A STUDY OF VIETNAMESE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICE IN TEACHING ENGLISH LITERATURE IN THE CONTEXT OF ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA

Abstract

At the tertiary level, English literature, as a theoretical subject, is an obligatory course in most English departments teaching students majoring in English due to the inextricable link between literature and language. The incorporation of literature into teaching language becomes intriguing when English adopts its role as a lingua franca (ELF), a means of communication among people of different mother tongues and cultural backgrounds. The study aims at exploring the perceptions of six Vietnamese teachers of English literature from five major universities in Hochiminh City by using unstructured interview, which focuses on two main aspects namely, (1) their perception of ELF, i.e. awareness as well as evaluation of its status in Vietnam, and (2) its influence on their teaching philosophy and practice in English Literature courses. Results show that despite their appreciation of ELF, English is considered a foreign language (EFL) rather than a lingua franca in the Vietnamese context. However, a number of concepts associated with ELF, which the participants value influence their teaching in terms of material selection, and class activities but not assessment where the native speaker norms concerning language use are respected.