nghiên cứu giao văn hóa việt mỹ về hành vi phi ngôn từ của giáo viên dạy tiếng anh khi tương tác

Part I - INTRODUCTION

I. Rationale

Since 1986, when the open - door policy and doi moi began to be applied in

Vietnam, the country and its people have witnessed significant changes in many aspects of

life. People from other countries have started to come in with investments. The presence of

multinationals in Vietnam, in particular, has created an appetite for learning English and

communicating in the language. In the light of globalization, language and communication

cannot be separated from our daily lives (Marley, 2001).

It is omnipresent that, in communication, we express our emotions and attitudes more

nonverbally than verbally. One study in Anglophone countries showed that in the

communication of attitude, 93 percent of the message was transmitted by the tone of the

voice and by facial expressions, whereas only seven percent of the speaker’s attitude was

transmitted by words. Birdwhistell (1997), who deserves most credit for awakening interest

in serious nonverbal studies, has also estimated that at most only about 30 percent of what is

communicated in a conversation is verbal. People observe us to see HOW we are saying

things and what we are DOING, more than they actually LISTEN to the WORDS used. If we

smile, they relax and smile; if we scowl at them, they tense up and become defensive.

Likewise, if we stand rigidly behind, tether ourselves to the lectern and scarcely move, they

become rigid – physically and mentally.

Hence it is safe to assume that non - verbal behaviour is undeniably important in

communication, within a culture and across cultures.

Considering the facts given above, we can see that in English language

classrooms, teachers frequently conduct direct communication, which serves as a

fundamental skill not only in university teaching but in real life as well. Among the many

direct communication forms, making presentations, delivering speeches and explanations,

giving lectures, reports and briefings in class have become a compulsory part of teachers'

tasks. Nonverbal behaviour including gesture, posture, facial expression, gaze, and

distance is tightly weaved in all these skills. There are various chances or occasions when

Vietnamese learners of English are taught by native teachers, and Vietnamese teachers

attend or observe their classes. It is for this reason that both Vietnamese learners and

teachers of English should develop a thorough understanding of non – verbal behaviour

performed by native teachers of English. While a case may be made that they will grasp

the meaning and the use of native speakers’ nonverbal behaviour after extensive and

prolonged exposure to the target culture, perhaps through immersion in the host culture,

this is a luxury enjoyed by only a small minority of language learners and teachers. Most

Vietnamese foreign language learners and teachers may never have the chance to observe

and absorb the subtle nuances of non - verbal communication at first hand.

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Therefore, Vietnamese - Anglophone cross cultural studies of English language –

teachers nonverbal behaviour in interacting with their Vietnamese students appear vital ’

and useful in this way.

Furthermore, the relationship between the Social Republic of Vietnam and the

United States has been enhanced with the expansion of mutual concern whereas failure in

communication due to culture shock, cultural conflicts, communication breakdown, etc.

has been reported in recent research works.

For those reasons stated, ‘a Vietnamese – American cross – cultural

study of English language teachers’ nonverbal behaviour in INTERACTING

WITH THEIR Vietnamese STUDENTS’ is deemed academically and practically worthwhile.

ii. Objectives of the study

The research is conducted with the objectives of

a. Investigating the frequency of nonverbal behaviour performance of American and

Vietnamese teachers of English and specific situations in which teachers use the

nonverbal cues in interacting with their Vietnamese students.

b. Comparing and contrasting nonverbal behaviour in the two cultures in order to

clarify the similarities and differences in the way Vietnamese and American

teachers of English perform nonverbal behaviour in interacting with their

Vietnamese students, setting forth a number of underlying cultural factors that rule

over these similarities and differences as well as the way they affect the English

language teaching process in Vietnam in the view of the thesis writer herself.

c. Contributing to raising cross – cultural awareness of Vietnamese students and

teachers of English of potential areas of culture shock and cross –cultural

communication breakdown in interacting with American teachers of English in

particular and American communicating partners as a whole.

iii. scope of the study

The study of the nonverbal behaviour of American and Vietnamese teachers of

English is merely confined to classroom interaction with Vietnamese students. American

teachers surveyed are those who have been teaching English in Vietnam for a certain

amount of time. Vietnamese teachers are all from Division I – English Department -

College of Foreign Languages – Vietnam National University. They are equivalently

teaching pre – intermediate leveled students.

The paper is intended to cover three factors of non – verbal behaviour namely eye

contact, posture and distance.

The situations to be discussed are the most common and typical ones in classroom

setting and they are generalized into the four following situations:

 You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions

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 When organizing group - work or pair work for students, you are sitting down

with one group or one pair and joining the activity they are doing

 Students do not understand your points and raise questions

 Students are doing their presentations

iv. methodology

The major method to be employed is quantitative. Additionally, contrastive

analysis is used. All the considerations, comments and conclusions in the thesis are

therefore largely based on the following methods:

• Reference to relevant home and foreign publications in both primary and

secondary research,

• Survey questionnaires,

• Statistics, descriptions, and analysis of the collected and selected data,

• Personal observations and experience,

• Consultations with supervisor,

• Discussions with Vietnamese and foreign colleagues.

v. Design of the study

This study consists of three major parts.

Part I: Introduction

I. Rationale

II. Aims of the study

III. Scope of the study

IV. Methodology

V. Design of the study

Part II: Development

Chapter I: Theoretical Preliminaries

Chapter II: Nonverbal Behaviour in Focus

Chapter III: Research Design

Chapter IV: Data Analysis and Findings

Part III: CONCLUSION

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I. Summary of main findings

II. Implications for the avoidance of culture shock and cross – cultural

communication breakdown

III. Suggestions for further research

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Part II - Development

CHAPTER 1 - THEORETICAL

PRELIMINARIES

1.1. Culture

1.1.1. What Culture?

In considering the term Culture, scholars and linguists have based their conclusions on

many different criteria and arrived at different definitions which can be classified into one

group or more.

To a language teacher and in this thesis also, theories and definitions of culture which

identify culture on grounds of establishing and emphasizing on one or more constituting

factors of culture itself are believed to be the fittest working definitions because they

illustrate the relationship among social members or social groups, their communication and

behaviour.

In the first place, UNESCO (1996:108) launches the formal definition focusing on the

character of culture as follows ‘Culture is a set of symbolic systems which regulate the

behaviour and enable the mutual communication of a plurality of people, establishing

them into particular and instinct community.’

Ferrando (1996:18) considers Culture according to the nature of human beings’

possession, perception and action: Culture is everything that one has, thinks, and does as a

member of a society.

Figure 1 - 1. Ferrando’s definition of culture

Levine and Adelman (1993:58), on the other hand, look at the visible and invisible

nature of constituting factors of culture. The definition they put forth may be the most

imaginative definition of all. In their view, as for an iceberg, we can hardly see most of

the influence of culture on an individual. The risen part of culture is not always which

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Realizatio

n

Perceptio

n

CULTURE

Possessio

n

that causes difficulties in cross culture; the hidden aspects of culture exert meaningful –

influences on one s behaviour and interaction with others. ’

Figure 1 - 2. Levine and Adelman’s definition of culture

As a matter of fact, various definitions of culture reflect different theoretical concepts of

what culture is. It is, however, necessary for the researcher to adopt one that best guide her

study. Therefore, the thesis author finds the definition offered by Sikkema and Niyekawa

(1987: 27) useful because of its influence on communication. Culture is defined as the sum

of total ways of living, including values, beliefs, esthetic standards, linguistic expressions,

patterns of thinking, behaviour norm and style of communication which a group of people

has developed to assure its survival in a particular physical and human environment.

A number of researchers, for example, Robinson (1985: 9) and Samovar, Porter and

Stefani (1997: 36) also share their view when they hold that culture is a concept referring

to ways of acting, believing, valuing and thinking which are shared by members of a

community (social group) and which are transmitted to the next generation. When people

of a community communicate with people of other cultures, their culture will shape the

communication.

It can be seen from the definition that culture is viewed as a process of transaction

rather than as a body of facts, which puts forth a convincing argument for introducing

culture into second, or foreign language learning. The writer is personally interested in this

definition as among different cultural descriptions, those factors clearly shown to affect

intercultural and cross - cultural communication are absolutely the main concerns of

classroom practices in second and foreign language.

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Language

Food

Appearance

Values Beliefs

Attitudes Perceptions

Communication style

Taboos

Customs

Traditions

1.1.2. Characteristics of Culture

It is undoubted that there are various ways in identifying the characteristics of culture.

However, most researchers including Nguyen Quang (forthcoming: 19) generally agree on

the six - characteristics paradigm as follows.

 Culture is not innate, but a product of the process of acquisition

 Culture is able to be propagated widely

 Culture is dynamic

 Culture is optional

 Culture is a perfect whole with intertwined and related factors.

 Culture is ethnocentric

1.1.3. Place of Culture in English Language Teaching in Vietnam

As mentioned from the very beginning of the research, English has regained its

position of importance from Russian and French after suffering years of neglect. English

schools and centres have been mushrooming all over the country, especially in Ho Chi

Minh City and Hanoi, the two most populous cities in Vietnam.

In the light of globalisation, language and culture cannot be separated from our daily

lives (Marley, 1996:17). It is also undeniable that language plays an essential role in the

perpetuation of culture (Kramsch, 2000:52). Therefore, an overview of how cultural

factors affect the learning and teaching of English in Vietnam should undoubtedly be

included in this research. Towards this end, the influence of Confucianism and more

modern philosophies needs to be investigated to get a picture of the classroom culture in

which the target language is taught and learnt, as language needs to be understood within

the particular context in which it is used (Pennycook, 1997:35).

To elaborate on the current situation of learning and teaching English, the thesis author

will address two issues concerning the effects of Confucianism: the traditional method of

teaching and the implementation of communicative language teaching (CLT).

 The Vietnamese people have a long tradition of appreciation of educational

achievements. However, Tong (2000:46) points out that the remaining traditions do not

always represent the most beautiful aspects of the people but may contain elements to

hinder progress and create inappropriate attitudes toward improvement. One aspect of this

tradition is reflected in the hierarchy of both the society and education systems.

The highest institute of education is the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET),

which decides all the activities of the whole education system. School authorities, teachers

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and students have almost no power at all. Their success is usually assessed by the results of

exams and passing exams shows their mastery of knowledge. Respect paid to teachers is

another piece of evidence of how Confucianism has left its stamp on classroom culture.

Phuoc (1975, cited in Ellis, 1995:10) notes that ‘the Confucian model is teacher –

centered, closed, suspicious of creativity, and predicated on an unquestioning obedience

from the students.’ The compulsory book recitation in the old days accounts for the

popularity of the translation and grammar method in learning and teaching English today.

Ellis (1995:58) writes that teaching and learning styles are mainly decided by the

value orientations of a particular society. He believes that communicative activities,

unfamiliar to Vietnamese learners, may not be welcome. Other researchers, such as Le

(1999:69), report that Vietnam is where English is taught as a decontextualised subject.

These researchers point out that choral repetition is a common practice and learners avoid

interrupting, asking for clarification, or challenging each other.

 So far it seems that Vietnam is not a hospitable environment for the

communicative approach. Nevertheless, a closer look at the situation presents a different

view. While it is true that the grammar translation method is considered the basis for

English teaching and learning, C.L.T, since first implemented in the early of 1990s, has

gained certain favourable approval.

Although Jones (1995:102) observes that the culture of traditional Vietnamese

education insists on quiet and subservient students, in another article, he points out that

East Asian students are willing to take part in discussions within groups (Jones, 1995,

cited in Littlewood, 1999:55). Pair and group work creates enough confidence for even

weak students to join in following class discussion. This conforms with the concept of

individualism and collectivism in the findings of Hofstede (1991:24). Working in groups to

achieve their goal gives Vietnamese learners a supportive relationship while striving for the

target language competence.

The shift toward a new way of learning with more opportunity to use the target

language, not only in the classroom but also in reality has brought a livelier atmosphere

to learning and teaching English in Vietnam. More language centres inside big cities

now cater to more and more students living in the suburbs. One of the reasons these

students go such a long distance for their English studies is because they believe these

centres can provide them with more communicative courses (Le Tran Hong Phuc,

interview, 2001- an extract from the Internet).

The need to use English in actual communicative contexts is beginning to emerge

as learners realize that the traditional learning and teaching styles do not help them

communicate with foreigners, both native and nonnative speakers of English. ‘The way

English was learned and taught at high school did not help me to speak and understand

English at work’ (Phuc, interview, 2001- an extract from the Internet).

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