INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING AT VIETNAM USA SOCIETY (VUS) LANGUAGE CENTER

Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate in the reality of teaching English in Vietnam, especially at VUS center, in terms of teaching and learning intercultural communicat

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES

FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE

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INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

AT VIETNAM USA SOCIETY (VUS) LANGUAGE

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Supervised by NGUYỄN HOÀNG TUẤN, Ph.D

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HO CHI MINH CITY, JANUARY 2016

Table of contents

1.! Introduction 3

2.! Body 4

2.1 The notion of intercultural communication and its importance 4

2.2 Intercultural communication in English language teaching in general 4

2.2.1.! Learners’ differences 4

2.2.2.! Teaching strategies 6

2.2.3.! Teacher training 6

2.3 Intercultural communication in English language teaching in Vietnam 7

2.4 Intercultural communication in English language teaching at VUS center 8

2.4.1.! Interview results 8

2.4.2.! Personal observation 10

2.4.3.! Teaching experience 11

2.4.4.! Suggestions 12

3.! Conclusion 13 References

Appendices

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Le Roux (2002) stated that in a context of cultural diversity, communication is an

essential component of success for students and teachers because it is the “means and indeed the medium of education”; and it is also the primary tool which is able to assist instructors to

accomplish their teaching objectives Therefore, a focus on intercultural communication within the classroom environment is not only critical but of fundamental importance

Given those reasons, teaching intercultural communication along with the English

language is considered to be of extreme importance When students are equiped with the

knowledge of other cultures, they have fewer difficulties in communicating with those who come from different backgrounds Being aware of cultural differences also makes it easier for students

to adapt with new living environments Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate in the reality of teaching English in Vietnam, especially at VUS center, in terms of teaching and learning intercultural communication, based on the writer’s observation activity, personal

teaching experience, following with implications and suggestions for the time ahead

2.! BODY 2.1 The notion of intercultural communication and its importance

Within the literature, intercultural communication is regarded as symnonymous as that of general communication; however, an additional emphasis is recognized in terms of the cultural context (Chen & Starosta, 1996; Spitzberg, 1989) Furthermore, Spitzberg (1989) argued that the contextual parameter is the only aspect that is able to change from general interpersonal to

intercultural communicative interactions Beyond the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with others in general, intercultural communication also relates to understandings when communicate with others "who identify with specific physical and symbolic environments"

as a result of their cultural backgrounds (Chen & Starosta, 1996)

The knowledge of different cultures in communication is undeniably significant for learners’ success Jarvis (1986) claimed that when the discrepancy between the traditional and new set of beliefs is too great, it “produces pasive resistance or non-learning in the student.” For instance, in a study on the negative outcomes of learning a new culture, Kamm (1990) examined the culture shock experienced by Vietnamese migrants after six to twelve months in the USA Considering the differences between the two cultures, facing new values and beliefs in a new place, they were reported to have reactions that “may range from over-enthusiastic embrace of everything American to a disatisfaction with everything.”

To sum up, the literature on intercultural communication has asserted the importance of communication between different cultures and the lack of cultural knowledge can lead to

misunderstandings and “a disorientating dilemma in cross-cultural interactions” (Ellis, 1994) In other words, teaching and learning intercultural communication is a crucial factor leading to the success in communicating effectively Nevertheless, the methodology used for teaching

intercultural communication indeed counts as a significant contribution to this success Hence, teachers of English should be acknowledged of how to teach English along with intercultural communication appropriately and effectively

2.2 Intercultural communication in English language teaching in general – learners’ differences, teaching strategies, and teacher training

2.2.1.! Learners’ differences

In recent years, discussions on the cultural appropriateness of various language teaching methodologies have been brought up, especially when they were exported across contexts

(Barkhuizen 1998, Coleman 1996, Holliday 1994, Hu 2002) Along with this viewpoint, the struggle and frustration that learners may encounter when being in an intercultural classroom, has urged teachers and syllabus developers to take into consideration learners’ cultural

backgrounds in terms of choosing materials and appropriate pedagogical approaches for

particular teaching contexts (Coleman 1996, Holliday 1994, McKay 2002)

Considering the application of intercultural communication in language teaching, many researchers have pointed out that learners’ learning styles differ as a function of their cultural backgrounds (Auyeung & Sands, 1996; Lam-Phoon, 1987; Ramburuth & McCormick, 2001; Sauceda-Castillo, 2001) Moreover, Roach et al (2003) have indicated that teaching strategies may also differ from different perceptions

Auyeung and Sands (1996) compared learners from Australia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan

in order to comprehend if learners from different countries differ in their learning styles

Australian students were viewed as representatives of Western individualistic cultures and those from Hong Kong and Taiwan were considered representatives of Eastern collectivistic cultures The result showed that Australian students preferred solid and active learning styles, and they had less preference for abstract and reflective learning styles, compared with students from Hong Kong and Taiwan Lam-Phoon (1987) also pointed out the cultural differences between Asian college students in Singapore and Caucasian college students in the U.S The results found that auditory and visual modes of learning are more favoured by Asians than Caucasians In contrast, Ramburuth and McCormick (2001) have found that Australian learners had slightly greater preference for auditory learning styles than Asians, and there was no significantly important difference in favour for visual learning modes Instead, Asian learners denoted a greater

preference for tactile and kinesthetic learning styles than Australian ones

Interestingly, Sauceda-Castillo (2001) observed cultural differences in learning styles among participants of U.S ethnic groups – African-American, Anglo-American, Asian-

American, and Hispanic- American Students from the minority ethnic groups (i.e., African-, Asian-, and Hispanic-American) preferred the accustomizing learning style while Anglo-

American learners indicated preference for the assembling learning style Both learning styles are keen on learning through abstract conceptualization, but accustomisers transform their

knowledge through observation; meanwhile, assemblers process the knowledge by

experimentation To some extent, this difference in learning style preferences can explain the reason why minority students are likely to be less vocal in class

2.2.2.! Teaching strategies

Although the conclusion on students’ perceptions of teaching strategies in terms of

cultural differences has not been drawn firmly, Roach et al (2003) have found that U.S students supposed their teachers to ultilize different strategies, such as affinity-seeking, non-verbal

immediacy, reward, referent, and expert power, more than French students did The differences

in perceptions between American and French students seemed to suggest that the students

themselves have different expectations relating to their roles in the classroom

Instead of identifying differences as Roach et al (2003), Littlewood (2001) found

astonishing similarity among learners from various cultural backgrounds (i.e., eight East Asian countries along with three European countries) In general, the findings indicated that almost all

of the students preferred independent learning styles more than having their instructors count as strictly dominant roles in the classroom The results therefore disconfirmed the general

assumption that learners with Eastern cultural backgrounds expect hierarchical roles in the classroom Overall, it can be concluded that students have positive reactions and attitudes

towards participative learning as well as group work

2.2.3.! Teacher training

Realising the importance of intercultural communication in language teaching, its

benefits and consequences as well, there have been a number of intercultural teacher education programmes which can potentially count as examples and models for others to follow (Ladson-Billings, 1999) A recent research on intercultural teacher education programme has been

proposed by Cochran-Smith et al (2004) The researchers also constructed a formal theoretical framework in order to make clear of the relevant literature The framework includes such aspects

as diversity, ideology, knowledge, teacher learning, practice, outcomes, recruitment and

selection, and coherence Diversity associates with the identification of teacher educational matters that are the result of demographic shifting Ideology concentrates on the value-based aspect of education purposes and how it befits the greater context of society Knowledge relates

to what teachers and instructors must know to teach effectively, especially about how cultures affect the learning progress Teacher learning deals with the process or methods which

instructors apply in their teaching Practice refers to the particular skills which are necessary to

teach dissimilar populations Outcomes involves the appropriate results of instructor preparation relating to both instructional and behavior assessment Recruitment and selection encloses the idea about who should be selected to join the teaching department Finally, coherence comprises the previous seven aspects and investigates how they are related to each other These aspects, however, have not satisfied the desire of linking theory with practice and emphasized the fact that there are not enough studies investigating realistic classroom practice of teachers (Cochran-Smith et al., 2004)

In an attempt to address the matter of connecting theory with practice Cochran-Smith et

al (2004) have proposed a research agenda named “mapping forward” and “mapping back” Specifically, they have stated that research must effectively incorporate intercultural teacher education with the learning of teachers, their professional practice, and their students’ learning as well Cochran-Smith et al have explained that research mapping forward should appear in the form of longitudinal studies in which pre-service instructors are followed from the beginning of their training until their professional teaching experiences; next, assessments of outcomes from their students would be concluded Meanwhile, research mapping backwards starts with

identifying successful classroom practices, then it investigates the teachers’ learning experiences

as well as other factors which have assisted them to accomplish success in their work

To sum up, it can be easily seen that effort to prepare instructors with intercultural

knowledge to teach various students who differ greatly in the way they think, behave, and learn, has been ongoing for more than three decades (Cochran-Smith et al., 2004) Although there are not enough clear improvements in this field, it is essential and important to acknowledge the influence of cultures on the teaching and learning processes As a result, teachers and education programmers are to be anticipating the changes in teacher education and exploring the

appropriate applications in a specific teaching context

2.3 Intercultural communication in English language teaching in Vietnam

Secru (2006) concluded that the development of learners’ intercultural communication ability should be one of the main objectives of language education As a result, language learners are able to communicate acress cultural boundaries and mediate between cultures successfully (Byram, 2008)

In a study examining how Vietnamese university teachers of English integrate culture into their teaching, Nguyen (2013) found that even though the participants had a deep and

comprehensive view towards cultures, they had considerably limited goals in incorporating culture in their teaching practices Moreover, the teaching activities focused more on the cultural knowledge than developing other aspects such as the intercultural communication awareness and skills Nguyen (2013) also indicated that the teaching activites of Vietnamese teachers of English are restricted and limited by their syllabuses and prescribed teaching materials The study also discovered that Vietnamese teachers of English received little support from the teacher

development programmes For example, they did not have enough opportunities to develop teachers’ intercultural competence or the pedagogical knowledge related to intercultural

communication competence

In a study in 2012, Pham emphasized that “learning a language involves increasing sensitivity towards cultural differences.” Therefore, teachers should raise learners’ awareness of intercultural communication in order to avoid misunderstandings, and they should also “provide feedback on learners’ pragmatic mistakes” rather than focusing on form mistakes Moreover, in order to enhance the quality of communication, teachers of English should adopt “self-discovery rather than ‘teach all’ approach.” This can be accomplished by organizing activities that

encourage students to establish the habit of exploring intercultural communication practices and how these intercultural differences affect the interaction and communication of people from these cultures Hence, teachers of English are able to arouse and foster learners’ curiosity for the target cultures they are aiming at Pham (2012) also suggested that this approach can be achieved

by various methods, such as role-plays, acting out scenarios, field trips, researching information about a particular culture and so on These activies can lead to learners’ self-discovery towards cultural differences and their perceptions of how intercultural communication is influenced by such cultural variations

2.4 Intercultural communication in English language teaching at VUS center –

interview results, personal observation, teaching experience and suggestions

2.4.1.! Interview results

The interviews were conducted at Vietnam USA Society Language center, An Duong Vuong campus The participants are three Vietnamese teachers who have been working at the campus for more than two years, and they are also holding a Master degree in TESOL The interviews were semi-constructed in order to encourage participants to express their opinions freely as much as possible, and to avoid response bias To minimize the biases, all of the

interviews used an informal conversational style, and discussions started at a broad level,

concerning about the perceptions of intercultural communication Then, the participants were introduced with more detailed questions relating to intercultural communication teaching at the language center The interviewer recorded and took notes during the interviews and all of the interviews were transcribed afterwards

The first two questions of the interview are aimed at introducing the research topic, which relate to the concept of intercultural communication, team performance and the

workplace Among the three participants, two of them addressed the relevance of intercultural communication and team performance; however, the relationship between the two concetps was not significant For example, the first interviewee demonstrated that the communication is more appreciated than team performance and they are not closely related to each other Besides, the second interviewee stated that “intercultural communication competence has something to do with team performance but not much,” and that “intercultural communication competence does not make a lot of difference to the performance”; however, she mentioned that good intercultural communication competence is able to improve the working quality since Vietnamese teachers are sometimes required to cooperate with foreign ones Agreedably, the two participants both view their workplace as a multicultural environment due to the diversity of teachers’ origins; for instance, American, English, South African, Australian, and so on

The next two questions aimed to investigate the participants’ awareness of intercultural communication competence First of all, the three interviewees are aware of the importance of intercultural communication in today’s job market Nevertheless, they all agreed that the ability

to commuincate interculturally is certainly not the most important factor, just an advantage in the process of communication Interestingly, the first and the third interviewees stated that the more crucial factors are soft skills and the countries or the working environments of the labour

Secondly, concerning about the characteristics, qualities or skills of an individual who is able to communicate interculturally, all of the participants had different ideas about the issue For

instance, they mentioned that an intercultural individual should have a good proficiency of English, be acknowledged of the cultures, be hard-working, sociable and friendly These

characteristics and qualities are considered to be able to contribute to a person’s success in working and communicating with other people from different cultures

The last part of the interview examined the matter of intercultural communication

competence in the practice of teaching English at VUS All of the three participants in the

interviews notably mentioned that the teaching programme at VUS lack intercultural knowledge For example, the first interviewee talked about the book Everybody Up and said that there is not enough knowledge about culture provided Furthermore, Vietnamese teachers have to cover other language skills and areas so that the time for extra knowledge is limited Another example from the second interviewee is the book Solution Although the book provides a culture lesson which is taught by foreign teachers, she still thought that it was not enough for the learners to be prepared and aware of intercultural communication When the interviewees were asked about the kind of intercultural knowledge they want to teach in class, they listed a number of different aspects such as table manners, etiquettes, greetings, word choice when communicating with others, and so on Meanwhile, when suggestions for teaching intercultural communication skills were asked, the participants were reluctant and hesitate to express their opinions The first

participant advised her students to watch and learn from movies or to go to district One to

communicate with foreign people and learn from them The second interviewee was unsure about what teachers should do to promote the student’s intercultural communication skills since the culture lessons are taught by foreign teachers However, she thought that students should get frequent input of intercultural knowledge in every lesson and when it is possible, students should have chances to produce and practice the language or the customs of foreign cultures The third participant mentioned that in order to provide more intercultural knowledge for students,

teachers should do more self-study, investigate the topic of the lesson more carefully in order to identify important cultural points so that they can teach the students more accurately and more appropriately

To sum up, the interviews provided enlightening infomation and personal opinions

towards intercultural communication competence in a specific context Vietnamese teachers seem to be novel to the idea of teaching cultural knowledge since they have been familiar with teaching the language skills and areas However, the three interviewees are aware of the

importance of intercultural communication competence and it can be easily seen that they have tried to embed more cultural aspects into their lessons in order to improve learners’ intercultural communication skills

2.4.2.! Personal observation

Vietnam USA Society (VUS) language center is operated by Vietnamese boards of directors and has been in business for more than ten years The students of the center are mainly Vietnamese students who are currently studying at public or private schools, coming to the center at night or the weekends in order to improve their English skills The age range of these students varies from three to twenties; there are even adults who are in their forties learning English at VUS but they only account for a small portion Considering the learners’

characteristics, it can be seen that the teenagers, whose ages range from thirteen to nineteen, are the ones that can be introduced and taught intercultural communication easily They are willing

to learn new knowledge about the world, about other cultures as well Their willingness is also supported by their desire of studying abroad; therefore, intercultural communication knowledge and skills will be able to benefit them in the future

Apart from the learners aspect, the materials and coursebooks used at the school should

be taken into consideration in terms of providing a source of intercultural communication

knowledge and skills The coursebooks such as Everybody Up, Motivate, Solutions and so on seem to focus on grammatical and vocabulary aspects, comprising a large amount of

grammatical exercises which are useful for learners to enhance their language skills (reading, listening, writing and speaking) Furthermore, the coursebook Motivate also provides CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), which is a new method for teaching and learning English in Vietnam Despite the new approach introduced, these coursebooks still lack

knowledge and skill about other cultures, giving learners the sense and awareness of intercultural communication Therefore, it can be said that intercultural communication information still needs more attention and concentration from the programmers of the language center in

particular and the Vietnamese policy makers in general

2.4.3.! Personal teaching experience

Taking teaching experience into consideration, the writer has been teaching at VUS center for one year; however, the writer has dedicated to the job and drawn a lot of personal experience which is considered as personal valuable asset During the time teaching at the

school, the writer has tried to introduce knowledge, providing information and practices on cultural aspects, using videos, presentations, reading materials, listening texts and so on The reactions from the students are various and thought-provoking First of all, it can be seen that younger learners are less keen on such activities than the older ones For instance, they showed

indifference or boredom towards learning new knowledge beside what is provided in their

coursebook In other words, they lack the awareness of intercultural communication knowledge, probably because of their immaturity and thoughtfullness about the world Secondly, considering the older learners such as high school or university students, interest and concern have been recorded and recognised when they get access to such cultural information This might be the result of their maturity and better-developed cognition towards the world around them Finally, thanks to the support and agreement of students and other colleagues, the writer has been

motivated to continue integrating intercultural communication skills and knowledge into the teaching pracice Nevertheless, the writer should be aware of the correctness and appropriateness when introducing new information, as well as which methods and practices should be employed for the best result

From another viewpoint, it is necessary that educational programmers and policy makers support and provide language teachers with sufficient opportunities to enhance intercultural communication skills for learners Language teachers are usually restricted to the syllabus and the provided materials In this case, it is the duty and responsibility of programmers that they should incorporate more intercultural issues into the programme by adopting and adapting new international materials, trending ideas and innovations and so on Also, language teachers should

be provided with more workshops, conferences and training courses in terms of intercultural communication competence so that they are able to improve their teaching practices, giving their students the best knowledge they can In short, language teachers, educational programmers, and policy makers should unify and incorporate with each other so as to improve the teaching and learning processes of intercultural communication As a result, learners become successul