Changes in beliefs of pre service teachers in an esp teacher education programme in vietnam

CHANGES IN BELIEFS OF PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS IN AN ESP TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMME IN VIETNAM ĐẶNG THỊ VÂN ANH 2019 CHANGES IN BELIEFS OF PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS IN AN ESP TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMME IN VIETNAM A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand ĐẶNG THỊ VÂN ANH 2019 ABSTRACT Pre-service English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teachers’ belief change has been under-researched, so little is known about how and why their beliefs change over their teacher education programs This study aimed to identify beliefs about ESP teaching of pre-service teachers in an ESP teacher education programme in Vietnam; explore how their beliefs changed after the ESP teaching methodology course and after the practicum; and identify factors that influenced their belief changes A qualitative case study approach and a multiple-case study design were employed to investigate the belief changes of twelve pre-service ESP teachers Over a six month period, data were gathered through the employment of semi-structured interviews, reflective journals, observations, and stimulated recall interviews These qualitative data went through two main analysis processes (within-case and crosscase analyses) and were analysed inductively, deductively, comparatively, and chronologically with the support of the NVivo software program These comprehensive processes of data collection and analyses resulted in significant research findings The findings revealed that the pre-service ESP teachers held a wide range of initial beliefs about ESP teaching before they were provided with theory and practice about ESP teaching These initial beliefs, which originated from their ESP learning experiences in the teacher education programme, were found to have a number of distinctive features and were susceptible to change The pre-service ESP teachers’ beliefs tended to change in six ways and follow two key processes of belief change The findings also revealed a wide variety of contextual and internal factors that, despite playing different roles, exerted integrated influences on their beliefs Therefore, this study highlights the importance of not only the ESP teacher education program but also the pre-service ESP teachers themselves in the development of their beliefs about ESP teaching The findings from this study shed fresh light on the development of beliefs about ESP teaching of pre-service teachers in an ESP teacher education program Insights into the complexity of their belief change processes will not only facilitate the development and improvement of ESP teacher education programmes in the future but also provide a basis for further research into this unexplored area i ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deep gratitude to Associate Professor Penny Haworth and Dr Karen Ashton, my research supervisors I cannot thank them enough for their patient guidance, scholarly support, and enthusiastic encouragement They have never stopped challenging me with critical questions that required plenty of reading and thinking They have also constantly given constructive feedback and comments that encouraged me to improve my knowledge and skills as a researcher Without their academic support, this research would not have been completed with such an in-depth insight into pre-service ESP teachers’ beliefs and belief change, laying the groundwork for further research in this unexplored area I would also like to thank my research participants, pre-service ESP teachers who enthusiastically shared their beliefs, thoughts, and feelings about their journey to become ESP teachers Their trust and openness were of critical importance to the insight that this research has gained Without their contribution, pre-service ESP teachers’ beliefs and belief change would have remained untouched My thanks are also extended to the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education for their approval for this research being conducted and their support over this time I would also like to extend my thanks to the staff of the Institute of Education for their support over the time of my PhD journey This journey has also been lightened by my friends from different parts of the world, including Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, and Vanuatu, at the Institute of Education We have been a great network of support and friendship My sincere appreciation also goes to Professor James Chapman for his valuable support My PhD journey would have been tougher without his kindness, encouragement, and advice I also wish to thank my family for their love, support, and encouragement throughout my study Finally, I am indebted to the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training for granting me a full-time doctoral scholarship, making it possible for me to complete my doctoral study iii iv TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.1 Introduction to the study 1.2 The research context Background to English language teaching in Vietnam ESP teaching in Vietnam ESP teacher education in Vietnam 1.3 Rationale and significance of the study 1.4 Overview of the thesis 2.1 Introduction 11 2.2 Introduction to ESP 11 Defining ESP 11 Historical development of ESP 12 Distinguishing ESP from EGP 13 2.3 Teaching ESP 17 Objectives of ESP teaching 17 ESP methodology 20 ESP teacher competencies 23 2.4 Examining teacher beliefs 29 v Importance of teachers’ beliefs 29 Characteristics of teacher beliefs 30 2.5 Pre-service teachers’ belief change 34 2.6 Influences on pre-service teachers’ belief changes 38 Prior learning experiences 38 Teacher education 40 Other individual factors 41 2.7 Research questions 43 2.8 Chapter summary 44 3.1 Introduction 47 3.2 The qualitative research methodology 47 Focus on meaning and understanding 48 Concern with process 48 Attention to actual settings of the phenomenon under study 49 Collection of descriptive data 49 Employment of the inductive data analysis strategy 50 3.3 Research design 50 The case study method 51 The research setting and participant selection 53 The research setting 53 The participant selection 55 Research procedure 58 Phase 1: ESP teaching methodology course 59 Phase 2: Practicum 60 The data collection tools 61 The semi-structured interviews 62 The stimulated recall interviews 65 The reflective journals 65 vi Appendix M: Information sheet for pre-service ESP teachers (in English) Changes in beliefs of pre-service teachers in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teacher education program INFORMATION SHEET FOR STUDENT TEACHERS My name is Đặng Thị Vân Anh, formerly a lecturer at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Vietnam I am conducting the research entitled “The belief change of pre-service teachers in an ESP teacher education program” as part of my doctoral study at the Institute of Education, Massey University, New Zealand My research aims to trace the change in beliefs about ESP teaching of pre-service teachers, contributing to the improvement of ESP teacher education in Vietnam I would like to invite you to participate in my research project Please take time to read the following information carefully before you decide whether you would like to take part in this research Research description The study will be comprised of two phases In the first phase (ESP teaching methodology course), up to 10 student teacher participants will be individually interviewed for about half an hour before the course starts During the course, they will be asked to write reflective journals at critical times when belief changes may take place A one-hour interview will be conducted when the course has finished In Phase (Practicum), participants will be individually interviewed again, for up to half an hour, before they teach an ESP lesson during the practicum Their teaching of this lesson will be video recorded for the purpose of stimulating the student teacher’s recall of the beliefs underlying their actions during the postlesson interview During the practicum, participants will also continue to keep writing in 262 their reflective journals A final one-hour interview will be conducted with each participant after the practicum has finished Participant identification and benefits Your name has been given to me by the Office of Academic Affair and the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the University of Technology and Education This is because you have finished three or four ESP courses and two English language teaching methodology courses In participating in this research, you have a chance to reflect on your beliefs about ESP teaching as well as influences of teacher education on these beliefs As a result, your participation is particularly important not only to this research but also to your pedagogical development and the improvement of this program Data management Interview data will be transcribed, and the transcript of each interview will be sent to you to edit as you see fit The data collected will be used for the purpose of this research and future presentations and publications All information that is collected about you and your beliefs during the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential Participant’s Rights You are under no obligation to accept this invitation If you decide to participate, you have the right to: • decline to answer any particular question; • withdraw from the study during the data collection process without providing any reasons; • ask any questions about the study at any time during participation; • provide information on the understanding that your name will not be used unless you give permission to the researcher; • be given access to a summary of the project findings when it is concluded; • ask for the recorder to be turned off at any time during the interview Project Contacts If you have any questions or need further information about the project, please contact me, the researcher, and my chief supervisor: 263 Đặng Thị Vân Anh - Võ Văn Ngân, Thủ Đức, Tp Hồ Chí Minh, Việt Nam Email: vananhdang@hcmute.edu.vn Telephone: +84 (08) 37714614 • Assoc Prof Penny Haworth Room 2.11, Collinson Village 2, Turitea, Palmerston North, New Zealand Email: p.a.haworth@massey.ac.nz Telephone: +64 (06) 356 9099 ext 84446 This project has been evaluated by peer review and judged to be low risk Consequently, it has not been reviewed by one of the University’s Human Ethics Committees The researcher(s) named above are responsible for the ethical conduct of this research If you have any concerns about the conduct of this research that you wish to raise with someone other than the researcher(s), please contact Dr Brian Finch, Director, Research Ethics, telephone 06 356 9099 x 86015, email humanethics@massey.ac.nz 264 Appendix N: Consent form for pre-service ESP teachers (in English) Changes in beliefs of pre-service teachers in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teacher education program PARTICIPANT CONSENT FORM – PRE-SERVICE ESP TEACHER I have read the Information Sheet and have had the details of the study explained to me My questions have been answered to my satisfaction, and I understand that I may ask further questions at any time I agree to the interview being sound recorded (YES/ NO) I agree to the teaching being video recorded (YES/ NO) I wish to have my recordings returned to me (YES/ NO) I agree to participate in this study under the conditions set out in the Information Sheet (YES/ NO) Signature: …………………… Full Name - printed …………………………………………………………… Date: ……………… 265 Appendix O: Consent form for Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages (in English) Changes in beliefs of pre-service teachers in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teacher education program PARTICIPANT CONSENT FORM – DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION I have read the invitation letter from the researcher, Ms Đặng Thị Vân Anh, and have had the details of the study explained to me My questions have been answered to my satisfaction, and I understand that I may ask further questions at any time I agree to the Faculty of Foreign Languages taking part in this research (YES/ NO) Signature: ………………………… Full Name - printed ………………………………………………………………… Date: ……… 266 Appendix P: Consent form for President of the University (in English) Changes in beliefs of pre-service teachers in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teacher education program PARTICIPANT CONSENT FORM – PRESIDENT OF HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION I have read the invitation letter from the researcher, Ms Đặng Thị Vân Anh, and have had the details of the study explained to me My questions have been answered to my satisfaction, and I understand that I may ask further questions at any time I agree to the University’s name being disclosed in the researcher’s doctoral thesis, and in future presentations and publications on this research (YES/ NO) Signature: ………………………… Full Name - printed ………………………………………………………………… Date: ……… 267 Appendix Q: Invitation letter to Dean of Faculty (in English) University of Technology and Education Võ Văn Ngân Thủ Đức Hồ Chí Minh City Vietnam October 14, 2015 Dear…………., I am Đặng Thị Vân Anh, a lecturer at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education I am conducting research on “The belief change of pre-service teachers in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teacher education program” as part of my doctoral study at the Institute of Education, Massey University, New Zealand My research aims to: • Identify beliefs about ESP teaching of pre-service teachers in the ESP teacher education program; • Trace their belief change throughout the ESP teaching methodology course and the practicum; and • Explore influential factors that bring about the change in their beliefs about ESP teaching In order to achieve these aims, this research will be comprised of two phases In the first phase, from November to December in 2015, up to ten pre-service ESP teachers at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education will be interviewed for up to one hour before and after the ESP teaching methodology course During this course, they will also be asked to write at least two reflective journal entries In Phase 2, from February to April in 2016, the pre-service teachers will be interviewed again before teaching an ESP lesson on the practicum Their teaching of this lesson will also be recorded for the purpose of 268 stimulating recall about the reasons for their actions in the post-lesson interview During the practicum, participants will also be asked to write four short entries in their reflective journals A final one-hour interview will be conducted with each participant after the practicum has finished This research is expected to contribute to the improvement of this ESP teacher education program at the University of Technology and Education in particular and ESP teacher education in Vietnam in general I am seeking your consent to the conduct of this research at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education with the participation of ten final year ESP student teachers To assist you in reaching a decision, I have attached to this letter a copy of the Information Sheets which will be sent to potential participants Should you require any further information, please not hesitate to contact me or my supervisors at the Massey University Institute of Education Our contact details are as follows: • Đặng Thị Vân Anh Email: vananhdang@hcmute.edu.vn Telephone: +84 (08) 37714614 • Associate Professor Penny Haworth (primary supervisor) Email: P.A.Haworth@massey.ac.nz Telephone: +64 (06) 356 9099 ext 84446 • Dr Karen Ashton (co-supervisor) Telephone: +64 (06) 356 9099 ext 84445 Email: K.Ashton@massey.ac.nz Your consideration of consent to conduct this study is greatly appreciated I look forward to your reply Yours sincerely, Đặng Thị Vân Anh 269 Appendix R: Invitation letter to President of the University (in English) University of Technology and Education Võ Văn Ngân Thủ Đức Hồ Chí Minh City Vietnam October 14, 2015 Dear ……………., I am Đặng Thị Vân Anh, a lecturer at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education I am conducting research on “The belief change of pre-service teachers in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teacher education program” as part of my doctoral study at the Institute of Education, Massey University, New Zealand My research aims to: • Identify beliefs about ESP teaching of pre-service teachers in the ESP teacher education program; • Trace their belief change throughout the ESP teaching methodology course and the practicum; and • Explore influential factors that bring about the change in their beliefs about ESP teaching In order to achieve these aims, this research will be comprised of two phases In the first phase, from November to December in 2015, up to ten pre-service ESP teachers at the University of Technology and Education will be interviewed for up to one hour before and after the ESP teaching methodology course During this course, they will also be asked to write at least two reflective journal entries In Phase 2, from February to April in 2016, the pre-service teachers will be interviewed again before teaching an ESP lesson on the practicum Their teaching of this lesson will also be recorded for the purpose of stimulating 270 recall about the reasons for their actions in the post-lesson interview During the practicum, participants will also be asked to write four short entries in their reflective journals A final one-hour interview will be conducted with each participant after the practicum has finished This research is expected to contribute to the improvement of the ESP teacher education program at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education in particular and ESP teacher education in Vietnam in general I am seeking your consent to the conduct of this research at the University with the participation of ten final year student teachers at the Faculty of Foreign Languages In addition, if you agree to the participation of the University in this study I would appreciate it if you could complete the attached Consent Form This is because the ESP teacher education program at the University is unique in Vietnam To assist you in reaching a decision, I have attached to this letter a copy of the Information Sheets which will be sent to potential participants Should you require any further information, please not hesitate to contact me or my supervisors at the Massey University Institute of Education Our contact details are as follows: • Đặng Thị Vân Anh Email: vananhdang@hcmute.edu.vn Telephone: +84 (08) 37714614 • Associate Professor Penny Haworth (primary supervisor) Email: P.A.Haworth@massey.ac.nz Telephone: +64 (06) 356 9099 ext 84446 • Dr Karen Ashton (co-supervisor) Telephone: +64 (06) 356 9099 ext 84445 Email: K.Ashton@massey.ac.nz Your consideration of consent to conduct this study is greatly appreciated I look forward to your reply Yours sincerely, Đặng Thị Vân Anh 271 Appendix S: Information sheet for ESP learners (in English) Changes in beliefs of pre-service teachers in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teacher education program INFORMATION SHEET FOR ESP LEARNERS My name is Đặng Thị Vân Anh, formerly a lecturer at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Vietnam I am conducting the research entitled “The belief change of pre-service teachers in an ESP teacher education program” as part of my doctoral study at the Institute of Education, Massey University, New Zealand My research aims to trace the change in beliefs about ESP teaching of pre-service teachers, contributing to the improvement of ESP teacher education in Vietnam Because you are ESP learners in the ESP class that a student teacher participant is teaching, I would like to invite you to participate in my research project Please take time to read the following information carefully before you decide whether you agree take part in this study Research description During the practicum, each student teacher participant will teach a 50-minute ESP lesson in an ESP course for non-English majors Their teaching of this lesson will be video recorded for the purpose of stimulating the student teacher’s recall of the beliefs underlying their actions during the post-lesson interview The student teacher, ESP learners as well as their teaching and learning activities will neither be evaluated nor analysed Data management The video recording of the ESP class will be used for the purpose of this research and future presentations and publications only 272 Participant’s Rights You are under no obligation to accept this invitation If you decide to participate, you have the right to ask any questions about the study Your name will be kept confidential, and a pseudonym will be used in case it is necessary Project Contacts If you have any questions or need further information about the project, please contact me, the researcher, and my chief supervisor: • Đặng Thị Vân Anh - Võ Văn Ngân, Thủ Đức, Tp Hồ Chí Minh, Việt Nam Email: vananhdang@hcmute.edu.vn Telephone: +84 (08) 37714614 • Assoc Prof Penny Haworth Room 2.11, Collinson Village 2, Turitea, Palmerston North, New Zealand Email: p.a.haworth@massey.ac.nz Telephone: +64 (06) 356 9099 ext 84446 This project has been evaluated by peer review and judged to be low risk Consequently, it has not been reviewed by one of the University’s Human Ethics Committees The researcher(s) named above are responsible for the ethical conduct of this research If you have any concerns about the conduct of this research that you wish to raise with someone other than the researcher(s), please contact Dr Brian Finch, Director, Research Ethics, telephone 06 356 9099 x 86015, email humanethics@massey.ac.nz 273 Appendix T: Information sheet for ESP learners (in Vietnamese) THƯ MỜI THAM GIA ĐỀ TÀI NGHIÊN CỨU “Sự thay đổi niềm tin sinh viên ngành sư phạm tiếng Anh việc dạy ESP” Chào em, Cô Đặng Thị Vân Anh, giảng viên khoa Ngoại ngữ, trường Đại học Sư phạm kỹ thuật Tp Hồ Chí Minh Hiện nghiên cứu sinh Đại học Massey, New Zealand phát triển lực giảng dạy tiếng Anh chuyên ngành Nghiên cứu nhằm tìm yếu tố quan trọng thúc đẩy q trình phát triển chun mơn sinh viên ngành sư phạm tiếng Anh khoa Ngoại ngữ Từ có thay đổi phù hợp để nâng cao hiệu chương trình đào tạo giáo viên tiếng Anh chuyên ngành kỹ thuật Khoa Ngoại ngữ Vì em sinh viên lớp tiếng Anh chuyên ngành mà giáo sinh thực tập dạy, cô mời em tham gia dự án cô với tư cách sinh viên lớp tiếng Anh chuyên ngành Các em vui lòng đọc thông tin nghiên cứu cô trước định tham gia Trong tập, giáo sinh dạy khoảng 50 phút tiếng Anh chuyên ngành cho sinh viên không chuyên ngữ Các hoạt động dạy học học quay video lại Việc quay video không nhằm đánh giá việc dạy học không đánh giá giáo sinh sinh viên Video dùng để hỗ trợ việc thảo luận với giáo sinh sau dạy xong hoạt động thực lớp 274 Video lớp ESP dùng cho nghiên cứu báo cáo/ báo nghiên cứu tương lai Các video không công khai kênh truyền thông mạng xã hội Các em không bị bắt buộc tham gia nghiên cứu Nếu em tham gia, em quyền thắc mắc điều dự án Ngồi ra, tên em giữ kín báo cáo nghiên cứu, tên giả dùng trường hợp cần thiết Thơng tin liên lạc Nếu em có thắc mắc nghiên cứu này, em liên lạc với giáo sư hướng dẫn cơ: • Đặng Thị Vân Anh - Võ Văn Ngân, Thủ Đức, Tp Hồ Chí Minh, Việt Nam Email: vananhdang@hcmute.edu.vn Telephone: +84 (08) 37714614 • Assoc Prof Penny Haworth Room 2.11, Collinson Village 2, Turitea, Palmerston North, New Zealand Email: p.a.haworth@massey.ac.nz Telephone: +64 (06) 356 9099 ext 84446 Dự án đánh giá gây hại cho người tham gia, Ban đạo đức nghiên cứu Trường Đại học Massey không thẩm định nghiên cứu Nghiên cứu viên có tên chịu trách nhiệm hoàn toàn vấn đề liên quan đến đạo đức nghiên cứu Nếu bạn có thắc mắc liên quan đến việc thực nghiên cứu muốn chia sẻ với người khác (không phải nghiên cứu viên), xin vui lòng liên hệ với Tiến sĩ Brian Finch, Trưởng phòng Đạo đức nghiên cứu, số điện thoại 06 356 9099 (số nội 86015), email humanethics@massey.ac.nz 275 Appendix U: Consent form for ESP learners (in English) Changes in beliefs of pre-service teachers in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teacher education program PARTICIPANT CONSENT FORM – ESP LEARNER I have read the Information Sheet and have had the details of the study explained to me My questions have been answered to my satisfaction, and I understand that I may ask further questions at any time I agree to the learning being image recorded (YES/ NO) I agree to participate in this study under the conditions set out in the Information Sheet (YES/ NO) Signature: Date: Full Name - printed 276 .. .CHANGES IN BELIEFS OF PRE- SERVICE TEACHERS IN AN ESP TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMME IN VIETNAM A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy... and Education, which is essentially a pioneer in the field in aiming to fill the need for trained ESP teachers in Vietnam In identifying changes in pre- service ESP teachers? ?? beliefs after the ESP. .. teaching, changes in their beliefs over the time of the study, and the factors influencing their changed beliefs The findings about the pre- service teachers? ?? initial beliefs and influencing factors