Policy And Practices In English As A Medium Of Instruction In Vietnamese Tertiary Efl Contexts

POLICY AND PRACTICES IN ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN VIETNAMESE TERTIARY EFL CONTEXTS By THI HOAI THU TRAN BA Vietnam MA Vietnam Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requi

POLICY AND PRACTICES IN ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN VIETNAMESE

TERTIARY EFL CONTEXTS

By THI HOAI THU TRAN

BA (Vietnam)

MA (Vietnam)

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

IN EDUCATION

School of Education The University of Newcastle

May 2020

Declarations

Statement of Originality

I hereby certify that the work embodied in the thesis is my own work, conducted under normal supervision

The thesis contains no material which has been accepted, or is being examined, for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, contains

no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made I give consent to the final version of my thesis being made available worldwide when deposited in the University’s Digital Repository, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 and any approved embargo

Thi Hoai Thu Tran

Acknowledgments

Completing my PhD journey has always been a dream of mine However, without the support of many people, making that dream come true would have been impossible

I would like to first express my sincerest gratitude to my supervisors, Dr Rachel Burke and Associate Professor Mitchell O’Toole, for their invaluable guidance and continuous support throughout my PhD journey My deeply grateful thanks go to my principal supervisor, Dr Rachel Burke, for her great encouragement Her trust in my research ability has helped me overcome my inferiority complex and I strongly believe that it will always inspire me during my future career My sincere thanks go to my co-supervisor, Associate Professor Mitchell O’Toole, for his critical advice and suggestions

It was Associate Professor Mitchell O’Toole who told me that what I gained from my PhD candidature was not a thesis but what I would do after my graduation as a Doctor

I would like to thank the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training, the University of Newcastle and Hue University of Foreign Languages, for their financial and academic support throughout my PhD candidature

I sincerely thank The International Research Foundation for English Language Education (TIRF) for their grant for this dissertation

I would like to thank the lecturers and students in six selected universities in Vietnam for their cooperation and support during the period of data collection of this research

I am also deeply grateful to my PhD friends in The University of Newcastle for their useful advice and assistance

Last but not least, I would like to express my special thanks to my beloved family This thesis is a gift to my parents, who, with their unconditional love, have always

encouraged me to make my dreams come true My special love and gratitude go to my husband, Duc Tuan Huynh and my children, Ngoc Bao Ngan Huynh and Duc Tien Phat Huynh for being always beside me and motivating me during my PhD journey

Table of Contents

Statement of Originality ii

Acknowledgments iii

Abstract x

List of Abbreviations xii

List of Tables xiii

List of Figures xv

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Background of the study 2

1.2.1 Historical, cultural and linguistic contexts 2

1.2.2 Higher education system in Vietnam 6

1.2.3 The evolution of English language teaching in Vietnam 7

1.2.4 The development of content-oriented approaches 17

1.2.5 Language policy 22

1.2.6 Current policies of the implementation of EMI in Vietnam 26

1.3 Rationale and objectives of the study 30

1.4 Significance of the study 33

1.5 Thesis outline 33

1.6 Chapter summary 36

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 38

2.1 Introduction 38

2.2 English as a global language 38

2.3 Common content-oriented approaches to teach content through a foreign language 40

2.3.1 English for specific purposes (ESP) 40

2.3.2 English for Academic Purposes (EAP) 45

2.3.3 Content-based instruction (CBI) 48

2.3.4 Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) 51

2.3.5 English as a medium of instruction (EMI) 55

2.3.6 The similarities and differences among content-oriented approaches 57

2.3.7 Section summary 62

2.4 English as a medium of instruction as a global phenomenon 65

2.4.1 EMI in European higher education 74

2.4.2 EMI in Asian higher education 89

2.4.3 Section summary 101

2.5 EMI in Vietnamese Tertiary EFL contexts 102

2.5.1 Previous studies on EMI in Vietnamese tertiary EFL contexts 102

2.5.2 Section summary 108

2.6 Chapter summary 109

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 110

3.1 Introduction 110

3.2 Research design 110

3.2.1 Research site 115

3.2.2 Participants 115

3.3 Policy document analysis 116

3.3.1 Policy document collection 116

3.3.2 The analysis of policy documents 118

3.4 Quantitative research 120

3.4.1 Research instruments 120

3.4.2 Data collection procedure 129

3.4.3 Quantitative data analysis 132

3.5 Qualitative research 135

3.5.1 Research instruments 135

3.5.2 Data collection procedure 138

3.5.3 Qualitative data analysis 142

3.6 Ethical considerations 150

3.7 Chapter summary 152

CHAPTER 4: NATIONAL POLICY DOCUMENTS OF EMI IN VIETNAM: FINDINGS OF CONTENT ANALYSIS 153

4.1 Introduction 153

4.2 Findings 153

4.2.1 A summary of selected national policy documents 153

4.2.2 The positions of contemporary EMI programs in policy documents 157

4.2.3 The objectives of the adoption of EMI in Vietnamese universities 163

4.2.4 EMI in Vietnamese universities: Students’ choice and universities’ autonomy 164

4.2.5 Globalisation and internationalisation of higher education as major drivers of the adoption of EMI in Vietnam 166

4.2.6 ‘Policy borrowing’ in EMI programs 170

4.2.7 The role of EMI teachers’ training and selection in ensuring the quality of EMI

courses 172

4.3 Chapter summary 174

CHAPTER 5: QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS: STUDENTS AND LECTURERS’ QUESTIONNAIRES 176

5.1 Introduction 176

5.2 Findings 178

5.2.1 Participants’ demographic information 178

5.2.2 Perceptions of English as a medium of instruction 181

5.2.3 Drivers of the adoption of EMI in Vietnamese tertiary EFL contexts 192

5.2.4 Perceived impact of EMI courses on students’ language skills and competence 198

5.2.5 Challenges in EMI courses and strategies to overcome these challenges 216

5.2.6 Suggestions for improving EMI courses 225

5.3 Chapter summary 232

5.3.1 Summary of key findings of students’ questionnaires 232

5.3.2 Summary of key findings of lecturers’ questionnaires 235

CHAPTER 6: QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS: LECTURERS’ INTERVIEWS 239

6.1 Introduction 239

6.2 Findings 240

6.2.1 Demographic information 240

6.2.2 Lecturers’ perceptions of EMI 242

6.2.3 The language(s) used in EMI classes 250

6.2.4 Teaching and learning materials 252

6.2.5 Challenges faced by lecturers 253

6.2.6 Teaching strategies 257

6.2.7 Suggestions for improving EMI courses 261

6.3 Chapter summary 268

6.3.1 Key findings of lecturers’ interviews 268

CHAPTER 7: QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS: STUDENTS’ FOCUS GROUPS 271

7.1 Introduction 271

7.2 Findings 272

7.2.1 Demographic information 272

7.2.2 Students’ perceptions of EMI 273

7.2.3 The language(s) used in EMI classes 279

7.2.4 Teaching and learning materials 281

7.2.5 Challenges faced by students 282

7.2.6 Learning strategies 287

7.2.7 Suggestions for improving EMI courses 289

7.3 Chapter summary 292

7.3.1 Key findings of students’ focus groups 292

CHAPTER 8: DISCUSSION 295

8.1 Introduction 295

8.2 Key findings 296

8.2.1 The adoption of EMI in Vietnam 296

8.2.2 EMI lecturers 311

8.2.3 EMI students 320

8.2.4 EMI and its impact on students’ language proficiency 327

8.3 Chapter summary 331

CHAPTER 9: CONCLUSIONS 333

9.1 Introduction 333

9.2 Summary of the major findings 333

9.3 Implications 340

9.3.1 Implications for students 340

9.3.2 Implications for lecturers 342

9.3.3 Implications for universities 344

9.3.4 Implications for policymakers 347

9.4 Limitations of the study 348

9.5 Suggestions for further research 350

9.6 Conclusions 352

REFERENCES 353

APPENDICES 369

Table of appendices 369

Appendix A1: Ethics approval 370

Appendix B1: Participant information statements 373

Appendix C1: Consent forms 403

Appendix D1: Lecturers’ questionnaire 409

Appendix D2: Students’ questionnaire 425

Appendix D3: Lecturers’ interview protocol 439

Appendix D4: Students’ focus group protocol 441

Appendix F: Shot screens of qualitative analysis in Nvivo 12 446

Abstract

English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) has become a global phenomenon in higher education in non-native English-speaking countries However, the successful implementation of EMI often depends on the degree of alignment between this approach

to language instruction, the educational expectations and the infrastructure of local contexts: EMI may be welcomed, or it may be rejected or adapted to local socio-political and cultural contexts Although EMI has been deployed in some selected Vietnamese universities since the 1990s, there is little research on its implementation

This study was conducted to seek an understanding of policy and practices in EMI

in Vietnam through explanatory sequential mixed methods research, including policy document analysis, surveys and interviews Nine current national policy documents were analysed to find out the extent to which issues regarding the implementation of EMI have been addressed in policy documents Surveys of 360 students and 30 content lecturers, interviews with 12 content lecturers, and focus groups with 30 students at 6 selected Vietnamese universities helped to investigate local practices and perceptions

The findings of the policy analysis indicated that foreign language teaching (FLT)

is a major focus of the Vietnamese government’s educational reform, and that EMI is considered as a way to achieve both its educational and non-educational goals in the global age EMI is encouraged, but not compulsory, in some selected Higher Education Institutions who meet the government requirements for EMI programs However, explicit discussions of issues regarding the implementation of EMI in the context of Vietnamese higher education are notably absent from policy documents

The present investigation of student and lecturer perceptions revealed mostly

bring students great opportunities for both accessing current scientific knowledge and future employment, with positive impacts on students’ language proficiency, especially students’ reading skills, listening skills and knowledge of technical terms

Lecturers and students reported that EMI provided varied challenges for Vietnamese higher education Lecturers were apparently most challenged by students’ lack of English language proficiency, whereas students indicated that they felt most pressured by final exams in which they had to perform their content-area knowledge in English Students acknowledged their own lack of English language ability, recognising difficulties arising from the unavailability of textbooks, dense curriculum, time allocation and lecturers’ teaching methods Lecturers identified the extra workload created by EMI

as a chief obstacle in EMI courses

The findings of my study provide insight into the range of learning and teaching strategies that lecturers and students apply within their EMI courses and practical suggestions for improving EMI instruction

Overall, lecturers and students were positive about the adoption of EMI in Vietnamese tertiary EFL contexts, notwithstanding the challenges they faced However, the strategic implementation of EMI in Vietnam seems to require adjustments at all levels

of institutional and government policy to ensure that the voices of practitioners and students are heard The findings of this study provide relevant insights for policymakers, higher education institutions, lecturers, and students of EMI programs in Vietnam and other countries