Students and teachers' attitudes towards the international training and education centre's English Curriculum at Ho Chi Minh City University of Science

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

VƯƠNG PHẠM THÙY VÂN

STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE

INTERNATIONAL TRAINING AND EDUCATION CENTER’S

ENGLISH CURRICULUM AT HO CHI MINH CITY

UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE

MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL

Ho Chi Minh City, 2019

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

VƯƠNG PHẠM THÙY VÂN

STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE

INTERNATIONAL TRAINING AND EDUCATION CENTER’S

ENGLISH CURRICULUM AT HO CHI MINH CITY

UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE

Major: Teaching English to speakers of other language

Major code: 60140111

MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL

Supervisor: NGUYỄN HOÀNG TUẤN, PhD

Ho Chi Minh City, 2019

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STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I certify that this thesis entitled “Students‟ and Teachers‟ attitudes towards the

International Tranning and Education Center‟s English Curriculum at Ho Chi Minh

City University of Science” is my own work.

Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis does not contain

material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which

I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma.

No other person‟s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main

text of the thesis.

This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any

other tertiary institution.

Ho Chi Minh City, September 2019

VUONG PHAM THUY VAN, MRS.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I am deeply indebted to my supervisor, Dr. Nguyen Hoang Tuan, whose

compassion, encouragement and guidance throughout the research have helped in

the completion of this thesis. I am truly appreciated his comments, enthusiasm;

kindness and calm to instruct me during a long time of doing this research.

I am also sincerely grateful to all lecturers of the Open University in Ho Chi Minh

City for providing me with invaluable sources of intellectual knowledge during my

study there. The knowledge and experience I have learned from here is a valuable

present for me to improve my teaching career.

Besides, I would like to say thank you to all of the lecturers, staff, and students at

the ITEC- The International Training and Education Center of the University of

Science who have always supported me and help me to collect the most accurate

data to complete this thesis.

Last but not least, I would like to express my gratefulness to family and friends who

have never given up the trust in me and facilitate my research unconditionally;

especially my deceased Mom who encouraged me to pursue higher education after

the Bachelor‟s degree.

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ABSTRACT

With the holistic purpose of improving the language teaching and learning

quality at the ITEC center of University of Science (Ho Chi Minh City), the study

focused on the students‟ and teachers‟ attitudes towards the current ITEC English

curriculum. The survey study was conducted at the ITEC center of University of

Science (Ho Chi Minh City) with the participation of 105 students and 15 teachers.

The instruments included the attitude questionnaires and the semi-structured

interviews. The quantitative data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed by

SPSS version 20.0, while the qualitative data obtained from the interviews were

thematically analyzed. The findings show that both the students and the teachers

concurrently showed their positive affective, cognitive and behavioral attitudes

towards the clear objectives, assessment modes, teaching materials, and extra tasks.

In addition, content of the ITEC English curriculum were emotionally, cognitively

and behaviorally approved by both the teachers and the students; however, some

students thought that the content lacked an emphasis of culture elements and

updated realistic situations. Furthermore, while the teachers seemed to prefer the

time allotment of the courses of the curriculum, many students did not express their

favor or approval. Besides, a big proportion of the target students liked its teaching

methods and reckoned them as encouragement of their attendance and participation

of the given courses; by reason, they believed in the usefulness of the teaching

methods and delivery techniques, especially in developing and sharpening their

language skills and test-taking skills. Nevertheless, some of the teachers did not feel

these teaching methods impressive and they were not in line with their preferential

styles. Finally, considering the curriculum type of the ITEC English curriculum,

many teachers thought that the target curriculum belonged to the process-based one.

Based on the research findings, the paper concluded with some pedagogical

implications and a recommendation for further study in line of research on teachers

and students‟ attitudes towards the language curriculum.

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TABLE OF CONTENT

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ......................................................................... i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..................................................................................... ii

ABSTRACT............................................................................................................. iii

TABLE OF CONTENT............................................................................................ i

LIST OF FIGURES AND CHARTS..................................................................... vi

LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................. vii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................1

1.1. Introduction of Chapter 1..................................................................................1

1.2. Rationale of the Study.......................................................................................1

1.3. Research Aims ..................................................................................................3

1.4. Research Questions...........................................................................................3

1.5. Significance of the Study ..................................................................................3

1.6. Thesis Organization ..........................................................................................4

CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................................................5

2.1. Introduction of Chapter 2..................................................................................5

2.2. Notion of Curriculum........................................................................................5

2.3. Types of Curriculum.........................................................................................7

2.3.1. A Product-Based Curriculum.....................................................................7

2.3.2. A Process-Based Curriculum.....................................................................7

2.3.3. Learner-Centered Curriculum....................................................................8

2.4. Definitions and Roles of Attitudes in Language Acquisition ...........................8

2.4.1. Definitions of Attitudes..............................................................................8

2.4.2. Roles of Attitudes in Language Acquisition ............................................10

2.5. Conglomerates of Attitudes ............................................................................11

2.5.1. Affective Conglomerate of Attitudes.......................................................11

2.5.2. Cognitive Conglomerate of Attitudes ......................................................11

2.5.3. Behavioral Conglomerate of Attitudes.....................................................12

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2.6. Previous Studies..............................................................................................12

2.7. Research Gaps.................................................................................................15

2.8. Conceptual Framework...................................................................................17

2.9. Summary of Chapter 2 ....................................................................................18

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................19

3.1. Introduction of Chapter 3................................................................................19

3.2. Research Setting..............................................................................................19

3.2.1. Location....................................................................................................19

3.2.2. ITEC English Curriculum ........................................................................20

3.3. Research Participants......................................................................................26

3.3.1. Students....................................................................................................26

3.3.2. Teachers ...................................................................................................27

3.4. Methods of Investigation ................................................................................28

3.4.1. Overall Approach .....................................................................................28

3.4.2. Research Instruments ...............................................................................29

3.4.2.1. Questionnaires for Students and Teachers.................................................30

3.4.2.2. Semi-structured Interviews for Students and Teachers..............................34

3.5. Data Analytical Framework............................................................................36

3.5.1. Quantitative Analysis for Questionnaires ................................................36

3.5.2. Qualitative Analysis for Interviews .........................................................36

3.6. Reliability and Validity...................................................................................37

3.6.1. Definition .................................................................................................38

3.6.2. Reliability of Research Instruments.........................................................38

3.6.3. Validity of Research Instruments.............................................................39

3.7. Pilot Study.......................................................................................................40

3.7.1. Rationale for Pilot Study..........................................................................40

3.7.2. Pilot Results of the Questionnaires ..........................................................40

3.7.3. Pilot Results of the Semi-structured Interviews.......................................42

3.8. Summary of Chapter 3 ....................................................................................42

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CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ..................................................44

4.1. Introduction of Chapter 4................................................................................44

4.2. Research Question 1 .......................................................................................44

4.2.1. The Students‟ Attitudes towards the Objectives of the ITEC English

Curriculum.............................................................................................................44

4.2.2. The Students‟ Attitudes towards the Content of the ITEC English

Curriculum.............................................................................................................47

4.2.3. The Students‟ Attitudes towards the Time Allotment of the ITEC English

Curriculum.............................................................................................................51

4.2.4. The Students‟ Attitudes towards the Teaching Methods of the ITEC

English Curriculum................................................................................................54

4.2.5. The Students‟ Attitudes towards the Assessment of the ITEC English

Curriculum.............................................................................................................57

4.2.6. The Students‟ Attitudes towards the Teaching Materials of the ITEC

English Curriculum................................................................................................60

4.2.7. The Students‟ Attitudes towards the Extra Tasks of the ITEC English

Curriculum.............................................................................................................63

4.2.8. Discussion of Research Question 1..........................................................65

4.3. Research Question 2 .......................................................................................72

4.3.1. The Teachers‟ Attitudes towards the Objectives of the ITEC English

Curriculum.............................................................................................................72

4.3.2. The Teachers‟ Attitudes towards the Content of the ITEC English

Curriculum.............................................................................................................74

4.3.3. The Teachers‟ Attitudes towards the Time Allotment of the ITEC English

Curriculum.............................................................................................................77

4.3.4. The Teachers‟ Attitudes towards the Teaching Methods of the ITEC

English Curriculum................................................................................................79

4.3.5. The Teachers‟ Attitudes towards the Assessment of the ITEC English

Curriculum.............................................................................................................83

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4.3.6. The Teachers‟ Attitudes towards the Teaching Materials of the ITEC

English Curriculum................................................................................................86

4.3.7. The Teachers‟ Attitudes towards the Extra Tasks of the ITEC English

Curriculum.............................................................................................................89

4.3.8. The Teachers‟ General Attitudes towards the ITEC English Curriculum

Type 92

4.3.9. Discussion of Research Question 2..........................................................93

4.4. Summary of Chapter 4 ..................................................................................100

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS.................................101

5.1. Conclusions...................................................................................................101

5.2. Implications...................................................................................................104

5.3. Limitations....................................................................................................105

5.4. Recommendations for Further Study............................................................105

5.5. Summary of Chapter 5 ..................................................................................106

REFERENCES......................................................................................................107

APPENDICES .......................................................................................................113

APPENDIX A.1: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS .....................................114

(ENGLISH VERSION)...........................................................................................114

APPENDIX A.2: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS (VIETNAMESE

VERSION) ..............................................................................................................117

APPENDIX B.1: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS .....................................120

(ENGLISH VERSION)...........................................................................................120

APPENDIX B.2: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS (VIETNAMESE

VERSION) ..............................................................................................................124

APPENDIX C.1: SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW........................................128

FOR STUDENTS (ENGLISH VERSION) ............................................................128

APPENDIX C.2: SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW FOR STUDENTS

(VIETNAMESE VERSION) ..................................................................................130

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APPENDIX D.1: SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW FOR TEACHERS

(ENGLISH VERSION)...........................................................................................132

APPENDIX D.2: SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW FOR TEACHERS

(VIETNAMESE VERSION) ..................................................................................134

APPENDIX E.1: A SAMPLED STUDENT TRANSCRIPT.................................136

APPENDIX E.2: A SAMPLED TEACHER TRANSCRIPT.................................140

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LIST OF FIGURES AND CHARTS

Figure 2. 1 Conceptual Framework of the Study ......................................................17

Figure 3. 1 Overall Approach of the Study..............................................................29

Chart 3. 1 Description of Students‟ Profile...............................................................26

Chart 3. 2 Description of Teachers‟ Profile ..............................................................28

Chart 4. 1 Teachers‟ General Attitudes towards the ITEC English Curriculum Type

...................................................................................................................................92

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 3. 1 The ITEC English Curriculum.................................................................21

Table 3. 2 The Link between the Research Questions and the Research Instruments

...................................................................................................................................30

Table 3. 3 The Description of the Student and Teacher Questionnaires ..................31

Table 3. 4 Reliability Index of the Student Questionnaire........................................39

Table 3. 5 Reliability Index of the Teacher Questionnaire .......................................39

Table 4. 1 The Students‟ Attitudes towards the Objectives of the ITEC English

Curriculum ................................................................................................................45

Table 4. 2 The Students‟ Attitudes towards the Content of the ITEC English

Curriculum ................................................................................................................48

Table 4. 3 The Students‟ Attitudes towards the Time Allotment of the ITEC English

Curriculum ................................................................................................................51

Table 4. 4 The Students‟ Attitudes towards the Teaching Methods of the ITEC

English Curriculum ...................................................................................................55

Table 4. 5 The Students‟ Attitudes towards the Assessment of the ITEC English

Curriculum ................................................................................................................58

Table 4. 6 The Students‟ Attitudes towards the Teaching Materials of the ITEC

English Curriculum ...................................................................................................61

Table 4. 7 The Students‟ Attitudes towards the Extra Tasks of the ITEC English

Curriculum ................................................................................................................63

Table 4. 8 The Teachers‟ Attitudes towards the Objectives of the ITEC English

Curriculum ................................................................................................................72

Table 4. 9 The Teachers‟ Attitudes towards the Content of the ITEC English

Curriculum ................................................................................................................75

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Table 4. 10 The Teachers‟ Attitudes towards the Time of the ITEC English

Curriculum ................................................................................................................78

Table 4. 11 The Teachers‟ Attitudes towards the Teaching Methods of the ITEC

English Curriculum ...................................................................................................80

Table 4. 12 The Teachers‟ Attitudes towards the Assessment of the ITEC English

Curriculum ................................................................................................................84

Table 4. 13 The Teachers‟ Attitudes towards the Teaching Materials of the ITEC

English Curriculum ...................................................................................................86

Table 4. 14 The Teachers‟ Attitudes towards the Extra Tasks of the ITEC English

Curriculum ................................................................................................................89

1

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Introduction of Chapter 1

This chapter first provides a background of the study including a brief

introduction of the study, including the rationale of the study, research objectives,

research questions, and significance of the research project are presented.

1.2. Rationale of the Study

English now is no longer a property of native English speakers but it is also

used broadly by non-native speakers as a foreign language (Padwick, 2018). It

becomes a commonly used language for various fields such as technology, science,

commerce, administration, etc. In Vietnam, English becomes a compulsory subject

in most educational settings at different levels from primary to tertiary systems.

More specifically, most universities and colleges set English as a compulsory credit

course and students need to submit an international English proficiency test such as

TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS as a graduation requirement. Being aware of the paramount

significance of English to the world development, many parents expect to send their

children to study abroad or study international programs at the tertiary level to seek

for a foreign degree which is considered to provide their children with better

opportunities for their career path and higher education.

Regarding social needs, international joint programs have steadily increased

and become a favorable choice for students who wish to achieve an international

bachelor's degree without living apart from their families. Not only is a requirement

for entrance, but English is also a compulsory requirement for tertiary graduation.

The International Training and Education Center (ITEC), which belongs to the

University of Science, is included; in specific, students following the ITEC English

curriculum need to submit the IELTS 6.0 or equivalent to earn a bachelor's degree

of the international joint program.

The ITEC English curriculum is established to test and train students‟ English

abilities to ensure that they can afford their academic programs which are taught

2

totally in English. This curriculum is expected to help them get the target IELTS

certificate before graduation. As a result, taking up English courses at the ITEC is

the obliged demand when the students choose to study their bachelor's degrees here.

The English program and the academic programs are run at the same time, and

students need to study both programs simultaneously until they achieve the satisfied

IELTS certificate. However, there is a challenge that ITEC has been facing more

recently, that is, the number of students who either enroll or participate in this

language curriculum is dramatically decreasing while the demand from the

community of the international education is still very high. Thus, an exploration of

reasons for this ignorance of the students should be made.

Problems arising from curriculum implementation are recognized as

inevitable, and thus the implementation is inherently more complicated than what

people can anticipate (Fullan & Stiegelbauer, 1991). This complexity can be

perceived from several aspects, with different stakeholders interpreting the

curriculum policies differently than as originally conceived. Indeed, the

implementation may also be affected by the resistance of the primary stakeholders,

i.e. the teachers and students. In the same vein, Fraser and Bosanquet (2006) opine

that teachers and students need to involve common curriculum understandings,

attitudes and reflect critically on curriculum policies, implementation, and

evaluation matters, to help them to change teaching and learning restrictions in their

contexts. It is believed that teachers are the key people who are interpreting the

curriculum and giving life to it in the language classroom through their instructional

and evaluation strategies. The role of EFL teachers in the EL curriculum is an

important matter in language curriculum implementation and development as well

as in transmitting knowledge from the curriculum to the learners (Freeman, 2002).

Especially, it is also a fact that the audience of any curriculum is the students who

are directly influenced by the curriculum. Generally speaking, that is the reason

why the researcher decided to conduct this study with the title: “Students‟ and