A survey of the classroom use of the new english textbooks at a high school

Rationale for the study In an attempt to improve the quality of English language learning and teaching at the high school, the Ministry of Education and Training MOET has recently intro

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN VĂN KẾT

A SURVEY OF THE CLASSROOM USE OF THE NEW ENGLISH

TEXTBOOKS AT A HIGH SCHOOL (Khảo sát việc sử dụng sách giáo khoa tiếng Anh mới

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYEN VAN KET

A SURVEY OF THE CLASSROOM USE OF THE NEW ENGLISH

TEXTBOOKS AT A HIGH SCHOOL (Khảo sát việc sử dụng sách giáo khoa tiếng Anh mới

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DECLARATION

I, Nguyen Van Ket, hereby certify that my thesis submitted to the Faculty of Post- Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, apart from the help recognized, is my own work Documented references have been fully provided I have not submitted this thesis for assessment in any other training institutions

Hanoi, 2020

Nguyễn Văn Kết Approved by

SUPERVISOR

(Signature and full name)

Date: ………

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I would like to express my special and sincere thanks

to my supervisor, Dr Le Van Canh, who gave me enthusiastic instructions, precious support and critical feedback on the construction of the study This has always been one of decisive factors in the completion of this thesis

Second, I also express my profound gratitude to all doctors, lecturers and staff members of the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their valuable lectures and useful advice that are a great help me for the fulfillment of the thesis

Next, I would like to send my deep sense of thanks to the teachers and students at the high school in Hanoi for their cooperation and the valuable information they provided in my research field

Furthermore, I would like to send my heartfelt gratitude to my family and all of my friends who have great source of endless care and support

Last but not least, I am also thankful to many writers whose ideas are useful hints for the development of this thesis

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ABSTRACT

The thesis focuses on surveying the classroom use of the new English textbooks at a high school To achieve the research objectives, the author interviewed 04 English teachers and attended 06 English lessons of grades 10,

11 and 12 at a high school in Hanoi After collecting the primary data combined with the study and referring to the secondary data, the author found that the new English textbook has many advantages over the old textbook, both in form and content New textbooks focus more on communication activities, activeness and creativity of students Its knowledge is also updated and closer to the students' daily lives However, the difficulty in teaching new textbooks is quite a lot, from students, teachers, teaching methods, facilities and forms of exam and tests Based on such limitations, the author proposes a number of solutions for students, teachers, professional groups, schools and the Ministry of Education and Training to help implement the new English textbook program to be more convenient and efficient in the future

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

MOET : The Ministry of Education and Training TESL : Teaching English as a Second Language TEFL : Teaching English as a Foreign Language EFL : English as a Foreign Language

CLT : Communication Line Terminal

CD : Compact Disc IELTS : International English Testing System TOEFL : Test of English as a Foreign Language ELT : English Language Teaching

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

ABSTRACT iii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 7

CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 10

2.1 The role of textbooks in English language teaching 10

2.2 Previous studies related to using textbooks in English language teaching 13

2.3 The current high school context 17

2.3.1 The general context in Vietnam 17

2.3.2 New English textbooks at high school in Vietnam 22

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 27

3.1 Research design 27

3.1.1 Research setting 27

3.1.2 Participants of the study 28

3.2 Research instruments 28

3.2.1 Interview 28

3.2.2 The classroom observation 30

3.3 Procedure 31

3.3.1 Data collection process 31

3.3.2 Procedure of data analysis 31

CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 33

4.1 Findings of employed interviews and classroom observation 33

4.1.1 Interview findings 34

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4.1.2 Classroom observation findings 38

4.2 Discussion 42

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION 46

5.1 Summary of findings 46

5.2 Recommendations for more effective use of the new textbook 48

5.2.1 For the teachers 48

5.2.2 For the administrators 51

5.3 Limitations and suggestions for further research 53

5.3.1 Limitations 53

5.3.2 Suggestions 54

5.4 Conclusion 55

RERERENCES 56 APPENDICES I

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale for the study

In an attempt to improve the quality of English language learning and teaching at the high school, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has recently introduced a new series of textbooks These new textbooks are to promote communicative learner-centered teaching It has been claimed that the new textbooks will help teachers to change their teaching toward a greater emphasis on communication and learner-centered method However, the practical information about how the prescribed change affects teachers, students, and the school as well as how teachers respond to such prescribed change has not been researched much This study is an attempt to look into the issue more empirically Moreover, many teachers and students shared that they found it difficult to teach with the new textbooks and they have no solutions to overcome, certainly, lessons with new English textbook 10, 11 and 12 cannot be successful and it even becomes worse This has a great effect on students‟ learning results On the other hands, students will be fed

up with learning English if they find it worthless to study this subject

For all these reasons, it is required to find out difficulties in teaching English subject to the 10th,11th and 12th students at the high schools and the

solutions Therefore, the author decided to choose the topic “A survey of the

classroom use of the new English textbooks at a high school”

2 Aim and objective of the study

The specific aims of the study are:

- To explore how teachers use the new textbooks in their classroom

- To identify the gap between the method underlying the textbooks and the teacher‟s actual methodology, if any

2 What factors shape the way teachers use the new textbook in their classroom?

4 Scope of the study

The investigation focuses on teachers in one high school in Hanoi using the new textbooks for three different grades: Grade 10, 11 and 12

5 Significance of the study

This project can be significant in a number of ways First, the textbook

is a key component of most language programs, as discussed above It can also be the key source of language feedback obtained by students in the EFL context like Vietnam and the cornerstone of language practice both within and outside the classroom For many Vietnamese high school students, textbooks may also complement less than three hours per week of teacher education The textbooks must be professionalized, tailored to the curriculum and closely align the aims of the teaching program and the needs of the students in order

to achieve their goals most effectively A close look at new textbooks sponsored by the MOET showed, however, that they may have some problems There may also be major difficulties for teachers and learners working with a new textbook to attain the ultimative target of their education and learning programmes, which improve student communication skills

The current project helps to finding and proposes ways to strengthen the issues For authors, students, and teacher trainers in Vietnam, this

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contribution would have practical value The project also focuses on an educational setting that is widely unheard and under-represented in the worldwide TESOL bursary The project report is therefore a rich source of knowledge for scholars outside Vietnam for their use and reference

Findings from this study can also be useful for textbook authors, teacher educators and educational bodies in making appropriate decisions on how English teaching in the high schools can be innovated It can also contribute to the popular understanding of the role of textbooks in innovation

in education

6 Structure of the thesis

The study is divided into three parts:

Chapter 1 is the Introduction, which provides an overview of the research with specific information about rationale for the study, aim and objectives of the study, subject, scope and structure of the study

Chapter 2 is the Review of literature, which presents a review of theoretical background about new English textbook 10, 11 and 12 and a review of previous studies related to the research

Chapter 3 is the Methodology, which gives methodology underlying the research and descriptions of data analysis In terms of methodology, the background information of the research questions, the subjects, the data collection instruments, and data collection procedure are discussed

Chapter 4 is the Findings and discussion, which summarizes the major findings

Chapter 5 is the Conclusion, which includes the recapitulation of the main points presented in the thesis and concluding remarks; personal recommendations for such current problems in teaching with new English textbooks 10, 11 and 12 The limitations of the study and some recommendations for further research are also discussed in this chapter

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CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter provides general information about the role of textbooks

in English language teaching, previous studies related to using textbooks in English language teaching and the current high school context This is theoretical basis for the author to study others contents related to the classroom use of the new English textbooks at a high school in the following chapters

2.1 The role of textbooks in English language teaching

The role of textbooks in language teaching and learning is extremely important, and it is seen as a second important factor compared with teachers

in the second/foreign language classroom "Teach textbook is an almost universal aspect of English teaching", as indicated by Hutchinson and Torres (1994, p.351) Millions of copies are sold annually and various support programs have been developed to be produced in [several] countries There seems to be no teaching-learning situation until it has a specific textbook

In many language classes, ELT textbooks play a very important role, but there have been a lot of discussions across the whole ELT field over the actual role played by textbooks for English as second/foreign language teaching Arguments include the ability and the drawbacks of textbooks for' guiding' students through the course and curriculum and the expectations and desires of educators using textbooks Other issues that have arisen very recently include textbook design and practicality, methodological validity, and the role of textbooks in innovation Nonetheless, there has been very little research on the role of textbooks in ELT innovation

Haycrof (1998) says that one of the main benefits of using textbooks, because success and accomplishment can be assessed concretely when we use

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it, is emotionally important for students Sheldon (1988) has said that students

in his or her language classroom and program tend to use a textbook and feel that written materials have more validity than teacher-generated or in-house materials O'Neill (1982) suggested that even if not specifically made for him/her, the textbooks will be time and money efficient and that adaptation and improvisation should be allowed The report argues that it is an efficient source for self-directed learning, an efficient tool for presenting information,

an insight and activities source, a guide for learners, a curriculum where determined learning goals are expressed, and supports those who are not yet experienced in confidence Hutchinson and Torres (1994) have claimed that

pre-“the textbook is an almost universal element of [English language] teaching…No teaching-learning situation, it seems, is complete until it has its relevant textbook” (p 315) They propose that textbooks should help teachers through potentially confusing and challenging cycles of transition, show new, untried methods, slowly implement changes, and provide a scaffolding that enables teachers to build up their own innovative methodology

Those advantages include their greater credibility in comparison with teacher-generated materials or in-house materials (Sheldon, 1988), their sensitivity to students‟ needs as well as their efficiency in terms of time and money (O‟Neill, 1982) These advantages have been elaborated by Sheldon (1988) that textbooks yield a respectable return on investment and relatively inexpensive and involve low lesson preparation time, whereas teacher-generated materials can be time, cost, and quality defective In this way, textbooks can reduce potential occupational over-load and allow teachers the opportunity to spend their time undertaking more worthwhile pursuits

Given the undisputed benefits of language teaching textbooks listed above, the constraints on textbooks are well known in the literature as well

of consumers of textbooks have the skills they need to change the textbook N Reynaud, who has taught English for over 30 years (Admin, 2008), also finds that textbooks are all right as a grammar "progression" so that school books are perfect when the schedule of your lessons is "British literature”

According to Riazi (2003, p 52), "textbooks play a very crucial role in the realm of language teaching and learning and are considered the next important factor (element) in the second/foreign language classroom after the teacher" The textbook is a tool in the hands of the teacher, and the teacher must know not only how to use it, but also how useful it can be The wealth of published materials for English language teaching (ELT) available in the market makes selecting the right course book a challenging task Moreover, the selection of a particular core textbook signals an executive educational decision in which there is considerable professional, financial, and even political investment (Sheldon,1988)

In certain cases, textbooks are the framework for many of the linguist's guidance and language learning in the classroom The framework for the content of the lessons, the combination of skills and the language tasks that students regularly use can be given In other cases, textbooks can only be used for the teaching of the teacher Learning books can also be used as teacher training for educators in the case of new students, i.e they include

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suggestions about how to prepare and teach lessons, as well as templates for teachers to use Without the widespread use of commercial textbooks, most language lessons currently taking place throughout the world cannot take place The teacher's technical expertise is therefore an integral part of learning how to use and adapt textbooks (Richards, 2001)

2.2 Previous studies related to using textbooks in English language teaching

The English language teaching (ELT) textbooks are critical They have

to be sufficient for the context and the people with whom they are used to be

of value, utility and adequacy Although textbook assessment literature is not especially comprehensive, various authors proposed evaluation "checklists" based on criteria, allegedly generic, that teachers and students can use in many different situations While Sheldon (1988) notes that there cannot be a specific set of standards in all teaching and learning environments without a major change, many of these standardized assessment lists have the same elements which can be used in different situations as helpful starting points for ELT practitioners In the field of ELT, theorizers such as Williams (1983), Sheldon (1988), Brown (1995), Cunningsworth (1995) and Harmer (1996) all agreed that assessment checklists should have some physical requirements relating to textbook features, such as format, structure and logistics We can list some researches related to use textbook in English language teaching as follows:

David (2014) studied about “Textbook evaluation and ELT management: A South Korean case study”, Asian EFT Journal, UAE University Al Ain ELT materials (textbooks) played a very important role in many language classrooms Arguments also encompassed both the ability and the drawbacks of materials for 'guiding' students through the learning process

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and curriculum as well as the needs and desires of teachers who were using textbooks Whether or not one acknowledged the importance of textbooks, it must certainly be with the qualification that they are of an acceptable standard

or level of quality and suitable to the learners for which they were being used

It was therefore absolutely important that a wide range of pertinent criteria for evaluating the textbooks we used in our language classrooms be developed and enforced This paper discussed and described the intricate and complex evaluation process that was undertaken at Sung Kyun Kwan University in Suwon, South Korea in 2000-2001 for a textbook (English Firsthand 2) that was being used in this particular learning environment The purpose of this research project was to determine the overall pedagogical value and suitability

of the book towards this specific language program

Seyede and Amin (2015) studied about “Textbook Evaluation: An Investigation into “American English File Series” ELT materials (textbooks) played a really crucial role in many language classrooms, but in recent years there has been a lot of debate throughout the ELT profession on the actual role of materials in teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language (TESL/TEFL) Some issues that have been discussed in recent years include textbook design and practicality, methodological validity, the role of textbooks in innovation, the authenticity of materials in terms of their representation of language, and the appropriateness of gender representation, subject matter, and cultural components This study aimed at an investigation into “American English File” series in Iran EFL context To this end, twenty-three experienced teachers holding degree from B.A to Ph.D and age range 24-37 were called for cooperation A forty item questionnaire adapted from David (2000) was used to elicit information needed for the study The data obtained through the questionnaire were then subject to descriptive and

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inferential statistics Results indicated that „American English File‟ series was

a suitable and appropriate device for language teachers to obtain their aims as well as the aims of the language institutes

Ahmadi and Derakhshan (2016) studied about “EFL Teachers' Perceptions towards Textbook Evaluation” According to the research, textbook evaluation helped the teachers find appropriate course books and let them regulate and modify them to meet the learners' needs and also allowed for natural interaction to occur The skilled teachers had the opportunity to report and reflect their perceptions on the usefulness and weakness of the textbook they use in a given class Although there were a lot of researches on textbook evaluation, the newly published textbooks were paid less attention Therefore, the aim of this study was to review the evaluation of various textbooks which were conducted by EFL teachers all over the world to find out their perceptions toward the strengths and weaknesses of the textbooks Moreover, this study reviewed some studies on Iranian teachers' perceptions toward old and newly published materials "Prospect 1"which were taught in schools, the role of teachers in evaluating textbooks, weaknesses and strengths of textbooks and some arguments against materials This review research illustrated to what extent textbooks provide teachers and students' needs and empower teachers to improve their knowledge about evaluation of each kind of textbooks The evaluation of textbooks revealed benefits and deficiencies of the teaching materials Finally, it was recommended that it was useful for the syllabus designers, experienced and inexperienced teachers, materials developers and educational authorities to evaluate and investigate the newly-published textbooks in order to realize new ways to improve the quality of the materials and revise their contents

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Study about “Students‟ perceived difficulties in reading comprehension with reference to New Tieng Anh 10 textbook at Nghi Loc IV High school: A survey interview study” was conducted by Le Minh Sao (2008), Vietnam National University, Hanoi This study aimed to investigate students‟ difficulties in reading texts in the new textbook for grade 10 according to their perceptions Findings were used to suggest appropriate instructional support

to help students to improve their reading comprehension skills With the aim

of finding out students‟ perceived difficulties in comprehending reading texts

in the new textbook, a survey interview approach was adopted for this study Semi-structured interviews were conducted on a group of 20 Grade 10 students These students were selected randomly among volunteers All the interviews were audio-taped and fully transcribed Data was analyzed qualitatively to identify common difficulties the students encounter in their reading comprehension

Study about “The implementation of the new English textbook for grade 10 in innovation: A case study” was conducted by Nguyen Thi Bich Hang (2009), Vietnam National University, Hanoi According to the research, innovation in ELT tended to be materialized through the introduction of new materials, textbooks, teaching methods, and teacher education programs There was a taken-for-granted view that the introduction of the new textbook which claimed to be based on the findings of current theory and research results in the improvement of teaching Although textbooks could influence the quality of classroom teaching and learning, there has been relatively little research in ELT on how teachers use the textbook inside the classroom Through interviews, classroom observation, and informal chats with classroom teachers, this study demonstrated the gap between the intended innovation embedded in the textbook and the actual delivery in the classroom

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Also, the study identified factors that affected the way teachers use the textbook Some conclusions deriving from the study were drawn to inform teacher educators on how to help teachers approach the innovative textbook more effectively

In summary, the above studies all provide the author with a theoretical basis for the use of English textbooks However, given the different study subjects, different research objectives as well as different contexts, the results and recommendations given are only applicable in those studies, not applicable to my study Also, to date, no studies have been done on the evaluation of the use of new English textbooks at high schools in Vietnam Therefore, the author's study is an independent study, not overlapping with published studies

2.3 The current high school context

2.3.1 The general context in Vietnam

English has become a part of the high school curriculum since 1980s as Vietnam implemented its economic policy reformation emphasizing the open market economy, integration and globalization Nevertheless, a more than the two-decade history of English teaching and learning seems not to make much progress in using English to communicate practically and efficiently (Hang, 2009) The effectiveness of English language learning is very low with the outcome that the students are unable to use English for communicative purposes

For the last few years, English has been taught and studied more intensively and extensively According to Ministry of Education and Training, secondary division is quite optimistic that the ratio of upper-secondary students learning English accounts for 98.5% (2017) Actually, this figure only shows that the increasing needs of English in our society, not the levels

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of real teaching and learning qualities at schools It is a matter of fact to discuss herein some controversial problems of the high school context in Vietnam concerned with English learning and teaching conditions

2.3.1.1 Teachers

In fact, the qualification and proficiency of English teachers in Vietnam are unequal Ministry of Education and Training (2017) reported that the proportion of regular teachers officially graduating from University of Education, English Department is not high A small number of those graduated from Vietnam National University, College of Foreign Languages, English Department Many others were trained or regularly trained at other universities and colleges, either local or provincial This could be an excuse for the shortage, in terms of language and training, of a trained and professional staff

Furthermore, the research of Ministry of Education and Training (2017) also shows that the ratio of teachers with experience in teaching English for

15 years or more is rather high In other words, the difference in age is another topic for discussion Their language understanding and communication skills are therefore remarkably low Nonetheless, English teachers have few or no opportunity to communicate with foreigners or native speakers in classrooms This discourages the inspiration for learning communicative skills and upgrading modern technology in language teaching regardless of age and context

Noticeably, many teachers have hardly attended training programmes

or professional workshops given by the national or provincial trainers To be honest, most of them have no chance to learn about the introduction of new methods and strategies for language teaching Therefore, in theory and practice they do not at all consider communication language teaching or

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learner-centered approaches However, few teachers have the opportunity to study abroad and to learn English in person These facts result in ineffective and theoretical outcome which is backward and no longer meet the demand of the development, the integration and globalization of our country in the modern time

2.3.1.2 Students

In Vietnam, the high school curriculum, textbook and reformation of language teaching are all prescribed and administrated by the Ministry of Education and Training Although English has been popularized at every lower and upper-secondary school in Vietnam, students‟ English competence

is very low The main reason is the lack of native-speaking environment which discourages students‟ interests Moreover, their attitude to the importance of other subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, literature and so forth is higher English Therefore, high school students are merely able to acquire a restricted basic knowledge of English in aspects of vocabulary and grammar structure, apart from pronunciation, intonation or communicative skills like speaking or listening All in all, high school students‟ language background, including those studying at normal and gifted schools, is at elementary level after graduation

In general, in Vietnam, motivation of high school students is not highly appreciated There is a big gap between urban and rural students in terms of ambition to acquire English language Although many students are well aware

of the importance and necessity of learning English, they hesitate to speak English in real-life communication or even at school, which can be impacted

by their introvert characteristics (Sao, 2008)

Methodically, the traditional grammar-translation approach is dominant

at schools rather than communicative language teaching approach In other

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words, it stressed language competence of students while CLT approach is interested in developing communicative ability of students (Hang, 2009) Hence, it has bad influence on students‟ passive and dependent learning method and awareness They are confused and strange to new communicative activities namely pair work, group work, discussion and so on

Another disadvantage most of high school students have to face is the lack of actual native learning and communication environment They seem to have no opportunities to interact or practice with English foreigner at schools, apart from some international schools in urban area Understandably, they have neither motivation nor experience in communicating or using English in the actual situation

2.3.1.3 Classroom

A classroom is a room that is usually arranged in a specialized school

to use for teaching and learning activities of teachers, teachers, professors, etc and students, etc Classes are the basic units in educational institutions including public, semi-public and private schools, companies, agencies, and religious and humanitarian and medical organizations, etc

The classroom is a relatively secluded and quiet space where learning can take place uninterrupted by distractions A class can range from a small group of five or six learners or larger with hundreds of students in one room (A large classroom is also known as a lecture hall)

Most classrooms have the similarity that there is always a large board where to convey knowledge in words, images of teachers to learners Traditionally this has been the form of a blackboard, but it can also be a blue board (and inscribed in white chalk), a white board or a magic board (usually with a brush) Nowadays, next to the board in many classrooms also arrange a projector screen for use (usually with a laser pen) Many classrooms also have

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televisions, maps, charts, books, newspapers, journals, and LCD screens that present information and images from the computer for the ultimate in instruction

Classroom layout, design, and decor have a significant impact on the quality of the lecture If the classroom is located in a quiet place, it will reduce distractions to focus on learners' learning Lighting and furniture, objects and equipment, also influence research and learning

For lessons that require specific practice situations or different types

of career classroom approaches, both indoor and outdoor classrooms are used Examples are fitness classes, biology research classes, practice classes, field trips

The classroom can also be organized on the fly, such as in computer laboratories used for information technology lessons in schools, sports gyms, and science laboratories such as biology and chemistry and physics, mechanics, etc

2.3.1.4 Facilities

Obviously, facilities are in urgent demand to adapt to new language teaching approaches In other words, physical context of the current high schools comes up for discussion

First of all, the average class size of forty-five to fifty-five students is too big to carry out communication language teaching approaches Therefore, teachers are difficulty in managing class and organizing activities for group work or pair work, for example

Second, traditional desk arrangement prevents communication interaction between teacher and students as well as among students It constrains students‟ motivation and creativeness and dynamic to master language comprehension and skills

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Third, bad sounds causing poor-quality equipment can interfere with students‟ comprehension In fact, noise including both background noises on the recording and environmental ones can take students‟ mind off the content

of listening passage To be worse, the lack of appropriate equipment and language teaching aids is universal and controversial in Vietnam The Ministry of Education and Training (2017) reported that amongst investigated upper-secondary schools all over in Vietnam, the number of teaching aids such as tapes, cassette players, overhead projectors, CD players, visual aids such as pictures, teacher cards is countable It is undeniable that modern technology encourages much any aspects of language teaching and learning Nevertheless, little technology support is to give suitably and evenly among different parts of the country Furthermore, many of such limited devices are misspent since no one takes advantage of them

Finally, reference books for teachers and students, including supplementary exercises, methodology or training books, dictionaries, magazines or newspapers in English, tapes and recorders and so on, are found every upper-secondary school Hence, there is also a big gap amongst urban, rural and mountainous schools in Vietnam regarding facility investment and potentiality of practical use

2.3.2 New English textbooks at high school in Vietnam

In Vietnam, English was officially introduced as a subject of secondary school curriculum in the late 1980s Since then, three series of English textbooks have been taught simultaneously at upper-secondary school The three-year English textbook, “Bộ sách hệ 3 năm” (from grade 10

to grade 12) by Đặng Trần Cường, Nguyễn Mỹ Dung, Phạm Khải Hoàn, Lê Đức Nhuận and Hoàng Văn Sít was introduced since 1980s The seven-year English student‟s book, “Bộ sách hệ 7 năm” (from grade 6 to grade 12) was

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compiled by Tứ Anh, Phan Hà and May Vi Phương The ten-year English student‟s book, “Bộ sách hệ 10 năm” (from grade 3 to grade 12) was introduced in 2010

In the first place, though the two series of textbooks are designed depending on different approaches they share several similarities First, such textbooks are dominated by integrated approach between language knowledge, especially grammar and vocabulary, and language skills, for example, speaking, listening, writing and reading It is a matter of fact that there is no distinctive focus on certain language knowledge or language skills Second, they try to teach only target upper-secondary students Finally, there

is no English pronunciation or phonetics or intonation section which is very important to practice the real language

In the second place, the two textbooks differ distinctively In aspects of target students‟ levels of proficiency, the three-year English student‟s books,

“Bộ sách hệ 3 năm”, are suitable to those who start learning English at grade while the seven-year English one, “Bộ sách hệ 7 năm”, is used by students experiencing in English from grade 6 Thus, the contents and level of difficulties are completely differential Regarding methodology, the three-year English student‟s book is dominated by situational approach which concentrates on situational communication language, particularly speaking skills On contrary, the seven-year English student‟s book is impacted by Traditional Grammar-Translation approach In other words, such series of textbook focuses on teaching reading skills, vocabulary and grammar structures

In the third place, the Grade 6 curriculum is a continuation of the Grade

5 English program already available in elementary school The ten-year general English program is the product of the national foreign language

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project, started in 2010 with the first provinces of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with the aim of comprehensively renovating teaching and learning foreign languages in the national education system Accordingly, starting from grade 3 compulsory foreign language subjects at all general education levels According to the initial target of the foreign language project, the 10-year foreign language program will gradually expand to about 70% in the 2015-2016 school year and 100% in 2018-2019 However, many difficulties

in facilities and the quality of teachers have slowed down this goal

Although the three series of textbooks have had remarkable contributions to English teaching and learning at Vietnam upper-secondary schools over more than two decades, they have become outdated as the modern language teaching requires more communicative approaches

In addition to those textbooks, there have recently been also some other pilot textbooks which are implemented in certain upper-secondary schools in Vietnam However, there were no longer popularized as the standard textbook for upper-secondary curriculum like the new

The new “Tiếng Anh 10, 11 and 12” is the fifth volume which succeeds

a new series of English textbooks for grade 6 to grade 9 Unlike the old textbooks where language input was described in aspects of linguistic structure which were then mechanically practiced through a series of rule-focused exercises, the new “Tiếng Anh 10, 11 and 12” is underpinned by a theme-based approach to the introduction of language input Lessons are arranged under topics which are true to life, and familiar with upper secondary students This is an important advantage of the textbook as it is appropriate to the students‟ needs and thereby inspiring their interests The new textbooks aim to develop students‟ communicative language skills including listening, speaking, reading and writing via different interesting and well-designed units

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The new English textbook at high school is a student book, compiled by the Vietnamese educational publishing house under the English pilot program issued by the Ministry of Education and Training, with close technical and professional cooperation with Pearson Publishing The book is compiled in the direction of communication, helping students to initially formulate and develop their English communication skills, through four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, with two priority of listening and speaking skills

This type of textbook has some highlights such as:

 Vocabulary system taught by flashcards is easy to learn and easy to remember

 Lessons are supplemented by attractive games to help students learn and play while memorizing knowledge

 After each grammar lesson, students are allowed to practice related exercises to reinforce their knowledge

 Students are allowed to take tests and assess their ability after 2-3 lessons

Features of the new English curriculum 10, 11 and 12 are as follows:

- The curriculum is compiled in line with the textbook program issued

by the Ministry of Education and Training

- The curriculum consists of 10 units based on topics of social interest (generation gap, relationships, volunteer work, etc.)

- Each lesson consists of 5 parts to focus on developing students' skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Communication)

- The knowledge is supplemented evenly, combining vocabulary and skills training to help students master grammar exercises for exams

- Lessons are inserted games or puzzles to help students learn and play

at the same time, increasing the effectiveness of the lesson

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- At the end of each lesson, there is a Project section This section both helps students apply the knowledge learned in the lesson while helping students improve creativity for each topic they learn

- The program has 4 Review exercises to help students revise the knowledge they have learned in 2-3 units and practice some advanced grammar exercises to increase their understanding and application skills

After finishing the course, the tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade students can:

 Read, understand long texts and do related exercises

 Improve listening skills and listen to a variety of topics

 Communicate confidently on issues related to social life

 Write letters, call, write emails to friends and relatives

 Build a relatively solid grammar foundation

In summary, this chapter provided review of literature The three main parts were described including the role of textbooks in English language teaching; previous studies related to using textbook in English language teaching and the current high school context This is an important basis for the author to carry out the following parts

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CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

The chapter describes the methodology employed in the study It consists of two sections The first section presents the specific methodology used to serve the research questions underlying the study The second section discusses the research design with a description of the subjects, instruments, teaching materials and data collection procedures

The purpose of this study is to research and answer two questions as below:

1 How do teachers use the new English textbook in their classroom and to what extent does their methodology match the textbook‟s intended method?

2 What factors shape the way teachers use the new textbook in their classroom?

As planned, I successful studied in a state-run school The reason for

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choosing it was just for convenience I did not have to travel very far to the school when I paid field trips to the school But more important was the permission I got from the school leadership and the teachers who were teaching English in the school Although this was a state-run school in urban area, it had many similar characteristics of many other state-run senior high schools in the rural area On average, 50 pupils were put in one classroom which was basically furnished with rows of long desks Every five pupils shared one desk Between rows of desks was a narrow aisle for the teacher to move around

Although the area is economically developing, there are very few opportunities for the students to use English outside the school because this is not a tourist destination Neither is it an industrial area which accommodates joint–venture or foreign-owned companies Local people live chiefly by working as state officials or having their own business

3.1.2 Participants of the study

Participants were four female teachers of English (ranging from 29 to

45 years old) who had been teaching both the old textbook and the new one at the high schools (both private and state-run) in Hanoi City All of them were university graduates and they all have at least six years of English teaching experience at high schools All these teachers attended a short in-service training workshop organized by the MOET on using the new textbook, and three of them were even trained in using the new textbook by the English Language Trainer Training Project (ELTTP) with British trainers

3.2 Research instruments

3.2.1 Interview

Interviews are one of the most important sources of studying information and this minor thesis was not a different circumstance Powney

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and Watts (1984, cited in Verma & mallick, 1999, P.122) define it as “an interaction between three elements: the interviewer, the interviewee, and the context of the interview including the issue questions raised in the interview” According to Fraenkel and Wallen (1996), interviewing is an important way for researchers to check the accuracy of the impression they gain from observation Therefore, interview can be considered as an efficient tool that helps the author to get the topics in-depth and collect information and data in detail Moreover, the interview also helps the researcher get a clearer explanation of respondents In this study, the interview is one of the main tool

to gather the qualitative data

The researcher applied the method since it could explore in greater detail and in-depth some particularly important aspects and address other closely related topics Besides, interviews are among the most challenging and rewarding forms of measurement They require personal sensitivity and adaptability as well as the ability to stay within the bounds of the design of the interview

What is more, interviews are a popular research method because they are flexible and participatory Interviews are flexible because the interviewer has the freedom to change some questions or the asking order of the questions according to the reactions of the users Besides, interviews are participatory since they require both the interviewer and the participant to join in an interactive conversation This is a big advantage when compared with the isolated effect of the questionnaires because the user shares the experience and he may have more tendencies to use the interface after the interview Due

to these reasons, interviews are more personal ways of gathering information from users than the questionnaires

Also, depending on the type of interview, the researcher may not be able to establish the natural environments of the participants

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In this study, the author uses the interview to get more specific sharing and viewpoints of 04 teachers about difficulties they face with during teaching English with new English textbook 10, 11 and 12 for the tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade students

Thus, the interview is useful when supporting the author to find out the teachers‟ perceptions and attitudes for teaching method and materials as well

3.2.2 The classroom observation

Apart from interviews, “observation can be a rich source of information for the researcher It enables you to capture what people actually do rather than what they say they do” (Wisker, 2001:178) Many studies have been conducted to prove the important functions of classroom observation According to Dewalt and Dewalt (2002), the observation is a tool to answer the questions in the research and formulates the theory and checking hypotheses

By observing classes, the author can discover more about the feeling expression and the communication methods amongst respondents and balance the time for research‟s activities as well Also, the researcher observes students‟ feelings and attitudes in English lessons with new English textbook

10, 11 and 12 in order to get the comprehensive assessment about current teaching of the teachers with new English textbook 10, 11 and 12 in a high school in Hanoi City

Class observation is not the main method of this research but it acts the role of supporting more for findings from the interviews In order to study on teaching English with new English textbook 10, 11 and 12 for tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade students in a high school in Hanoi, the author observed 06 English classes taught by 06 teachers Besides, the author also designed an observation sheet with an aim of supporting the author to discover the

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essential information of the class, lesson‟s name, date, student and teacher activities and involvement, etc In the observation sheet, the author gets the significant information on English lessons with new English textbook 10, 11 and 12 observes the teacher‟s activities in the class and discovers their difficulties In addition, the author has the chance to cross-check data from the interviews

3.3 Procedure

3.3.1 Data collection process

3.3.1.2 Administering the interviews

For the interview, the author conducts with 04 English teachers of a High school to find out their difficulties in teaching new English textbook 10,

11 and 12 and gather information involved the current teaching of new English textbook 10, 11 and 12 The author designs 04 questions to comprehend and find out the teachers‟ advantages and difficulties in teaching new English textbook 10, 11 and 12

3.3.1.2 Administering the classroom observations

The author conducted to observe classrooms within 07 months, from 01 November 2019 to 01 May 2020 Within 07 months, the researcher observes

06 English classes which were taught by 06 English teachers, each class of two lessons Furthermore, the author also joins in each class, observes the activities in English lessons taught with new English textbook 10, 11 and 12 with the purpose of gathering the essential information and data for the study

3.3.2 Procedure of data analysis

3.3.2.1 Data from interviews

After the interview had completed, the researcher reviews all interview information for clarifying the responses‟ similarities and differences from the respondents Also, the explanations and understandings of participants

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support the researcher to collect the data rapidly Therefore, the teacher‟s perceptions in difficulties when teaching English 10, 11 and 12 with new English textbook are shown and clarified

3.3.2.2 Data from observation

After observing English classes, the author collected data from observation sheets From that, the author had clarified the difficulties when teaching English 10, 11 and 12 with new English textbook in 01 surveyed high school Moreover, the author observed that various activities occurred in the English class by using new English textbook 10, 11 and 12 The most significant data that the researcher got was in which activity teachers used authentic materials Finally, the researcher read and examined the information above to put into analysis

In short, this chapter presented the methodology developed to discover the answers for the research questions The author applies two research tools, including interview and observation in order to gather the data Finally, the author stated the procedure of data collection and data analysis as well

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CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter presents and discusses the findings that arise from the data which were collected for answering the intended research questions There are two types of data which were analyzed and presented separately, i.e classroom observation data and interview data

Firstly, the analysis of the classroom observation data will be presented

to provide empirical information on how the intended innovation embedded in the new textbook was actually implemented in the classroom Secondly, the data collected from the interviews will be analyzed and presented The outcome of this part will be used to answer the second research question about difficulties that the teachers at a high school are coping within their daily teaching with the new English textbooks In other words, this will help

to understand the factors that affect the way teachers implemented the intended innovation from the teachers‟ perspectives Finally, a discussion of these findings will be presented

Collecting data from classroom observation and interviews I decided to categorize into two main issues: 1) Teachers‟ classroom practice and 2) Difficulties they are coping within their daily teaching with the new English textbooks The data was categorized that way simply for answering the research question presented in chapter I Following is the description of the data in detail

4.1 Findings of employed interviews and classroom observation

In this study, the author interviewed 04 English teachers who are teaching English at a school in Hanoi Survey results show that these 04 teachers have 12-20 years of experience teaching English Therefore, teachers have taught both old and new English textbooks and their assessments will be more comprehensive, complete and objective

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4.1.1 Interview findings

Teachers’ perceptions of the advantages of the new textbook

Regarding the merits of the new textbooks, one teacher said, the division is also quite reasonable Students will learn 04 lessons in the first semester and the remaining 04 lessons in the second semester New textbooks have more communication section, more knowledge about culture and the new one Such knowledge is more updated so students can expand their cultural knowledge In particular, the new textbook has a Project section This

is an interesting part, helping students to be more active in knowledge, increase group skills, self-study, and exploit information about the lesson; thereby helping students practice presentations, creative thinking Many parts

of the project even include drawing, students are also more interested in this content (Teacher 1)

Another teacher mentioned the communication-oriented features of the textbook She said, also, the new textbook brings many benefits to students Students are able to communicate more, be proactive in knowledge, listen in advance at home, acquire knowledge by themselves and students learn more knowledge The topics in the new English textbook are very good, suitable for today's life like music Students are quite excited about these lessons because they can perform music or role-plays In short, the new textbooks are improved many shortcomings of the previous ones such as the previous textbooks include 04 main skills, that is listening, speaking, reading, writing and a language focus lesson This clear arrangement makes it easy for teachers

to prepare lesson plans and arrange teaching (Teacher 2)

One teacher, who taught the new textbooks for 5 years, after a period of teaching new textbooks, she said, the new book is beautifully designed with colourful pictures and illustrations She said “due to the design cooperation

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with Pearson, a foreign publisher, the design of the new textbook is similar to the design of foreign books Topics are updated, especially the new 12th-grade textbook program, there is one topic on artificial intelligence that students are excited about” (Teacher 3)

This view was supported by another teacher, who had 20 years of experience teaching English According to her, “the form is much nicer than old books It includes more vivid pictures and vivid illustrations” (Teacher 3) According to the teachers, vocabulary was recycled helping the students

to retain words better According to one teacher, vocabulary is repeated in nine lessons so students can remember longer and apply it better in exercises

In addition, the new textbook has a very interesting and useful vocabulary with the part of creating compound nouns and compound adjectives As a result, students know how to create new words in the correct English style so their vocabulary is improved and they can use more natural vocabulary (Teacher 3)

When mentioning the good points of the new textbook, one teacher gave a comprehensive comment as follows “grammar is focused but spread out for lessons The skills are intertwined and students are more practice In each lesson, there are 08 periods whose contents are related to each other and support each other Repeated vocabulary helps students remember longer The listening and speaking skills are improved Students have more opportunities

to practice reading and practice, so their vocabulary is richer Compared to current exam requirements, new textbooks are more appropriate, especially exams like IELTS or TOEFL New textbooks‟ longer commands and suggestions although the simple content also makes it difficult and distracting for students” (Teacher 4)

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Teachers’ perceptions of the disadvantages of the new textbook

In aspects of difficulties in using the new textbooks in their context, following are teachers‟ opinions

According to one teacher, rural students have to face many difficulties when learning such textbooks They have little access to technology, low awareness, low self-motivation, so Project activities are not exciting for students Most of them do not know how to work in groups Only 1-2 groups

of students know the group activities but the effectiveness is not high In addition, rural students do not have much vocabulary and the main goal of studying English is to graduate, so they are not much interested in communication activities or teamwork She shared that students without basic English knowledge or rural students are difficult to use new English textbooks (Teacher 1)

Furthermore, the content of new textbooks is quite difficult, only suitable for good, excellent students with a certain English language The lecture is long, so teachers do not have enough time to teach all the knowledge in one lesson Some topics in new textbooks are quite difficult, such as Asian This is an interesting topic but it belongs to the field of politics which is not close to students Students do not have much vocabulary on this topic so they are not excited about such lessons Another example is Unit 9 - The Body, of English book 10 The content of this lesson is related to acupuncture, difficult vocabulary so it is difficult for students to remember The view on the suitability of the textbook to the students in difficult areas is further supported by another teacher, who said, the textbooks are only suitable for good, excellent students with certain English knowledge The average students or rural students can hardly learn this book by difficult vocabularies and quite long lessons The topics are not really close to everyday life either

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such as topic of Asian Such topic is quite difficult and students are less able

to apply in daily life While topics are closer to their daily life are not covered

in the new English textbook such as how to make questions at the airport, how to ask for directions, how to buy tickets or book hotels The questions and content are usually just attached to the main content of the lesson, so they are not close to their daily life and when they come to life, they do not know how to use English properly (Teacher 2)

The teachers also found it challenging to themselves in using the new textbook For example, one teacher, who was young with limited teaching experience, was concerned about the strange vocabulary in the textbook and the lesson planning that took up much of her time She said that there are many words in the new textbook that she had never heard of, so she had to learn, teach and study with students at the same time She had to prepare carefully before each lesson and found new things to serve each lesson (Teacher 1)

Regarding the challenges to the teacher, another teacher added that there were lots of exercises, many grammar points (3-4 points/lesson) so students cannot grasp them all According to her, to have an effective and successful lesson, teachers must prepare materials very carefully Teachers must invest a lot of time In addition, both communication goals and national high school exam questions have not been changed to fit the new textbook program Students in all public schools in Vietnam do not yet have a favorable communication environment; meanwhile creating a communication environment is difficult (Teacher 3)

It is interesting that one teacher said that although the new textbook has

a lot of challenges to the teachers, it is good for teacher to improve their knowledge and professional competence She said, because the new textbook

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has a lot of new knowledge, teachers both teach and learn In order to have a successful lesson, teachers must prepare carefully and dig deeper into the content and subject of the lesson This is also a benefit to further improve the qualifications and knowledge of teachers (Teacher 4)

4.1.2 Classroom observation findings

To better understand the advantages and disadvantages of teachers and students for the new English textbook program, the author observed six classes of grades 10, 11 and 12, each of two taught by 4 teachers Data was analyzed qualitatively in the sense that meaningful lesson extracts are used to provide answers to the research questions The findings are presented below according to the themes that emerge from analysis

Using sentence frames and constructions to teach grammar

The teacher tried to support the students practicing grammar by producing the sentence frames and/or constructions

T: Now, we move to Activity 3 (T writes on the board Activity 3) Work

in pairs Discuss the questions below

You will work individually, read their list of chores and write down the person who does each of the chores Then, work in pair to ask and answer the question

Các em có thể sử dụng các cấu trúc sau (T writes on the board):

I often help my parents V/to V

I often help with N/Ving in my family

I take the responsibility for Ving/N

I am responsible for

My main responsibility is to V

Các em có 5 phút để hoàn thành

Using groupwork in the sink-or-swim manner

(Lesson 2, Unit 1, Grade 10)