Ảnh hưởng của chương trình học trải nghiệm tutoring project đối với phát triển nghề nghiệp của sinh viên sư phạm tiếng anh

Experiential learning has been widely employed in professional training, especially preservice teachers’ training, as a supplementary to formal theoretical instruction. The purpose of experiential learning in preservice teachers’ education is to put the theory into practice, thereby reinforcing knowledge acquisition. However, in this paper, the impact and purpose of experiential learning is reexamined in the light of the Tutoring project 2015 – 2016, where the preservice teachers prepared and conducted lessons in pairs or groups even though they did not receive any formal training in pedagogy before and during the project. The research investigated the influences of the experiential learning Tutoring project on preservice teachers’ professional development from the aspects of challenges

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

GRADUATION PAPER The influences of the experiential learning Tutoring Project

on ELT pre-service teachers’ professional development

Supervisor: Nguyễn Thu Lệ Hằng, PhD Student: Nguyễn Phương Hà

Course: QH2014.F1.E1

ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH

KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP Ảnh hưởng của chương trình học trải nghiệm Tutoring Project đối với phát triển nghề nghiệp của sinh viên sư phạm

Signature of Approval:

_

I hereby state that I: Nguyen Phuong Ha, class QH2014E1 being a candidate for the degree

of Bachelor of Arts (Honors) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper

I would like to express my gratitude towards Dr Nguyen Thu Le Hang, my

supervisor for your valuable feedback and support Without your insights, this research

would not be possible I did learn a great deal from your comments It was indeed a pleasure

to be your student

I would like to offer my thanks to the participants of this research for sharing your

thoughts and experiences

My gratitude is extended to all the lecturers in the Fast-track program for instilling

the can-do spirit in me My two years in the Fast-track program was a series of first times:

the first time I made a documentary, the first time I designed a poster and, most importantly,

the first time I acted as a teacher It was such an eye-opening journey

My appreciation also goes out to my friends, especially Nguyen Huu Nhat Minh,

for his support and encouragement, and those fellow classmates for your critical comments

and witty jokes in the middle of the crisis

Last but not least, I would like to express my deepest gratitude towards my mother,

who taught me to never surrender to difficulties and challenges Thank you for always

being my greatest source of strength and inspiration I am forever in your debt

Abstract

Experiential learning has been widely employed in professional training, especially pre-service teachers’ training, as a supplementary to formal theoretical instruction The purpose of experiential learning in pre-service teachers’ education is to put the theory into practice, thereby reinforcing knowledge acquisition However, in this paper, the impact and purpose of experiential learning is re-examined in the light of the Tutoring project 2015 – 2016, where the preservice teachers prepared and conducted lessons in pairs or groups even though they did not receive any formal training in pedagogy before and during the project The research investigated the influences of the experiential learning Tutoring project on pre-service teachers’ professional development from the aspects of challenges

Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources Specifically, the materials related to the project, such as lesson plan, course guide, teaching materials were gathered Additionally, five pairs of pre-service teachers and one supervisor were asked to participate an online telephone interview After that, qualitative inductive content analysis was utilized to process the data

The results pointed out major challenges facing the pre-service teachers during the project, such as learner profile, content, time management, learner engagement, classroom management and emotion Moreover, the growth of the pre-service teachers was visible regarding teaching skills, teacher identity and the perception of their role in relation to learners Finally, the participants proposed solutions to make up for the lack of pedagogical training and to improve the Tutoring project as a whole Overall, the analysis of lesson plans and interview confirmed the influences of the experiential learning without theoretical training on professional development Based on the findings, the paper also puts forward certain recommendations such as promoting the role of peers and providing detailed orientation at the beginning of the course

List of tables and figures

Figure 2.1.: Kolb’s Learning Cycle 8 Table 4.1.: The difficulties from the pre-service teachers’ perspective 26 Table 4.2.: Improvement as perceived by pre-service teachers 34

TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE

1.2 Statement of research problem 2

2.4 Principle of Instructed Language Learning by Rod Ellis (2004) 9 2.5 Context: The Tutoring project 2015 – 2016 9

4.1.2 Interview data analysis 23 4.1.2.1 Procedure of Tutoring project 2015 – 2016 23

5.3 Limitations and suggestions for further study 52

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

With the belief that a qualified teacher requires more than sound pedagogical strategies and solid subject knowledge, experiential learning or field experience has been widely employed in EFL pre-service teacher education (Anderson, 2004, as cited in Hudson, Nguyen & Hudson, 2008; Stewart, 2004, as cited in Hudson, Nguyen & Hudson, 2008) Experiential learning is conducted with a view to bringing more attention to teaching practice in context It is usually utilized as a supplementary to pedagogical theory training to enable pre-service teachers to reinforce and apply what they have accumulated through in-class instructions in actual social and cultural settings However, it is argued that experiential learning or field experience in Vietnamese ELT pre-service teacher education seems “severely limited” (Nguyen, 2017, p.12), with too much emphasis on English proficiency and subject-matter knowledge (Nguyen, 2013, as cited in Nguyen, 2017) while “the core of language teacher education must center on the activity of teaching itself, the teacher who does it, the context in which it is done, and the pedagogy by which

it is done” (Freeman & Johnson, 1998, p.397, as cited in Nguyen, 2017)

Yet, it is unclear whether experiential learning is still effective without the precondition of formal professional training In the “Tutoring Project”, experiential learning was also employed to improve pre-service teachers’ pedagogical skills Specifically, thirty-nine ELT pre-service teachers in sophomore year were asked to participate in the “Tutoring Project”, in which they designed their own course and conducted lessons from scratch Firstly, these pre-service teachers were assigned a target level Their job was to train their students to reach that goal (B2 in Semester 1 & C1 in Semester 2) Subsequently, they had to decide what to teach, how to teach it, and conduct the lesson After the lesson, they were required to provide follow-up activities for their students to do at home Notably, none of the mentioned pre-service teachers had undergone

any formal teacher training both before and during the project Formal training here is limited to education and training at university only

1.2 Statement of research problem and questions

The impact of experiential learning as an independent course has not been clearly defined In order to fill in such gap, this research examined the influences of the experiential learning Tutoring Project 2015 – 2016 on pre-service teachers’ professional development from the aspect of difficulties and lessons learnt by overcoming these challenges Additionally, the study searched for solutions to counter the lack of pedagogical training and to enhance the course in general

To reach the above goals, a set of questions were laid out with the aim of orientating the research:

1 What are the difficulties that ELT pre-service teachers encountered in the Tutoring Project as perceived by pre-service teachers and supervisor?

2 What professional lessons did they gain by overcoming such challenges?

3 In what ways can the “Tutoring Project” be improved to make up for the lack

of formal pedagogical training?

1.3 Scope of the study

This study set out to answer such questions by investigating ELT pre-service teachers in QH.2014, Fast-track program, University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS), who participated in the Tutoring Project 2015 – 2016

Though the Tutoring project might serve multiple purposes, the sole focus of this study was the impact on professional development of ELT pre-service teachers The population of this research was restricted to 39 participating pre-service teachers of the Tutoring project 2015 – 2016

1.4 Significance of the study

Generally, this study aimed to contribute to the body of knowledge about the practice of experiential learning in teacher education Additionally, this research would significantly benefit the stakeholders of the “Tutoring Project”, namely teacher educators and pre-service teachers Teacher trainers may use the result of this research as a basis for adapting teaching methodology and revising the syllabus if needed On the other hand, this research allows pre-service teachers to take informed actions for their own professional development

The focus of chapter 3 is on the research design It justifies the use of purposive sampling technique, interview, document analysis, and content analysis in relation to the context of this research The steps in three stages sampling, data collection and data analysis are also specified

Chapter 4 displays the data collected by instrument: secondary data collection and interview The interview results are divided into four main parts: procedure, challenges, lessons and suggestions Then, major findings and their implications are presented based

on the analysis of data

Finally, chapter 5 answers the research questions and summarizes key findings Limitations are also acknowledged and directions for further study are suggested

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter provides a theoretical context for this research Firstly, it clarifies key concepts such as experiential learning and teachers’ professional development as well as offers a research-based explanation of their relation Secondly, the context of the Tutoring project 2015 – 2016 is presented Finally, how this study fits into the existing literature is also mentioned in this chapter

2.1 Key concepts

2.1.1 Experiential learning

Experiential learning, as defined by Beard and Wilson (2006, p 2), is “the

sense-making process of active engagement between the inner world of the person and the outer world of the environment” In general, experiential learning serves to encourage students

to apply the knowledge gained through in-class instruction into real life situation (Wurdinger & Carlson, 2010) In pre-service teacher education, experiential learning can also be seen as the intersection of theory and practice, where pre-service teachers apply their knowledge into contextual situations, thereby reinforcing what they have learned in class In this paper, experiential learning is interchangeable with field experience or field-based experience

2.1.2 Teachers’ professional development

The term “teachers’ professional development” is a controversial term since it is viewed differently by scholars in terms of definition and phases For example, Hoyle and Megarry (1980) argued that professional development the ongoing process of acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge for teaching On the other hand, Day (1999, as cited in Jiang, 2017, p 5), after reviewing a great amount of literature, concluded that professional development of teachers is made up of “all natural learning experiences and various consciously organized activities” Fullan and Hargreaves (1992, as cited in Jiang, 2017) assumed that there are more to professional development than just the skills and knowledge

acquired through teacher education They believed that the process of setting goals, getting along with co-workers and many other aspects are also a part of professional development However, in this research, the term “professional development” of teachers adopts Perry’s definition (1980, as cited in Jiang, 2017, p 6) since it provides the most comprehensive understanding:

“In the neutral sense, teachers’ professional development means teachers’ personal growth in professional life, including the enhancement of confidence, the improvement of skills, constant update and deepening of disciplinary knowledge

and the intensification of the sense of why to do this in the classroom teaching And

in the most positive sense, teachers’ professional development encompasses even more content; teaching has gone beyond a skill, and become an art; teachers has promoted teaching from a job to a career, and turned the professional knowledge to authoritative knowledge.”

2.2 The impact of experiential learning on Pre-service teachers’ professional development

Experiential learning has long been employed in teacher education as a supplementary tool to formal professional training, and has proved its role successfully Research has shown that experiential learning contributes immensely to pre-service teachers’ professional development One benefit is professional identity construction (Gil-Gomez, Chiva-Martoll, & Marti-Puig, 2015; Yu & Hunt, 2016) Pre-service teachers’ perception of their role as a teacher is gradually shaped via field experience As exemplified

by the study of Yu and Hunt (2016), the pre-service teachers in the study showed remarkable changes in their attitude and perception towards their role

According to Yu and Hunt (2016), experiential learning is essential for making sense of one’s role as a teacher in relation to students, school and parents Another advantage is professional skills Experiential learning also helps pre-service teachers to brush up professional skills such as creating a learning environment, planning and delivering a lesson, and classroom management Finally, field-based experience builds up pre-service teachers’ confidence as a teacher, helping them believe in their teaching ability (Yu & Hunt, 2016)

These influences still hold true even when the experiential learning coincides with formal training instead of following it This claim is manifested by Mukeredzi’s (2016) investigation of the professional development of Professionally Unqualified Practicing Teachers (PUPTs) in rural Zimbabwe secondary schools Due to the lack of teachers, university graduates were recruited as teacher in rural areas These teachers were well equipped with subject knowledge from their university degree, yet lacked formal pedagogical training to be qualified as a teacher Once recruited, they were enrolled in a formal professional training in order to become qualified, and at the same time, conducted their teaching at school as a teacher The study pointed out that their development as a teacher were attributable to experiential learning (teaching at school) rather than formal pedagogical training provided by the government The experiential domain received unanimous agreement from participants to have greatly enhanced their professional skills According to these participants, their professional growth not only came from hands-on experience in class like delivery and classroom management, but also from lesson preparation, reflection and evaluation Besides, opportunities to observe, discuss with colleagues, appraise one’s practice and question another’s were also of great help to their professional development

In general, previous studies have confirmed the influences of experiential learning

on teachers’ professional development The impact was noticeable whether experiential learning was carried out subsequently or simultaneously with formal pedagogical training However, the impact of experiential learning as a stand-alone course is still in question Hence, this study hopes to fill in such gap of knowledge so as to better illustrate the impact

of experiential learning in pre-service teacher education

2.3 Kolb’s Learning Cycle

Kolb’s Learning Cycle or Kolb’s Experiential Learning Style Theory is based on his belief that “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (Kolb, 1984, p.38, as cited in McLeod, 2013) The model encompasses four stages as below:

Figure 2.1.: Kolb’s Learning Cycle

• Concrete experience: experiencing a new situation or actually doing an activity

• Reflective observation: reflecting on the performance and considering both

strengths and weaknesses

• Abstract conceptualization: Forming new ideas from the experience

• Active experimentation: Applying the newly-formed concepts to future situations,

leading to new experience

Kolb (1974, as cited in McLeod, 2013) sees the four stages as mutually complementary A learner may start at any stage of the cycle However, according to him, effective learning is only achieved when a learner experiences all four stages

Concrete experience

(doing/ having an experience)

Reflective observation

(reviewing/ reflecting on the experience)

Abstract Conceptualization

(concluding/ learning from the experience)

Active experimentation

(planning/ trying out what

you have learned)

2.4 Principles of Instructed Language Learning by Rod Ellis (2004)

Principles of Instructed Language Learning is Ellis’s (2004) attempt to generalize

a set of ten principles for second language instruction

“Principle 1: Instruction needs to ensure that learners develop both a rich repertoire

of formulaic expressions and a rule-based competence;

Principle 2: Instruction needs to ensure that learners focus predominantly on meaning;

Principle 3: Instruction needs to ensure that learners also focus on form;

Principle 4: Instruction needs to be predominantly directed at developing implicit knowledge of the L2 while not neglecting explicit knowledge;

Principle 5: Instruction needs to take into account the learner's "built-in syllabus"; Principle 6: Successful instructed language learning requires extensive L2 input;

Principle 7: Successful instructed language learning also require opportunities for output;

Principle 8: The opportunity to interact in the L2 is central to developing L2 proficiency;

Principle 9: Instruction needs to take account of individual differences in learners; Principle 10: In assessing leaners' L2 proficiency, it is important to examine free as well as controlled production.”

(From Ellis, 2004, p 209-224)

2.5 Context: The Tutoring project 2015 – 2016

“Tutoring Project”, or the Tutoring Program, is the name of the project where the pre-service teachers acted the role of teachers to prepare and deliver lessons The Tutoring project originally was a course of third-year and fourth-year pre-service teachers, who had

learned English language teaching methodology The objective of the Tutoring project then was to give the third-year and fourth-year pre-service teachers a chance to put the knowledge they had learn into practice (Y, telephone interview, April 14, 2018)

However, in the year of 2015 – 2016, the Tutoring project was incorporated in the course 3C* and 4C* for second-year pre-service teachers This distinguished the Tutoring Project of the year 2015 – 2016 from those of the previous years in two major points Firstly, none of the pre-service teachers had received any formal pedagogical training by the time Secondly, the Tutoring project was featured as an activity of Fast-track program, thereby embodying the philosophy of a Fast-track course According to AUN Report (2012, as cited in Nguyen, n.d.), a Fast-track course is defined in two distinct characteristics Knowledge acquisition should not be the sole objective of the course, but generic skills must also be a part of that aim In addition, learner-centered approach must also be highlighted

The Tutoring Project as well as the courses 3C* and 4C* of the year mentioned were conducted with 39 pre-service teachers from two different classes, (coded as Class 1 and Class 2), of QH2014, Fast-track program, Faculty of English Language Teacher Education (FELTE), University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS)

There were two teacher trainers participating in this course as the supervisors The supervisor teachers of the two classes were swapped between the two semesters That meant the supervisor teacher who took charge of Class 1 in semester 1 would take care of Class 2 in semester 2 and vice versa

The content of the courses 3C* and 4C* varied from year to year In the year of

2015 – 2016, these courses were comprised of more than one components For example, according to University of Languages and International Studies (n.d., p 3), the 4C* course consisted of “attendance and participation in CLC (20%), the Tutoring project (30%), the research project (20%) and the end-of-term test (30%)” The Tutoring project and the

research project were conducted simultaneously from week 1 to week 15 of the semester while the CLC day and the end-of-term test were carried out at the end of the semester

Accordingly, the objective of the Tutoring project was also included in the objective

of the whole course without clear distinction from other components’ For an instance, as prescribed in 4C* Course guide by University of Languages and International Studies (n.d.,

p 1-2), the objective of the whole course 4C* in general was to enable students to:

• plan, prepare for and conduct lessons;

• plan, prepare for and conduct a small-scaled research project; and

• achieve the target level of English language competency (B2+ in the first semester and C1+ in the second)

Overall, the responsibility of the supervisor in the Tutoring Project included:

• assisting the pre-service teachers in preparing for the lesson,

• evaluating the pre-service teachers’ performance and participation,

• giving feedback on the performance

On the other hand, the pre-service teachers, who acted as the tutors, were required

to do as follows:

• recruiting tutees’ or learners of the course (applicable to semester 1 only)

• planning, preparing and conducting the lesson in pairs or groups of three (The members of each pair and group in the two semesters might be different);

• providing the tutees’ with homework or follow-up materials (optional in Semester 1 and compulsory in Semester 2);

• giving feedback on the tutees’ homework (applicable to semester 2 only)

It was noteworthy that pre-service teachers had to prepare their students for the VSTEP format (Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency) with the target level

of B2 (Semester 1) and C1 (Semester 2)

Additionally, there were certain differences between the Tutoring project of Semester 1 and that of Semester 2 One adjustment lay in the homework Homework and follow-up materials were optional in the first semester but compulsory in the second Another divergence was the tutees, or the learners In semester 1, tutees were recruited from the students of other classes and other universities but in semester 2, the classmates acted as the tutees This led to the last difference: assessors In the first semester, supervisor was the only one to officially evaluate the tutors However, in the second one, peers were also involved in the evaluation process of pre-service teachers Not only the supervisor but also classmates, who acted as the tutees, were given the assessment form to evaluate their tutors

This led to several different marking criteria in the assessment of semester 2 For example, there were certain criteria of the second semester that previously were not included in the first, such as:

• “(Assessed by the tutees) The lesson provides useful strategies and practice for my C1 proficiency exam preparation;

• (Assessed by the tutees) Feedback on tutees’ homework is clear, detailed, useful and on-time;

• (Assessed by the supervisor) The homework is appropriate in terms of quantity and quality;

• (Assessed by the supervisor) The feedback session is clear, detailed and useful.” (University of Languages and International Studies, n.d , p 7)

In this paper, the term “supervisor”, or “supervisor teacher” refers to the teacher trainers participating in course, Additionally, the term “tutees”, “students” and “learners”

are used interchangeably to describe the students from other universities or the classmates who acted as the learners in this course

2.6 Summary

In sum, the role of experiential learning in teachers’ professional development has been carefully examined though numerous research According to these studies, experiential learning allows teachers to improve their teaching skills, make sense of their role and enhance their confidence In these studies, experiential learning took place either after or at the same time with formal pedagogical training

Evidently, the role of experiential learning as a supplementary tool to formal pedagogical training has been carefully examined Yet, little light has been shed on the concept of experiential learning as an independent course, or even as a foundation for formal pedagogical training This research investigates experiential learning without the precondition of formal professional training, in the light of the Tutoring project 2015 –

2016

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

This chapter illustrates the research methods concerning sampling, data collection and analysis The selection of such design is also justified and step-by-step description of the procedure is provided

3.1 Sampling

The criteria for participant selection in this study are:

• Pre-service teachers of course QH2014 at Fast-track Program, Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University;

• Participants of Tutoring Project in the year 2015 – 2016;

• Pre-service teachers who did not receive any formal pedagogical training prior to and during the Tutoring Project 2015 – 2016;

• Pre-service teachers who worked with the same partner throughout the course of Tutoring Project, from Semester 1 to Semester 2

Purposive sampling method is employed for this study Purposive sampling, or judgemental sampling, as defined by Kumar (1999), is to knowingly select participants who can provide the most relevant information to address research questions based on researchers’ judgement The rationale for adopting this approach is that the members of each pair and group might change from Semester 1 to Semester 2 In case there were differences in pre-service teachers’ performance between Semester 1 and 2, it would be difficult to pin the differences on the changes in personnel or the changes in pre-service teachers’ cognition Therefore, this study will selected 5 pairs of pre-service teachers whose members did not change from Semester 1 to Semester 2 to rule out the factor of personnel changing

The sampling procedure is conducted as follows:

• The researcher connected with supervisor teachers or class monitors of course QH2014, Fast-track Program, Faculty of English Language Teacher Education to obtain the list of pre-service teachers who participated in the Tutoring Project 2015 – 2016;

• Potential participants were selected according to the above-mentioned criteria Thus, ten pre-service teachers were registered as qualified for this study;

• The researcher approached prospective participants, explained the study and asked them for their agreement to take part in the study

3.2 Data collection

To begin with, data were collected by utilizing structured telephone pair interview Interview, by Kumar’s definition (1999, p.439), is “any person-to-person interaction, either face to face or otherwise, between two or more people with a specific purpose in mind” According to Kothari (1990), structured interviews follow a set of pre-determined questions Interviewers of structured interview will carry out a fixed procedure and ask questions “in a form and order prescribed” (Kothari, 1990, p.98)

This method of structured online pair interview ensures several merits as follows:

• In-depth information can be obtained, such as participants’ attitudes and perception

of the Tutoring Project;

• Flexibility in terms of time and location can be ensured in order not to miss out any precious and unique piece of information;

• Comparability and generalization can be assured among the participants;

• Pair discussion is facilitated in order to jog participants’ memory of the Tutoring Project

Additionally, data were extracted from the documents that the pre-service teachers used in the Tutoring Project 2015 – 2016, such as lesson plans, slides, and videos

3.3 Data analysis

To begin with, inductive qualitative content analysis was utilized to process the data from the interview in this study Content analysis, in general, is considered flexible by many researchers since it can be used to describe a wide range of analytic approaches from impressionistic, intuitive, interpretive analyses to systematic, strict textual analysis (Rosengren, 1981, as cited in Hsieh & Shannon, 2005) Additionally, content analysis is distinctive in a way that it can be conducted in both quantitative (Krippendorff, 2004, as cited in Bengtsson, 2016) and qualitative method (Berg, 2001, as cited in Bengtsson, 2016) Specifically, qualitative content analysis, by Hsieh and Shannon’s (2005, p.1278) definition, is a research method “for the subjective interpretation of the content of text data through the systematic classification process of coding and identifying themes or patterns”

Additionally, inductive approach, or conventional approach of content analysis was selected Hsieh and Shannon (2005) classified qualitative content analysis into three approaches: conventional (inductive), directed (deductive) and summative Firstly, the conventional, or inductive, approach is usually used to describe a phenomenon where existing theory or research literature on that phenomenon is limited (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005) In this approach, the researchers would immerse themselves in the data as a whole, and then derive the categories and coding list inductively from the text (Mayring, 2000, as cited in Hsieh & Shannon, 2005) Codes generated inductively may change during the process as the data grow (Bengtsson, 2016) Secondly, the directed approach, or deductive approach, aims at validating or extending existing theory or hypothesis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005) Therefore, in deductive design, the coding list is usually generated from a previously formulated model before analyzing data (Catanzaro, 1988, as cited in Bengtsson, 2016) Finally, the purpose of summative approach is “not to infer meaning, but explore usage” (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005, p.1283) Hence, this research design usually identifies and quantifies particular words in a certain context

The inductive design was adopted for three following reasons Firstly, the purposes

of the other two approaches did not match with the aim of this study Specifically, the

deductive approach is used to re-evaluate an existing hypothesis while the summative approach explore the use of certain words in a particular context Secondly, the inductive approach can make up for the lack of theory and existing model of the influences of experiential learning on pre-service teachers’ professional development Finally, according

to Hsieh and Shannon (2005), one major advantage of this approach is that researchers can extract direct information from the participants without imposing pre-existing theory on them

The process for data analysis was as follows:

• The interviews were transcribed;

• The researchers perused the texts and field-notes thoroughly;

• Categories and coding list emerged inductively from the text/ data;

• Categories and coding lists were revised along the process of interpretation;

• The themes were identified and interpreted

(Adapted from Hsieh and Shannon, 2005)

In addition, the data collected from document analysis were evaluated according to

“Principles of Instructed Language Learning” by Rod Ellis

To recapitulate, purposive sampling, interview and qualitative inductive content analysis were utilized for this study The selection of such design was based on the aim of the research, the availability of existing theory and certain characteristics of the Tutoring project 2015 – 2016

CHAPTER 4:

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter lays out the findings from the lesson plan analysis and the interview The challenges and progress of the pre-service teachers were presented; suggestions were proposed to make up for the lack of pedagogical training and to improve the project in general Moreover, theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also discussed

4 1 Findings

4.1.1 Lesson plan analysis

The lesson plan collected was evaluated based on the Principle of Instructed Language Learning by Ellis (2004) The

lesson plan of each pair was compared between Semester 1 and Semester 2 to reveal the progress of the pre-service teachers In general, the most common changes were:

• awareness of lesson objectives;

• attention towards learners; and

• a shift towards practice

Targeted skills Speaking Writing

Speak-ing

ing

Speak-Writing Speaking Speaking

Overall changes Overall, pair A

showed attention to learners' level of competency, class size, anticipated difficulties, and learning objectives

In semester 2, they spent more time on practice

(Theory/Practice time: semester 1:

23/20 min, semester 2: 10/30 min)

In semester 2, pair

B (1) included more practice and (2) paid attention to objectives of the whole lesson rather than specific tasks, and (3) shared assessment method

In semester 2, pair

C (1) showed attention to learners' level of competency, (2) became aware of objectives, (3) adopted a clearer format of a lesson plan and (4) spent more time on practice

In semester 2, pair

D (1) became aware of lesson objectives, (2) paid attention to

learners' level of competency, and (3) spent more time on practice

In semester 2, pair

E (1) became aware

of lesson objectives, (2) paid attention to learners' level of competency, (3) adopted a clearer format of lesson plan, and (4) shared assessment criteria

ic

no yes formula

-ic express-ions

formula-ic express-ions

Formula-zic express-ions

formula-ic express-ions

no Formula

-ic express-ions

gram-yes no yes no

mar

gram-no gram-mar

no gram-mar

no gram-mar

no gram-mar

no gram-mar

commu-no yes yes, but

few

yes yes yes yes yes

Principle 5:

Instruction needs

to take into account

the learner's

yes yes not too

much

very little

yes yes no yes, but

not too much

yes, but not too much

yes, a but more than semes-ter 1

no yes yes, but

few

yes yes yes yes yes,

much more than semes-ter 1

not shown

not shown

not shown

not shown

not shown

not shown

not shown

not shown

not shown

ed practice

both very

controll-ed practice

both, mostly free practice

both, but from free practice

to control-

ed

both, from control-

ed to free

only free practice

from control-

ed to free practice

yes yes,

from control-

ed to free

4.1.2 Interview data analysis

4.1.2.1 Procedure of Tutoring Project 2015 – 2016

From the sampling criteria, the researcher interviewed five pairs of service teachers who satisfied the criteria and agreed to participate in the study, namely pair A, B, C, E and D Pair B, C and E came from Class 1 and pair A and pair D were from Class 2

pre-The interview started with the pre-service teachers’ narration of the Tutoring Project 2015 – 2016 with a view to jogging their memory and showing a more detailed process of conducting the project This process can be divided into three stages, namely course formation, lesson preparation and in-class practice

Stage 1: Course formation

The pre-service teachers of QH2014, Fast-track program received the 3C* and 4C* Syllabus (Appendix 1), in which the Tutoring Project was incorporated as

an assignment The whole class decided on:

• The syllabus of the whole course: As a class, the pre-service teachers agreed

on the topics and the sequence of the lessons to be taught

• Pair formation: The pre-service teachers taught in pair Each pair was in charge of one topic or one lesson

• Learner recruitment methods: As a class, the pre-service teachers agreed on

a method or channel to promote their course, steps to attract potential students and methods to select their students

The two classes utilized different methods and channels to promote their courses Specifically, Class 2 used Wordpress and Facebook, while class 2 employed Facebook However, both classes had taken certain steps to get to know their students For example, class 14E1 interviewed their students to evaluate their lack and competency while class 14E2 used survey

Moreover, in the second semester, the pre-service teachers taught their classmates instead of students from other universities Hence, the step of recruiting learners was skipped in the second term

Stage 2: Preparation

After having recruited a number of students and received their topic, the service teachers worked in pairs to craft their lesson plans Details may differ, but

pre-in general, all pairs executed these followpre-ing steps:

• Narrowing down their topic,

• Searching for the related knowledge and brainstorming activity ideas,

• Writing the first draft of the lesson plan,

• Preparing handouts, powerpoint slides and other visual tools (if any),

• Submitting the first draft and supplementary materials to the supervisor,

• Revising the lesson plan,

• Attracting the students or preparing the students for the lesson (optional)

It is worth noting that the two supervisor teachers acted their role differently

in this stage, especially in the first semester when the pre-service teachers started the course For example, in the first semester, the teacher of Class 2 provided sample lessons plan and an overview of a lesson in order to help pre-service teachers with designing lesson plans (accounted by the mentioned teacher an testified by a pair of pre-service teachers in class 2) On the other hand, the supervisor teacher of the other class assisted in form of giving comments and feedback

Additionally, each pair of pre-service teachers may utilized different techniques to prepare their students for the lesson For instance, pair B (telephone interview, March 2, 2018) wrote around three online posts and make a video to inform their students of the background information before the class

Stage 3: In-class practice

Having finalized their lesson plan, the pre-service teachers conducted the lesson with the students they recruited Many pairs mentioned practice and mock teaching without the target learners before the real lessons

After the tutorials, the supervisor teachers and peers commented on the performance of the pair

Subsequently, the pre-service teachers prepared homework or follow-up materials for their students For example, pair C made a video summarizing the key information of their lesson using Powtoon

This information served to better visualize the project, thereby laying a foundation for the following parts

4.1.2.2 Challenges

The difficulties that the pre-service teachers encountered in the Tutoring Project 2015 – 2016 were accounted from two different perspectives: the pre-service teachers who participated in the project themselves and the supervisor teacher who observed these pre-service teachers throughout the project

Difficulties as perceived by pre-service teachers

Difficulties

Pair A (Class 2)

Pair B (Class 1)

Pair C (Class 1)

Pair D (Class 2)

Pair E (Class 1)

(materials) (amount) (sources) (amount) (activities)

Table 4.1 The difficulties from the pre-service teachers’ perspective

According to the participating pre-service teachers, they have encountered numerous hardships during the Tutoring Project 2015 – 2016 In the preparation stage, learner profile, content selection and time estimation, or time management, were listed as the most prominent issues with pre-service teachers

- Learner profile

One major challenge for the pre-service teachers was the tutees participating

in the course The number of tutees was said to be inconsistent from lesson to lesson According to Pair C from Class 1 (telephone interview, March 1, 2018), the first lesson started with around ten tutees However, as time went by, the number of learners also went down By the time of their lesson, they were left with only three

or four students The same issues happened with Class 2 when Pair A (telephone interview, March 3, 2018) shared they the number of students coming wildly fluctuated and many learners did not follow the whole course

Besides, several pre-service teachers also reported that they did not have much contact with the students (Pair E, telephone interview, April 9, 2018) With the problem of inconsistent number of learners, they had no idea who would come

to the class, which made it difficult for the pre-service teachers to correctly evaluate the students and design the activities for them

- Content

Inability to correctly evaluate students might lead to other difficulties like choosing the unsuitable materials, content or activities For example, a pair of pre-service teachers accounted the situations when they could not keep the lesson going because they chose the materials that were inappropriate to their students’ level of competency

“So at that time, we used some kinds of different teaching materials, which was the Venn diagram Although it was very useful for comparison and contrast, the students were not competent enough to know what they should

do with that diagram We tried to explain to them but it was kind of complicated so it took us a lot of time to repeat the sentences over and over again We repeated everything.We were too ambitious We thought that kind

of material, that kind of method was interesting, so we wanted to inform students of that method, so we didn’t care much about the real effect of it on the students.” (Pair C, telephone interview, March 1, 2018)

Pair A encountered the same issue of choosing unsuitable materials In the last activity, the pre-service teachers prepared the scripts they took from some movies and asked the tutees to act out a play, but the scripts turned out be much higher than the level the students so they could not perform The whole activity failed

Choosing the appropriate content and materials was difficult for the service teachers For example, Pair C was troubled with the limited sources of materials they could find At the time, they were required to “prepare students for B2 level in VSTEP exam in the first semester and aim at C1 level in the second” (telephone interview, March 1, 2018) According to them, the VSTEP (Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency) had been around for only one year It was new not only to the students but also to the pre-service teachers themselves The sources of materials for VSTEP was limited Hence, they resorted to adapting materials from other standardized tests like IELTS (The International English Language Testing System) or TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

pre-Several pairs said they did not have enough ideas for their activities Pair E (telephone interview, April 9, 2018), for example, attributed this limited number of ideas to the lack of experience and lack of guidelines from the supervisor teacher, rather than the lack of formal training in pedagogy When conducting the second lesson in semester two, they were able to come up with more ideas for the activities

At the same time, some other pairs expressed difficulties narrowing down their topics Pair D (telephone interview, April 5, 2018) were a bit ambitious of their lessons They wanted to put as much knowledge as possible into the lesson They did not know how much knowledge they should deliver in the lesson and ended up teaching too much

- Time management

Failure to decide the reasonable amount of knowledge to teach led to the third challenge: time management Many pre-service teachers found it difficult to estimate the time they should spend on each activity Hence, they usually exceeded the time limit

“I think the biggest difficult was to estimate the time for each activity, because we could not say for sure that this activity would last for about ten minutes or so When we planned, we had to think very carefully about the time.” (Pair A, telephone interview, March 3, 2018)

“The time management was quite tough We spent too much time on discussion That was the part two of the VSTEP, the topic card They had to speak about one minute and we gave them seven minutes to prepare That was too long.” (Pair E, telephone interview, April 9, 2018)

- Involvement of learners

When the pre-service teachers conducted their lessons in class, failure to involve the students and poor classroom management were reported as the common issues