Vietnamese Use Research Articles

A Survey on Primary Students’ Attitude toward Teachers’ Use of Mother Tongue in English Classrooms at Primary Schools in Binh Duong

It is a controversial issue whether to use or not to use mother language in teaching English in primary classrooms. The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the reality of speaking Vietnamese in English classrooms in several primary schools in Binh Duong province. 23 primary students in Binh Duong were asked to answer a list of questions to learn about their attitude toward L1 in L2 lessons. It turned out that nearly 70% of teachers at primary schools in Binh Duong usually used L1 in their L2 classes to explain new words and difficult terms. The majority of primary students preferred L1 use and had a positive attitude toward teachers’ use of Vietnamese when appropriate use of L1 to support and facilitate EFL classroom. We recommend that the teacher’s intensity of using L1 in L2 context should be taken into consideration in accordance to the students’ proficiency.

Teachers’ and Students’ Perspectives of Using Mother Tongue in EFL Classes at a Higher Education Institution in Vietnam

The use of mother tongue to teach a second language has been a controversial issue in the field of second language acquisition. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of using mother tongue (Vietnamese) to teach a foreign language (English) under the pressure of the implementation of an English-only policy at the tertiary level in Vietnam where English is taught as a foreign language. The mixed-methods approach was conducted to contrast the perspectives of 11 teachers participating in semi-structured interviews, and 255 students answering 5-point Likert scale questionnaires. These research instruments were carefully designed by the researchers adopting the factual and behavioural criteria proposed by Dörnyei and Taguchi (2009). The results show that the minimal use of Vietnamese is utilized as a necessary pedagogical tool to teach English. The empirical results propose that the English-only policy can be effective if the actions such as more English learning time, English entry tests, English materials and teaching aids with techno-facilities are seriously taken into consideration. To adopt the English-only policy in EFL classes, school administrators have to renovate the foreign language regulations while teachers must adapt their teaching methodology to meet the requirements of the learner-centered approaches.

The use of Vietnamese in English phonology classes: Voices from tertiary teachers and students

Using the mother tongue (L1) to improve four English language skills, namely listening, reading, writing, and speaking for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students, and to enhance their understanding and learning process has been investigated throughout the years. However, very few studies focus on the context of Vietnamese as the L1 in a course related to English language components such as an English phonology course. Therefore, this research focuses on the use of Vietnamese by lecturers and students in this course. Specifically, the study explores teachers’ and students’ perceptions of using Vietnamese and how they used it in these courses. A five-point Likert scale questionnaire was distributed to 238 students majoring in English language studies at one of the universities in Vietnam to determine their perception and practice. Meanwhile, semi-structured interviews were also conducted with five lecturers of an English phonology course. The data from the questionnaire was analyzed descriptively and thematic analysis was used to analyze the responses from the interviews. The findings revealed that all the lecturers and students used Vietnamese primarily for academic purposes, strongly supporting its use in an English Phonology class. The results also showed that L1 played an important role in learning and teaching. In addition, students showed considerably positive attitudes towards the use of Vietnamese in this classroom context. The study provides some suggestions to enhance the use of L1 in classes related to English language components, and recommendations for future research.

Students' attitudes towards teacher's use of Vietnamese in EFL classrooms at Vietnam National University Hanoi, International School

The role of L1 in L2 classrooms has without any doubt been the hot topic of debates and discussions. In particular, some linguists and educators do not support the use of L1 in teaching L2, whereas others emphasize the importance of L1 in L2 classes. Although studies have been done on both teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward L1 use in the L2 classroom, it still remains the question of when and how L1 can become an effective supporting tool for L2. The goal of this research is to present the results on the functionality of L1 (Vietnamese language) in L2 (EFL) classrooms under students’ perspectives. A survey questionnaire was designed to deliver to participants for the study: 126 students at the intermediate level of the General English program at Vietnam National University Hanoi, International School (VNU-IS). The study's findings indicated that the VNU-IS student participants were satisfied with their teacher’s use of L1. L1 usage was also discovered to be preferred for the following purposes: language functionality, managerial functionality, effective functionality, and social functionality. Among them, language functionality is most favored by VNU-IS students. The results also revealed that Vietnamese should be considered as a backup rather than a barrier for Vietnamese teachers.

English – Majored Students’ Perceptions on Teachers’ Use Of Vietnamese In EFL Classrooms

Previous studies were conducted to discover the use of L1 in EFL classrooms, however, few studies investigated the students’ perception towards the teachers’ use of L1 in EFL classrooms, especially those for English – majored students. The present study was conducted to examine English – majored students’ perceptions towards their teachers’ use of mother tongue as Vietnamese in EFL classrooms in a university in Mekong Delta, Vietnam. The research was designed as a descriptive study with the mixed method using questionnaire and interview as the research instruments. There were 131 participants in this research. The findings of the study revealed that students preferred teachers’ use of mother tongue in the specialized classes (linguistics course, literal courses, and interpretation and translation courses, etc.), grammar courses, and some activities such as explaining incomprehensible words. However, they wished to have more English instruction in language skills classes to enhance their target language proficiency. Several disadvantages of using Vietnamese were also mentioned, for instance, hindering learners’ language improvement, causing their laziness and passiveness. Suggestions are proposed to raise EFL teacher’s awareness on the extent of English and Vietnamese in their teaching to help leaners achieve objective of the class.

A Pragmatic Cultural Analysis of American English versus Vietnamese Use in Shop Signs

Shop signs with English elements are becoming more and more frequent in Vietnam as a result of trade and globalization, requiring thorough investigations into various aspects of English and Vietnamese use in shop signs for further practice. Prior research mostly explores shop signs from the perspectives of linguistic landscape, linguistic transfer, and ADVERTISING discourse, in which the comparative culture and pragmatics are mentioned but remain insufficient to a large extent. This study tries to fill the gap by making a pragmatic cultural comparison of English and Vietnamese use in shop signs, applying the theoretical and analytical framework of cultural linguistics in relation to pragmatics by Sharifian (2017). More than 400 shop signs of each language have been randomly collected from many places in the US and Vietnam respectively for the contrastive analysis. The results show vast similarities in the knowledge of some situational contexts (pragmemes) underlying the same speech acts/events performed by the American English and Vietnamese shop signs associated with the pragmatic cultural schema of ADVERTISING. Many differences are highlighted in the pragmemes and practs (realizations of pragmemes) with the cultural conceptualizations relating to collective implications, signature objects, foreign elements, home-made origins, official origins, health commitment, establishment year, family references, and ethics. The study has finally made a positive contribution to the strategies of shop sign translation or creation with English (assumed from the American backgrounds) in monolingual, bilingual and hybrid contexts of Vietnam.

Vietnamese–Australian children’s language proficiency and use

Aim: To explore Vietnamese–Australian children’s proficiency and use of Vietnamese and English and identify associated factors that are related to demographics, language practices, language ideologies, and language management. Methodology: Vietnamese–Australian parents ( n = 151) completed a questionnaire (in English or Vietnamese) regarding their child’s language proficiency and use, demographic details and a range of factors as conceptualized by Spolsky’s language policy theory: language practices; language ideologies; and language management. Data and analysis: Bivariate analyses (Pearson’s correlation and analysis of variance) and multiple regression models were conducted to explore associations between language proficiency and use and associated factors and identify the most significant factors. Findings/conclusions: Factors associated with children’s Vietnamese language proficiency (oral/written) included: demographic factors; language practices; language ideologies; and language management. In contrast, children’s English language proficiency (oral/written) was linked to demographic factors and language practices. Children’s Vietnamese language use was not significantly correlated with demographics but rather with language practices, language ideologies, and language management. Children’s home language use and proficiency did not have a negative impact upon their English proficiency. Originality: This study is the first to consider factors associated with Vietnamese–Australian children’s language proficiency and use. Significance/implications: Demographic factors, language practices, language ideologies, and language management were associated with children’s language proficiency and use. The results can be used by parents, educators, policy-makers, speech–language pathologists and other professionals to support Vietnamese–Australian and multilingual children around the world to develop and maintain their home and majority languages.

The Use of Vietnamese In Learning English As A Second Language

These years, the debate surrounding the role of the first language (L1) in the second/foreign language (L2) classrooms in general and in English ones has been a controversial issue. On one hand, people support the idea that the influence of mother tongue should be excluded from second language acquisition. Meanwhile, the component of English-only method emphasizes the significance from the use of L1 in English classes. This paper aims to investigate the positive influences of the use of Vietnamese in English learning process. From this point, two main things will be demonstrated. Firstly, using Vietnamese has a facilitating role to play in the classroom and can actually boost students’ learning. And secondly, there are good reasons for teachers and students to use Vietnamese to fully suit the context of specific lessons. To conduct this study, both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. First of all, an online survey was conducted to collect realistic information from the students’ perspective. On the other hand, there were some in-depth interviews for teachers and tutors to express their experience as well as their own ideas about this issue. Finally, two separate classes were formally observed when they took a sample lesson which was taught in different methods. At the end of the course, a small test was provided to students to examine how much they understood their lesson. All the statistics and information received was analyzed, then mentioned in the paper.

The Roles of Mother Tongue in Enhancing English Language Acquisition in English-policy Classes

The balance of using L1, L2, and English-only policy classes has been widely explored in English language teaching. However, research on the possible and reasonable spaces for L1 in English-only policy classes among students from diverse cultural communities has been very limited. This paper reports findings of employing the Vietnamese language among Vietnamese student-teachers of English from different ethnic groups (Kinh-Vietnamese, Hoa- Chinese, and Khmer- Cambodian) to learn English in English-only policy classrooms. These 60 student-teachers were in the final year of their program at a teacher training college in Mekong Delta, Vietnam. The findings belong to a larger project which was designed as a qualitative case study collecting triangulated data from questionnaires, observations, textual analysis, interviews, and focus groups. Results showed that Vietnamese played significant roles in students’ processing and performing tasks to adapt to the English-only classroom policy. The students’ use of Vietnamese (even by non-native Vietnamese students) enabled them to work productively and facilitate the establishment of a positive and inclusive language atmosphere thanks to the proper use of Vietnamese as a tool of cognition, affection and pedagogy.

A Survey of Elementary and Intermediate Learners’ Attitudes towards the use of Vietnamese by Teachers in General English Classes

A Survey of Elementary and Intermediate Learners’ Attitudes towards the use of Vietnamese by Teachers in General English Classes

The use of intelligence by insurgent groups: the North Vietnamese in the Second Indochina War as a case study

ABSTRACTThe need to define intelligence is understandable because the secrecy surrounding it can almost make it appear too amorphous to study. In most definitions, the authors not only attempt to define what intelligence is but also who does it. Until recently the focus has been on the state with occasional focus on sub-state actors such as law enforcement agencies. After 9/11 there was a shift from the study of inter-state intelligence to the use of intelligence against non-state actors such as Al Qaeda. The literature still treated these non-state actors as something to be acted upon rather than intelligence actors in their own right. By examining the North Vietnamese use of intelligence during the Second Indochina War this article takes a step to redress that oversight. This article will discuss the North Vietnamese use of intelligence in the context of definitions of intelligence and intelligence actors and will use John Gentry’s proposed model of violent non-state actor intelligence as its analytical framework.

Internal and External Factors That Support Children's Minority First Language and English.

Sequential bilingual children in the United States often speak 2 languages that have different social statuses (minority-majority) and separate contexts for learning (home-school). Thus, distinct factors may support the development of each language. This study examined which child internal and external factors were related to vocabulary skills in a minority language versus English. Participants included 69 children, aged 5-8 years, who lived in Southern California, spoke Vietnamese as the home language, and received school instruction in English. All participants had at least 1 foreign-born parent, and most mothers reported limited English proficiency. Parents completed a telephone survey, and children completed measures of receptive and expressive vocabulary in each language. Using correlations and stepwise regression, we examined predictors of vocabulary skills in each language that were internal to the child (age, gender, analytical reasoning, phonological memory) or that pertained to the surrounding environment (cumulative exposure, quantity and quality of input/output). Vietnamese vocabulary outcomes were related to multiple external factors, of which input and enrichment activities were the best predictors. In contrast, English vocabulary outcomes were related to internal factors, of which age and phonological memory were the best predictors. Parental use of Vietnamese contributed to children's Vietnamese vocabulary outcomes but was not related to children's English vocabulary outcomes. Vietnamese exposure does not hinder English development. Children from immigrant families are learning English with or without familial support. Rich and frequent exposure and opportunities for practice are essential for the continued development of a minority first language.

Information Expensiveness Perceived by Vietnamese Patients with Respect to Healthcare Provider's Choice.

Background:Patients have to acquire information to support their decision on choosing a suitable healthcare provider. But in developing countries like Vietnam, accessibility issues remain an obstacle, thus adversely affect both quality and costliness of healthcare information. Vietnamese use both sources from health professionals and friends/relatives, especially when quality of the Internet-based cheaper sources appear to be still questionable. The search of information from both professionals and friends/relatives incurs some cost, which can be viewed as low or high depending low or high accessibility to the sources. These views potentially affect their choices.Aim and Objectives:To investigate the effects that medical/health services information on perceived expensiveness of patients’ labor costs. Two related objectives are a) establishing empirical relations between accessibility to sources and expensiveness; and, b) probabilistic trends of probabilities for perceived expensiveness.Results:There is evidence for established relations among the variables “Convexp” and “Convrel” (all p’s < 0.01), indicating that both information sources (experts and friends/relatives) have influence on patients perception of information expensiveness. The use of experts source tends to increase the probability of perceived expensiveness.Conclusion:a) Probabilistic trends show Vietnamese patients have propensity to value healthcare information highly and do not see it as “expensive”; b) The majority of Vietnamese households still take non-professional advices at their own risks; c) There is more for the public healthcare information system to do to reduce costliness and risk of information. The Internet-based health service users communities cannot replace this system.

Facebook in Vietnam: Uses, Gratifications &amp;amp; Narcissism

The purpose of this study was to create a conceptual framework and to collect some pilot data in order to underpin future research on how the Vietnamese use Facebook in their day-to-day lives. A number of key points were observed in this study, which informed the framework. Firstly, there is a paucity of research on this topic, that Facebook users in Vietnam (population 90 million) rank as some of the heaviest consumers in the world, and Vietnamese cultural traditions and values need to be acknowledged given these differences when compared to other nations and how this might influence Facebook use. Given the studies focus on users, the theory on “uses and gratifications” was employed in order to understand how Facebook satisfies the needs of its Vietnamese users. An important component in this theory is the way in which Facebook allows posting of material related to the enhancement of the “self”, which has the potential to satisfy ego driven needs in the form of narcissism. However, narcissism and its links with Facebook have only recently been systematically studied in Asian countries, predominately in China. In conclusion, the conceptual framework and analysis of the pilot data produced a number of interrelated constructs (e.g. socializing, social enhancement, entertainment) that provide a baseline or foundation from which a longer-term program of empirical research can be conducted on Facebook use in Vietnam1.

Issues and Challenges in the Establishment of Continuous Improvement in Vietnam

A better understanding of Vietnamese management is important for both practitioners and academics because of the huge and continuing growth of business activity in Vietnam. In particular, information about the Vietnamese use of continuous improvement (CI) practices is valuable because these have underpinned the success of both western and Asian companies in recent decades. Using the case-study method based on over 60 in-depth interviews with executives, managers, supervisors, and employees of nine leading companies in Vietnam and information gathered from discussions with 440 business and non-business leaders, practitioners, and academics, this paper shows that Vietnamese organizations face numerous challenges when implementing and sustaining CI practices. The findings highlight the tendency of Vietnamese organizations to pursue “shortcut” strategies that prevent them from competing higher up the value-added chain. Maintaining “face” is vital to the Vietnamese and this is a major cultural challenge for organizations in their CI efforts. The paper recommends that Vietnamese organizations address these challenges by pursuing CI more aggressively and investing in human resource development to build capabilities for the future. The Vietnamese government, which is the main engine of change in the country, should promote the use of CI by funding education and training in its methods.

Drawing-voice as a methodological tool for understanding teachers' concerns in a pilot Hmong–Vietnamese bilingual education programme in Vietnam

This paper illustrates how a methodological tool called ‘drawing-voice’ can be used to demonstrate qualitatively what statistical and policy data are not able to reveal regarding the educational realities of Hmong minority communities in northern Vietnam, particularly with regard to the role of local language and culture in school. This paper describes the approach of using drawing to stimulate authentic discussion, which is then analysed in light of the current conditions of educational services for Hmong speakers. This visual methodology was seen by the participants themselves as culturally appropriate. The drawing-voice activities conducted with teachers from Hmong community schools in northern Vietnam have demonstrated that teachers' identities and practices are influenced by certain linguistic, cultural, and environmental issues. According to the drawing-voice participants, the reasons for educational inequity include the use of Vietnamese as the language of instruction, a lack of cultural sensitivity in the curriculum and by some teachers, a lack of school materials, and difficult physical conditions such as geographic isolation, poor road conditions, and deterioration of schools. This combination of conditions explains why so few ethnic minority learners survive the school system long enough to become professionals and how the lack of Hmong teachers contributes to this vicious cycle.

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.

Vietnamese communists' relations with China and the second Indochina conflict, 1956-1962

This thesis attempts to study the relationship between the Vietnamese communists and China between January 1956 and Summer 1962. It is the first book-length study of Sino-Vietnamese relations during those years. Its principle contribution will be to reconstruct the events as they unfolded in IndoChina and to provide a glimpse of the patterns of decision-making on the communist side of the Vietnam War. Every effort is made to keep in perspective the constant interaction of domestic politics, the role of individual leaders and political factions in both Hanoi and Beijing, and the changing international conditions which impinged on both countries. 1956 was the beginning of a new stage of the Vietnamese struggle for the unification of the country. The years from 1956 to 1962 saw the progression of the Vietnamese communists' struggle from one which was essentially political in nature to one which incorporated armed struggle, and finally in 1959 when armed struggle began to take on a more predominant role. By the summer of 1962, the Chinese were committed to assisting the Vietnamese communists' struggle in the South. This study makes use of Vietnamese, Chinese, British and American sources, many of which were then either not available or have not yet been fully exploited by the earlier scholars. These comprise new Vietnamese source materials and in particular, the second volume of the Lich Su Quan Doi Nhan Dan Viet Nam ([Official] History of the Vietnamese People's Army (VPA)); newly available Chinese source materials; first-person accounts and memoirs of those who in one way or another had been involved in the diplomacy of the 50s and 60s; communist sources monitored and translated by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) known as the Summary of world Broadcasts (SUB); the British Foreign Office General Political Correspondence (FO 371); the Confidential United States State Department Central Files; the United States State Department's Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series; and United States intelligence reports and captured communist documents.

Proverbs as Psychological Interpretations among Vietnamese

Vietnamese use of proverbs in everyday conversation, in literature, and in pedagogical exercises is well recognized. The AA. demonstrate that some proverbs provide the opportunity for intimates to offer psychologically sensitive insights to a person manifesting problems. The proverbs cited here demonstrate an awareness that conflictual affects can be held secret inside and that it is therapeutic to comment on them so that they might be dealt with openly and consciously. Such use of proverbs reveals a psychological mindedness often not revealed by other idioms of communication among Vietnamese.