The perceptions of pre service efl teachers of the 21st century skills training and their application in teaching practicum

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER THE PERCEPTIONS OF PRE-SERVICE EFL TEACHERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY SKILLS TRAINING AND THEIR APPLICATION IN TEACHING PRACTICUM Supervisor : Nguyen Thi Thinh (M.A) Student : Do Thi Minh Tra Course : QH2016 HA NOI - 2020 ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP NHẬN THỨC CỦA SINH VIÊN SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH VỀ VIỆC GIẢNG DẠY KĨ NĂNG THẾ KỈ 21 VÀ ỨNG DỤNG CỦA CHÚNG VÀO KÌ THỰC TẬP Giáo viên hướng dẫn : Nguyễn Thị Thịnh, M.A Sinh viên : Đỗ Thị Minh Trà Khóa : QH2016 HÀ NỘI - 2020 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms Thinh Nguyen (M.A), for her precise guidance and invaluable encouragement during the development of my graduation thesis I am sincerely thankful for all her valuable suggestions despite her hectic schedule, which substantially contributed to the improvements of this paper Secondly, I would like to send my special thanks to all of the participants in this research Without their valuable time and support in data collection procedure, I could never have completed this graduation paper on schedule Last but not least, my grateful thanks should be sent to my classmates, my friends and my family for their great support, unwavering encouragement and patience during the time I conducted this research Their continuing presence and assistance is such a great motivation and inspiration for me to complete this graduation paper with my greatest effort ABSTRACT The Industrial Revolution 4.0 has caused drastic changes in not only our society but also our global educational context In order to be qualified for this era of unprecedented innovations, it is of great essence that our students possess the necessary skills in this century This demand requires teachers in general and EFL teachers, to be more specific, to explore and understand thoroughly the 21st century skills for better educating their students Acknowledging the importance of the development process since being a pre-service EFL teacher, the researcher decided to conduct her research on pre-service EFL teachers’ perceptions of the 21st century skills training and their application in the practicum This paper adopted mixed methods approach and researched pre-service EFL teachers in final year at a university in Hanoi, Vietnam The objectives of this study are to 1) investigate how the teacher education program equips pre-service EFL teachers with the 21st century skills; 2) examine to pre-service EFL teachers perceptions of the training of the 21st century skills in the program, and 3) explore how pre-service EFL-teachers apply these innovative skills in their practicum The researcher utilized questionnaires and interviews as the main research instruments to survey 104 pre-service EFL teachers and further interviewed out of these participants to explore that they mostly had acceptable understanding of the 21st century skills and were generally active in applying these skills in their practicum despite different struggles Based on the findings drawn from this study, some implications and suggestions were proposed with the hope to optimize the 21st century skills development process among EFL pre-service teachers TABLE OF CONTENT ABSTRACT TABLE OF CONTENT LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES, ABBREVIATIONS ABBREVIATION CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study and statement of research problem 1.2 Aim and objectives: 1.3 Scope of the study 1.4 Significance of the study 1.5 Organization of the study CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Key concepts 2.1.1 EFL pre-service teacher 2.1.2 EFL teacher education program 2.1.3 Practicum 2.2 Theoretical framework 2.2.1 The 21st century skills framework (6Cs Framework) 2.2.2 Framework for teachers’ 21st century skills development 12 2.3 Research gap 13 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 15 3.1 Research design 15 3.1.1 Research approach 15 3.1.2 Research sites: 16 3.1.3 Participants: 18 3.2 Research instrument 19 3.2.1 Questionnaire 19 3.2.2 Interview 21 3.3 Data collection procedure 22 3.4 Data analysis procedure 25 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 26 4.1 Research question 1: How does the teacher education program at FELTE equip pre-service EFL teachers with the 21st century skills? 26 4.1.1 The integration of the 21st century skills in seven subject groups (according to Shulman’s classification) 29 4.1.2 Discussion on the integration of the 21st century skills in seven majored subject groups (according to Shulman’s classification) 34 4.2 Research question 2: To what extent the pre-service EFL teachers perceive the training of 21st century skills in the program? 35 4.2.1 The background knowledge of pre-service EFL teachers of the 21st century skills: 36 4.2.2 Pre-service EFL teachers perceive the training of 21st century skills in the program 37 4.3 Research question 3: To what extent pre-service EFL teachers apply the acquired 21st century skills in their practicum? 43 4.3.1.Interviewees’ background and perceptions of the 21st century skills 43 4.3.2.Interviewees’ integration of the 21st century skills in their practicum 45 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION 58 5.1 The summary of major research findings 58 5.2 Implications 61 5.3 Limitations and suggestions for further research 62 REFERENCE LIST 64 APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE 69 APPENDIX 2: INTERVIEW PROTOCOL 75 APPENDIX 3: SUMMARY OF COURSE OBJECTIVES AND COURSE DESCRIPTION 77 LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES, ABBREVIATIONS Tables Table 3.1 Interviewees’ background 24 Table 3.2 Interview details 25 Table 4.1 The classification of major subjects 28 Table 4.2 Inductive coding 28 Table 4.3 In vivo coding 28 Table 4.4 The integration of 21st century skills in “Knowledge of education” and “General pedagogical knowledge” groups 29 Table 4.5 The integration of 21st century skills in “Knowledge of educational contexts” group 30 Table 4.6 The integration of 21st century skills in “Knowledge of learners” group 31 Table 4.7 The integration of 21st century skills in “Curriculum knowledge” group 32 Table 4.8 The integration of 21st century skills in “Subject matter or content knowledge” group 33 Table 4.9 The integration of 21st century skills in “Pedagogical content knowledge” group 34 Table 4.10 Background knowledge on the 21st century skills 36 Table 4.11 Supporting system 37 Table 4.13 Creativity 40 Table 4.14 Collaboration 41 Table 4.15 Communication 41 Table 4.16 Citizenship 42 Table 4.17 Character Development 42 Figures Figure 1: Teacher’s professional knowledge base categories (Adapt from Shulman, 1987, p.8) Figure 2: Table of major subjects in an EFL teacher education program Figure 3: Most cited 21st century skills framework (Arenti, 2018) 10 Figure The 21st century skills four Cs framework 11 Figure 5: Teachers’ 21st century skills development process 12 Figure 6: The review of questionnaire purposes 20 Figure 7: Data collection procedure 22 Figure 8: Pre-service EFL teacher’s results in background knowledge of the 21st century skills 36 Figure 9: Major subjects groups 38 Figure 10: The summary of research question 59 ABBREVIATION EFL : English as a Foreign Language GCSE : General Certificate of Secondary Education TESOL : Teaching/Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages TEFL : Teaching/Teachers of English as a Foreign Language CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study and statement of research problem “The more complex the world becomes, the more creative we need to be to meet its challenges” Ken Robinson (2017) Accelerating globalization and a rocketing rate of technological developments act as a spur to a variety of fundamental changes in our civilization, especially better schooling facilities and broader learning environment Although these revolutions have offered us a myriad of opportunities for human advancement, they have also posed abundant unprecedented challenges for our education to prepare our students for their future jobs that have not even been created and the problems that have not ever been anticipated (Carruthers, H., 2018) Therefore, in order to help students navigate through such uncertainties, it is of great necessity to equip them with essential skills of this century, commonly known in short as 4Cs (Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration and Communication) (Saavedra & Opfer, 2012a; Ross, 2017) This demand requires teachers to have a thorough preparation, specifically a widely-held perception of these skills and their application in teaching, which is still a huge challenge with teachers, especially pre-service teachers (Tican and Deniz, 2018) Because pre-service teachers are mostly unfamiliar with professional teaching techniques, every so often they encounter confusion and embarrassment when approaching innovative teaching skills, especially during their practicum Through reviewing studies relating to the 21st century skills development of TESOL preservice teachers, the researcher explored that this confusion was not isolated It was a shared problem when encountering the radical change among EFL pre-service teachers (Kniep, 1989; Sarason, 1982, 1996; Trubowltz, 2001; Guskey, 2002) These findings highlight the urgent need to support EFL pre-service teachers’ preparation for the application of 21st century teaching skills in their initial period of their professional career It has been widely recognized that in order to effectively facilitate innovative teaching skills in classes, teachers at first need to familiarize themselves with these APPENDIX SUMMARY OF COURSE OBJECTIVES AND COURSE DESCRIPTION Subject Pedagogy Course objectives Course description At the end of this course, students Together with psychology, are able to: pedagogy contributes to create the -In terms of knowledge: foundation of pedagogical culture +Explain and analyze basic for students This course provides matter of pedagogy, namely the students with basic pedagogical objects and basic terminologies knowledge, basic pedagogical skills +Analyze and evaluate learning to effectively facilitate the teaching models and educating activities The content +Evaluate the pedagogical educational roles of of this course includes the general theory theory in and overview of pedagogy in the light of teacher a training field; targets and purposes of education, educational +Analyze objects, scientific and distinguish missions and different ways of goals, structures, education; basic theoretical and motivation, logic of pedagogy practical matters in high school process and education process education +Determine and evaluate the outline); execution of pedagogical and practical (Pedagogical basic theory theoretical matters in and educating educational principles; advantages behaviors for high school students and disadvantages; as well as the (Educational theory) methods organizing of application educational in and teaching activities + Evaluate the requirements of teacher and form teacher -In terms of skills: +Select and utilize appropriately 77 and flexibly principles, methods and manners organization of teaching with specific purposes of language teaching and in specific teaching scenarios +Detect and solve teaching and educating scenarios effectively +Evaluate others’ solutions in teaching scenarios +Conduct simple research of a problem relating to pedagogy and education +Communicate, make plans and effectively collaborate and teamwork with others -In terms of attitude: +Be willing to receive and share knowledge, information about the course with lecturers and other friends +Actively engage in learning activities inside and outside of the class +Express beliefs and love for pedagogical attitude careers; positive towards pedagogical enrich professional careers +Actively knowledge and skills +Be willing to self-develop and research in pedagogy and education field 78 Psychology After the course, students are able The course includes knowledge of to: psychology outline and psychology +Describe basic terminologies in for pedagogy field Knowledge of human psychology psychology outline composes of +Describe and analyze the roles of basic categories of psychology and activities and communication with basic psychological the psychological and behaviorial phenomena The human course also development, as well as the rules mentions the developmental rules of of the foundation and development psychological phenomena in living of human psychology activities and the interaction +Describe some basic theoretical between psychological phenomena matters in children’ psychology and objective reality Regarding to development, some psychological typical psychology for pedagogy field, characteristics of students explore diverse opinions about the development of children’ high school students +Describe some basic matters of psychology, pedagogical psychology some and characteristics educational psychology of psychological high school students as well as the orientation +Describe and analyze the need of and methods of communication with enhance teachers’ personalities, students of different age groups characteristics, desired Characteristics basic learning of teaching personalities and pedagogical skills that teachers personalities and skills of teachers should possess and the correlation are among them +Be able to apply theoretical explain of human psychology to psychological phenomena +Be able to research, analyze and evaluate analyzed desired through illustrative realistic examples -In terms of skills: knowledge also activities; and their psychological 79 expressions and students’ psychological expressions +Possess learning and research skills to enhance desired personalities and skills for future teaching career -In terms of attitudes: -Love and psychology, students’ be interested aspire to psychology in explore to have appropriate behaviors and set the foundations for career passion -Be careful and patient in educating students -Develop the love with students and teaching career in general, have appropriate attitudes when and positive communicating with students from diverse age groups, pay attention to improve teachers’ personalities An introduction After this course, students are The course provides students with to English equipped: basic key concepts and theories in Teaching -Knowledge: Basic key concepts language teaching; overview of Methodology and theories in language teaching; typical teaching techniques and overview of techniques typical teaching teaching and teaching characteristics and their influence methodology; learners’ on language characteristics and their influence teachers’ on language teachers’ learning roles requirement, and language methodology; roles process; requirement, teachers’ context learning in learners’ process; and teachers’ language teaching Vietnam Besides, teaching students are introduced frameworks 80 context in Vietnam -Skills: critical problem-solving like CEFR for language assessment thinking skills and through practicing dealing with proposed teaching situations -Attitudes: Be aware of teaching career and differences in their future students; be disciplined in thinking and be creative to achieve positive improvements in their profession and working environment Technology Teaching in The course enables learners to: The course is designed with and -Develop their ability to choose topics: Learning Foreign which ICT tools are appropriate in -Topic 1: An overview of using ICT Languages different educational contexts; in language teaching and learning -Develop critical thinking skills of -Topic 2: Design learning resources applying ICT in education; -Develop a positive in language teaching and learning attitude -Topic 3: Designing lectures towards using ICT in education -Topic 4: Applying web 2.0 tools in language teaching and learning -Topic 5: Testing and assessment in foreign languages -Topic 6: Communication and interaction in language teaching and learning -Topic 7: Trends in ICT application in language teaching and learning English Language After this course, students are able This course composes of main Teaching to: parts, 81 both offering students Techniques and -Knowledge: definitions Practices understand professional and techniques classroom knowledge and for opportunities to practice learned management; teaching techniques into teaching definitions and steps to design situations lesson plans; process to techniques teach and -Part 1: Managing classroom and language designing lesson plans components and language skills -Skills: Develop -Part 2: Teaching techniques for classroom language components and language management skills; lesson plan skills designing skills techniques for and teaching each language -Part 3: Integrated-skill approach component and language skill Besides, students sharpen their self-reflection skills and language skills -Attitude: Develop awareness of teaching career; be disciplined in thinking and be creative to achieve positive improvements in their profession and working environment Teaching English After the course, students are able With for Special to: Purposes (ESP) such objectives, ESP is designed with main parts: -Understand the basic key -Part 1: Basic knowledge of ESP concepts and the development of and ESP key concepts ESP teaching methodologies -Part 2: Guidance to design and -Analyze learners’ needs, design develop ESP syllabus/lessons (need ESP syllabus; design and evaluate analysis, material evaluation; ESP teaching materials; test and material adaptation, …) assess ESP learners’ performance -Part 3: Guidance to test and assess -In terms of skills: students ESP learners’ performance develop logical and critical 82 thinking; problem-solving skills in particular teaching situations Besides, students sharpen selfstudy skills, research skills, and team-working skills Syllabus design After the course, students are able -This to: overall accomplished -Knowledge: Understand basic exploration of goal will be through the various related concepts, theory about learners’ theoretical issues (e.g., the process need analysis, objective choice, of designing a syllabus, learners' syllabus design, content selection, needs analysis, goals and objectives, teaching material design and content conceptualization, material assessment, course testing, and development, assessment and evaluation evaluation) and relevant practical -Skills: assignments +Adapt English teaching - Pair work and group work is methods for a specific subject in a central specific situation to enhancing students' content knowledge, as well as +Teach English in different language skills and social skills All situations (e.g: analyzing learners' students need to organize and take needs, selecting materials, responsibility for their own learning conceptualizing content, testing process and evaluating the course +Evaluate English teaching materials for specific subjects in specific situations + Study independently; and work research in group effectively - Attitude: +Passion for English in general and English teaching in particular 83 +More confidence in their own ability in choosing English teaching materials and designing courses +Enthusiasm, responsibility and working ethics ability to determine the drive for future career development Language After the course, students are able -This course is developed using Assessment to: Backward Design Approach -Understand key concepts in the (Wiggins & McTighe, 2006) For field of language assessment the present course, the learning -Defining a SMART assessing targets are developed based on a goal -Evaluate well-constructed different different of assessment competencies methods and instruments -Assess taxonomy -Those learning targets are formed language according to both international and components and skills local standards Learning content is -Analyze assessment outcome and synthesized from a wide range of give comments reliable sources and often framed around three major questions "why to assess?", "what to assess?" and "how to assess?" -Students are expected to be active agents in their learning process and the course instructors are merely facilitators of that process The three main assessment practices in the present course aim to gather evidence of learning for the most representative competences stated in the learning targets 84 Lesson Planning -Student can design lesson plans, -The course uses competence-based and Material design Adaptation learning or principle and develops students’ activities exercises to effectively deliver the critical thinking basing on students’ content of the lesson and help reflection (reflective-based) learners understand structures and language functions -The course includes parts: -Use lesson plans to facilitate general knowledge of lesson plans; lessons appropriately and flexibly, guidance to design lesson plans for creating positive environment to learning specific help lessons; practice and students evaluation achieve lesson targets Intercultural Communication After the course, students can : -Apply basic concepts - This course is to provide crossand cultural understanding processes of cross-cultural and sensitivity, intercultural describe, communication analyze cross-cultural and and which to importance is of for explain communication and great effective and socially intercultural engaged living in the modern world phenomena -This course is designed to -Gain more awareness of their introduce basic concepts, theories, own beliefs, actions and behaviors and processes of cross-cultural and and those of others intercultural communication, which -Identify challenges that arise may serve as thinking tools for from differences in intercultural students to critically examine issues communication and the context of related to culture and constant change and find ways to communication, itself and others address them -Learning -Understand technology influence how and context, engaged activities: discussion, reading, sustained relationship reflection and deliberate practice intercultural => the course offers students the communication demonstrate their opportunity to acquire an informed improved communication skills understanding and appreciation of through the ability to reflect, the 85 dynamics of culture, the suspend judgment, and diversity of values and perceptions that give meaning to people’s lives respect/appreciate differences In addition, students may gain a critical distance to effectively reflect on personal values and practices, and develop more mindfulness and intentionality in their own communication within and across culture -Knowledge: Insights into English -The course is a general introduction phonetics and phonology, to English linguistics morphology, syntax and semantics -The course focuses primarily on the through the medium of English => four core students understand and work with phonetics areas and of linguistics: phonology (the basic concepts and methodologies sounds of English and how they are in linguistic science, to analyze classified or combined); language in terms of its phonology, morphology (how words are formed morphology, syntax and semantics, from smaller units of meaning); and to discuss linguistic issues in syntax (how words come together to an informed way with both form sentences); and semantics (the linguists and non-linguists study of meaning of words and -Skills: Encourage students to larger linguistic units) think critically, discuss the issues -Broader topics of linguistics such with classmates and teachers and as pragmatics, question what they or written psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, language resources say To give students an acquisition will be explored in the opportunity to present their own second module of this course ideas and those of others in a logical way -Attitude: To teach students to be English Linguistic serious and honest in studying, taking exams and carrying out 86 research By the end of this course, students -This course is a follow up course to should be able to: Introduction to English Linguistics -Recognize and recall the key concepts in some domains of -The Applied Linguistics pragmatics, such discourse language course systematically as introduces students to some key analysis, concepts in acquisition, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, etc the domains discourse language of analysis, acquisition, -Describe basically the nature sociolinguistics, etc and help them of language acquisition achieve an overview of the -Describe and analyze language fundamental aspects of Applied in use Linguistics -Evaluate the use and functions -The course will also train them on of language in a particular aspect how of society to apply this theoretical background in the analysis of English Linguistic language in use and evaluation of the role of language in the society After the course, students are able -This course is a follow up course to to: -Knowledge: Introduction to English Linguistics Understand and English Linguistics definitions of pragmatics, steps to -This course composes of main conduct a study on pragmatics and parts: develop ability to use languages -Skills: + Part 1: Basic definitions in Pragmatics +Describe and analyze typical +Part 2: Context and its relating English linguistic phenomena in components (e.g: presupposition, pragmatics’ perspectives implicatures, speech acts, ) and +Gain time management skills; pragmatics research methodologies English Linguistic self-study skills, data collection skills, data analyzing skills 87 + Gain team-working skills, communication skills, problemsolving skills in discussion +Sharpen language skills -Attitude: +Be proactive in studying and discussion +Be positive in cross-cultural communication +Be positive in learning and teaching languages, understand that learning languages aligns with using them effectively After taking this course, students -The course is designed with two are able to: main parts: the UK and its four -Understand how regions and entities; and the US and its three places in the UK and the US are regions recognized and based natural on differentiated -Students are required to read, conditions, discuss, present and take quizzes to population, cultural codes and test their learned knowledge about practices -Develop the UK and the US a critical distance towards what is recognized as the UK, the US, their regions and places -Broaden students’ view on how people engage with and construct their environments -Appreciate that the diversity of cultural backgrounds and personal Fundamental experience influence Geography people perceive places the way 88 If students successfully complete -This course aims to foster critical the course, you will demonstrate understanding of some of the key the following competences: constructs in studying the British Knowledge and the American, namely nation, -Understand key concepts in nation-state, culture, identity, and studying the UK and the US, power namely nation, nation state, culture, identity, and power -Understand how -As students examine the British and American society in these British and terms, they are encouraged to attend American histories, modern beliefs to how students themselves relate to and values, national systems of what is presented as the British and politics, economy, and education, the American Be aware of their everyday life activities are limits of thought and recognizant of constructed and organized different perspectives -Apply these understandings in - As well, this course is practical relevant conversations in the sense that it offers language to Skills participate in common -Conduct a seminar in English conversations about the two peoples on a given topic and countries -Work in teams to achieve planned goals Attitudes -Be responsible for social issues British-American -Respect differences Countries Studies After the course, students can : -This course is to provide -Have general familiarity with students with the basic knowledge Literature of English Speaking of Literature of English speaking Literature of countries from the end of the 19th countries from the end of the 19th English Speaking century onward Countries century onward, including the -Have basic knowledge of some knowledge of some famous authors 89 literary concepts like plot, setting, message, characters -Be able to -This course also provides students with some basic knowledge effectively of literary theories like plot, communicate their response to character, setting, etc, and the certain literary works with their necessary skills to communicate peers and instructors their response to literature with their peers and instructors -This course is to improve the cultural knowledge interested in for those country-studies, especially English Study Language Media and After the course, students are able -This course is designed using “task-based” and “content-based” to: -Knowledge: Understand -This course aims at providing definitions, theories and some students with further knowledge of basic principles of language in English language in media, an media; some types of media important part in our daily lives In having typical language and the addition to language knowledge, characteristics of their language students are equipped with studying -Skills: Develop positive thinking, skills and critical thinking when text analyzing skills, problem- approaching various types of media solving skills, and language skills -Attitude: Develop discipline in thinking enthusiastic and in creating; be discussion; be thoughtful in analyzing media texts Administration of After this course, students are able This course is designed with two Education Training and to: main parts, -Understand the basic definitions, knowledge 90 which of includes governmental principles of governmental administration administration educational administration In addition to the -Understand the basic definitions, above-mentioned principles and of knowledge, educational students are offered opportunities to administration film a report in an educational -Solve the problems in teaching institution to investigate and education within teachers’ learned knowledge in reality roles and responsibilities -Satisfactorily complete professional responsibilities of a teacher in the future -Develop critical thinking and compete against negative actions, rule violation to secure education disciplines 91 their ... how the teacher education program equips pre- service EFL teachers with the 21st century skills; 2) examine to pre- service EFL teachers perceptions of the training of the 21st century skills in the. .. research interest, the researcher decided to conduct the graduation thesis named ? ?The perceptions of EFL pre- service teachers of the 21st century skills training and their application in teaching practicum? ??... extent the pre- service EFL teachers perceive the training of 21st century skills in the program? 3.To what extent pre- service EFL teachers apply the acquired 21st century skills in their practicum?