Thiết kế chương trình môn đất nước học anh cho sinh viên chuyên anh năm thứ 3 khoa ngoại ngữ trường cao đẳng sư

faculty of postgraduate studies ---  --- PHẠM THỊ THU HIỀN Designing a British Studies syllabus for the Third-Year English Majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers

faculty of postgraduate studies

-   -

PHẠM THỊ THU HIỀN

Designing a British Studies syllabus for the Third-Year English Majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An

Teachers’ Trainging College

(THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH MÔN ĐẤT NƯỚC HỌC ANH CHO SINH VIÊN CHUYÊN ANH NĂM THỨ 3, KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ, TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG SƯ PHẠM

NGHỆ AN) Minor M.A Thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 16A044

HANOI - 2010

faculty of postgraduate studies

-   -

PHẠM THỊ THU HIỀN

Designing a British Studies syllabus for the Third-Year English Majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An

Teachers’ Trainging College

(THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH MÔN ĐẤT NƯỚC HỌC ANH CHO SINH VIÊN CHUYÊN ANH NĂM THỨ 3, KHOA NGOẠI

NGỮ, TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG SƯ PHẠM NGHỆ AN)

Minor M.A Thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 16A044

Supervisor: Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa, PhD

HANOI 2010

Table of contents

Declaration……….……… i

Acknowledgements ………ii

Abstract ……… iii

list of abbreviations ……… iv

list of figures and tables……… iv

table of content ……… … v

Part A Introduction I Rationale of the study ……… 1

II Aims and objectives of the study ……….1

III Scope of the study ……… 2

IV Methods of the study……… 2

V Design of the study ……… ……… 2

part B: Development Chapter one: literature review 4- 15 1.1 An overview of Syllabus……… 4

1.1.1 Syllabus……… 4

1.1.2 Curriculum and syllabus ……… 4

1.2 The roles of syllabus in training program….……… 5

1.3 Steps in designing a syllabus……… 6

1.3.1 Needs analysis ……… 7

1.3.2 Goal setting ……… …… 7

1.3.3 Selecting the content……… …… 8

1.3.4 Grading the content ……… 8

1.3.5 Selecting and grading tasks and activities……… 8

1.3.6 Summary ……… 9

1.4 Needs analysis in syllabus design ……… …9

1.4.1 The meaning of "Needs"……… ……… 9

1.4.2 Kinds of needs ……… 10

1.4.2.1 Target needs ………10

1.4.2.1.1 Necessities ……… … 10

1.4.2.1.2 Lacks ……… 10

1.4.2.1.3 Wants ……… 11

1.4.2.2 Learning needs ……… 11

1.4.2.3 Summary ……… 12

1.5 Viewpoints of teaching Country Studies ……… 12

1.6 British Studies programs in some Vietnamese Colleges and Universities ……… 14

1.6.1 British Studies programs at University of Languages and International Studies, VNU, Hanoi……….… 14

1.6.2 British Studies programs at Department of Foreign Languages, Vinh University 14

Chapter two: Methodology 16 - 19 2.1 The setting of the study……… 16

2.2 Research questions ……….… 16

2.3 Data collection instruments ……… 17

2.3.1 Questionnaires ……… 17

2.3.2 Interviews ……… 17

2.4 Subjects of the study ……… 17

2.4.1 Students ……… 17

2.4.2 Teachers ……… ……… 18

2.5 Data collection procedures ……… 19

2.6 Summary ……… …… 19

Chapter three: Results and Data analysis 20 - 30 3.1 Target needs ……… 20

3.1.1 Necessities ……… 20

3.1.1.1 In terms of topics and sub-topics ……….……… 20

3.1.1.2 In terms of tasks/ activities ……….… 23

3.1.2 Lacks ……… 25

3.1.3 Wants ……… …… 26

3.1.3.1 In terms of students’ goals of a British Studies course……… 26

3.1.3.2 In terms of students’ objectives of a British Studies course ……… 27

3.2 Learning needs ……….… 28

3.2.1 Resources and administrative constraints ……… … 28

3.2.1.1 Class – size and the facilities ……… 28

3.2.1.2 Time ……… … 28

3.2.1.3 Materials ……… … 28

3.2.2 The learners ……… … 29

3.2.2.1 Age and level ……… … 29

3.2.2.2 Motivation for learning/ learning styles/ preference ……… …… 29

3.2.3 The teaching staff ……… 30

Chapter four: A proposed syllabus 31 - 37 4.1 Aims and objectives of the course ……… … 31

4.2 Time allotment ……… 31

4.3 Content and tasks/activities ……… … 31

4.3.1 Topics in the syllabus ……… … 31

4.3.2 Tasks and activities ……….…33

4.4 Organization of the syllabus ……… 33

4.5 Assessment ……… 35

4.6 Materials available ……… 36

4.6.1 Books ……… …36

4.6.2 Websites ……… 36

4.7 Summary ……… 36

Part C: Conclusion ……… 38

References ……… … 40 Appendixes ……….… I – XIV

list of abbreviations

ACTFL American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

TESOL Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

MOET Ministry of Education and Training

NTTC Nghe An Teachers' Training College

EFL English Foreign Language

FLD Foreign Languages Department

BSS British Studies Syllabus

list of figures and tables

Table 2.1 Student subjects’ background information ……… 18

Table 2.2 Teacher subjects’ background information ……… 18

Table 3.1 Teachers’ and students’ ranking of topics……… ……… … 20

Table 3.2 Teachers’ and students’ ranking of sub-topics ……… ………… 21

Table 3.3 Students’ ranking of topics and sub-topics ……… ……… 23

Table 3.4 Teachers’ and Students’ ranking of tasks ……… ……… 24

Table 3.5 Students’ ranking of tasks ……… 25

Table 3.6 Students’ ranking of constraints in studying BS ……… ………… 25

Table 3.7 Students’ ranking of BSC’s goals ……… ……… 26

Table 3.8.Students’ ranking of BSC’s objectives ……… 27

Table 4.1 The topics' and sub-topics' order……… ……… 32

Table 4.1 A detailed syllabus……… ……….…… … 33

Part A Introduction

I Rationale of the study

Vietnam started conducting its Open Door Policy with a great number of Joint-Venture projects and flows of foreigners coming to work and to visit Vietnam Being aware that English is not only a compulsory subject in the training curriculum but also a very useful tool

in the period of integration and globalization, both teachers and learners in Vietnam have made endless effort to advance the quality of teaching and learning English for the different purposes

It is evident that the study of language cannot be separated from the study of the country's background knowledge of that language such as people, geography, history, government and politics, economy, cultures and lifestyle, education, transportation and environment Therefore, it is important to raise the teachers' and students' countries studies awareness of the target languages If the students are well equipped with the country's background knowledge, they can better understand the language Especially, the third-year English majors at Nghe An Teachers' Training College (NTTC), it is more significant to educate students this However,

in reality, since the Foreign Languages Department (FLD) was founded in 1997, it started to teach "British Studies" as a compulsory subject without an official syllabus In the early years, some voluntary English teachers carried out on their own lectures Recently, there are five teachers of the department in charge of teaching the subject and they made a series of lectures followed an "ordered topics" These things caused problems when teaching the subject in 30 to 60 class-hours per the sixth semester for the third-year English majors

"British Studies" teaching has encountered a number of problems such as content burden, inappropriate materials, lack of time so on Those things related to a syllabus Although it is undeniable that the essential roles of syllabuses in providing a practical basis for the division

of assessment, textbooks and learning time and telling the teacher and students what should

be learned so forth

Being a teacher in charge of teaching "British Studies" for the third-year students of FLD, NTTC, the author finds that it is urgent to design a British Studies syllabus (BSS) for the third

- year English majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers’ Training

College which is practical, applicable and suitable for students

II Aim and objectives of the study

1 Aim

The major aim of the study is to design an appropriate British Studies syllabus for the third - year English majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers’ Training College

2 Objectives

In order to achieve the main aim, the specific objectives are as follows:

- to find out the third-year English majored students' needs for the British Studies course

- to identify the components of a British Studies course such as objectives, contents, order of the content, tasks/activities and assessment and to suggest a proposed British Studies syllabus for the third - year English majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers’ Training College based on their needs analysis

III Scope of the study

Due to the narrow scope of a minor thesis, this study only focuses on syllabus designing process, but not all the theories relating to syllabus design such as implementing, teaching method and evaluating It is also limited itself to designing a British Studies syllabus including objectives, contents, order of contents, assessment ect based on Survey's results of students' needs and the fact of teaching and learning for the third-year English majors at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers’ Training College

IV Methods of the study

Then, the study used quantitative methodology to collect data through two questionnaires This helps the author find out their target needs and learning needs for a British Studies course

- The first questionnaires were designed for the third-year English majors at FLD, NTTC

- The second ones were designed for some English teachers at English majored group at FLD, NTTC

Besides, several informal interviews were carried out for the English teachers of British Studies at FLD, NTTC by the use of qualitative methodology

After necessary data has been gathered, the author based on the collected numbers and percentage ratios to interpret the results of the study Then the findings were grouped together and compared to find out the important factors relating to the proposal of a British Studies syllabus for the third-year English majors at FLD, NTTC

V Design of the study

The study consists of three major parts (Introduction, Development and Conclusion), a list of references and appendixes

Part A: Introduction presents the rationale, the aim and objectives, the scope, the methodology and the design of the study

Part B: Development includes three important chapters

Chapter one reviews the literature relevant to the topic of research, provides the theory of syllabus design

Chapter two presents the research methodology of the study It provides the setting of the study, research question, the instruments and the data collection procedures

Chapter three is the main part of the study that reports the results and data analysis and major findings

Chapter four proposes a British Studies syllabus

Part C: Conclusion aims at summarizing the main ideas of the study, offering some implications for teaching British Studies and some suggestions for a further research are included Hopefully, the syllabus might be useful for those who are concerned

Appendixes include the questionnaires, interviews, a sample unit and a sample test

1.1 An overview of syllabus

1.1.1 Syllabus

There have been several ways in which a syllabus can be defined Jack C Richard (2001) states “a syllabus is a specification of the content of a course of instruction and lists what will

be taught and tested” According to Wilkins (1997), syllabus is specification of the content of language teaching which have been submitted to some degree of structuring or ordering with the making teaching and learning a more effective process

to Prabhu's more specific "specification of what is to be learnt" (1987:89) For Allen (1984), the syllabus is " that subpart of curriculum which is concerned with a specification of what units will be taught" (Allen 1984:61), whereas for Yalden (1987), it is primarily a teacher's statement about objectives and content, with formal and functional components in a dual progression of linear and spiral learning (cf Stern 1984:14) Brumfit (1984d) specifies content (linguistic, sociolinguistic, pragmatic, cultural, substantive) In contrast, Kumaravadivelu sees the syllabus as "a preplanned, preordained, presequenced inventory of linguistic specifications imposed in most cases on teachers and learners" and claims that this

is a “ widely recognized” perspective (1993b: 72)

A universal definition for "syllabus" therefore seems impractical, since different educational theories and approaches differ on syllabus goals and functions What can be said is that syllabi tend to be representations, reflecting the originator's ideas about language learning:

"every syllabus is a particular representation of knowledge and capabilities And this representation will be shaped by the designer's views concerning the nature of language, how the language may be most appropriately taught or presented to learners, and how the language may be productively worked upon during learning” (Breen, 1987a: 83)

1.1.2 Syllabus and curriculum

In defining syllabus, there are several conflicting views on the distinction between syllabus design and curriculum development Douglas Brown (1995) views curriculum/syllabus as designs for carrying out a particular language program Features include a primary concern with the specification of linguistic and subject matter objectives sequencing, and materials to meet the needs of a designated group of learners in a defined context

Karl Krahnke (1987:2) also holds that “ A syllabus is more specific and more concrete than a curriculum, and a curriculum may contain a number of syllabi”

Similarly, Allen (1984: 61) proposes “curriculum is a very general concept which involves consideration of the whole complex of philosophical, social, and administrative factors which contribute to the planning of an educational program Syllabus, on the other hand, refers to that “subpart of curriculum” which is concerned with a specification of what units will be taught” (as distinct from how they will be taught, which is a matter for methodology) Traditionally, syllabus design has been as a subsidiary component of curriculum design Curriculum is concerned with the planning, implementation, evaluation management, and

administration of education programs Syllabus focuses more narrowly on the selection and grade of content

Nunan’ points of view, syllabus is understood in restricted sense, which means focusing on the content of learning and its organization And his following definitions of syllabus maybe the most suitable and clearest in this context of our study:

“The syllabus replaces the concept of “method”, and the syllabus is now seen as an instrument by which the teacher, with the help of the syllabus designer, can achieve a degree

of “fit” between the needs and aims of the learner and the activities which will take place in the classroom” And “A syllabus is a statement of content which used as the basis for planning courses of various kinds So the task of the syllabus designer is to select and grade this content.” (Nunan, 1993)

1.2 The roles of syllabus in training program

Language syllabus design is a comparatively new area in applied linguistics, and it is the fact that there is some disagreement on almost everything that matters in syllabus design and development All of these controversial issues lead to different trends in language syllabus design Huchinson & Waters (1993) proposed three main approaches to Language syllabus design: Language-centered, Skilled-centered and Learning-centered approaches

In Skilled-centered approach, the syllabus is not a prime generator According to Huchinson

& Waters (1993), the skills and the texts negotiate with each other in the syllabus The skill syllabus plays a role in the initial selection of the texts and establishes criteria for ordering and adapting them The texts available, at the same time, will affect what can be focused on

in the exercises and assessment

It is noticeable that in learning - centered approach, the syllabus is divided into two levels In level 1, the syllabus is called the general syllabus which outlines the topic areas and the communicative tasks of the target situation This general syllabus can be used as the basis for the initial selection of the texts and writing of exercises/ activities In level 2, a detail syllabus

is generated from the materials selected in level 1 This syllabus is then checked against an independent syllabus produced from the needs analysis to deal with gaps and overlaps

Thus, in this approach, "the syllabus is used creatively as a generator of good and relevant learning activities rather than just a statement of language content Yet, at the same time it maintains relevance to target needs" Huchinson & Waters (1993)

In view of amount of work that goes into syllabus design and the considerable weight of authority that syllabuses have, Huchinson & Waters (1993) also considered whether they are necessary This reveals that just as there are acknowledged and hidden reasons for having a syllabus

The most importance is that the syllabus “provides a practical basis for the division of assessment, textbooks and learning time” Moreover, teachers and learners can be supported “ language learning task” which appear manageable in a syllabus The syllabus also has a useful investment since teachers’ planning and thoughts aim to develop the course without wasting time and money Besides, with aims and objectives of a syllabus, teachers and learners can know “why it is to be learnt” and “what is to be learnt” The syllabus supplies people who involving in the course “a set of criteria for materials selection” such as defining the kind texts to look for or produce, the items to focus on in exercises ect Finally, syllabus users are provided a visible basis for testing which determines the learners’ success and failure through a course

1.3 Steps in designing a syllabus

Steps in designing a syllabus are differently set up by language experts Long and Crookes

(1993:12) propose that tasks should be considered as the starting point of syllabus design

while Hughes (1990) suggest the important step must be the choice of aims and objectives However, both of the two views above only rely on the subjective points of those authors,

not coming from the needs of the learners themselves According to Nunan (1991) and

Yalden (1987), the design of syllabus must start with needs analysis Nunan (1991) states that:

"Pedagogically, the most powerful argument in favor of needs-based course is a motivational one The need to motivate students has become a clich One way of improving motivation is

to orientate content towards those areas that they perceive most interests by learners and which as being most relevant, and to develop methodologies, which enhance the learners' self-concept rather than destroying it"

Therefore, according to this view, steps in designing a syllabus are illustrated as follows: Needs analysis-Objectives and aims–Sequencing - Teaching method - Testing and evaluation

1.3.1 Needs analysis

The question here is why we should mention needs analysis as one of the essential steps in designing a language syllabus The answer, according to Nunan (1993), is to provide the input, which is relevant to the needs of given learners Moreover, need analysis is the most characteristic feature of course designs This is a complex process, involving much more than simply looking at what the learners will have to do in the target situation

In a discussion about the significant role of needs analysis, Nunan (1993: 75) stated "needs analysis is considered as the initial process for specification of behavioral objectives and it is from these objectives that detailed aspects of the syllabus such as functions, topics, lexis and structures are derived" The information collected from a need analysis will be very important for the designers to specify the objectives needed in the content of the syllabus Thus, the

researcher needs to know what kind of the necessary information in a need analysis Many language experts concerned this question Especially, Hutchinson and Waters (1993) focused

on two important kinds of needs namely, target needs and learning needs

1.3.2 Goal setting

Goal setting has become an important step in the development of a language program Language is no longer seen as a discrete grammatical existing in isolation, but as a set of resources and options for achieving a variety of goals outside the language classroom In other words, language is perceived as a tool rather than as end in itself However, what a syllabus designer should start from in setting course goals From a survey of corps, Nunan (1991) points out: " the course can reflect the sort of uses to which the target language will

be put, the contexts and situation in which it will be used The skill that will be developed and the level at which the courses will be conducted"

The term "goal" refers to the general purposes for which a language program is being taught

or learnt Setting goals requires judgment to ensure that the goals are appropriate, not only to learners' needs, but also to the constraint of the educational institution or system, and the length and scope of program based on the syllabus

Goals can be analyzed according to their orientation on the process/ product continuum Product - oriented goals are mostly appropriate with general English course Product - oriented goals can be derived directly from the learners themselves, that is, by asking the learners why they are learning the language Learners are involved in the process of establishing goals Learners' preferences are arranged into a hierarchical order through a process of negotiation between learners And the goals language programs are set based on these learners' preferences The process - oriented goals are generally appropriate with special purpose course, which are established by the teacher or course designer before the course itself begins

1.3.3 Selecting the content

The next step, after the general goals of a course have best set, is to specify the ways in which the goals will be achieved This is a difficult task, the one which, over the years, has caused a great deal of contention and controversy Recently most courses take a multidimensional approach, specifying and integrating functions, notions and structures in syllabus design This makes the task for the syllabus designer much more complex because he/she must select sequence and integrate vertically and horizontally

Wilkin (1997) suggested that notional syllabuses would probably be best suited to a post - beginner level In addition, in fact, most of the materials and course based on communicative language learning principles are designed for students who have reached a pre - intermediate level and therefore have enough grammatical knowledge to fulfill communications

Selecting interesting and relevant content is more difficult task One of the problems in developing general courses for adults, in Nunan's opinion (1991), is that the interests of the learners in a given group differ What is interesting to one learner can be uninteresting to another However, this problem can be overcome through needs analysis and negotiated goal setting Therefore, "it would seem that most course bad material waters proceed on an proceed on an intuitive basis when selecting content"

1.3.4 Grading the content

The following step that a syllabus designer has to do is to grade the content In other words,

he needs consider how to grade the grammatical, notional, and functional components Grading described by Richard, Platt, and Weber (1993) that the arrangement of the content of

a language course or a textbook is presented in a helpful way Gradation would affect the order in which words, word meaning, tenses, structures, topics, functions, and so forth are presented Gradation may be based on the complexity of an item, its frequency in written or spoken English, or its importance for the learner

1.3.5 Selecting and grading tasks and activities

First, we would like to mention here some definitions of term "task" According to some applied linguists, task is a piece of work undertaken for oneself or for others, freely or for some rewards Thus, examples of task including painting a fence, dressing a child, filling out

a form, buying a pair of shoes and others in other words by "task" is meant the hundred and one things people do in everyday life

Now, we find out that the different definitions of "task" lead to different approaches to the selection of tasks Candlin (1987) offers several criteria for good tasks A good task, as for him should:

- promote attention to meaning, purpose, negotiation

- involve learner contribution, attitude, and effects

- be challenging, but not threatening, to promote risk - taking

- define a problem to be worked through by learners, centered on the learners but guided by the teacher

- provide opportunities language practice

- promote sharing of information and expertise

(Adapted from Nunan, 1990)

1.3.6 Summary

As the result, analyzing the needs of learners is the first and the foremost step in designing a syllabus because it helps the designers identify the objectives and aims of the course so that he/she can design a suitable syllabus to fit their needs The second important step is defining the aims and objective of the syllabus govern the content of the whole syllabus Selecting and

grading the content of a syllabus are the next steps for the in designing a syllabus The last step to design a syllabus is selecting and grading tasks/ activities

According to Richards (2001: 120), “the aims, in comparison, are broader than the objectives The objectives illustrate the aims of the syllabus and are useful because they force the syllabus designers and teachers to be precise in defining where they intend to go and what they intend to be about”

1.4 Needs analysis in syllabus design

1.4.1 The meaning of "Needs"

As mentioned above, a number of language experts have given different meanings of needs First of all, Mounfort (1981: 27) states that needs can mean "what the users - institution or society at large regards as necessary or desirable to be learnt from a program of language instruction" This definition views needs from the subjective standpoints of authorities but not learners themselves Secondly, in the light of goal-oriented perspective, according to Widdowson (1983: 2) needs refers to "students" study or job requirements, that is, what they have to be able to do at the end of their language course" Needs in this sense are described as objectives or requirement of the course

In contrast, Brindley (1984: 28) sees needs as "wants, desires, demands, expectation, motivation, lacks, constraints, and requirement" This view implies that students may have their personal aims in addition to the requirement of their studies or job Therefore, this definition proved to be more sufficient because it combines the views of both previous definitions

1.4.2.1.1 Necessities

Tom Hutchinson and Waters (1993) states that "necessities is the type of need determined by the demands of the target situation, that is, what the learner has to know in order to function effectively in the target situation"

For instance, an engineer needs to understand diagrams or catalogues, and exchange information with foreign engineer He or she will also need to know the linguistic features (discourse, functional, structural, and lexical) which are commonly used in the situations

identified This information is relatively easy to get It is a matter of "observing what situations the learners will need to function in and then analyzing the constituent parts of them" (Tom Hutchinson and Waters, 1993)

Besides, the information about necessities can be gathered through the advertisements of job vacancies in the newspapers and interviews with users (Robinson, 1991: 12)

To decide what the learners' lacks are, interviewing teachers is a useful method Moreover, the learners should be tested before starting the course (Robinson, 1991: 14)

1.4.2.1.3 Wants

Target needs are considered not only in terms of necessities and lacks but also in terms of

wants, with the actual learners playing active role, that is, the learners have views as to what

their needs are Their wants include their goals (for study, for future job, for training ); their objectives (for instance, at the end of the course they will be able to overcome the difficulties

in Cross Cultural Communication related to the content of the course); and what they want to learn (skills, topics, and language)

Wants are varied among different learners "Learners may well have a clear idea of the necessities of the target situation: They will certainly have a view as to their lack But it is quite possible that the learners' views will conflict with the perceptions of other interested parties: course designers, sponsors and teachers" Tom Hutchinson and Waters (1993) If the learners believe that English language teaching should consist of practice in grammar and general vocabulary, they may well be, at the very least, disconcerted when the English teacher appears to be teaching their specialism There can be no clear-cut answer to the question what the course designer should do in this situation It is important that the course designer or teacher should be aware of such differences and take account of them in materials and methodology Thus, a satisfactory syllabus should meet the needs of all related parties This is a challenge to the syllabus designer

To get information easily from a large group of learners about their wants, Robinson (1991: 12) suggests that we should use questionnaires

1.4.2.2 Learning needs

We have considered the needs so far only in terms of target needs, the starting points (the lacks), the destination (necessities) together with the dispute as to what that destination should be (the wants) What they have not considered yet is the route Tom Hutchinson and Waters (1993) say that "How are we going to get from our starting point to the destination? - This is learning needs"

It is naive to base course design simply on the target objectives, just as it is untrue to think that a journey can be planned solely in terms of starting point and the destination The needs, potential and constraints of the route (the learning situation) must also be taken into account,

if we are point to have any analysis of learners' needs

Learning needs or the learning situation include the resources and administrative constraints (time, length of the course, length of the period, classroom and the teaching aids), the learners (their age, level, motivation and strategies) and the teachers (their level and difficulties in teaching)

1.4.2.3 Summary

In short, this section has discussed the most characteristic feature of a course design - needs analysis It is not a simple process and both target needs and learning needs must be combined harmoniously The next chapter would analyze and discuss the learning needs and target needs in the target situation in some terms of goals and objectives, contents, tasks/activities, recourses and administrative constraints, the learners and the teaching staff

1.5 Viewpoints of teaching Country Studies

It is evident that the study of language cannot be separated from the study of the country's background knowledge of that language such as people, geography, history, government and politics, economy, cultures and lifestyle, education, transportation and environment Therefore, it is important to raise the teachers' and students' countries studies awareness of the target languages If the students are well equipped with the country's background knowledge, they can better understand the language

However, there is a variety of perspectives in teaching Country Studies which are focused into two point of views First, the course of Country Studies aims to offer the students opportunities to enrich their vocabulary, to sharpen their pronunciation and their grammatical knowledge as well as to improve their language and research skills to meet all the demand of their current study and their future careers Another view is the Country Study course is to providing the students with general knowledge of the countries’ people and culture with focus

on the national identity, cultural life, beliefs and values as well as their expressions in the society The course is also to help the students to build up a panorama of the countries’ political, economic and educational systems that may serve as the first steps in their lifelong in-depth studies into fields of their needs and interest As results, the teaching methods,

materials and other tasks in teaching Country Studies are different in two viewpoints The teachers and learners may use intensive reading materials as the main method to gain the aims’ course Second, the others use extensive readings for their teaching and learning In the study, the auhor combination of critical thinking, independent study skills and critical reading, too The Five Cs of foreign language education: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities are known as the five goals necessary for foreign language learning in the 21st century These standards describe the content of world language learning and form the core of standards-based instruction in the world languages classroom (ACTFL, 1999) These also reflect the author’s beliefs and values about EFL teaching and will be applied to my teaching British Studies course

- Communication: Communicate in Languages Other Than Vietnamese

The communication standard stresses the use of language for communication in "real life" situations It emphasizes "what students can do with language" rather than "what they know about language." Students are asked to communicate in oral and written form, interpret oral and written messages, and show cultural understanding when they communicate and present oral and written information to various audiences for a variety of purposes

- Cultures: Gain Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures

Cultural understanding is an important part of world languages education Experiencing other cultures develops a better understanding and appreciation of the relationship between languages and other cultures, as well as the student's native culture Students become better able to understand other people's points of view, ways of life, and contributions to the world Especially, in teaching British Studies, the teacher help the learners to gain knowledge and understanding of the country's background knowledge of that language such as British people, geography, history, government and politics, economy, cultures and lifestyle, education, transportation and environment

- Connections: Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information

World languages instruction must be connected with other subject areas Content from other subject areas is integrated with world language instruction through lessons that are developed around common themes

- Comparisons: Develop Insight into the Nature of Language and Culture

Students are encouraged to compare and contrast languages and cultures They discover patterns, make predictions, and analyze similarities and differences across languages and cultures Students often come to understand their native language and culture better through such comparisons Thus in order to effectively learn English at the university and successfully use it in communication as well as in their future careers it is essential that the English

language majors gain an insight into one of the most influential cultures that give birth to the English language and that provide the environment for its development - the British culture

- Communities: Participate in Multilingual Communities at Home & Around the

World

Extending learning experiences from the world language classroom to the home and multilingual and multicultural community emphasizes living in a global society Activities may include: field trips, use of e-mail and the World Wide Web, clubs, exchange programs and cultural activities, school-to-work opportunities, and opportunities to hear speakers of other languages in the school and classroom (ACTFL, 1999)

These principles also influence instruction by allowing the researcher to quickly assess their course syllabus and course materials for strengths and weaknesses Through the use of these principles, teachers can create a more acquisition-rich learning environment in which students can both enjoy learning and make substantial progress in their attempts to acquire the foreign language

1.6 British Studies programs in some Vietnamese Colleges and Universities

1.6.1 British Studies programs at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

British Studies course is intended for the third-year students at the Department of American languages and cultures, Colleges of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi as part of their fulfillment of the Bachelor of Art in TESOL

Anglo-The course aims at providing the students with general knowledge of the British people and culture with focus on the national identity, cultural life, beliefs and values as well as their expressions in the British society The course is also to help the students to build up a panorama of the British political, economic and educational systems that may serve as the first steps in their lifelong in-depth studies into fields of their needs and interest Another objective of the course is to offer the students opportunities to enrich their vocabulary, to sharpen their pronunciation and their grammatical knowledge as well as to improve their language and research skills to meet all the demand of their current study and their future careers

The students are adapted to several topics of the British Studies syllabus such as brief history

of Britain, Identity and social profiles, beliefs and values, political system, economic system, working life and leisure life, educational system The teaching tasks and activities are mainly lectures and discussion, self-study, presentation and discussion

The course has two credits of 30 forty-five minute periods and it lasts 15 weeks During the course, students have to take oral presentation and get a take-home exam

1.6.2 British Studies programs at Department of Foreign Languages, Vinh University

This course is intended for the fourth-year students at the Department of Foreign Languages, Vinh University

The course aims at providing the students with general knowledge of the British history, British constitution, the educational system, British customs and British traditions, foods, flowers, holidays and festivals in UK, characteristics of UK citizens, British business culture/ etiquette The course also is to enrich their vocabulary, to sharpen their pronunciation and their grammatical knowledge as well as to improve their language and research skills to meet all the demand of their current study and their future careers The course has two credits of 30 forty-five minute periods and it lasts 9 weeks Students have one period for self-study each week The teacher in charge of each group arranges one more class for discussion and review

in the last week The essessment is carried by one presentation and another final written exam During the course, the students take some tasks/ activities of learning such as working

in groups or pairs to discuss the related issues, presenting the ideas of the topics and writing the essays

In short, as a result of considering these views of teaching and learning Country Studies in general and taking a look at some British Studies in Vietnam, the teachers understand how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social, and personal development, understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills The teachers use an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation and plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals The teachers also understand and use formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the learner

Chapter two: Methodology

2.1 The setting of the study

Nghe An Teachers’ Training College was founded on 1960, located in Vinh city, Nghe An province There are various faculties such as Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Foreign Languages Department and the others Annually, a number of 2000 students are admitted and

a small number is adopted to FLD as English majored students FLD has been re-founded since 1997 to train teachers of English for junior high schools in Nghe An province However, in recent years, FLD has been training for English bachelor students, too The training program is based on the English majored curriculum for teachers' training as well as bachelor students set by MOET All students have to experience three stages of English studying which is divided into six semesters as follows:

- Stage 1: the first or pre-intermediate level occupies the first year Students in this stage are taught and drilled in the basic language structures with their four language skills

- Stage 2: the intermediate level is students at the second year They also are taught four language skills for the last year and the stage aims at the perfection of the students' ability to communicate based on the language functions

- Stage 3: The stage covers the last year The students are expected to reach the intermediate level and are asked to study different subjects such as English Literature, Teaching Methods, British Studies and so on British Studies is taught in 45 lass-hours Current British Studies materials are subjectively selected by the teachers in charge of the subject First, at the early days, British Studies was taught by some foreign volunteers in 60 class hours during the last stage of the course Since 2000, students have been studying the subject with the use of the reading textbook "Tìm hiểu đất n-ớc Anh qua các bài đọc hiểu" written by Nguyen Thi Minh Chau and Christ Tapher published by NXB DHQG, TP HCM in

upper-30 class hours Recently, there are five teachers in our FLD to be in charge of teaching the subject British Studies although FLD has a staff of 37 teachers of English The process of teaching and learning British Studies has encountered with many difficulties including the learning condition, the English staff, the time allotment and so forth Therefore, the study of designing a British Studies syllabus for the third-year English majors at FLD, NTTC is set up and hoped to be practical, applicable and suitable for students

2.2 Research questions

This study is carried out to find answers to the following questions:

1 What are the third-year English majored students' needs for British Studies course at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers’ Training College?

2 What are the components of a British Studies course for the third-year English majored students at Foreign Languages Department, Nghe An Teachers’ Training College?

2.3 Data collection instruments

The information about both target needs and learning needs is collected and analyzed In the study, questionnaires and interviews techniques were used

2.3.1 Questionnaires

Questionnaires were used as a main data collection method in this study

The first questionnaires were carefully designed and piloted with some students in other classes K4A to examine whether they helped to elicit the kind of data necessary for study Based on the feedbacks from those students, some inappropriate and ambiguous questions to the students had been improved

Then, the questionnaires were delivered to 32 students after they had just finished British Studies course The delivered students were well instructed by the researcher The questionnaires consisted of four sections such as goals, requirements of the British Studies course, topics and sub-topics in the British Studies syllabus and tasks/activities in a syllabus

of the British Studies

The other questionnaires were completed by 15 teachers of English majored students at FLD, NTTC The questionnaires consisted of four sections such as requirements of the British Studies course, topics and sub-topics in the British Studies syllabus and tasks/activities in a syllabus of the British Studies

2.3.2 Interviews

Together with questionnaires, the researcher used semi-structured interviews to get in-depth information about the subjects in the study It took about one hours to interview 5 teachers of English majored students in the meeting hall after the meeting and process the obtained information The interview included two sections such as sub-topics of the British Studies syllabus and tasks/activities in a syllabus of the British Studies

2.4 The subjects of the study

To answer the question "who provides the information for the needs analysis?”, Robinson (1991: 11) states that the source of information are the potential students, the language teaching institution (teachers and administrators), ex- students and those who are or will be concerned with the students' specific job or study situation

2.4.1 Students

The first questionnaires were administered with 32 third - year English majors of FLD, NTTC who had just finished the BSC in the fifth semester These students were selected on the class lists from number 1 to number 16 in classes K4B and K4C Their ages ranged from 19-22 There were 5 males and 27 females, three-forth of whom came from the countryside The English proficiency levels were reported to be at the intermediate level Table 2.1 summarizes the background information about the subjects such as the genders, ages and the self-assessed English proficiency

No of

participants

Table 2.1 Student subjects’ background information

The third-year English majored students were chosen as the subjects of the study for some reasons Firstly, the English training program is based on the English majored curriculum for English majored teachers’ training set by the MOET The third-year majors are compulsory to study British Studies Secondly, the training quality of English majors is a great concern to both the college authority and teachers at FLD Finally, the students are ones who the author has been directly teaching These will have favorable conditions to carry out all the steps of the research process

2.4.2 Teachers

The teachers were chosen to be the subjects of the study including two groups for:

Questionnaires: 15 teachers who have been teaching English for English majored students

were the first group The reasons for choosing these teachers were that they have taught the third-year English majored students and the British Studies was taught as a compulsory subject for the English majored students and the English bachelor students These teachers all hold M.A Degree in English Their ages ranged from 25-38 There were 3 males and 12 females Table 2.2 summarizes the background information about the subjects such as the genders, ages and their English proficiency

2.5 Data collection procedures

The data collection procedures started in early September and ended in mid November 2009 The procedures included the following steps:

i) In the first two weeks of September, the pre-questionnaires were piloted by 5 third - year English majored students of K4A to examine whether they helped to elicit the kind of data necessary for the study

ii) In the third week of the September, the first questionnaires were delivered to the students iii) Next, the teachers were given the second questionnaires when they have finished teaching the semester of the year school

iii) Then semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 teachers of English at FLD which support the researcher to gain further information These teachers were interviewed sometime

in the first week of October

iv) The treatment of the collected data lasted for 6 weeks from October to mid November into percentage ratios

All of the work was finished in November

2.6 Summary

This chapter reported the methodology for this study in terms of the study setting, research questions, data collection instruments, subject of the study and data collection procedures Firstly, a setting of the study was clarified and the obtainment of the research questions was made Then, data collection instruments including questionnaires, interviews were presented

in details with discussions of advantages and disadvantages of each instrument Finally, data collection procedures were introduced and statistical procedures were explained

3.1 Target needs

3.1.1 Necessities

3.1.1.1 In terms of topics and sub-topics

In order to collect the information on students’ necessities of topics, the syllabus designer interviewed five teachers who have been teaching British Studies at FLD, NTTC for their advices on what topics or sub-topics should be included in the syllabus All the interviewed teachers agreed that BSS should consist of the following topics such as British people, geography of Britain, British history, British government and politics, economy in Britain, British education, cultures and lifestyle in Britain, transportation and environment

Very relevant

Relevant Fairly

relevant

Not relevant Numbers and Percentages of Teachers’ and

5 30%

2 13%

13 41%

3 British history (16th -

20th century)

4 27%

10 31%

11 73%

22 69%

4 British government and

politics

2 13%

20%

7 22%

12 67%

25 78%

33%

11 34%

10 67%

21 66%

6 British education 13

87%

13 41%

2 13%

19 41%

7 Cultures and lifestyle in

Britain

10 67%

20 63%

5 13%

12 37%

0

8 Transportation and

environment

3 20%

33%

6 19%

7 17%

16 81%

Others 0

Table 3.1 Teachers’ and students’ ranking of topics

Table 3.1 shows teachers’ and students’ expectation of the topics including in the syllabus Almost of them (nearly 100%) agreed with the given topics Only a few of them thought that economy in Britain and British government and politics were not very necessary or fairly relevant so as to the percentage ratio up to appropriately 70% However, neither students nor teachers expressed the disagreement with the above topics Both the teachers and students did not suggest any other topics for the BSS

When being interviewed about the sub-topics areas, most of teachers agreed that British people ancestors, British people today, family relationship and social classes, main parts of Great Britain, climate and temperature in Britain, British education systems are the most important sub-topics of a BSS Then, sub-topics such as a brief account of British historical events from 16th - 19th century, Britain's decline as a world power in the 20th century should

be included, too Only one out of five interviewed teachers would like to add British identity

as a sub-topic of the syllabus To determine what topics and sub-topics areas to be relevant to

in the syllabus, the author not only surveyed fifteen teachers whose duties were to teach English majored students and English bachelor students but also considered the 32 students’ expectations on the topics The teachers’ and students’ expectations of the sub-topics including in the syllabus are shown in table 3.2

Very relevant

Relevant Fairly

relevant

Not relevant Numbers and Percentages of Teachers’ and

6 40%

12 38%

2 British people today 10

67%

18 56%

5 37%

14 44%

3 Family relationship and

social classes

12 80%

22 69%

3 20%

10 31%

4 Main parts of Great

Britain

14 93%

30 94%

1 7%

2 6%

5 Climate and temperature

in Britain

10 67%

28 88%

5 37%

4 12%

6 A brief account of British

historical events from

16th - 19th century

5 33%

10 32%

7 47%

9 28%

2 13%

8 24%

1 7%

5 16%

7 Britain's decline as a

world power in the 20th

century

6 40%

8 24%

8 53%

9 28%

1 7%

13 42%

2 6%

8 British parliament: the

Prime Minister and the

Cabinet

4 27%

28 88%

8 53%

4 12%

3 20%

9 General election and

political parties

5 33%

20 62%

9 60%

12 38%

1 7%

10 The Queen and British

Royal Family

4 27%

30 94%

10 66%

2 6%

1 7%

11 The historical economic

problems and today

economy

3 20%

22 68%

12 80%

10 32%

12 The work force and the

trade unions

2 13%

6 40%

7 21%

5 34%

10 32%

2 13%

15 67%

13 British education systems 3

20%

10 32%

12 80%

18 56%

4 12%

14 Story of British schools 5

34%

13 41%

10 66%

18 56%

1 3%

15 Festivals and special days

in Britain

9 60%

20 62%

6 40%

12 38%

accommodation in the

U.K

12 80%

22 68%

3 20%

10 32%

17 British social customs

(dress, food and eating),

superstitions and

stereotypes

13 87%

30 94%

2 13%

2 6%

27%

7 21%

10 66%

22 68%

1 7%

3 9%

19 Environmental problems 2

6%

4 27%

12 38%

9 60%

13 41%

2 13%

5 15% Others British tourism and

cultural identities

5 15%

7 49%

10 30%

0

Table 3.2 Teachers’ and students’ ranking of sub-topics

There was a minority of students and teachers gave the ideas of non-relevant for choosing the historical event in 16th-17th centuries, environmental problems, and transformational systems

A majority of them strongly expressed their agreement by putting the ideas that the sub-topics were very relevant and relevant to be in the syllabus According to them, it was also necessary to provide students with the knowledge about the British tourism and cultural identities in Britain as there are trends going abroad for different purposes of English learners

today Some teachers (49%) and students (45%) gave one more sub-topic British tourism and cultural identities

Eventually, the results of the students’ needs about the topics including in the syllabus are confirmed by one more closed-question and analyzed as follow:

How do you evaluate the content of

the topics in British Studies lessons?

Percentages

very interesting and useful 31 97% not very interesting and useful 1 3% boring and unnecessary 0

very boring and useful 0

Table 3.3 Students’ ranking of topics and sub-topics

As the results of table 3.1 and 3.2, eight given topics and 19 sub-topics above were useful for students and they felt interested in studying 97% of students evaluated the topics and sub-topics in the syllabus were very interesting and useful And only 3% of students did not have the same ideas

In short, all the topics and sub-topics were given in the surveyed questionnaires and interviews would be used in the BSS However, the BSS should be included one more sub-topic British tourism and cultural identities as the students’ and teachers’ expectations As the results of the survey, the contents of the sub-topics and the order of the topics and sub-topics would little be changed in chapter 4 – A proposed syllabus

3.1.1.2 In terms of tasks/ activities

The teachers are the people who know exactly what types of tasks are most suitable in the syllabus Therefore, the designer chose 5 types of tasks to ask 15 teachers at FLD, NTTC for their advices on what activities/tasks students need to master in their BS and responses were shown in table 3.4 below:

What are the

tasks/activities

needed to be in

syllabus?

Teachers’ and Students’ choices

5 participating in cultural games 10 67% 28 88% Others writing assignments 5 16% 0

Table 3.4 Teachers’ and students’ ranking of tasks

According to them, giving presentation was the most necessary (100%) as this is the first foremost when students are in the third-year They had to comprehend and report what they have 93% of students thought that doing reading exercises were also important because of the time allotment There was not enough time to practise in the limited class-hours The others such as watching films obtained 80%, taking part in seminars reached 87% and participating in cultural games gained 67% A minority of teachers (16%) gave their other tasks that writing assignments would be in the syllabus

All the interviewed teachers who have been teaching BS agreed with the given tasks/ activities, one out of them thought that it would be added writing assignments as a supporting activity for students

To sum up, all the tasks here were useful and needed to be used in the syllabus based on the teachers’ questionnaires

As seen from the above table, 97% of students had the same ideas that they needed to give presentations while studying BSC It is the easiest and fastest way to get and revise the knowledge which they have learnt and achieved from the various sources such as on the internet 88% of students expressed their preference to watching films and participating in cultural games These activities are visual and adapt their eyes for rest while being busy studying and useful and forgettable ways of consolidating the knowledge A fewer percents of students (78%) agreed to take part in seminars They were reserved to share the ideas in the large class because of being not good at presentation skills After all, reading exercises at home and in classrooms led students to be rather busy Therefore, not all students thought it was important to do reading exercises at home (94%) However, these activities are helpful and necessary

How do you take part in activities in

British Studies?

Percentages very enthusiastically 29 91% enthusiastically 2 6% quite enthusiastically 1 3%

Table 3.5 Students’ ranking of tasks

To confirm the students’ responses on the tasks/activities including in the syllabus, one more question was administered and shown in table 3.5 The result can be 97% of students enthusiastically part in the activities in BS A minority of students (6%) felt not very interested in participating the tasks in the British Studies class

It meant that the tasks/ activities included in the BSS are almost suitable and helpful for students Fortunately, the teachers of FLD, NTTC extremely shared the same ideas with the syllabus designer

3.1.2 Lacks

What are your constraints in

studying British Studies course?

Table 3.6 Students’ ranking of constraints in studying BS

It can be seen from table 3.6 that most of students lacked background knowledge of British country, more than a half of them (65%) did not know much about the country whose language that they were studying Therefore, in terms of vocabulary seemed to be a problem with students (22%)

Moreover, since their BSC duration was short (45 class-hour), a quarter of students (25%) considered time as one of their constraints It was not enough time for them to get all information of BS which they enjoyed

Finally, materials and facilities were difficulties when the students were studying BS 15% of students felt materials were not available at all and studying facilities were really problems to access the information of BS

In short, the syllabus designer should pay much attention to supplement what students lack to the syllabus in order to help them fulfill gaps after a BS course

3.1.3 Wants

3.1.3.1 In terms of students’ goals of a British Studies course

Percentages

1 Do you think learning British

Studies is

very necessary 28 87% fairly necessary 4 16%

2 What are the reasons that you

study on British Studies course?

for enjoyment 5 16%

for your study 20 62%

for the job 19 59%

3 How do you feel British Studies

lessons at the class?

Table 3.7 Students’ ranking of BSC’s goals

Table 3.7 shows the students' in learning BSC It can be seen clearly a majority of surveyed

students wanted to learn BS for both their study and the future job (84%) This meant that in

order to help students achieve their goals, the syllabus should be first-job oriented the

content, time graduation, objectives, tasks/ activities and the language skills should be

relevant to Moreover, the tasks, activities and content included in the syllabus should be

supportive to other courses, for example, thanks to SSC, students will be more successful in

translation, interpretation, literature and the others

When the students were questioned how they felt BS lessons at the class, almost of them

(84%) satisfied with the BS lessons And four students out of thirty-two (13%) felt very

satisfied Besides, only one of them had neutral ideas which gained 3%

Last but not least, the course should provide students more interesting and meaningful

information that students find necessary to add to their general knowledge

3.1.3.2 In terms of students’ objectives of a British Studies course

to enrich a variety of terms relating to culture, politics, education, 15 32

society and so on 100% 100%

to achieve knowledge of Vietnamese and British cultures, politics,

education, societies and so forth

13 86%

27 88%

to be raised students' awareness of cross-cultural awareness between

two countries: Vietnam and Great Britain

11 73%

25 78%

to be able to successfully pass the final examination on BS 7

47%

26 81%

Table 3.8 Students’ ranking of BSC’s objectives

The above table presents students objectives of learning BSC Being able to develop four language skills and enrich them a variety of terms relating cultures, politics, education, society and the others were the most common objectives, which reflected through the choices

of almost 100% respectively of the surveyed students Obviously, hence students were aware

of cross-cultural awareness between two countries Great Britain and Vietnam (78%) Besides, approximately 88% of students wanted to gain knowledge of Vietnamese and British cultures, politics, education, societies so on Finally, to pass the final examination on BS successfully achieved 81% of students

All the teachers who were asked to finish the questionnaires had similar to the students' expectations The results of the questionnaire survey were clarified in the above table

In short, in order to help students obtain their objectives, the syllabus would focus on four language skills However, the designer should pay much attention to the selection of suitable and interesting contents and activities of BSS in order to attract students

3.2 Learning needs

3.2.1 Resources and administrative constraints

3.2.1.1 Class – size and the facilities

Thanks to the investment from NTTC, FLD has one Linguistic Practice Room consisting of

40 cabins in which students can work in a small class-size The Linguistic Practice Room is very well-equipped with the computers, TV, DVD players, cassettes and earphones Besides, teachers could register to use one projector or overhead available at FLD They were very useful equipments for showing pictures and models and for good Especially the animated ones which made the lesson much more interesting and easier to understand This was a great advantage for the teaching and learning BS

However, there was only one projectors meanwhile there was a number of teachers who were eager to use it Therefore, it was not easy to get a suitable arrangement when registering for class-hours Moreover, unlike at the English-majored universities in which the average class-size is between 15-25 students, the numbers of students at FLD ranged from 30 to 50 Large- sized classes caused many difficulties in English teaching and challenges for teachers of

English to implement activities Therefore, the students had fewer chances to control and practise four English language skills in the class According to the results of survey questionnaires, 30% of students thought that facilities were in constraints when they were studying BSS

3.2.1.2 Time

As mentioned above, the lack of time was one of the main reasons which cause teachers many difficulties Before the BSC was taken 90 class hours, and then was decreased to 60, but a BSC now is limited in 45 class hours which lasts 45 minutes In order to help students acquire the target needs, the syllabus designers must select the content, tasks or activities very carefully so that nothing irrelevant or not very useful is taught to students In addition, teachers of BS would select necessary parts to teach in the classroom and leave some others for students to study by themselves at home Table 3.6 shows the students’ ranking in constrains of time is 25%

3.2.2 The learners

3.2.2.1 Age and level

The third-year students at FLD are mostly at the age of nineteen and twenty-two This is really an advantage because they are young and active These characteristics may help them

to absorb and digest new information better or to be able to face challenges In addition, adult learners prefer learning by problem-solving of repetition which children learners enjoy Therefore, when designing and selecting activities and tasks, the syllabus designers should consider this matter

However, it was a fact that most of the students were from the mountainous areas of Nghe An province They had little background knowledge of the country which they were studying