống IGCSE Mẹ nghiên cứu hệ thống lâu thấy chương trình tốt chứa nhiều điều mẻ nên mẹ muốn học Wellsping để năm sau vào IGCSE Question 5: What is your expectation while learning in bilingual education? I want to elevate my English skills because in my last school they didn’t focus much in English In Wellspring I can learn international subjects like Math, Science, so I really hope that my English will be developed Besides, I want to improve my English speaking and hunt scholarship Tại đây, mong muốn nâng cao kĩ tiếng Anh Ở trường cũ họ khơng tập trung nhiều vào phần tiếng Anh cho Wellspring học mơn Quốc tế Math, Science Vì nên hy vọng học nhiều Tiếng Anh Ngoài ra, muốn luyện nói Tiếng Anh săn học bổng trường Question 6: Do you speak English often at school? Do you like speaking English? I really like speaking English so I speak a lot at school Con thích Tiếng Anh thường xuyên nói Tiếng Anh trường Question 7: Have you participated in any English speaking competitions or activities at school? If so, how you feel about that experience? I’m participating TEDwis- a talk at school About TEDwis, I think it’s a great opportunity for me to practice my speaking skills, my confidence in front of the crowd and be responsible for everything I did I have experienced a lot from this so far Bây tham gia TEDwis – diễn đàn nói trường Con nghĩ hội tốt cho để luyện tập kĩ nói, tự tin trước đám đông tinh thần trách nghiệm Cho tới học hỏi nhiều thứ từ Question 8: How important is English speaking to you? English is the global language in the world In today’s modern world, if can’t speak English, you won’t be able to communicate with the world So it’s really significant to know and be good at English English plays a very important part in communication, gaining knowledges as well as connecting the whole world together Tiếng Anh ngơn ngữ phổ cập tồn giới Trong xã hội đại này, bạn khơng nói tiếng Anh bạn khơng thể tiếp cận giao tiếp với giới Cho nên tiếng Anh đóng vai trị vơ to lớn người Thank you so much for your participation PARTICIPANT D English: My name is D and I’m 15 My native language is Vietnamese At home, I speak Vietnamese but at school, I both speak English and Vietnamese Vietnamese: Tôi tên D Tiếng mẹ đẻ tiếng Việt Ở nhà, tơi nói tiếng Việt trường, tơi nói tiếng Anh tiếng Việt English: I have been learning at this bilingual school for 1.5 years Vietnamese: Tôi học trường song ngữ 1.5 năm English: I have not studied abroad Vietnamese: Tơi chưa du học nước ngồi English: My family wants me to approach the international environment at a young age to be more confident when I study abroad I also want to learn English more effectively and improve them every day at school Learning at a bilingual school also helps me to find more scholarships Vietnamese: Gia đình tơi muốn tơi tiếp cận mơi trường quốc tế nhỏ để tự tin du học Tôi muốn học tiếng Anh hiệu cải thiện chúng ngày trường Học trường song ngữ giúp tơi tìm thêm học bổng English: My expectation while learning in bilingual education are speaking English as much as I can, get new scholarships and to be familiar with foreign study environment I also expect to communicate with international students, teachers and participate in a lot of activities and competitions which is suitable for my fortes Vietnamese: Kỳ vọng tơi học song ngữ nói tiếng Anh nhiều có thể, nhận học bổng làm quen với mơi trường học tập nước ngồi Tơi muốn giao tiếp với học sinh, giáo viên quốc tế tham gia vào nhiều hoạt động thi phù hợp với mạnh English: I often speak English at school with my classmates and teachers I really like speaking English as it helps me to be more confident and improve my English skills Vietnamese: Tôi thường nói tiếng Anh trường với bạn lớp giáo viên Tơi thích nói tiếng Anh giúp tự tin nâng cao kỹ tiếng Anh English: I have participated in Tedwis, an English speaking activity at school I felt excited whenever my teachers announce this activity I have joined twice and now I feel confident to stand on stage and make a speech about a topic Vietnamese: Tôi tham gia Tedwis, hoạt động nói tiếng Anh trường Tôi cảm thấy vui mừng giáo viên công bố hoạt động Tôi tham gia hai lần cảm thấy tự tin đứng sân khấu phát biểu chủ đề English: English speaking is very important to me It helps me to improve my English skills and gain my confidence Therefore, I can join English speaking activities and competitions English speaking helps me to communicate with foreign people and learn new cultures, make new friends and travel around the world Speaking English fluently can help me to spread my country’s image Vietnamese: Đối với tơi, nói quan trọng Nó giúp tơi nâng cao kỹ tiếng Anh trau dồi tự tin Do đó, tơi tham gia hoạt động thi nói tiếng Anh Nói tiếng Anh giúp tơi giao tiếp với người nước ngồi 10 học hỏi văn hóa mới, kết bạn du lịch vòng quanh giới Nói tiếng Anh trơi chảy giúp tơi truyền bá hình ảnh đất nước tơi 11 ... bilingual education indicate the crucial distinctions in practice: language immersion, monolingual, and bilingual Bilingual education is sometimes referred to as language immersion Bilingual education, ... subtractive program promotes monolingual learning in the dominant language and in that sense is only bilingual during the programs transitional stage from one language to another In contrast, an additive... common kind of bilingual education in Vietnam However, these impacts may distinguish from those of programs such as transitional bilingual education and the other type of bilingual education In