(LUẬN văn THẠC sĩ) teacher trainers and master students’ in service teachers’ perspectives of the needed competencies for english language teachers a survey at the university of languages

This study aims to investigate professional competence and training needs of the in-service English language teachers – MA students at ULIS, VNU.. For this small-scale thesis, the study

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES

- -

TRẦN MINH HẰNG

TEACHER TRAINERS AND MASTER STUDENTS’/IN-SERVICE TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES OF THE NEEDED COMPETENCIES FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS: A SURVEY AT THE UNIVERSITY

OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES,

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Khảo sát quan điểm của các giảng viên sư phạm và học viên Cao học/những giáo viên đang giảng dạy tại trường Đại học Ngoại Ngữ, Đại học Quốc Gia Hà

Nội về những năng lực sư phạm cần thiết của giáo viên tiếng Anh

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES

- -

TRẦN MINH HẰNG

TEACHER TRAINERS AND MASTER STUDENTS’/IN-SERVICE

TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES OF THE NEEDED COMPETENCIES FOR

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS: A SURVEY AT THE UNIVERSITY

OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES,

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Khảo sát quan điểm của các giảng viên sư phạm và học viên Cao học/những

giáo viên đang giảng dạy tại trường Đại học Ngoại Ngữ, Đại học Quốc Gia Hà

Nội về những năng lực sư phạm cần thiết của giáo viên tiếng Anh

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111

Supervisor : Dr Dương Thu Mai

DECLARATIONS

I, Tran Minh Hang, certify that this thesis is the result of my own research and the substance of the research has not been submitted for degree to any other university or institution

Hanoi, 2016

Trần Minh Hằng

in the process of completing this thesis

I would also like to express my sincere thanks to Dr Huynh Anh Tuan, the Head

of Faculty of Post Graduate Studies and all his staff members who have been of great help My great thanks go to all the lecturers of Faculty of Post Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their interesting lectures and suggestions for the topic of my study

Thanks are also due to my teacher trainers and my MA classmates K22 at the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University and Hanoi Metropolitan University for their assistance and cooperation in completing the interviews and questionnaires

Last but not least, I would like to give my deepest gratitude to my parents, my older brother, and my friends for their moral support and encouragement throughout

my training course

The study still has limitations, therefore all the suggestions and recommendations would be warmly welcomed

ABSTRACT

English language teachers who hold an essential role in education system are expected to be highly competent in order to enhance the student learning outcomes Hence, improving teachers‘ competence has been considered one of the key factors

of educational reforms in many countries, including Vietnam To address this issue, the initial task is to identify the training needs as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the English language teachers This study aims to investigate professional competence and training needs of the in-service English language teachers – MA students at ULIS, VNU The data were collected from interviews with three teacher trainers, and survey questionnaires with 65 English language teachers The results showed that the majority of the English teachers had high training needs in most competencies Furthermore, beside the positive perceptions

of their own competence, the targeted teachers had some challenges in reaching professionalism It is of great importance for the teachers in this study to be aware

of the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge On this basis, the study recommends a number of directions for the targeted teachers to help them

be more qualified It is hoped that the findings can be used as a good source of professional development materials not only for the targeted teachers but also for the language policy makers in education

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATIONS i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF FIGURES vi

INTRODUCTION 1

1 Introduction 1

2 Rationale 1

3 Aims of the study 3

4 Research questions 3

5 Scope of the study 3

6 Significance of the study 4

7 Method of the study 4

8 Design of the study 4

9 Summary 5

DEVELOPMENT 6

CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 6

1.1 Introduction 6

1.2 Teacher competence and competencies 6

1.2.1 Definitions of teacher competence and competencies 6

1.2.2 Frameworks of Teacher Competence 8

1.3 English language teachers’ competencies 10

1.3.1 Frameworks of English teachers’ competencies 10

1.3.2 Previous studies on English language teachers’ competence 12

1.3.3 English language teachers’ competence in Vietnam 13

1.4 English language teachers’ training needs 16

1.4.1 English language teachers’ training needs 16

1.4.2 Previous studies on English language teachers’ training needs 16

1.5 Teachers’ self-assessment 17

1.6 Summary 18

2.1 The setting of the study 19

2.2 Participants 19

2.2.1 Teacher trainers 19

2.2.2 Student teachers 20

2.3 The data collection instruments 20

2.3.1 Teacher trainers’ interview 20

2.3.2 Teacher’s survey questionnaires 21

2.4 Data collection and data analysis procedure 21

2.4.1 Teacher Trainers Interview 21

2.4.2 Teachers Questionnaire Data 22

2.5 Summary 22

CHAPTER III: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 23

3.1 Findings of the study 23

3.1.1 The needed competencies for the targeted MA students from teacher trainers’ perspectives 23

3.1.2 The needed competencies for the targeted MA students from their own perspectives 26

3.1.3 The targeted teachers’ self-assessment of their own competence after finishing the Master course. 33

3.2 Discussion of the research questions 41

3.2.1 The needed competencies for the targeted MA students from their own perspectives 41

3.2.2 The targeted teachers’ self-assessment of their own competence after finishing the Master course 44

CONCLUSIONS 48

1 Recapitulation 48

2 Limitations of the study 49

3 Recommendations 49

REFERENCES 51 APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1 I PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND TRAINING NEEDS I ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRES I APPENDIX 2 X

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1 : Student teachers‘ perspectives in knowledge of language & language

learning 26 Figure 1.2 : Student teachers‘ perspectives in language content & curriculum 27 Figure 2.1 : Student teachers‘ perspectives in language teaching methodology,

lesson planning & conducting a lesson 28 Figure 2.2 : Student teachers‘ perspectives in assessment of language learning,

resources and technology for language teaching 29 Figure 3 : Student teachers‘ perspectives in knowledge of learners 30 Figure 4 : Student teachers‘ perspectives in professional attitudes & values in

language teaching 31 Figure 5 : Student teachers‘ perspectives in practice & context of language

teaching 32 Figure 6.1 : Student teachers‘ self-assessment of their knowledge of language,

language learning 34 Figure 6.2 : Student teachers‘ self-assessment of their knowledge of language

content and curriculum 35 Figure 7.1 : Student teachers‘ self-assessment of their knowledge of language

teaching methodology, lesson planning & conducting a lesson 36 Figure 7.2 : Student teachers‘ self-assessment of their knowledge of assessment of

language learning, resources and technology for language teaching 37 Figure 8 : Student teachers‘ self-assessment of their knowledge of language

learners 38 Figure 9 : Student teachers‘ self-assessment of their professional attitudes &

values in language teaching 39 Figure 10 : Student teachers‘ self-assessment of their practice & context of

language teaching 40

INTRODUCTION

1 Introduction

In this part, the rationale for carrying out this study is presented followed by a brief presentation of the aims and objectives, the research questions, the methods, the scope and the significance of the study Finally, the thesis structure is introduced

2 Rationale

As English becomes vital to most countries all over the world, it is taught from pre-school to higher education English language teachers who are considered to have substantial impacts on their students‘ achievement therefore are among the most important elements of the education system, as Rockoff (2004) indicated:

―teachers also have a fundamental role in their learners‘ academic achievement and their quality can highly influence student outcomes‖ In order to encourage students

to learn effectively and efficiently, a teacher has to perform a large number of activities both inside and outside of the classroom Each teacher is expected to possess a certain amount of knowledge, skills, as well as attitudes, which together is known as teacher competence Teacher competence is crucial that can lead to positive individual student development and even lessen the aggressive behavior in the classroom (Çubukçu, 2010)

In reality, as entering the 21st century, the real situation of teaching and learning English is a major topic of discussion in the education domain More particularly, the status of language teaching has changed over time; for example, many new developmental policies in knowledge, teaching methods, or programs have been updated in order to achieve the targets and to skill the force of the education system, the English language teachers Consequently, teachers must keep up with these changes to move towards professional competence which includes subject matter knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, knowledge of teaching and learning, curricular knowledge, teaching experience, and certification status (Shulman, 1986, Grossman, 1995)

It has become a major issue for teaching staff to innovate and upgrade their competence through training programs, which is to cope with the new advancement

In fact, ―teachers who need to be well-trained at the beginning of their careers and provided with high quality in subsequent years in their profession (Hargreaves,

1998, p.38) are the key assets of schools‖ Teachers, such as, non-native speakers of English as in this study, should recognize the need of professional competence and training in order to address the demands of society

Vietnam is not the exceptional country in the world that considers professional competence and training needs as essential factors for any English language teachers Since Vietnam has implemented Doi Moi policies, one of the issues on this landscape of change is the development of new English language teacher generations Accordingly, the Vietnam government has decided to carry out an important project entitled ―Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, Period 2008-2020‖ (dated 30 September, 2008 of the Prime Minister on the country) The project offers many opportunities for Vietnam because it can help a massive group of teachers be aware of the importance of English teaching standards and encourage them in gaining higher professional competence in their career

The project is an attempt of the government to promote teachers‘ motivation to become skilled language instructors By highly appreciating the great influences of professional competence and training programs on education system, English language teachers are active to learn and develop themselves continuously during their teaching career

However, up till now, research findings on English language teachers‘ professional competence and their training needs in Vietnam are rare Specifically, there has not been any investigation of the English language teachers – TESOL Master students at ULIS, VNU, a leading institution in English language teacher training nationwide They are young, energetic in-service English teachers coming from various kinds of educational institutions in English language teaching They

are also the typical human resources who keep a decisive role in transforming the educational goals into a reality Moreover, with the participations in MA course, most of these long-term teaching staff perceive that improving their competence with the master's degree is a vital stimulant for their teaching practice, especially for the young teachers whose experience and practical teaching knowledge are not still sufficient A study into these teachers‘ competence and training needs should be able to yield interesting results In addition, the findings may hold crucial importance to the design of training courses for the teachers, including both formal courses such as MA and seasonal trainings at institutional, local or ministerial scale Hopefully, the findings of the study may also be a source of reference for language policy makers towards more effective English language teaching and learning in similar contexts in Viet Nam

3 Aims of the study

The study aims are to find out:

a what teacher trainers and in-service English language teachers – MA students at ULIS, VNU consider as needed competencies for in-service teachers, and

b how in-service English language teachers – MA students at ULIS, VNU assess their own professional competence

Professional competence and training needs are such broad topics that they cannot be wholly discussed within the framework of this paper For this small-scale thesis, the study attempts to investigate the needed competencies from English language teachers‘ perspectives, accordingly to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the targeted teachers based on an in-service version of English Teacher Competency Framework (ETCF) The subjects of the thesis are three teacher trainers and sixty-five in-service English teachers - MA students at ULIS, VNU The study results should not be generalized to English teachers in Vietnam, but only to those in similar contexts

6 Significance of the study

Teacher‘s competence has a strong impact on the students‘ acquisition in language learning First, when completed, the research results may be used as an evidence to provide teacher educators and administrators with useful information about the needed competencies of in-service English teachers – MA students after finishing MA course according to their self-assessment The training programs then may be formed to support and motivate the in-service English language teachers better so that the quality of English language teaching can be enhanced in the similar contexts

7 Method of the study

This study employs qualitative and quantitative research methods in order to obtain a more detailed and comprehensive picture about what are investigated Two survey questionnaires were conducted with 65 in-service English language teachers – MA students after finishing the Master course to investigate their training needs and self-assessment of their own competence

The qualitative research approach was involved to find out the targeted teachers‘ training needs from the teacher trainers‘ perspectives Three teacher trainers were invited to bring out their opinions based on the given questionnaire

8 Design of the study

The research study is organized into three parts:

Introduction provides basic information including the rationale, aims, research

questions, scope, methods, significance and the design of the study

Development is organized around three chapters as follows

Chapter 1 - Reviews the related literature on theories of teacher‘s competence, teacher‘s competencies, training needs and self-assessment

Chapter 2 - Presents the information about the setting of the study, detailed methodology used in this study including participants, data collection instruments, and data collection & data analysis procedure

Chapter 3 - Consists of a comprehensive analysis of the data and discussion on the findings of the study

Conclusions offer a summary of major findings of the study, limitations,

recommendations for further study

9 Summary

In this part, the rationale as well as how to conduct the study was presented In the next part - Development, the literature review of the study will be presented

DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Introduction

This chapter presents some theoretical backgrounds necessary for the realization

of this research and providing related literature for the study First, it would be better to review the notions of teachers‘ competence, teachers‘ competencies, and the frameworks that some researchers conducted in their studies Second, the chapter presents some theories related to teachers‘ training needs and self-assessment, and the studies conducted by some scholars in the world, as well as in Vietnam contexts

1.2 Teacher competence and competencies

1.2.1 Definitions of teacher competence and competencies

1.2.1.1 Teacher competence

To some extent, quality in teaching and education is evaluated by competence of teachers Jamani (2007) pointed out: ―the quality and the level of excellence in education depend upon the quality and competence of teachers‖

The term ‗competence‘ is used to characterize people of any profession, including teachers It is best described as ―a complex combination of knowledge, skills, understanding, values, attitudes and desire which lead to effective, embodied human action in the world, in a particular domain‖ (Crick, 2008) In pedagogy, the concept of ‗competence‘ defines the individual capabilities acquired through learning and teaching Teacher competence, particularly, is ―a knowledge, skill, ability, personal quality, experience or other characteristic that contributes to a teacher‘s capacity to teach effectively.‖ (Kelly, Grenfel, Allan & McEvoy, 2004, p.117)

Reaching to professionalism in their career is one of the main goals that any teacher desires to possess ‗Professional competence‘ of the teachers is the term that describes a highly qualified teacher The term implies the ability of professional work in accordance with standards sets for individual professional actions Krneta

and Milošević (2010, p.203) indicated: ―professional competence as the system of

knowledge, skills, abilities and motivational disposition which provide the effective

realization of the professional teaching activities‖ The notion ‗professional

competence‘ is considered as an overall, generic and integrated image of a

competent teacher in an education system Teachers are expected to achieve their

targets at high levels through constantly accumulating knowledge, experience,

moral values as well as other expertise

Though both ‗teacher competence‘ and ‗professional competence‘ have been

taken into consideration, the term ‗professional competence‘ is more generic,

comprehensive than ‗teacher competence‘ In this study, ‗teacher competence‘ is

focused as the key research term This is because of the aims of the study which

provides all-sided trait of a professional teacher

1.2.1.2 Teacher competencies

According to Mulder (2014, p.3), ―competence consists of different

competencies A competency is a part of generic competence; it is a set of

knowledge, skills and attitudes which can be performed in the real contexts.‖

Competency, according to Longman dictionary, is defined simply as ―the ability

to do something well‖ Particularly, ‗competencies‘ is a description of one‘s ability,

a measure of one‘s performance and a common language for talking about teaching

& learning (Harris & Carr, 1996) Teachers having various competencies are always

expected to teach students at all levels effectively in diverse contexts In addition,

the concept of ‗teacher competencies‘ is emphasized by Rice (2003) as ―the

knowledge, skills and attitudes that satisfactorily meet the social and professional

requirements of teaching roles and bring about good learning‖

In brief, the term ‗competency‘ accounts for the particular ability which can

measure teacher performance In each country, based on different factors, a variety

of competencies are formed into a national framework which is considered

professional standards for every teacher

In this study, to make a distinction between ‗competence‘ and ‗competency‘ (competencies), the term ‗competence‘ is used more general than ‗competency‘ According to Pantić and Wubbels (2010), ‗competence‘ is broad capacities, implying a broadly conceived notion of everything a teacher needs as part of his/her expertise, whereas ‗competency‘ (competencies), whose sense refers to activities, is used to describe particular instances of that broader expertise

1.2.2 Frameworks of Teacher Competence

Beside theoretical frameworks, many practical ones have been developed by researchers Competence frameworks contain the professional standards for teaching and provide the means to identify how a competent teacher is The competence framework comprises a set of competencies for the teachers to follow and perform according to designated ways in real situations

According to Shulman (1986b), content knowledge framework for professional

competent teachers was introduced into three categories: (a) subject matter content knowledge, (b) pedagogical content knowledge, and (c) curricular knowledge Firstly, subject-matter knowledge refers to the amount and

organization of knowledge in the mind of the teacher Understanding the structures

of the subject matter is compulsory in teaching As he indicated: ―the teacher needs

to understand that something is so; the teacher must further understand why it is so,

on what grounds its warrant can be asserted, and under what circumstances our

belief in its justification can be weakened and even denied‖ Secondly, pedagogical content knowledge also ―includes an understanding of what makes the learning of

specific topics easy or difficult, the conceptions and preconceptions that students of different ages and backgrounds bring with them to the learning of those most

frequently taught topics and lessons‖ Thirdly, curricular knowledge is

―represented by the full range of programs designed for the teaching of particular subjects and topics at a given level, the variety of instructional materials available in relation to those programs, and the set of characteristics that use for particular

curriculum or program materials in particular circumstances.‖ (Shulman, 1986b, p.7-10)

According to Caena (2011, p.3-4), based on the ―Common European Principles for Teacher Competences & Qualifications (2005)‖, three broad areas of competence were defined:

• Working with others

• Working with knowledge, technology and information

• Working in and with society

The first of these was based on the values of social inclusion when working in profession Teachers need to have enough knowledge in psychology, pedagogy to develop students‘ potential Moreover, they also need to be able to co-operate and collaborate with colleagues to enhance their own learning and teaching The second

is working with a variety of types of knowledge such as their abilities in accessing, analyzing, validating or making effective use of technology, involving ICT which equip them to be more effective in teaching and learning, together with good subject knowledge and pedagogical skills, their teaching skills in both theoretical and practical knowledge The third required the teachers to work with local community and education stakeholders such as parents, teacher education institutions, representative groups, cultural organizations, businesses, etc in order to contribute

to the quality of educational systems It also requires the teachers to prepare learners

to be globally responsible citizens

To sum up, teacher competence frameworks are seen as professional standards

in the context they are constructed While Shulman (1986b) mentioned mainly content knowledge in a undeniably key frameworks for teacher education theoretically which highlights (a) subject matter content knowledge, (b) pedagogical content knowledge, and (c) curricular knowledge, the European Commission (2005) emphasized the active roles of teachers in three competencies as (1) working with others, (2) working with knowledge, technology and information and (3) working in and with society certain contexts The latter framework seems to reinforce further

on the practical control the modern teachers should demonstrate towards different subjects relevant to their career, be it the subject matter knowledge or other relevant knowledge, their context or a different context Both frameworks and other important ones should be considered in constructing and evaluating localized systems of tasks for teachers in their teaching job

1.3 English language teachers’ competencies

1.3.1 Frameworks of English teachers’ competencies

A framework of teacher competence is one of the instruments that can be used to support teachers, and to promote quality in education English Teacher Competencies Framework is based upon general teacher education research which indicates three major knowledge domains (Domains 1-3) to address the question,

―What do teachers need to know and be able to do?‖ The three domains are embedded with a number of professional values and attitudes (Domain 4) and located within a larger sphere (Domain 5) that reflects a ―situative‖ (local) perspective of effective teacher learning that takes place within the contexts and practice of teaching (Ball & Cohen, 1999; Bransford, Darling-Hammond et al.,

2005)

According to Ball and Cohen (1999, p.5), three basic questions matter Firstly, what would teachers have to know, and know how to do, in order to offer instruction that would support much deeper and more complex learning for their students? Secondly, what sort of professional education would be most likely to help teachers to learn those things? Thirdly, what do these ideas imply for the content, method, and structure of professional development?

Firstly, subject matter is one of the most important factors that teachers would

need to know They also would need to understand the contexts, select and use applications appropriately In order to know the materials in teaching, teachers would need to have a good understanding of pedagogy and the learners coming from different backgrounds so that they could connect students with contents in effective ways

Secondly, even if teachers knew all these things, they would not know nearly enough to teach in the ways that researchers and educators think they should, for the situations could be more complex, unpredictable, and difficult to monitor and manage that we call classrooms They would need to learn before teaching and while teaching, how to learn in and from practice Thirdly, towards curriculum and pedagogy for professional education, such professional education would depend mainly on finding ways to center professional learning in practice One way to do this lies within the course of teachers‘ everyday work—in the regular tasks of planning, selection, enactment, reflection, and assessment Another way to make inquiry into practice more available to teachers is

to document and collect artifacts of practice and make them available for teachers‘ examination and inquiry

According to Bransford and Darling-Hammond (2005), the major goal of the research was to provide a common framework for curriculum content and pedagogies in teacher education – the framework that is useful for preparing teachers with the knowledge, skills, commitments that will able to help all students succeed with emphasis on ―teaching as profession‖ They share knowledge of learners & their development in social context, knowledge of teaching, knowledge

of subject matter & curriculum goals It is important for teachers to be aware of their roles and responsibilities in order to confront with complex decisions in teaching that reply on different kinds of knowledge and judgment

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) (2002) defined

eight standards for ESL teachers: planning, instructing, assessing, identity and context, language proficiency, learning, content and commitment, and professionalism By means of these competencies, TESOL clarified that a teacher should be competent in teaching not only in and out of class but in a broader sense,

in relations with colleagues and communities as well

To sum up, frameworks of teacher competencies are seen as instrumental systems which consist of specific abilities to measure their performance in their

professional career Based on certain conditions, a comprehensive framework for teachers will be formed as a route to the professions

1.3.2 Previous studies on English language teachers’ competence

Up to now, a wide range of studies have been conducted on English language teachers‘ competence For example, Korkmaz and Yavuz (2011) aimed to find out which competencies were necessary to be an effective language teacher and collected data from the fourth year English language student teachers at Uludag University in Turkey with an open-ended question, a structured questionnaire and a semi-structured interview Teachers indicated many competencies such as monitoring and evaluation of learning and development, knowledge of students, knowledge of curriculum, personal and professional development, and school-family and society relationships

According to Anugerahwati and Saukah (2010), the study was conducted to find out the profile of exemplary English teachers at secondary schools in Indonesia Data were collected through observations, interviews, and questionnaires The study was conducted in four towns, including exemplary teachers in one senior high school and three junior high schools This study was done mainly to find out (1) the professional competences of the exemplary teachers in each town and (2) how they achieve the competences The collected data were analyzed qualitatively by the usual process of sorting, coding, and analyzing The findings reveal that the subjects

in three of the four towns have all the four competences (subject matter, pedagogical, social and personal competences), with the personal competence being the most influential in shaping them as professional and exemplary teachers From the findings, a profile of the professional competences of the exemplary English teachers at secondary schools is developed

Kızılaslan (2011) also conducted a qualitative study on 21 senior ELT student teachers‘ competence of teaching language skills in Turkey Field notes, interviews and follow-up focus group interviews comprised the data sources for the study The study showed that student teachers were not fully competent in areas defined by

MONE and failed to integrate four skills They somehow had difficulty in integrating listening and speaking, and also reading and writing It was also noted that student teachers should be informed about competencies defined by MONE since they were open to improve themselves

To summarize the results of aforementioned studies on English language teacher competence, it was found that the English language teachers would have different strengths and weaknesses in their job From the findings, the teachers‘ training needs also would be identified in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning

1.3.3 English language teachers’ competence in Vietnam

1.3.3.1 English Teacher Competencies Framework (ETCF)

According to ETCF User‘s Guide (section 1), English Teacher Competencies Framework (ETCF) is usually based upon general teacher education research (Ball

& Cohen, 1999; Bransford, Darling-Hammond et al., 2005) ETCF in Vietnam is also developed from several international standards documents for foreign language teachers including the Common European Framework Reference (CEFR), the ACTFL Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers (2002), TESOL/NCATE Teacher Education Standards (2010), the European Portfolio of Student Teachers of Languages (Newby, Allan et al, 2007), and a Vietnamese project, the Hue University EFL Teacher Education Standards (2010) Vietnam‘s English Teacher Competencies Framework is classified into five domains:

Domain 1 is knowledge of subject matter and curriculum It represents subject matter knowledge for English teaching This domain includes teachers‘ language proficiency, knowledge of the language system, understanding of how languages are learned, content and curriculum Curricular content knowledge includes cultures

of English-speaking countries, basic academic content in English, and knowledge of locally used English curriculum

Domain 2 is knowledge of teaching It deals primarily with pedagogical content

knowledge This knowledge includes teaching the four skills, planning effective

lessons, conducting effective lessons, creating supportive learning environments,

assessing students‘ progress and proficiency, and using resources and technology

effectively to support student learning

Domain 3 is knowledge of learners It relates to the knowledge of language

learners Teachers‘ understanding of students‘ development, stages of learner

language, and prior learning experiences contribute to successful student learning

Understanding their students is also necessary as teachers help to develop students‘

creativity and critical thinking - essential 21st Century skills

Domain 4 is professional attitudes and values embedded across knowledge

domains Professional attitudes and values are embedded throughout the other

knowledge domains, as indicated by Domain 4 These attitudes and values include

promoting and modeling language learning; practicing cooperation, collaboration

and teamwork; demonstrating life-long learning and participating in professional

development activities

Domain 5 is learning in and from practice and informed by context

It represents teachers‘ understanding of the context in which English is being

taught, and connecting language learning to real uses of English in Vietnam This

understanding involves connections to other subjects, relevant contextual issues,

and other English users It also involves teachers‘ reflection on their practice

In short, Vietnam‘s ETCF is a standardized, flexible roadmap for teachers to

follow in reaching professionalism Through Vietnam‘s ETCF, teachers can identify

the specific areas which they need for training and self-study throughout their

career Compared with the frameworks of teacher competence, the Vietnam‘s

ETCF, the first set of subject-specific teacher standards in Vietnam, was created

more comprehensively for the English language teachers need to know and be able

to do In the study, Vietnam‘s ETCF was used in the questionnaires so as to achieve

the objectives of the study

1.3.3.2 Previous studies in Vietnam

In Vietnam, some studies were conducted to find out the teachers‘ competence

in different contexts For instance:

Vu Thi Phuong Anh (2006) carried out a research to evaluate teachers‘ competence and to find out problems and solutions for the teaching staff in An Giang high schools The aims of the research was to understand the relationship between the status of teacher competence and the limited factors in their career Then, the suitable solutions would be built up to enhance the quality of teachers in the province The techniques for assessing competence of the participants were class observation, and questionnaires Overall, the competence of the teachers in pedagogy was relatively high The results indicated that high school teachers in the province had sufficient competence in their job However, among three aspects of pedagogical competence structure were examined, classroom management skills and pedagogical manners & behaviors were evaluated better than teaching methods which was still at lower level and should be noticeably improved

Nguyen Kim Dung and Le Thi Thu Lieu (2013) conducted the study

―Evaluating the competence in English language teaching of high-school English teachers in Ho Chi Minh City, who graduated from Ho Chi Minh City University of Education (HCMUE) in the last 5 years (from 2007 to 2011)‖ The study focused on introducing some reasoning viewpoints of the importance of the topic, the findings

of the study, and some recommendations for the Department of English in the HCMUE The study showed the majority of teachers in English (graduate English department, HCMC University of Education from years 2007-2011) were relatively competent in subject matter; pedagogical skills, and good manners However, the teachers still had some difficulties such as teaching methods, curriculum, or lesson planning

In brief, investigating teachers‘ competence has been carried out in Vietnam The findings of the studies indicate that in different contexts, teachers would have different levels of competence Through evaluating teacher competence, their

strengths and weaknesses could be found out; accordingly, prompt solutions would

be formed

1.4 English language teachers’ training needs

1.4.1 English language teachers’ training needs

The quality of education is a centered-theme in education system Thus, the role

of teachers is crucial for its improvement as Siddiqui (2004, p.139) stated: ―teacher

is the only essential element who can bring the educational changes‖ Therefore, the needs in training among teachers have been increasing in order to meet the demands

of the society Through training programs, teachers will be provided many opportunities to develop and update what they still perceive less competent Training is also considered a valuable resource for teachers to share their experience

in teaching career Therefore, it is unquestionable to confirm the essence of training programs To have more high qualified English language teachers, there should be good teacher training courses and educational policies

In the study, the training needs of the targeted teachers would be identified from the teacher trainers and from their own perspectives Possibly, the results will be the sources for educators to implement suitable training programs for in-service English language teachers in similar contexts in Vietnam

1.4.2 Previous studies on English language teachers’ training needs

The importance of training needs is emphasized by the following studies:

Ozen (1997) investigated the perceived needs and expectations of the staff in Freshman Unit at Bilkent University The results showed that the teachers needed to improve themselves in the areas of material preparation and assessment, skills, testing, curriculum design and development, classroom management, methodology, and giving feedback

In India, Nehal & Khan (2012) investigated the training needs of hundred secondary school English teachers from nine blocks of Aligarh District based on workshop methodology A detailed questionnaire was conducted, followed by

unstructured interviews to elicit their perspectives towards their training needs The areas in which teachers demand training are listed below:

· Material adaptation

· Classroom communication skills

· New methods of language teaching

· Effective content delivery based on a lesson plan

· Making teaching materials easy and interesting for the students

· Generating interest for reading and writing among students

· Enabling students to speak, read, write and understand texts in English

· Improving the motivation level of students to use texts

· Use of technology/ multi-media in making texts effective

· Team building and networking skills

In Vietnam, at the beginning of the year 2012, English language teachers‘ competence in Vietnam National University was investigated in order to find out English teachers‘ training needs Through the teachers‘ perspectives, more effective training programs would be adjusted Fifty-four English teachers coming from primary schools to universities participated in the survey The results showed that the surveyed teachers not only need a good understanding of the subject matter, theoretical knowledge but also need further training in the context of language teaching

In general, the role of training needs is to build up competent teachers The needs can be subjective perceptions, their needs as their desires to do their job better It can be objective ones which are seen as the professional requirements for the teachers to meet certain standards Training needs among teachers are diversity Therefore, intensive regular training programs will be organized and widened in order to provide more and more professional teaching generations

1.5 Teachers’ self-assessment

Self-assessment (self-evaluation) is a tool for reflecting on teachers‘ experience, performance and progress in their professional growth A simple definition of self-

assessment was given by Purtić and Sad (2006) in the form of four questions:

―Where am I and what do I know? Where do I want to go? How can I get there? What else do I need to know?‖ Accordingly, self-assessment enables teachers to identify what they really need and find out professional development opportunities Mirici (2015,p.1) also indicated: ―self-assessment comprises purposeful and well-developed common criteria for continuously monitoring, recording and assessing their own educational progress‖ From reflecting on their own performance, their strengths and weaknesses would be identified Furthermore, Aeginitou et al (2007) stated the benefits of self-assessment including (1) monitoring of learning and progress, (2) setting goals for the future, (3) encouraging responsibility for learning, (4) promoting critical thinking, (5) constructing and reconstructing knowledge, and (6) bridging the gap between high and low achievers Therefore, it seems to be a powerful technique to enhance further life-long learning in the educational process The knowledge of self-assessment has been indicated its benefits in order to find out the perspectives of the participants, i.e., the student teachers in this study in terms of training needs and their own competence

1.6 Summary

The present study aims to investigate how competent the English language teachers perceive themselves based on ETCF: their most and least competent areas, the most and least important training needs from their own perspectives Therefore, the related literature review above has presented the definitions of professional competence, the competence frameworks, training needs and the previous findings conducted in different contexts In this chapter, the in-service version of Vietnam‘s ETCF has also been described in order to clarify the specific content of evaluating the English language teachers‘ training needs and their own competence through self-assessment in this study All of the theoretical backgrounds are considered as fundamental issues relating to the topic of the study The following chapter will present the methodology of the research

CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY

This chapter provides the information on the setting, participants, research methods, data collection instruments, and research procedures of the study

2.1 The setting of the study

The study was conducted at University of Language and International Studies, Vietnam National University (ULIS, VNU), a leading university in Vietnam Currently, ULIS has been seen as one of the leading universities in South East Asia which is famous for providing good trainings as well as offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in pedagogy and linguistic studies Hence, there are thousands of new students enrolling in this university every year

ULIS always looks for new methods to improve the quality of teaching and learning English which are the priorities equipped for students in the search for professional development in teaching New programs, therefore, have been launched to better meet the global changes In response to the demands, English Teacher Competency Framework (ETCF) is the first set of subject specific teacher standards issued by the Ministry of Education and Training The Vietnam‘s ETCF provides ―a blueprint of the knowledge, skills, values and processes that make up English teaching in Vietnam in the early 21st Century‖ (ETCF User‘s Guide)

This study focuses on the in-service English language teachers – MA students coming from throughout the country All of them had Bachelor degrees of English

at different universities in Vietnam After graduation, each teacher already has had a certain years of teaching experience

2.2 Participants

2.2.1 Teacher trainers

The subjects of the study are three Vietnamese English teacher trainers that response to the interview question All these teacher trainers have been awarded Doctoral degrees of English Two of them are working at ULIS, VNU and one is

working at Hanoi Metropolitan University All of them have expertise in English language methodology and have over 15 years of teaching experience

2.2.2 Student teachers

The participants are 65 in-service English language teachers – MA students at ULIS, VNU The participation of these teachers were voluntary, and their ages ranged from 24 years to 38 years with different levels of background knowledge They teach English in different contexts, in both urban areas and rural ones throughout the country, and their teaching experience in English varies from one to ten years All teachers are B.A degree holders majored in English and knew the ETCF before answering the questionnaires Therefore, their opinions can be highly reliable and useful for the study

2.3 The data collection instruments

In an effort to obtain information, two instruments of data collection were used; teacher trainers interview and student teachers survey questionnaires

2.3.1 Teacher trainers’ interview

Three teacher trainers were invited into the interview in order to identify their perspectives of the needed competencies for the targeted teachers – MA students The data collected was recorded and taken notes with the consent of the participants, then analyzed in accordance with the English Teacher Competencies Framework (ETCF) The main interview question is ―What are the needed competencies for the targeted teachers from your perspectives?‖ with a list of the following questions in order to obtain the objectives of the study:

1 Which competencies are the most important in Vietnam‘s ETCF for the targeted teachers – MA students?

2 Which competencies are the least important in Vietnam‘s ETCF for the targeted teachers – MA students?

By means of the interview, it could investigate the most/least important competencies in Vietnam‘s ETCF for the targeted teachers provided with reasons

Moreover, the teacher trainers would bring up suggestions for the target teachers to

be more competent in their career

2.3.2 Teacher’s survey questionnaires

Two Likert-scale questionnaires were employed in this study to explore the

teachers‘ needs for training and their own competence after finishing the MA

course The questionnaires were applied to in-service English language teachers -

MA students at ULIS, VNU It consists of two parts Part one elicits data on the

teachers‘ background, such as qualification, teaching experience, and location of

their school Part two consists of 56 statements classified into five domains:

knowledge of language; language learning and language content and curriculum

(domain I); knowledge of language teaching (domain II); knowledge of language

learners (domain III); professional attitudes & values in language teaching (domain

IV); and practices & context of language teaching (domain V) In this part, these

closed questions are for both training needs and self-assessment of their own

competence The answers of the first Likert-scale questionnaire in training needs are

ranked into 5 options from ‗very important‘ to ‗very unimportant‘ The answers for

self-assessment in the second one are also ranked into 5 options from ‗strongly

agree‘ to ‗strongly disagree‘ The contents of the questionnaires based on the

in-service version of English Teacher Competencies Framework (ETCF) in Vietnam

2.4 Data collection and data analysis procedure

2.4.1 Teacher Trainers Interview

In the study, interview questions were posed to and responded by the three

invited teacher trainers, working in the department of Foreign Languages at

Vietnam National University and at Hanoi Metropolitan University Each interview

took from 15 to 30 minutes, and the language used during interview was

Vietnamese All interviews were noted with the consent of the teacher trainers, then

translated into English

The interviews were used to answer the first main question: ―What are the

needed competencies for the targeted teachers from teacher trainers‘ perspectives?‖

Through qualitative research approach, the targeted teachers‘ training needs would be identified by three teacher trainers, and then possible suggestions for the contents of future training programs might be formed

2.4.2 Teachers Questionnaire Data

Quantitative data for this study was gathered from 65 English language teachers – MA students at ULIS, VNU They were invited to fill in the questionnaires based

on the in-service version of Vietnam‘s English Teacher Competency Framework (ETCF)

The questionnaires were delivered to the targeted teachers at the end of the MA course in June, 2015 For each statement in the questionnaires, the English language teachers were invited to respond with their level of agreement to the can-do statements and their judgment of the importance of the statements After all the questionnaires were returned, the data process was done carefully to calculate the frequency of answers Of the total 120 questionnaires distributed to 120 participants

in MA class, 65 were returned

In order to analyze the collected questionnaires data, the researcher grouped data into categories which also serves to answer the second and the third question:

―What are the needed competencies for the targeted MA students from their own perspectives?‖ and ―What are the targeted teachers‘ self-assessment of their own competence after finishing the Master course?‖

2.5 Summary

In short, this chapter has presented the methodology of the study The aims of the study, as stated in Chapter I, is to investigate the professional competence and the training needs of the in-service English language teachers – MA students at ULIS, VNU In order to find out the aims of the study, the data was collected from interviews and questionnaires The next chapter will present the findings of the research under the light of the above-discussed issues

CHAPTER III: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

In this chapter, the results of the study are presented, followed by the discussion and analysis of the data The data has been collected from the interviews and from the questionnaires The results are statistically presented in charts

3.1 Findings of the study

3.1.1 The needed competencies for the targeted MA students from teacher trainers’ perspectives

The main question of the interview is ―What are the needed competencies for the targeted MA students from your perspectives?‖ For this question, the teacher trainers expressed their perspectives to the most and the least important competencies for the targeted teachers as the following:

To be specific, firstly, all of the interviewees pointed out that the first domain

―knowledge of language, language learning & language content and curriculum‖ contains typical competencies which the targeted teachers need the most in their career Specially, ―knowledge of language‖ as the knowledge base for every English language teacher is the prior requirement It is commonly defined as a person‘s ability to use English accurately and appropriately in teaching language Teachers must be aware of what they teach so as to be active and flexible in collecting authentic resources for their students For instance, according to interviewee 1,

―knowledge of language is the first requirement in language teaching career To have an impressive beginning in your teaching career, you must be sure of understanding and using language perfectly‖ Therefore, language teachers, first of

all, have to master competently that language, i.e., English Once being sufficient in knowledge of language, they will be confident in transmitting the knowledge perfectly to their students

Moreover, ―knowledge of cultures in English speaking countries‖ is also embedded in teachers‘ language knowledge which is a matter of concern English is widely used as ‗lingua franca‘ in the world The goal of teaching English is to

develop and promote students‘ ability to communicate effectively and appropriately

in different situations Teaching cultures aims to equip learners having enough cultural knowledge which brings students good impression and have positive attitudes of that country The reasons why cultures of English speaking countries are always considered as a certain competency for English teachers Hence, it is important for foreign language teachers to have sufficient knowledge about the

countries whose language they teach Interviewee 1 also pointed out: ―cultural

knowledge of English language teachers is the important element in this current trend of Vietnam‘s integration in Asia as well as any other countries throughout the world Cultural competency for language teacher means providing them a good understanding of cross-cultural communication.‖

However, in the first domain, interview 3 indicated that it is not absolutely necessary for some English teachers to put ―academic content in English‖ into the highest priority For non-majored English students or students at relatively low levels, the English teachers do not need to expand this knowledge urgently

Secondly, the interviewees showed that ―knowledge of teaching‖ also affects directly students‘ learning outcomes In different stages of teaching career, English language teachers need to develop different teaching competencies To begin with, English language teachers were equipped teaching methodology at universities However, to be a competent teacher, it is not only based on theoretical knowledge but also expanded practical knowledge through teaching experience All of the interviewees shared the same ideas that how to teach, or teaching methodology, is the question that needs to be more concerned In fact, there is always a gap between theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge Teaching skills, therefore, should

be taken into consideration in training programs As time goes by, English language teachers will be mature and experienced

However, in the second domain, interview 3 also mentioned that ―technology for language teaching‖ is less important than other competencies for the English

language teachers living in rural areas because they are not well-equipped with technology and do not have many chances to enhance this skill

Thirdly, according to interview 3, ―knowledge of learners‖ is also essential because of the emphasis on ―student-centered teaching‖, not ―teacher-centered teaching‖ Traditionally, instructors concentrated on what they did which leads to students to be not active In contrast, ―student-centered teaching‖ method tends to

be dominant nowadays Therefore, knowledge of learners is fully necessary in teaching career

According to the opinions of the interviewees, ―teachers‘ professional attitudes and values in language teaching‖ are also highly important for improving educational process Attitudes are closely related to teachers‘ strategies for coping with challenges in their teaching job From then, teachers can shape their students‘ learning environment, promote their motivation and achievement As the

interviewee 2 indicated: ―in the light of integration and development, English is

considered as a communicative tool to exchange information between countries in the world English teacher is one of the main factors that can help improving the quality of students‘ outcomes.‖

In domain IV, ―practicing cooperation, collaboration, & teamwork in language teaching‖, and ―professional development and life-long learning‖ are the top priorities for the targeted teachers However, interview 2 and 3 showed that

―demonstrating professionalism in language teaching‖ is the competency that seems

to be ideal in teaching career Hence, it is not the most prominent factor for the targeted teachers in the contemporary time

Finally, according to interviewee 3, ―practice & context of language teaching‖ is the domain that consists of the vital competencies for the targeted teachers Understanding the essence of connecting inside and outside of the classroom will make the English teachers to be more knowledgeable Especially, the combination between ongoing reflection and improvement throughout their career is completely necessary for the targeted teachers in professional development

In brief, all of the five domains in Vietnam‘s ETCF are entirely important to the targeted teachers Especially, knowledge of language; cultures of English speaking countries; knowledge of teaching, knowledge of learners; practicing cooperation, collaboration, & teamwork in language teaching; professional development and life-long learning; practice & context of language teaching are the foremost competencies that the student teachers needed the most according to the trainers‘ perspectives

3.1.2 The needed competencies for the targeted MA students from their own perspectives

A five-point Likert scale is used and the options are ―very unimportant,

unimportant, undecided, important, very important‖ represented as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

respectively

3.1.2.1 Domain 1: Knowledge of Language, Language Learning & Language

Content and Curriculum

In domain I, there are six competencies to explore the student teachers‘ perspectives of their training needs in knowledge of language, language learning & language content and curriculum

Figure 1.1: Student teachers’ perspectives in knowledge of language & language learning

Overall, the majority of the subjects indicated that they felt the necessity for improving every competency, while a small minority did not think that they need further training in the current situation

Particularly, more than 90% of the participants showed the highest need in

improving competency 1.1a ―teacher‘s language proficiency‖, including item 1.1a1

(I can use English at the level required for my teaching (B2 or C1)) and item 1.1a2

(I can find opportunities to strengthen my English proficiency) Similarly, they also

expressed their high concerns towards competency 1.2 ―language as a system‖ That means, understanding and teaching English sounds, word parts, word meanings, and word order at the primary and secondary level need to be enhanced

However, a small minority did not feel it necessary to be trained in competency 1.1b ―working knowledge of Common European Framework‖ That is, understanding the CEF/KNLNN proficiency descriptors at the levels then applying that knowledge to their teaching practice are not really important for them to get further training

Figure 1.2: Student teachers’ perspectives in language content & curriculum

Overall, the majority of the participants need further training in these competencies, whereas the rests fall into ‗undecided‘ and ‗unimportant‘ choices of being involved in the training programs

According to the chart, it would appear that ―cultures of English-speaking countries‖ is the most needed competency In detail, addressing the three statements

in this competency, around 90% of the participants felt both ‗very important‘ and

‗important‘ to expand cultures of English speaking countries knowledge Around 85% of the participants also indicated that competency 1.6 ―language curriculum‖,

including item 1.6a (I understand the English curriculum I‘m required to use) and 1.6b (I can use textbooks and required curriculum objectives when planning

lessons), plays an important roles in their teaching and need being up-to-date

However, regarding to the competency 1.5 ―academic content in English‖, a

quarter of the participants perceived that using English literature, cultural texts

(websites, songs, TV etc) and English academic texts to teach language and content

is not really necessary to be involved in the training programs

3.1.2.2 Domain 2: Knowledge of Language Teaching

In domain II, there are six competencies to explore the student teachers‘ perspectives of their training needs in knowledge of language teaching

Figure 2.1: Student teachers’ perspectives in language teaching methodology, lesson planning & conducting a lesson

In general, the data demonstrates that a great percentage of the subjects felt both

‗very important‘ and ‗important‘ to improve every competency in this chart,

whereas there was a small number on behalf of participants who responded

‗undecided‘ and ‗unimportant‘ in getting further training in the current situation

It can be seen that with more than 90% of people (‗important‘ and ‗very important‘), ―language teaching methodology‖ is the most needed competency

They showed that the competency including item 2.1a (I know many strategies and

techniques to integrate the 4 skills), item 2.1b (I can use many strategies and techniques to integrate 4 skills), item 2.1c (I can use this methodology to integrate the 4 skills for authentic communication), and item 2.1d (I can use this methodology

to integrate 4 skills to teach different kinds of learners) would be the top priorities

in the training programs

However, apart from a large number of people felt necessary to improve

competency 2.2 ―lesson planning‖ including item 2.2a (I can understand what kinds

of lessons, assignments and activities teach content, integrate skills, and help students learn English), and item 2.2b (I can plan effective lessons and design assignments and activities to teach content, integrate skills and help students learn English), less than 10% of them did not show their major concerns to this

insignificant amount of them who did not feel necessary to get further training in the current situation

With more than 96% of both ‗important‘ and ‗very important‘, ―technology for language teaching‖ is a marked competency in training The participants showed their high needs in having computer skills and in using basic computer programs so that they could use technology in their language teaching and learning

Among ‗undecided‘ and ‗unimportant‘ responses, competency 2.4 ―assessment

of language learning‖ is a bit higher than those in competency 2.5 ―resources‖ and 2.6 ―technology for language teaching‖ That is, the participants were not sure about whether the competency should be involved in the training programs or not

3.1.2.3 Domain 3: Knowledge of Language Learners

In domain III, there are four competencies to explore the student teachers‘ perspectives of their training needs in knowledge of language learners

Figure 3: Student teachers’ perspectives in knowledge of learners

Overall, a large number of the subjects showed their high needs in training for most of the competencies in domain III ―knowledge of learners‖ However, in this chart, less than a quarter of them did not decide whether they needed these competencies in their teaching or not Only a small fraction felt ‗unimportant‘, without any choice of ‗very unimportant‘