Luận văn thạc sĩ an investigation into the use of presentation reflection assignments in the american studies syllabus at ulis vnuh relevance and efficacy as perceived by lecturers and students

Background of and rationale for the study

Research and teaching about the United States have a rich history that dates back to the nation's founding However, at the University of Languages and International Studies – Vietnam National University, Hanoi (ULIS-VNUH), this multidisciplinary field was only introduced into the curriculum about ten years ago (Country Studies Division, 2009).

During this period, the academic staff of the Country Studies division has been dedicated to enhancing the American Studies course by refining its structure, updating materials, and improving teaching methods This effort will intensify as the division prepares to launch a new undergraduate program in American Studies for the university in the 2012-2013 timeframe As a junior lecturer collaborating with the team, the author recognized the opportunity to contribute to the revision of current teaching methods, making this thesis a valuable endeavor in that process.

Between 2008 and 2011, students in American Studies courses frequently voiced concerns regarding assignment requirements, quality, and grading Instead of addressing individual queries about specific assignments, this study aimed to explore the fundamental aspects of the existing course assignments, particularly focusing on oral presentations and written reflections as concrete outcomes of the teaching and learning experience.

Aims of the research

The study sought to evaluate the perceptions of American Studies lecturers and students at ULIS-VNUH regarding the effectiveness of coursework design in achieving the course's objectives.

Chapter 1: Introduction ii To what degree do they think the actual assignment quality has met the assignments' requirements? iii What do they suggest about modifying the assignments?

Significance of the study

The research did not propose a definitive assignment design for the course; rather, it aimed to influence the development of assignment types in American Studies and similar courses, such as British Studies and General Geography of the UK and the US, to align more effectively with established course objectives Additionally, it serves as a valuable resource for educators and researchers focused on testing and assessment in curriculum design.

Scope of the research

The study focuses on American Studies assignments, examining two key dimensions: relevance and efficacy, which will be further defined in the following chapter.

The study focused on students and lecturers from the American Studies courses at ULIS-VNUH, specifically targeting the QH081E class, the most recent group to complete the courses All participating lecturers were from the Country Studies Division within the Faculty of Linguistics and Cultures of English-Speaking Countries.

Chapter 2: Literature Review and Practical Basis

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

Since the early 1980s, there has been an increasing interest in integrating language and content teaching, particularly in American Studies courses at ULIS-VNUH Various programs and models have emerged across all educational levels, promoting the combination of language instruction with content knowledge (Met, 1991) By the mid-1990s, European countries began to adopt curriculum innovations that emphasized Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), where subjects like science and geography are taught alongside English (Graddol, 2007) This approach falls under the broader category of Content-based Instruction, which aims to enhance both language proficiency and subject matter understanding.

Content-Based Instruction (CBI) is a curriculum approach that integrates language learning with content instruction This paper aligns with the perspective of Curtain and Pesola (1994), emphasizing that CBI involves teaching curriculum concepts through a foreign language, tailored to the students' grade level.

According to Met (1999), "content" in content-based programs refers to material that is cognitively engaging and challenging for learners, extending beyond just the target language or culture This paper aligns with the definitions provided by Met (1999) and Curtain and Pesola (1994), which are particularly pertinent to the research context.

"Content" refers to curriculum concepts that are intellectually stimulating and challenging for learners, encompassing materials that go beyond just the target language or culture.

Content-based instruction (CBI) operates on the principle that students can acquire both language skills and subject knowledge through content delivered in the target language Recently, prominent authors like Rodgers have identified CBI as a significant offshoot of Communicative Language Teaching.

In 2001, authors expanded the understanding of Content-Based Instruction (CBI), with Stryker and Leaver (1997) describing it as a comprehensive approach to foreign language education CBI serves not only as a philosophical orientation but also as a methodological system, a course syllabus design, or a framework for an entire instructional program.

The advantages of the approach are supported by a wealth of research across multiple disciplines, including second language acquisition, teacher training, and cognitive psychology Empirical evidence for Content-Based Instruction (CBI) is highlighted in successful programs across various educational contexts and instructional levels (Adamson, 1993; Dupuy, 2000).

Classification of CBI and current teaching context

Through a careful review of related literature, this paper adopts the classification used by Met (1999) Met (2007) has specified the approach as follows:

A CONTINUUM OF CONTENT AND LANGUAGE

Courses Language classes with frequent use of content for language practice

The actual instruction model aligns closely with Sheltered Courses, as defined by Echevarria, Vogt, and Short (2004) and referenced in Short and Himmel (2007).

The adjunct model, as noted by Davies (2003), focuses on acquiring specific target vocabulary and often includes study skills sessions to help students with listening, note-taking, and text skimming and scanning However, these elements diverge significantly from the course's primary objectives (Country Studies Division, 2007).

In a typical American Studies course, assignments consist of group presentations on specific topics, accompanied by individual reflection essays from group members regarding their presentations Additionally, peer evaluations are required, where other groups assess the performance of their classmates' presentations Both the group presentations and individual reflections are graded, highlighting the importance of collaboration and critical analysis in the learning process (Dang, 2008).

In 2011, a new component known as "quizzes," consisting of a series of mini tests, was added to the syllabus However, because of its experimental nature, this assignment is not included in the scope of this paper.

In various classes, the assignment is referred to by different names such as report, reflection, evaluation, or comment sheet For the sake of clarity, this research report will use the term "reflection/report assignment."

"reflection assignment", with the intent to encompass all varieties of the name

In this research, the relevance of assignments for teachers and learners is defined by how effectively these tasks help achieve the course objectives The perceptions of both groups regarding this relevance are analyzed separately before being discussed together.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Key and related concepts

1.1.1 Content-based Instruction and the teaching context in ULIS-VNUH American Studies courses ince the early 1980s, there has been a growing interest in combining language and content teaching In the American context, programs, models, and approaches have proliferated in all levels of instruction, creating various forms of incorporating language and content teaching (Met, 1991) In the mid 1990s in European countries, curriculum innovations have been directed toward the content and language integrated learning approach, in which both curriculum content – e.g science or geography – and English are taught together (Graddol, 2007) All these forms of incorporating language and content teaching fall under the heading of Content-based Instruction

Content-Based Instruction (CBI) is a pedagogical approach that emphasizes the integration of language and content instruction This article aligns with the perspective of Curtain and Pesola (1994), defining CBI as a method where curriculum concepts are taught in a foreign language, tailored to the students' grade level.

According to Met (1999), "content" in content-based programs refers to material that is both cognitively engaging and challenging for learners, encompassing aspects beyond just the target language or culture This paper aligns with the definitions provided by Met (1999) and Curtain and Pesola (1994), as these definitions are particularly pertinent to the research context.

Content refers to curriculum concepts that are both cognitively engaging and challenging for learners, encompassing materials that go beyond just the target language or culture.

Content-based instruction (CBI) operates on the principle that students can effectively acquire language skills and subject matter knowledge through content delivered in the target language Recently, notable authors like Rodgers have acknowledged CBI as a significant offshoot of Communicative Language Teaching.

In 2001, some authors expanded the understanding of Content-Based Instruction (CBI) by emphasizing its multifaceted nature Stryker and Leaver (1997) describe CBI as a comprehensive approach to foreign language education that serves as a philosophical orientation, a methodological system, a syllabus design for individual courses, or a framework for entire instructional programs.

The advantages of the approach are supported by extensive research across multiple disciplines, including second language acquisition, teacher training, and cognitive psychology Strong empirical evidence for Content-Based Instruction (CBI) is demonstrated through successful programs across various contexts and instructional levels (Adamson, 1993; Dupuy, 2000).

Classification of CBI and current teaching context

Through a careful review of related literature, this paper adopts the classification used by Met (1999) Met (2007) has specified the approach as follows:

A CONTINUUM OF CONTENT AND LANGUAGE

Courses Language classes with frequent use of content for language practice

The actual instruction model aligns closely with Sheltered Courses, as defined by Echevarria, Vogt, and Short (2004), which emphasizes effective teaching strategies for diverse learners.

The adjunct model, as noted by Davies (2003), focuses on acquiring specific target vocabulary and often includes study skills sessions to help students with listening, note-taking, and text skimming and scanning However, these aspects diverge significantly from the course's objectives (Country Studies Division, 2007).

In a typical American Studies course, assignments often consist of group presentations on specific topics, accompanied by individual reflection essays from group members about their presentation Additionally, peer evaluations are required, where other groups assess the presentation performances of their classmates Both the group presentations and individual reflections are graded, highlighting the importance of collaboration and critical analysis in the learning process (Dang, 2008).

In 2011, a new assignment known as "quizzes," consisting of a series of mini tests, was added to the syllabus; however, due to its experimental nature, this assignment will not be addressed in this paper.

In various classes, assignments may be referred to by different names such as report, reflection, evaluation, or comment sheet For consistency, this research report will use the term "reflection/report assignment."

"reflection assignment", with the intent to encompass all varieties of the name

In this research, the relevance of assignments is evaluated based on how effectively they contribute to achieving the course objectives for both teachers and learners The perceptions of teachers and students regarding this relevance are analyzed separately before being discussed together.

In this research, the term emphasizes the quality and quantity of student work in relation to assignment requirements, highlighting the importance of adhering to guidelines It is based on the belief that strict compliance with these requirements leads to the achievement of desired outcomes.

Accordingly, the following figure proposed another way to visualize the two concepts relevance and efficacy in their relation to each other and to course objectives:

The American Studies course objectives at ULIS encompass essential concepts that may not be immediately apparent It is crucial to clarify these concepts, particularly "English skills" within the context of sheltered instruction, to enhance understanding in relation to existing literature.

"interdisciplinary research skills" Acknowledgedly, "presentational competencies" and foci of American Studies were important concepts, too, but they were adequately defined by the course syllabus already

1.1.4 English skills in sheltered course classes

How does this study fit into other research?

This research would best contribute to, among all relevant studies, the body of researches on sheltered instruction, which until recently dominated by commanding and

This study, inspired by the "think globally, act locally" principle, offers a comprehensive examination of testing and assessment within sheltered instruction classrooms, focusing on a specific local context as outlined by Echevarria, Vogt, and Short.

Summary

METHODOLOGY

Research questions

This study sought to address three key questions regarding the perceptions of American Studies lecturers and students at ULIS-VNUH: First, how effectively do they believe the design of the courseworks has contributed to achieving the course's objectives? Second, to what extent do they feel the quality of the actual assignments aligns with the established requirements? Lastly, what recommendations do they have for improving the assignments?

Participants

This research involves two key stakeholder groups: the Faculty of English Language Teacher Education and the Faculty of Linguistics and Cultures of English-Speaking Countries.

A survey was conducted with 532 third-year students from 22 classes of QH081E, who were well-acquainted with the procedures and requirements of Country Studies courses These students had previously completed two courses on General Geography of the UK and the US, as well as a course in British Studies, and had just finished their American Studies course before the end of their third year They were invited to participate in a detailed questionnaire survey, which is discussed in the following sections.

The second group of participants consists of six teachers from the Country Studies Division who instructed American Studies for the QH081E classes Due to the limited number of teachers, the data collected from this group was carefully analyzed in alignment with the research's focus.

Chapter 3: Methodology qualitatively to provide deeper insights and explanation to the issues arose Two of the teachers have more than 10 years of experience in teaching these courses, while the others range from 2 to 5 years This group of teachers were invited to give responses to a questionnaire survey, followed-up by a short in-depth interview.

Instruments

This research employs a mixed-methods methodology, primarily focusing on quantitative approaches to outline the situation, while qualitative methods support deeper interpretation Data was collected using three instruments: a questionnaire survey tailored for both students and teachers, interviews conducted post-survey with participating teachers, and secondary analysis of students' American Studies scores, particularly their presentation-reflection scores, to ensure comprehensive triangulation.

A questionnaire survey, consisting of two similar versions, was utilized to gather data on teachers' and students' perceptions regarding the relevance and effectiveness of American Studies assignments Each version was structured around two core dimensions, although the specific connections of each question to these dimensions were kept undisclosed This method was selected for its numerous advantages and its alignment with the research objectives.

The 5-point Likert scale was adopted as the core framework for the design of the questionnaire Most questions were formulated on this scale in form of statements, and participants were asked to respond to these statements Possible responses range from 1- Strongly disagree to 5-Strongly agree The last open-ended question was utilized in order to gain more qualitative data for the third research aim The questionnaire consisted of 40 questions [See Appendix 1a and 1b for the final questionnaire forms]

The primary distinction between the two versions for students and teachers is the phrasing of each question, while a minor difference includes an informational question regarding teaching experience for teachers and class enrollment for students.

In this research, a supplementary instrument was utilized alongside a questionnaire survey, involving all six participating teachers in brief discussions Each teacher elaborated on a primary question that expanded upon an open-ended question from the survey, providing additional insights to support their responses Notably, no students were included in the interview process.

This study focused on analyzing the presentation scores of QH081E students in the American Studies subject to identify significant correlations within the collected data The data was compiled and stored by the Faculty of English Language Teacher Education.

Data collection procedures

The questionnaire survey was conducted in the following steps:

1 Introducing about the research via student mail group with the aid of a student coordinator This introduction reached all students of QH081E

2 The coordinator forwarded the questionnaire form to monitor of each class

3 All monitors then forwarded this form to their class' members, who later returned the filled forms to their respective monitor

4 All monitors packed the forms together and sent back to the researcher via email

Teachers received the form directly, completed it, and returned it to the researcher Subsequently, they participated in independent interviews after their responses were carefully reviewed.

To conduct research on American Studies scores of QH081E students, the researcher first obtained authorization from the faculty by completing an archive access request form Upon approval, the researcher gained full access to utilize the students' scores for the study.

Data analysis procedure

Data from questionnaire was first grouped together on "community" basis, i.e students' forms were grouped according to their class, while all teachers' forms were taken together under the "teacher group"

Raw data was meticulously sorted and enumerated using specialized software, primarily MS Excel, to save time compared to SPSS The nominal responses, such as 1 for "Strongly disagree" and 3 for "Uncertain," were converted into numerical data for analysis.

Responses were organized into batches following the principles outlined in section 3.3.1, ensuring the questionnaire was formulated and analyzed quantitatively for effective interpretation and discussion in the subsequent chapter.

The analysis combined responses from open-ended questions with interview data to explore deeper issues This qualitative analysis emphasized the content of the responses rather than the frequency of similar answers.

This study focuses exclusively on students' presentation scores from the QH081E classes, as these were the grades assigned to their presentation-reflection assignments By calculating the average presentation scores for each class and the overall QH081E cohort, the research aims to identify potential correlations between presentation scores and the efficacy index.

Summary

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Perceptions of teachers and students of the degree to which the actual assignment

Efficacy, defined as the capability of assignments to align with syllabus objectives, serves as a crucial measure of their contribution to achieving set goals The perceptions of both students and teachers regarding this efficacy were assessed through eight questions related to the presentation assignment and three questions concerning the reflection assignment, yielding positive results.

In a recent presentation assignment, around 70% of students reported that they adhered closely to the provided guidelines, achieving a median score of 3.1 across eight criteria, with most scores being 3's and one 4 Teachers, on the other hand, expressed an even greater appreciation for their students' compliance, with an average median score of 3.3.

The evaluation of the reflection assignment's effectiveness was moderately positive, with approximately 60% of student respondents agreeing that their reflections met the assignment's requirements The median scores were 2.7 for students and 3.0 for teachers, indicating a mixed response to the assignment's efficacy.

Correlation between efficacy index and presentation score

In an attempt to find the correlation between the efficacy (perception) index and students' presentation scores, which took both assignments – presentation and reflection – into

Chapter 5: Conclusion consideration, the researcher used students' official presentation scores (as filed by the faculty) jointly with data yielded from the questionnaire survey

The calculation involved using means to determine the average scores and efficacy indexes for each class, allowing for a comparison of these figures against the overall averages This process highlighted the differences in scores and efficacy indexes between individual classes and the collective averages.

20 classes (See Appendix 5 for details)

With this method, positive correlations between the efficacy indexes and presentation scores were identified:

 A 1 point increased in presentation efficacy index would yield 2.14 points increased in presentation score

 A 1 point increased in reflection efficacy index would yield 0.85 points increased in presentation score

 A 1 point increased in presentation-reflection combined efficacy index would yield 1.54 points increased in presentation score

The study found a strong correlation between students' belief in their adherence to guidelines and their academic performance, indicating that those with higher efficacy perceptions tended to follow the requirements more closely This suggests two interpretations: first, that students who perceive themselves as capable are more likely to comply with grading criteria, and second, that increased confidence and assertiveness positively influence their performance in various presentation tasks.

What do teachers and students suggest about modifying the assignments? – Practical

The influx of qualitative data from students has resulted in a wide range of suggestions, many of which may not directly address the questions posed For a summary of pertinent suggestions, please refer to Appendix 6, where efforts have been made to paraphrase and organize the data This discussion will focus solely on relevant student suggestions, along with insights from teachers gathered through questionnaires and interviews.

A significant issue with the presentation assignment is the lack of depth, as noted by 75% of teachers and many students To enhance the quality of presentations, students proposed implementing new requirements that emphasize research content, better fact-based support, and increased opportunities for discussion before and after presentations Alternatively, they suggested replacing traditional presentations with seminars While teachers agree on the need for improvement, they offer varying approaches to address the concerns raised.

Students expressed dissatisfaction with reflection assignments, deeming them tedious and ineffective due to rampant copying among peers and a lack of proper grading measures Many suggested eliminating these assignments altogether or substituting them with graded reflective essays following each lecture In contrast, teachers proposed less drastic solutions to address the issue.

About teachers, and other factors that related to the either or both of the assignments

Students, when looking at teachers to make suggestions, seemed to focus more on their teachers' degree of effort invested in helping them

While the recommendations may arise from the oversight or teaching styles of specific educators rather than all teachers, they serve as a valuable checklist for everyone to consider and tailor to their unique classroom environment.

1 Summary of findings o sum up in clear terms, average medians were used as a measure to gauge the relevance of presentation-reflection assignment toward realizing each course objective:

1 2.75 Met the objective for the most part (with only 1 over

2 2.38 Failed to meet the objective

3 2.56 Partially met the objective (each group of English skills and interdisciplinary research skills could only meet two thirds of the objective)

The combined efficacy of presentation-reflection assignment could be deemed high at median value of 3.0, however, the reflection assignment's requirements were slightly less observed, with the median value of 2.67

Many suggestions for improvement highlight the importance of presentations as a valuable assignment, with a focus on enhancing their effectiveness In contrast, the reflection assignment received minimal attention, indicating a potential disinterest from both students and teachers This is further supported by the observation that most median values indicating "failures to meet the objective" were associated with the reflection assignment.

Despite the meticulous design of the study and its instrumentation to minimize potential issues, it was impossible to eliminate all flaws A significant limitation identified by the researcher was the challenge of managing a large sample size of 317 participants, a task they had not encountered before This lack of experience resulted in difficulties with raw data processing, including duplicates and variations of similar responses Although many inconsistencies were addressed, some remained, potentially impacting the reliability of the study's results.

Based on the study's limitations, future research should prioritize frequent communication with respondents and closely monitor their answering processes Additionally, subsequent studies could explore each objective of the syllabus, particularly the less clear aspect of interdisciplinary research skills, and examine the correlation between the combined efficacy index and presentation scores.

It will be then that we can confirm the positive correlation

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Appendix 1 American Studies course outline

Appendix 2a Survey questionnaire form – Student version

Appendix 2b Survey questionnaire form – Teacher version

Appendix 3a Summary of questionnaire data – Students' Perception

*Shaded boxes indicate areas of median value

Appendix 3b Summary of questionnaire data – Teachers' Perception

Item Student Teacher Item Combined Student Teacher

16 3.0 3.5 PreP-C Presentation's influence on presentational skills combined

18 2.0 2.5 RepP-C Reflection's influence on presentational skills combined

EngP-C Presentation's influence on English skills combined

EngR-C Reflection's influence on English skills combined

24 2.0 2.0 ResSk-C Interdisciplinary research skills combined

26 3.0 3.0 FurS-C Preparation for further study combined

Dif Difference compared with average (ALL) XcD/P Amount of presentation score increased (or decreased) per 1 point of X increased (or decreased)

*Conforming to the anonymity principle, real class IDs were replaced by ordinal ID z

Summary of findings

o sum up in clear terms, average medians were used as a measure to gauge the relevance of presentation-reflection assignment toward realizing each course objective:

1 2.75 Met the objective for the most part (with only 1 over

2 2.38 Failed to meet the objective

3 2.56 Partially met the objective (each group of English skills and interdisciplinary research skills could only meet two thirds of the objective)

The combined efficacy of presentation-reflection assignment could be deemed high at median value of 3.0, however, the reflection assignment's requirements were slightly less observed, with the median value of 2.67

Suggestions for improvement indicate that presentations are viewed as a valuable assignment, with most ideas focused on enhancing their effectiveness In contrast, the reflection assignment received little attention, suggesting a lack of interest from both students and teachers This is further evidenced by the median values indicating "failures to meet the objective," which were predominantly associated with the reflection assignment.

Limitations of the study

Despite the meticulous design of the study and its instrumentation to minimize potential issues, it was impossible to eliminate all flaws A significant limitation arose from the researcher's lack of experience in handling a large sample size of 323 participants This challenge resulted in difficulties during data processing, including the presence of duplicates and variations in responses Although most inconsistencies were addressed, some noise remained, potentially impacting the reliability of the study's results.

Suggestions for further research

Based on the study's limitations, future research should emphasize regular communication with respondents and closely monitor their answering processes Additionally, subsequent studies could explore each objective of the syllabus in greater detail, particularly the less clear aspect of interdisciplinary research skills, as well as investigate the relationship between the combined efficacy index and presentation scores.