Language Teaching In Vietnam Research Articles

Developing Intonation Through Gestures in Early English Language Teaching

Existing research has proved the strong link between gestures and speech both in the first language (L1) and the second language (L2) acquisition. Despite the significant benefits of incorporating gestures into language instruction, there remains a gap in research concerning their impact on very young learners, especially in non-Western settings like Vietnam. The current study investigates the effects of using gestures to teach English intonation to very young learners. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design, and it recruited 49 participants aged 4 to 6 years at a language center. The two intact classes were randomly assigned as the control and experimental groups. The learners in the experimental group were taught intonation patterns of some English sentence types, such as YES/NO questions, WH questions, and statements through gestures, while traditional instructions without any gestures were applied in the control group. Two primary tools were utilized for data collection: intonation tests and observations. The findings demonstrated that learners who received gesture-based teaching significantly showed improvements in their intonation. Additionally, these learners showed more engagement and active participation in class. These results highlight the benefits of using gestures in teaching English intonation, especially in early English language teaching in Vietnam.

A systematic review on flipped classrooms in English language teaching in Vietnam

The purpose of this research is to provide a systematic review on the flipped classroom (FL) approach in English language teaching (ELT) in Vietnam in terms of the trends and the key results, based on 12 published articles. A content analysis method was employed to analyze the collected papers. The findings indicated that the implementation of flipped learning appeared to gradually increase in Vietnam since 2017 and remain its prosperity in the higher education context. Also, the results revealed that a variety of research methods were used in selected articles; however, the most common one was the mixed method. Moreover, grammar and speaking skills were the two basic language skills being commonly studied. Additionally, the flipped learning was shown to not only produce an improvement on learners’ achievement but also positively affect their perspectives toward its application. The findings also pointed out some challenges and benefits concerning the utilization of the FC in ELT in Vietnam. Finally, some suggestions were provided to educators and future scholars.

Why Are You Learning Japanese? Vietnamese University Students’ Perspectives on Work and Life between Vietnam and Japan

ABSTRACT Although the numbers of Vietnamese skilled workers and students in Japan have been increasing rapidly, this phenomenon has not been fully understood in relation to Japanese language teaching in Vietnam’s higher education. In 2008, the Vietnamese government announced its so-called Project 2020 to enhance foreign language capacity within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), coinciding with ASEAN’s 2009 decision to adopt English as its sole working language. Project 2020 has promoted a second foreign language, Japanese, reflecting Vietnam’s pro-Japan policy and Japan’s business interests in Vietnam. The heavy reliance on support from the Japanese government and industry, however, has created problems in delivering a curriculum suited to the local context. Based on survey and interview data from university students and teachers in Japanese programmes in Vietnamese universities, this article argues that although students’ learning experiences have been shaped by the university curriculum, including industry internships and study abroad, individual learners believed that ‘cultural differences’ could prevent them from living in Japan in the long term. They were not studying Japanese to satisfy their future Japanese employers or exclusively for monetary reward, but for their personal growth as skilled workers who could contribute to the further development of Vietnam.

Overcoming contextual constraints: implementing classroom pedagogical innovation through teacher leadership

ABSTRACT The current study was conducted to explore how English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in Vietnam exhibited their leadership initiative in reforming their pedagogical practice. Data for the study were collected mainly from in-depth interviews with six participating primary school teachers. The findings demonstrated that the participants innovated their EFL pedagogies by creating an environment conducive to student learning, adapting textbooks to student EFL learning characteristics, and engaging students in diverse classroom practices. To be successful in pedagogical innovation, the participants enacted their leadership inherent in transcending existing educational practice, determination to overcome barriers pertinent to resources and facility, negotiation with leaders, and collaboration with the students’ parents. The study offered implications for teachers taking leadership in language teaching in Vietnam and other similar contexts.

Teacher’s Perception of “A good English Language Teacher”

This article, as a part of a bigger research project on teachers' perceptions about the role of the teacher in teaching English in Vietnam, is to contribute a voice in clarifying the competence of a language teacher (teaching language) in view of ELT methodologists in the world. First author presents different perspectives on English teacher competence framework, then makes analysis of the competence frameworks, caregorizes them into groups, so that readers easily find the strengths and weaknesses of the model. Then the article summarizes the results of a study on the perception of secondary school teachers in Hanoi about “a good English language teacher” and necessary competences of English language teachers. Theoretical framework for data analysis is based on Dudzik's Competency Framework for English Language Teachers (2008) and the Guidebook for use of Competency Framework for English Language Teachers from NFL2020 (2015). Research results will bring new information and necessary knowledge to help teachers and administrators (especially NFL2020) make appropriate adjustments to improve the quality of English language teaching in Vietnam.

The Intelligibility of the Vietnamese Accented English

This study was purposely conducted to determine what linguistic features affect the intelligibility of the Vietnamese speakers. To do this, speech samples of exemplars of Vietnamese English were audio-taped and then listened to by representatives of the Kachruvian circles, who wrote down what they heard. The findings show that Vietnamese speakers have some difficulties producing English words properly, especially with final sounds, word-final consonant clusters, and words that have more than three syllables. The exemplars also find it difficult to deal with the stress time rhythm of English words with more than two syllables. The findings also imply that intelligibility is not much of a problem for Vietnamese exemplars, results of intelligibility scores of American and Filipino listeners show that less exposure of other speakers to another language does not follow that the latter would be completely unintelligible to the former. In addition, similarity in the general features of language between speakers of different nationalities does not guarantee mutual intelligibility between these people. From the findings, the paper discusses their implications for English language teaching in Vietnam.

French bilingual classes in Vietnam: issues and debates about an innovative language curriculum

Despite a long historical French presence in Vietnam, only 0.5% of Vietnamese people speak French today. As in other countries of South East Asia, language instruction in Vietnam has mainly focused on English for several decades. This paper provides an overview of a project called ‘French bilingual classes’. The main aim of the study is to analyze the benefits and the challenges identified by local teachers and researchers who have been involved in this program. The data are extracted from a corpus of 62 out of 468 papers written in French and presented during the annual Seminar on Action Research organized from 1999 to 2009 in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The analysis of this discursive resource illustrates an overall acknowledgment of the positive outcomes of the program. However, in concordance with studies of English language teaching in Vietnam, the pitfalls identified in our corpus indicate that the major challenge is the implementation of a learner-centered and an action-oriented pedagogy in an educational context generally qualified as traditional. By providing new insights on bilingual education in Vietnam, our study will contribute to the current debate regarding the sustainability of innovative language curricula and multilingual education in the Asian context.

Use of Vietnamese in English Language Teaching in Vietnam: Attitudes of Vietnamese University Teachers

Drawing upon the literature on the history of the language teaching methods focusing on the use of L1 in L2 teaching and the debate surrounding the role of L1 in the L2 classroom in general and in the English classroom in particular, this article presents at its core a study that investigated the attitudes of Vietnamese university teachers toward the use of Vietnamese in English Language Teaching (ELT) in the context of Vietnam. A total of 12 teachers from three universities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam participated in the study. The data was collected via questionnaire and semi-structured interview. The findings support the judicious use of Vietnamese in some situations in ELT. The results also highlight that the use of Vietnamese is not the same in all ELT classrooms. Instead, it should be adapted to suit the context of a specific classroom.

Teaching English in Primary Schools in Vietnam: An Overview

This paper examines the English language situation at primary school level in Vietnam from a language planning perspective. It examines language policy for foreign language teaching in Vietnam to provide a picture of the role of English in foreign language education. It analyses language-in-education policy, curriculum and teaching materials, and teaching conditions and discusses the future of ELT in primary schools in Vietnam.

English in Vietnam

ABSTRACT: Vietnam's linguistic history exemplifies the close relationship between language and politics, with the latter influencing not only the choice of medium of instruction but also the foreign languages studied in Vietnam's schools and tertiary institutions. From 1975 until approximately 1989, the main foreign language was Russian; now it is English. This means that Vietnam, with a population of over 66 million may be added to the Expanding Circle. The ascendancy of English in Vietnam coincides with the decline in power of the rouble‐block countries and has occurred during a period when the Vietnamese government has promoted a freer market economy. As in other norm‐dependent countries, Vietnam's teachers of English attach great status to materials and methods developed by Inner Circle applied linguists, even though these may not be appropriate for Vietnamese conditions. At present, the English curriculum in Vietnamese schools aims primarily at developing reading skills, while at the tertiary level the focus depends on the type and purpose of the institution offering the program. The grammar–translation method is widely used. With the normalization of relations between Vietnam and Inner and Outer Circle countries, it is anticipated that linguists from these areas will have a greater influence than at present on English language teaching in Vietnam.