Nghiên cứu thăm dò về việc giáo viên ứng dụng đường hướng học tích hợp kiến thức chuyên ngành và ngôn ngữ để giảng dạy cho sinh viên năm thứ hai hệ nhiệm vụ chiến lược

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ---o0o--- ĐỖ THỊ HỒNG NHUNG AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON LECTURERS’ APPLI

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

-o0o -

ĐỖ THỊ HỒNG NHUNG

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON LECTURERS’ APPLICATION

OF THE “CONTENT AND LANGUAGE INTEGRATED LEARNING”

APPROACH TO TEACH THE SOPHOMORES

OF THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD PROGRAMS

AT VNU UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

(NGHIÊN CỨU THĂM DÒ VỀ VIỆC GIÁO VIÊN ỨNG DỤNG

ĐƯỜNG HƯỚNG HỌC TÍCH HỢP KIẾN THỨC CHUYÊN NGÀNH VÀ NGÔN NGỮ

ĐỂ GIẢNG DẠY CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ HAI HỆ NHIỆM VỤ CHIẾN LƯỢC TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHỆ, ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI)

MA.MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology

Code: 60140111

HANOI – 2014

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

-o0o -

ĐỖ THỊ HỒNG NHUNG

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON LECTURERS’ APPLICATION

OF THE “CONTENT AND LANGUAGE INTEGRATED LEARNING”

APPROACH TO TEACH THE SOPHOMORES

OF THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD PROGRAMS

AT VNU UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

(NGHIÊN CỨU THĂM DÒ VỀ VIỆC GIÁO VIÊN ỨNG DỤNG

ĐƯỜNG HƯỚNG HỌC TÍCH HỢP KIẾN THỨC CHUYÊN NGÀNH VÀ NGÔN NGỮ

ĐỂ GIẢNG DẠY CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ HAI HỆ NHIỆM VỤ CHIẾN LƯỢC TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHỆ, ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI)

MA.MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology

Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa

HANOI – 2014

DECLARATION

I hereby state that I, Do Thi Hong Nhung, being a candidate for the Degree of Master of Arts (TEFL), accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of M.A Thesis deposited in the library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my thesis deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the thesis

Ha Noi, September 15 th ,2014

Signature

Do Thi Hong Nhung

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This thesis would not have been possible without the guidance and the help

of several individuals around me, to only some of whom it is possible to give particular mention here

I would like to express my appreciation, first and foremost, to my supervisor Dr Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa, who guided me to develop my study into a practicable frame in the very beginning and offered valuable suggestions while the work was in progress

My thanks also go to all the lecturers of Faculty of Post Graduate Studies at University of Languages and International Studies under Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their inspirational lectures in class, by which I have been motivated to explore some interesting issues concerning English language teaching and learning

I am extremely obliged to a great number of teachers and students in VNU University of Engineering and Technology, without whose genuine encouragement

my MA study here is hard to accomplish

Last but not least I wish to avail myself of this opportunity, express a sense

of gratitude and love to my friends and my beloved family for their understanding

& endless love through the duration of my studies

ABSTRACT

Although it is a new phenomenon, the concept of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has become one of the major trends in education and research In Vietnam, CLIL is locally known as English as a medium of instruction (EMI) where content subjects are taught in English The study presents the results

of implementing CLIL approach in a member university under Vietnam National University, Hanoi The main objectives of the study were to seek the views of both the teachers and students regarding the teaching and learning of content subjects through English Survey questionnaires were used as the research instruments The findings indicated that teachers and students acknowledged the challenges of integrated CLIL and its beneficial role in promoting both the foreign language and content Therefore, proper English language and CLIL methodology training program should be implemented to the teachers and students in order that they can learn and teach content subjects effectively

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi

LIST OF FIGURES vii

LIST OF TABLES vii

LIST OF CHARTS vii

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 5

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

1 Theoretical background of Content and Language Integrated Learning 5

1.1 Overview of Content and Language Integrated Learning 5

1.2 Core features of CLIL approach 8

1.3 Lesson planning tools 9

1.3.1 The 4Cs Framework for CLIL 9

1.3.2 The language triptych 11

1.4 Key competences expected of teachers working with CLIL 12

2 Previous studies relevant to the study 15

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 18

2.1 The setting of the study 18

2.2 Participants 19

2.2.1 Teachers 20

2.2.2 Students 20

2.3 Data collection instrument 20

2.3.1 The questionnaires for the students 21

2.3.2 The questionnaires for the teachers 21

2.4 Data analysis 22

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 23

3.1 Data analysis 23

3.1.1 Data analysis of research question 1 23

Table 5: Teachers’ perceptions of disadvantages of EMI classrooms 31

3.1.2 Data analysis of research question 2 32

3.2 Discussion of major findings 34

3.2.1 Teachers’ and students’ awareness of the application of CLIL approach 34

3.2.2 Teacher’s and Student’s perceived advantages in EMI courses 35

3.2.3 Teacher’s and Student’s perceived disadvantages in EMI courses 35

3.3 The extent to which key features of CLIL were present in the EMI classes 35 3.4 Suggestions 36

3.4.1 Content-based EAP courses for teachers and students 36

3.4.2 CLIL Methodology training for teachers 37

3.4.3 Bilingual education policy 38

PART C: CONCLUSION 39

1 Summary of the study 39

2 Summary of main findings: 39

2.1 Teachers and students’ opinions regarding the advantages and challenges in the implementation of CLIL approach 39

2.2 Teachers’ and students’ recommendations to improve the teaching of subject through the medium of the English language 40

3 Limitations of the study 40

4 Recommendations for further study: 41

REFERENCES 42 APPENDIX I

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

BICS : Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills

CALP : Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency

CLIL : Content and Language Integrated Learning

EAP : English for Academic Purposes

EFL : English as a foreign language

EMI : English as Medium of Instruction

FL : The Foreign Language

ISP : International Standard Program

L1 : The First Language/Mother Tongue

L2 : The Second Language

SMP : Strategic Mission Program

VNU : Vietnam National University, Hanoi

VNU-UET : University of Engineering and Technology,

under Vietnam National University, Hanoi VNU-ULIS : University of Languages and International Studies,

under Vietnam National University, Hanoi

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Coyle’s four Cs framework of key principles 10

Figure 2 The Language Triptych (Coyle, Hood, Marsh, 2010) 11

LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Teaching subjects through a foreign language in the primary school 13

Table 2: Teachers’ opinions towards their instruction and their students’ level of attainment 25

Table 3: Students’ Perceived Advantages of CLIL 29

Table 4: Students’ Perceived Disadvantages of CLIL 30

Table 5: Teachers’ perceptions of disadvantages of EMI classrooms 31

LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: Students’ level of English proficiency 23

Chart 2: English skill students want to improve 24

Chart 3: Teachers’ assessments towards their students’ commands of English 24

Chart 4: Students’ CLIL Classroom activities in English 26

Chart 5: Students’ opinions towards language used in the EMI classroom 27

Chart 6: Teachers’ CLIL Classroom activities in English 27

Chart 7: Teachers’ perspective on code-switching to Vietnamese 28

Chart 8: Teachers’ ways to help students understand key terms 29

Chart 9: Opinions about teacher’s training courses 32

Chart 10: Students’ recommendations regarding effective EMI practice 32

Chart 11: Teachers’ recommendations regarding effective EMI practice 33

Chart 12: Perceived teachers’ needs for CLIL training sessions 34

PART A: INTRODUCTION

The initial chapter states the problem and the rationale of the study, together with the aims, objectives and the scope of the whole paper Above all, it is in this chapter that research questions are identified to work as clear guidelines for the whole research

1 Rationale for the study

Globalization has given people more access to diverse resources not only financially, but also educationally as well as linguistically With the tide of globalization, being able to speak English fluently has become a prerequisite to a successful employment opportunity Nowadays in many countries where English is not the national language, there has been a move towards English – medium instruction in higher education (Hughes, 2008, p.5), especially in East Asia countries such as Viet Nam It is more meaningful and fruitful to provide learners with instructions which focus on the integration of both content and language, rather than to teach them separately “Language is acquired most effectively when it

is learned for communication in meaningful and significant social situation” (Genesee, 1994) Therefore, many people hold the view that English-medium instruction would greatly benefit students’ L2 development as well as content knowledge acquisition One approach, particularly in tertiary education, is through Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in which “subjects, or parts of subjects, are taught through a foreign language with dual-focused aims, namely the learning of content, and the simultaneous learning of a foreign language” (Marsh,

2002, p 2). In ELT, forms of CLIL have previously been known as “Content-based instruction”, “English across the curriculum” and “Bilingual education” This approach in education started in Europe in 1970s and has been spreading widely since 1990s The approach is based on the well-known assumption that foreign languages are best learnt by focusing in the classroom not so much on language – its form and structure – but on the content through which language is transmitted Recognizing the benefits above, Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) issued two declarations in an effort to reform the teaching and learning foreign languages in the national education system (MOET, 2008, 2010) In the

context of Vietnam’s open-door policies attaching the country’s development to English proficiency, the promotion of CLIL took the premier place in the belief that this kind of approach is the best way to improve students’ command of foreign languages without devoting too much time to their teaching The implementation of English as medium of instruction (EMI) practice in higher education has been adopted in Vietnam National University, Hanoi (hereafter referred to as VNU) in

2008 under the name of International Standard Program (hereafter referred to as ISP)

or Strategic Mission Project (SMP) The VNU University of Engineering and Technology (hereafter referred to as VNU-UET) – a member university under VNU has the Bachelor Program in Electronics and Telecommunications Technology and the Bachelor Program in Computer Science which have been selected by VNU to implement this Project One key feature of the project is that students are trained with curriculum of international standard in English The question arises whether English – medium instruction can be used by teachers effectively and successfully It is certified that teachers are well qualified to teach English as a foreign language (EFL); nevertheless, teachers often find that they have serious limitations when confronted with foreign language teaching integrated with subject teaching

As part of the above mentioned VNU’s project, this thesis concerns about advantages and challenges which CLIL teachers are encountering Only when the difficulties are found could solutions to overcome those difficulties be suggested The question raised here is that how well teachers understand CLIL and that with their degree of such understandings how they implement this approach for their teaching With this idea, the study investigates the issue from both teachers and students’ perceptions on the implementation of “Content and Language Integrated Learning” approach at VNU University of Engineering and Technology and to find out the extent to which key features of CLIL were presented in the EMI classes

2 Objectives of the study

With the above presented rationale, the purpose of this study is to examine the teaching content subjects in English and the extent to which the implementation of a new approach at a university member of VNU Specifically, it aims to:

- Investigate the advantages and difficulties of teaching subjects in English for the SMP sophomores at VNU University of Engineering and Technology

- Suggest some solutions to improve the effectiveness of the CLIL approach With that said, the research attempts to answer the following questions:

Question 1: What are the teachers’ and students’ opinions regarding the

advantages and challenges in the implementation of the CLIL approach?

Question 2: What are teachers’ and students’ recommendations to improve the

teaching of subjects through the medium of the English language?

3 Scope of the study

With the desire of improving teaching subject matters through the medium of English for second-year students at the VNU-UET, the teachers can make use of various techniques and a number of things should be done However, the study is scoped down to collect data from the teaching practice at VNU-UET, with the use

of CLIL approach to teach the ISP sophomores, and to suggest some possible solutions that can be applicable to help teachers and students overcome challenges they are facing and promote the advantages of CLIL approach

4 Significance of the study

The present research is a preliminary attempt to investigate some current issues on lecturers’ use of English as medium of instruction to teach subjects for the sophomores of Strategic Mission Project in VNU-UET Overall, the findings of the study would be very useful particularly for teachers who teach bilingual content subjects to help them solve common problems faced during the instructional process and to improve their quality of teaching

5 Methodology of the study

To achieve this goal, a small scale survey has been carried out in the form of questionnaires to elicit relevant information to provide answers to the above questions The questionnaire is distributed among teachers and students from the Faculties of Information Technology and Faculty of Engineering and Telecommunications When using survey questionnaires with both students and lecturers to collect the data, the researcher hopes that she can find out their

perceptions and viewpoints during the teaching and learning process in the classroom and their suggestions

6 Design of the study

The research includes three main parts:

Part A is the Introduction, which is aimed at clarifying the rationale, aims, objectives, research questions, scope, research methodology and design of the research

Part B is the Development which contains 3 chapters:

Chapter 1 – Literature Review– provides a theoretical basis for the study: the approach of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) with some basic concepts, features and methodology

Chapter 2 – Methodology – includes an overview of the approach used in conducting the study It also provides a thorough description of the data collection procedure as well as the analytical procedure

Chapter 3 – Finding and discussion – presents analyzes and discusses the findings that the research found out from the data collected according to the three research questions

Part C is the Conclusion, which summarizes the study and gives some limitations of the study and suggestions for further study

PART B: DEVELOPMENTCHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter, the author will focus on the concepts of Content and Language Integrated Learning from the theoretical and pedagogical angle Next, I will sketch out 4Cs framework, the language triptych and core features of CLIL approach in some more details Besides, competences expected of teachers working with CLIL will be mentioned Finally, the literature review of previous studies relevant to the study will be presented in this chapter

1 Theoretical background of Content and Language Integrated Learning 1.1 Overview of Content and Language Integrated Learning

In 1995, the European Commission in their famous White Book on Education declared that all European citizens should be made competent in at least three European languages (including their mother tongue), educationalists, teachers and administrators have been looking for appropriate ways and means to reach this highly ambitious goal One of the most interesting proposals made is called

“teaching content subject through a foreign language” or “content and language integrated learning” (CLIL) CLIL is an umbrella term adopted by the European Network of Administrators, Researchers and Practitioners in the mid-1990s The term CLIL was coined by David Marsh, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland in 1994 who first described a methodological approach in which a foreign language tuition

is integrated within subject teaching as follows: “CLIL refers to situations where subjects, or parts of subjects, are taught through a foreign language with dual-focused aims, namely the learning of content and the simultaneous learning of a foreign language” Another definition is “Within CLIL, language is used as a medium for learning content, and the content is used in turn as a resource for learning languages” (European Commission, 2005, p.2) Other terms used are

“bilingual content teaching”, “bilingual subject teaching”, “content-based language teaching” and “English as medium of instruction” It encompasses any activity in which a foreign language is used as a tool in the learning of a non-language subject

in which both language and subject have a joint role (Marsh, 2002, p.58) A more precise definition is given by Coyle, Hood and Marsh (2010, p.1): “Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is a dual – focused educational approach in which an additional language is used for learning and teaching of both content and

language That is, in the teaching and learning process, there is a focus not only on content, and not only on language Each is interwoven, even if the emphasis is greater on one or the other at a given time.” The key word in the acronym is perhaps

“integrated” and the goal of the CLIL approach is that students simultaneously learn

a foreign language without neglecting the content in a content lesson Do Coyle emphasizes that “Integration is a powerful pedagogic tool which aims to ‘safeguard’ the subject being taught whilst promoting language as a medium for learning as well as an objective of the learning process itself” (2002,p.27) According to Eurydice (2006), CLIL presents “a special approach to teaching in that the non-

language subject is not taught in a foreign language, but with and through a foreign

language” Thus, in the CLIL classroom, the focus is not solely on promoting the learners’ progress in the FL/L2, but on developing a context which encourages making use of it and in this way, further developing it along with the non-linguistic content (Coonan, 2007; Pavón Vázquez, 2010)

The “dual-focused” objective implies that learning subject content and improving language competences happen simultaneously, making CLIL neither an approach that belongs to language learning nor one that belongs to subject teaching

It is unique approach which develops when the two teaching methodologies are merged (Ioannou-Georgiou and Pavlou, 2010, p.5) That is, students learn both another subject such as physics through the medium of a foreign language and learning a foreign language by studying a content-based subject This distinguishes CLIL from the other previous approaches in language teaching methodology in which foreign languages are used to teach and learn content subjects CLIL aims to create an improvement in both the foreign language and the non-language area competence, general categories being motivational and cognitive impact of the positive attitudes triggered by using CLIL, and the linguistic and methodological utilisation of the non-language content material It is believed that content, e.g mathematics, and a foreign language, e.g English, can be better developed through gradual interplay (25 – 100 % of the content is taught in a foreign language) (Pavesi et al., 2001)

It is important to notice that “content” is the first word in CLIL This is because curricular content lead to language learning Content is defined as the information that the learner can use to construct their knowledge and skills, values,

attitudes, and interests that the learner can develop in order to use their knowledge

In other words, we can also think of content as knowledge and/or skills that learners would need to acquire even if they were not also learning the CLIL language This different notion of content which is the most typical feature of the approach is of great interest in the current discussion on improving foreign language competence First, the approach can be adapted to all levels of language teaching: primary, secondary and tertiary, for all curricula include academic content: primary curricula

on a very basic level (social sciences, natural sciences, arts), secondary curricula more specifically in content subjects (history, geography, mathematics), and tertiary curricula are characterised by the fact that the content of the students’ disciplines (Information Technology, Physics, Engineering, Sociology, Arts, Design) can at least partially be introduced into their language studies And second, integrated content and language teaching saves time within the overall curriculum If content and language are learnt and taught in integration; length of study time both for language and content subject can thus be reduced considerably

It is interesting to note that it is mainly tertiary education which have opted for teaching content through a foreign language “Why can CLIL be advantageous in tertiary professionally-oriented education and what are the broad educational advantages?” This question is asked by Marsh, Marsland & Stenberg (2001, p.17)

in their book Integrating Competencies for Working Life and their answer is a list of

five key reasons for introducing CLIL in an academic or professional curriculum According to them these reasons involve the development of:

1 Pragmatic knowledge and skills

language skills and subject knowledge, but also promoted multiculturalism, intercultural knowledge and understanding Fostering the development of diverse learning strategies and the application of innovative teaching methods, content related instruction facilitates students’ cognitive development and learning in general as well In order to provide high-level education for their students and increase their international rating in the educational community, many non-English speaking universities are seeking ways to introduce CLIL in their study programs

In Asian countries, people can also find an accelerating trend towards English – medium instruction in higher education Interestingly, about 20 years ago, Graddol (1997, p 45) had already indicated that “one of the most significant educational trends world-wide is the teaching of a growing number of courses in universities through the medium of English”

The definition of CLIL has received much attention in the literature This term has been defined in a variety of ways Although these definitions may vary from this one to another one, they all come to a conclusion that a foreign language in CLIL is used as a “tool” or “vehicle”, not as an entity in itself in learning of non-language subject in which both language and subject have a joint role In this study, the researcher only presents the definition of Coyle, Hood and Marsh (2010, p.1) and that viewpoint will go through this study This definition is neither too restrictive nor too broad in terms of its processes and overall aim Therefore, it provides the solid foundation needed to begin developing an understanding of CLIL approach

1.2 Core features of CLIL approach

“CLIL induces the learner to be more cognitively active during the learning process” (Van de Craen, P, Mondt, K, Alain, L and Gao, Y (2008) Such a view point is understandable because:

- Students communicate more than the teacher

- Students help set content, language and learning skills outcomes

- Students evaluate progress in achieving learning outcomes

- Favoring peer co-operative work

- Negotiating the meaning of language and content with the students

- Teachers acting as facilitators

Accordingly, students take a self-motivated part in their learning Mehisto, Frigols and Marsh (2008) proposed six key features of CLIL, including:

 Language learning and content learning that support each other

 Authenticity in which teachers use current media to bring global issues into the classroom

 Active learning in which students exchange views among themselves

1.3 Lesson planning tools

1.3.1 The 4Cs Framework for CLIL

Broadly speaking, the aims of CLIL are to improve both the learners’ knowledge and skills in a subject, and their language skills which is taught through the subject In CLIL, the two elements are interwoven and receive equal importance, although the emphasis may vary from one to another Language is used

as the medium for learning subject content, and subject content is used as a resource for learning the language Some conceptual frameworks have been given that summarise the essential characteristics of good CLIL practice Perhaps the most well-known one is Coyle’s four Cs framework of key principles (Figure 1) Do Coyle’s ‘four Cs’ offer a sound theoretical and methodological foundation for planning CLIL lessons and constructing materials because of its integrative nature According to Coyle (2005), Cs Conceptual framework consists of Content – the knowledge and skills of the subject, Communication – overall target language

competence, Cognition – thinking skills and Culture – intercultural knowledge and understanding

Figure 1: Coyle’s four Cs framework of key principles

Content: The subject matter, theme, and topic forming the basis for the program, defined by domain or discipline according to knowledge, concepts, and skills (e.g Science, IT, Arts) Besides, content matter is not only about acquiring knowledge and skills; it is about the learners creating their own knowledge and understanding and developing skills (personalized learning) Content is the subject

or the CLIL theme

Communication: The language to create and communicate meaning about the knowledge, concepts, and skills being learned (e.g stating facts about the sun, giving instructions on using software, describing emotions in response to music) Language needs to be learned, which is related to the learning context, learning through that language, reconstructing the content and its related cognitive processes This language needs to be transparent and accessible; interaction in the learning context is fundamental to learning Language is a conduit for communication and

for learning which can be described as: learning to use language and using

language to learn Communication in this sense goes beyond the grammar system

Cognition: The ways that we think and make sense of knowledge, experience, and the world around us (e.g remembering, understanding, evaluating, critiquing, reflecting, creating) Content is related to learning and thinking To enable the learners to create their own interpretation of content, it must be analyzed for its linguistic demands; thinking processes need to be analyzed in terms of their linguistic demands

Culture: The ways that we interact and engage with knowledge, experience, and the world around us; socially (e.g social conventions for expressing oneself in the target language), pedagogically (e.g classroom conventions for learning and classroom interaction), and/or according to discipline (e.g scientific conventions for preparing reports to disseminate knowledge) Studying through a different language

is fundamental to fostering international understanding

The 4Cs framework starts with content and focuses on the interrelationship between content, communication, cognition and culture to build on the synergies of integrating learning (content and cognition) and language learning (communication and cultures) Framed in such a way, CLIL thus unites learning theories, language learning theories and intercultural understanding

1.3.2 The language triptych

In the CLIL approach, the role of language is seen as the learning tool which operates threefold: OF, FOR, and THROUGH language

Figure 2 The Language Triptych (Coyle, Hood, Marsh, 2010)

In order to operationalize this planning and to clarify the interrelationship between content and language objectives, Coyle, Hood, Marsh (2010) proposed: Language of learning: analyses of language requiring learners to access basic notions and skills concerning the subject topic

Language for learning: strategies for effective learners’ foreign language use Language through learning: fundamentals requiring active linguistic and cognitive engagement for effective learning

To qualify as a CLIL lesson, Costa and D’Angelo (2011) argued that, firstly,

at least 50% of a lesson time should be given in the additional language This percentage should be gradually increased up to 90% while allowing code-switching

because of the essential function of L1 to consolidate the cognitive processes Secondly, adequate quality of content learning needs to be guaranteed If content learning is deteriorated as a result of simplification depending on learner’s linguistic proficiency, the CLIL approach should not be implemented

The integration in CLIL enables it to motivate both teachers and learners by integrating content into language, thus develops learners’ linguistic confidence and competence, even set the good ground for building global citizenship & intercultural understanding Johnstone and McKinstry (2008) point out some advantages of the CLIL approach:

- CLIL develops confident learners

- CLIL enhances academic cognitive processes and communication skills

- CLIL encourages intercultural understanding and community values

- Learners become more sensitive to vocabulary and ideas presented in their first language as well as in the target language

- Learners gain more extensive and varied vocabulary in the target language

- Learners reach proficiency levels in all four skills of Listening, Speaking,Writing and Reading

1.4 Key competences expected of teachers working with CLIL

For a language course to be maximally effective and for a new approach to be applied successfully, many factors must be taken into account: teachers, learners, curricula and textbooks, classroom facilities, systems of testing and examination,… However, according to the thesis’s scope, teacher’s application and effects on student’s achievement will be focused Also, it is believed that teachers take on a pivotal role in the application of a new approach in the teaching and learning

The different definitions of CLIL and the challenges for any teacher undertaking this new approach were taken into account by Hillyard, S (2011, p.6-8) and he devised three requirements for CLIL teachers:

 Intensive language development, input, and output, stressing classroom language and content-orientated language (appropriate to the content in question)

 Content knowledge in terms of syllabus contents, concepts, and skills at the cognitive level

 CLIL methodology, especially in terms of output from students, the use of graphic organizers, Bloom’s taxonomy of thinking skills, Cummins’s BICS and

CALP, the diversity of CLIL approaches (as expressed in Figure 3), and “learning

Content-based language teaching

Priority in

planning

Taught by: Language or class

teacher

Language or class teacher

Class teacher

Assessed as: Language Language Subject

Viewed as: Language teaching Language teaching Subject teaching

Materials Language Language/ subject Subject

Syllabus Language syllabus:

 Good knowledge of the content subjects

 Production of lesson plans

 Planning and organization of lessons according to cognitive demands

 Gradual content and language progression

The teacher competences required for successful CLIL teaching in real classrooms are extensive and clearly detailed in The CLIL teacher´s competencies grid (Bertaux, Coonan, Frigols, and Mehisto, 2009), but can be summarized as follows (Mehisto, Frigols, and Marsh, 2008):

1 Knowledge of methodology for integrating both language and content

2 Ability to create rich and supportive target-language environments

3 Ability to making input comprehensible

4 Ability to use teacher-talk effectively

5 Ability to promote student comprehensible output

6 Ability to attend to diverse student needs

7 Ability to continuously improve accuracy

The Teacher´s competence grid is a tool for reflection and guiding professional development for future and currently in-service CLIL teachers It represents a skills set to be aimed at in CLIL

According to Hillyard (2011), the teacher competences needed for CLIL are extensive and require considerable assimilation time for any educator taking up a CLIL program As far as professional skills are concerned, teachers need to be knowledgeable at defining CLIL and adapting it to the local context, being able to integrate it into the curriculum and making sure of taking quality measures

One of the major challenges in adhering to a CLIL approach has to do with Cummins´ Basic Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) (Cummins, 1979; and Swain, 1996) These authors differentiate these two terms claiming that teachers need to have the ability to develop the language skills needed in social situations so that students can interact with other people, as well as the language needed to success in academic learning This issue is a big challenge for the CLIL teachers, since they have to integrate the development of both within their lessons; on the one hand, because students need to learn conversational language in order to succeed socially in the foreign language,

on the other hand, academic language refers to formal academic learning which includes listening, speaking, reading, and writing about subject area content material This level of language is needed for students to succeed in school since they need to learn thinking skills alongside the language and content knowledge, (Coyle, 2006)

Taking into consideration Marsh, (2002), CLIL teachers should be proficient

in the content area and at the same time have a broad knowledge of the foreign language, thereby providing optimal conditions for students’ communication This author claims as well that CLIL teachers must understand the difference between language learning and language acquisition and in regards to methodological aspects a CLIL teacher must introduce activities that link language and subject

aspects Similarly to Pavesi et al (2001), Marsh (2002) explains that in addition to using teaching strategies, teachers should promote the following goals:

 Interaction for the understanding of meaning

 Learners’ use of communication strategies

 Recognition of the importance of information and communication technology

According to Graaff, Koopman, Anikina and Westhoff (2007), teachers have

to base their teaching on five fundamental principles:

1 Provide students with demanding input but appropriate to their level of cognitive development

2 Build teaching activities on meaning, not so much on form

3 Base their teaching process on activities focused on the form in relation to the content

4 Promoting oral production abilities

5 Assist students in the learning of communicative strategies in order to facilitate and compensate communication

In summary, the researcher was in support of six requirements of Hillyard, S (2011) for effective teaching performance, which CLIL educators need three separate but intertwined abilities in order to operate within this new methodology: good target language command, content knowledge, and CLIL specific methodology (Pavesi, Bertocchi, Hofmannová, and Kazianka, 2001; Marsh, 2002)

2 Previous studies relevant to the study

Teaching and learning through a foreign language has been, and still is, a subject for varied research For example, in 2005, Azis bin Nordin conducted a research on student’s perception on teaching and learning mathematics in English in three schools in Malaysia The finding shows that the students consider English is

so important in their daily life as well as for their future career Nevertheless, they argue that learning science and mathematics using English as medium of instruction

is proven to be too demanding and difficult This is all due to the lack of student ability in understanding the content and also the language complexity used during the instructional process This study also shows that learning science in English is far more difficult than learning Mathematics In conclusion, teacher is urged to be wiser in dealing with students’ learning difficulties

Moreover, Aguilar and Rodriguez (2012) portrayed the lecturer and student perceptions on content and language integrated learning at a Spanish university The finding tells that lecturers are interested in implementing CLIL in their classes since they could practice and improve their spoken English They also feel that they are still able to deliver the materials fully though they use English as the medium of instruction Interestingly, they seem reluctant to receive any methodological training

on how to teach CLIL Meanwhile, students also feel the same positive feeling when they join the CLIL courses Surprisingly, they mention that their lecturer’s English proficiency is insufficient and this indeed influences the quality of instructional process A study on CLIL teacher development: challenges and experiences carried out by Dario Banegas (2012) This article, firstly, outlines some

of its challenges and drawback particularly in reference to teachers and teacher development Secondly, it describes pre- and in-service CLIL teacher development opportunities partly based on personal experiences at the University of Warwick as well as other personal experiences of workshops in Argentina Finally, the article suggests possible ways of incorporating a CLIL understanding in Argentina as an example of an EFL context

Despite the growing interest in CLIL, only a modest amount of research in Viet Nam relevant to the learning of subject through an additional language can be found in the literature Most of the studies have attempted to examine English language proficiency of the under-graduate students or difficulties that teachers are facing when implementing CLIL approach At primary education level, Phuc (2013) examined the real context of using the text book “Practice Maths 1”, the difficulties that teachers are facing when teaching Maths in English to first graders at Minh Khai 1 Primary School The problems are related to teacher’s competence, teaching and learning facilities, students’ mixed levels of proficiency in English, and students’ motivation in learning The study also suggest five solutions to overcome those difficulties including: modifying the syllabus of teaching Maths through English in Minh Khai Primary School, improving teaching and learning facilities, regrouping students in smaller classes according to levels of proficiency in English, professional development courses and workshops for teachers and adaptation of the textbook At tertiary education level, there is a distinction between English and non-English major students Being one of the first to investigate first-year students in the

Strategic Mission Project of Viet Nam National University, the study “Students Perception on factors affecting English learning motivation of students in Strategic Mission Project” (Giang, 2011) investigated the students’ motivation to learn English and factors that alter it Another study made by Van (2006) is aimed at searching out solutions to improving the English language proficiency for under-graduate students at the College of Technology (COT) – Vietnam National University, Ha Noi

Successful CLIL depends on a variety of factors Lack or insufficient development of any of them may impede wider CLIL implementation in the universities The studies reported above focuses on and attempts to tackle some of the problems associated with the introduction of CLIL that converge at the point of methodology criteria and language competences of students In addition to a shortage of research related to CLIL at tertiary level, research into teachers’ perceptions in the field of bilingual education is similarly underrepresented This can be considered as one of their limitations because foremost, teachers play a crucial role in implementing CLIL at a university Put together, those similarities have created a gap for the researcher to conduct a research with the population of the sophomores of ISP at VNU-UET with an attempt to examine teacher’s application to teach the content subject in English in general

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

In the Chapter I, the literature review has given as a theoretical basis for the study This chapter would give the setting of the study and describe the method to answer the research questions in detail The participants, the data collection instruments, and the data analysis would be justified

2.1 The setting of the study

Being one of the most prestigious institutions in the country’s system of tertiary education, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) is carrying out its renovation program, mixing itself with the country’s integration and globalization progress One of VNU’s most important missions is to develop a model of a research university whose quality can be compared with that of other advanced universities in the region, and later in the world In order to step by step realize the mission, VNU has laid an emphasis on the proficiency in English in the university’s curricula

Since 2008, VNU has been implementing Strategic Mission Project which focuses on developing high-quality human resources of international standard in the context of globalization The aim of the Project is training under-graduate students

in 16 majors and 23 specialties The program was designed based on The VNU’s regulations about building training programs: Provisions on the construction and development, specialized international standard programs (Issued together with Decision No 3599/QD-DHQGHN dated December 5, 2011 of Director of VNU)

 Curriculum: implemented for the majors which VNU is ranked in the top

200 Asian universities and can be credit - conversed conveniently with other global universities

 Language: Bilingual language: English and Vietnamese

 Lecturer: 100% non-native and native English speaking teachers have a doctorate degree in their majors They have rich experience of teaching and have international research publications

 Training procedure: 1+3 Program comprises of one year for target language and some general subjects followed by three years for studying their subjects of

specialized majors at their university

 Program Outcome Standard: Excellent students graduating from international-standard faculties of VNU must have acquired English proficiency

equivalent to 6.0 IELTS They are highly qualified graduates which are demonstrated through learning and research outcomes

SMP first-year students are placed into different classes basing on their English proficiency level Over the course of one year at VNU - ULIS, they one by one go through five modules within their English program (from English level A1

to English level C1) The target set for them is get at least 5.5 IELTS in order to move on to the second year of study at SMP During the first year, they studied mostly English and therefore it should be expected that learning English takes most

of their time and is their primary concern They study English in order to use it in their studies in the subsequent years, in which courses of their major in English CLIL streams tend to attract the most ambitious students who are likely to succeed

in mastering the curricular requirements both in Vietnam and English SMP is not applied in the entire system of VNU, but is restricted to selected classes of some member universities only

The study is conducted at VNU-UET, a member university under Viet Nam National University With financial support from the “VNU Project for building and developing training programs to international standards”– a strategic mission of the VNU– UET offers several honors and international-standard programs to selected students at Bachelor Program in Electronics and Telecommunications Technology and Computer Science A significant part of the program is that content subjects are given in English language At the Program of Electronics and Telecommunication, there are 12 subjects taught in English and at the Program of Computer Science, 23 subjects are taught in English 2012 marked the milestone when the first intake of the international standard students graduates Students in these special programs are required to perform additional tasks within a course and to undertake more advanced courses not required by the standard programs These programs are designed to provide students with additional skills such as project implementation, and effective English communication Some courses are also taught by professors from well-known overseas partner universities

2.2.1 Teachers

The sample of the study consisted of 12 highly experienced content teachers All of them are native speakers of Vietnamese, 6 belong to the Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications, 6 belong to Computer Science All of the participating lecturers, non-native speakers of English, hold at least a doctorate degree in their majors They have implemented CLIL approach in their teaching and learning process for about 6 years since the implementation of SMP in 2008 They have no direct relation with language teaching pedagogically Although they are subject specialists and researchers in their professional domain; language instruction and feedback have been provided throughout the lessons where necessary

to take part in the study and fill in the questionnaire The students of aforementioned departments have to attend five modules of Basic English courses, named as preparatory classes to get at least 5.5 IELTS in order to move on to the second year of SMP

2.3 Data collection instrument

Considering the research questions to be answered, survey questionnaire was chosen as the main instrument of the research as it allows researchers to “gather information that learners are able to report about themselves, such as their beliefs and motivation about learning or their reactions to learning and classroom instruction and activities” (Mackey&Gass, 2005) One obvious advantage of questionnaire is that it provides data which could be calculated through simple counting of boxes or through the content analysis of written responses The questionnaire was analyzed by calculating the mean of each item Then, the calculation result or the mean was analyzed and categorized to know how positive

or negative students’ perception is towards CLIL By designing and delivering a questionnaire, a large amount of information can be gathered from a great number

of participants in a short time