Good English Teaching Practices” As Perceived In Teaching Contests In Hai Duong Province, Vietnam.pdf

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN HẢI NGUYÊN

“GOOD ENGLISH TEACHING PRACTICES”
AS PERCEIVED IN TEACHING CONTESTS
IN HAI DUONG PROVINCE, VIETNAM
“Dạy giỏi Tiếng Anh” nhìn nhận từ
các cuộc thi giảng ở tỉnh Hải Dương, Việt Nam

MA. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field : English Language Teaching Methodology
Code : 8140231.01

HANOI, 2019


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN HẢI NGUYÊN

“GOOD ENGLISH TEACHING PRACTICES”
AS PERCEIVED IN TEACHING CONTESTS
IN HAI DUONG PROVINCE, VIETNAM
“Dạy giỏi Tiếng Anh” nhìn nhận từ
các cuộc thi giảng ở tỉnh Hải Dương, Việt Nam

MA. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field

: English Language Teaching Methodology

Code

: 8140231.01

Supervisor : Dr. Vũ Hải Hà

HANOI, 2019


DECLARATION
I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “Good English teaching practices as
perceived in teaching contests in Hai Duong Province, Vietnam” is the result of my own
research for the Degree of Master of English teaching methodology at the University of
Languages and International Studies, Viet Nam National University. This thesis has not
been previously submitted for any other degrees. The work was done under the guidance of
Doctor Vu Hai Ha, at the University of Languages and International Studies.

Hanoi, January 2019
Nguyễn Hải Nguyên

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Vu Hai Ha for
his careful supervision, great support and encouragement during the whole process of
research. I myself would not have accomplished this paper without his expert, specific
instruction and criticism.
I am also grateful to my colleagues at nearly 40 high schools in Hai Duong
province, especially Nguyen Binh Khiem High School, Tu Ky High School, Thanh Ha
High School, Gia Loc High School and Pha Lai High School, for their enthusiastic
participation and feedback in the stage of data collection.
Finally, my special thanks go to my family who gave me time and encouragement
to overcome all difficulties along the course of research and complete this study.

ii


ABSTRACT
The following paper involves discovering how “good English language teaching
practices” are perceived in the provincial teaching contests in Hai Duong province which is
somehow a form of teachers‟ assessment, and exploring the correspondences, if any,
between these perceptions and those described in the ETCF, which is acting as a guidance
for teachers‟ training and development. Within the scope of this study, 18 examiners and
55 examinees who are teachers of high schools in Hai Duong province and have
participated in the teaching contests agreed to voice their opinions on “good English
teaching practices”. The data was collected from questionnaires, follow-up interviews and
document observation. Then the perceptions of “good English teaching practices” shown in
the teaching contests were compared with those characterized in the content of ETCF with
a view to investigating the connection between practice and theory. Consequently, the
examinees and the assessment criteria including documents and the examiners‟ evaluation
bear considerable similarities regarding the characteristics of effective English language

teaching, namely Culture Teaching, Communicative Approach, Assessment, Technology
and Teaching materials, etc. The findings also added to the existing framework of Brown
(2009), which serves as the backbone of the study, in terms of outside classroom factors
such as Lesson Planning, Teachers‟ professionalism, Contribution to language teaching
and Students‟ Learning Outcomes and Development. Besides, the teaching contests show
noticeable agreement with the ETCF on what characterize “good English teaching
practices”. However, ETCF covers broader and more comprehensive concepts while the
teaching contests deals with more detailed ones. Interestingly, it is suggested from the
teaching contests that the utilization of different ways to grab students‟ attention in class
and development of students‟ autonomy in learning play an important role in achieving
good English teaching practices, which is not mentioned in any competency in the ETCF.
At the end of the day, it is also implied that training programs and theoretical guidelines
have a significant impact on teachers‟ beliefs about effective English teaching and on their
teaching practices.

iii


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ETCF:

English Teacher Competency Framework

SLTE:

second language teacher education

FL:

foreign language

L2:

second language

iv


TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION .................................................................................................................. i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ ii
ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................... iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................ iv
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................... v
CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1
1.1 Rationale for the study .................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Research objectives ........................................................................................................ 2
1.3 Research questions.......................................................................................................... 3
1.4 Research scope................................................................................................................ 3
1.5 Significance of the study ................................................................................................ 3
CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................... 5
2.1 Theoretical background .................................................................................................. 5
2.1.1 Perspectives on teaching .............................................................................................. 5
2.1.2 English language teacher education ............................................................................ 6
2.1.3 English language teacher assessment .......................................................................... 7
2.1.4 Perceptions of good English language teaching .......................................................... 9
2.2 Case study background ................................................................................................. 12
2.2.1 English language teacher education in Vietnam ........................................................ 12

2.2.2 English language teacher assessment in Vietnam and the English Teacher
Competency Framework (ETCF)......................................................................................... 14
2.2.3 EFL teaching and Teaching contest in Hai Duong Province .................................... 18
2.3 Research gaps ............................................................................................................... 20
CHAPTER 3 – METHODOLOGY .................................................................................. 21
3.1 Research paradigm research design .............................................................................. 21
3.1.1 Research paradigm..................................................................................................... 21
3.1.2 Research design .......................................................................................................... 22
3.2 Data collection .............................................................................................................. 22
3.2.1 Research setting ......................................................................................................... 22
3.2.2 Research participants ................................................................................................. 23
3.2.3 Instruments ................................................................................................................. 25
3.2.4 Data collection procedure .......................................................................................... 31

v


3.3 Data analysis ................................................................................................................. 32
3.4 Methodological limitations ........................................................................................... 32
CHAPTER 4 – FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS .......................................................... 34
4.1 Analysis of research question 1 .................................................................................... 34
4.1.1 Questionnaire result ................................................................................................... 34
4.1.2 Interview result ........................................................................................................... 38
4.1.3 Document observation ................................................................................................ 42
4.1.4 Summary of findings and data source ........................................................................ 43
4.2 Analysis of research question 2 .................................................................................... 44
4.2.1 Questionnaire result ................................................................................................... 44
4.2.2 Interview results ......................................................................................................... 46
4.2.3 Summary of findings and data sources....................................................................... 49
4.3 Analysis of research question 3 .................................................................................... 50

4.3.1 Similarities.................................................................................................................. 50
4.3.2 Differences.................................................................................................................. 52
4.4 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 53
CHAPTER 5 – CONCLUSION ........................................................................................ 56
5.1 Research summary ........................................................................................................ 56
5.2 Practical implications.................................................................................................... 56
5.3 Research limitations and future research ...................................................................... 57
REFERENCES................................................................................................................... 59
APPENDIX 1: ILLUSTRATION OF THE MAIN CONTEMPORARY MODELS OF
LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION ........................................................................... I
APPENDIX 2: EXAMPLES OF ETCF ASSESSMENT TOOLS ................................. III
APPENDIX 3: EFFECTIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING QUESTIONNAIRE
(FOR THE JUDGES).................................................................................................... XXIII
APPENDIX 4: EFFECTIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING QUESTIONNAIRE
(FOR THE CONTESTANTS) ..................................................................................... XXXI
APPENDIX 5: FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEWS (TRANSCRIPT) ......................... XXXVI
APPENDIX 6: ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS ABOUT ROUND 1 (EXPERIENCEBASED INTIVATIVE PAPER) AND ROUND 2 (THE COMPETENCY TEST) OF
THE TEACHING CONTESTS .................................................................................... XLII

vi


LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Five models of teaching ........................................................................................... 5
Table 2: Some main contemporary models of language teacher education .......................... 7
Table 3: Some competency frameworks/ models for English language teachers .................. 8
Table 4: Domains and Competencies in ETCF ................................................................... 16
Table 5: Category of effective language teaching in the questionnaire ............................... 27
Table 6: Data collection procedure ...................................................................................... 31

Table 7: Questionnaire revisions ......................................................................................... 32
Table 8: Result of aspect of Grammar Teaching (Examiners) ............................................ 34
Table 9: Result of aspect of Error Correction (Examiners) ................................................. 35
Table 10: Result of aspect of Target Language Use (Examiners) ....................................... 35
Table 11: Result of aspect of Culture (Examiners).............................................................. 36
Table 12: Result of aspect of Computer-based technology (Examiners) ............................ 36
Table 13: Result of aspect of Communicative Language Teaching Strategies (Examiners) ........ 37
Table 14: Result of aspect of Assessment (Examiners) ....................................................... 38
Table 15: Result of document observation (good language teaching practices) ................. 42
Table 16: Research question 1 - Summary of findings ........................................................ 43
Table 17: Descriptive result of the examinees' beliefs ........................................................ 44
Table 18: Identical opinions in both examiners' and examinees' perceptions of good
English language teaching ................................................................................................... 46
Table 19: Research question 2 - Summary of findings ........................................................ 49

vii


CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION

1.1

Rationale for the study
Starting from the time of economic reforms, Vietnam has adopted the open-door

policy to involve in international business and attract foreign investments, so the
interaction with other nations is unavoidable. As a result, in order to increase capabilities
of the country to grow in nowadays environment, it is necessary for Vietnamese to
improve their second language ability as an essential communicative tool (Hamano, 2008).
Vietnamese children have been encouraged to learn English from the age of 6 since

national education system has covered English in its teaching content for all primary
schools (Pham, 1998). Nevertheless, the effectiveness of teaching and learning English at
these schools is very low. The students have learned this language rigidly, so they cannot
use it in reality at all (Hamano, 2008).
This is the point where old methods of teaching show certain limitations. These
teaching processes which only concentrate on linguistic accuracy and are controlled by the
teacher in class restrict students‟ opportunities to practice and apply English structure in a
flexible way. Hence, after a long time of learning and doing many boring grammar
exercises, the students can only remember the meaning of individual words and formula of
grammar structure, but they cannot apply these things to comprehend the content of the
whole sentences in different contexts nor compound meaningful sentences to express
themselves. It is even worse when they have to speak out in English. While speaking is
considered one of the most significant skill of effective communication (Hamano, 2008),
the lack of confidence, slow reflex and poor pronunciation has made it very difficult for
Vietnamese students to open their mouth fluently. Hence, the necessary to find new
teaching methods has been proposed with the effort to improve the effectiveness of English
learning process. Therefore, the issue of quality in teaching foreign languages has become
a matter of concern. In 2008, the Prime Minister approved the Decision 1400 about
“Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, Period
2008-2020”, most frequently referred to as the National Foreign Languages 2020 Project
(Department of Education and Training - Hai Duong Province, 2014). Since then, there
have been many changes in teaching and learning foreign languages in general, and
teaching and learning English in particular with the central focus on English teachers‟

1


development. In fact, the Ministry of Education and Training has announced that 85
percent of the total 450-million-US-dollars investment will be spent on teacher training
(Hieu, 2017) to improve teachers‟ language proficiency and teaching methodology with the

hope that it can help improve students‟ achievements. At the same time, a five-domain
English Teacher Competency Framework (ETCF) has been established and used as the
official standards for assessing teachers‟ performance and ability (Ministry of Education
and Training, 2013).
In the meantime, nationwide extensive emulation movements have led to more and
more contests for teachers; among them teaching contests have attracted not only teachers‟
and education administrators‟ participation but also lots of attention from the public. These
contests, theoretically, are targeted at encouraging teachers to enlarge their knowledge and
upskill their professional practices, so that it may result in high general education quality.
Personally, being a teacher of English for a few years, I have participated in several
training courses hosted by Hai Duong Department of Education and Training and the
Ministry of Education and Training concerning the practice of National Foreign Languages
2020 Project and ETCF. I am going to take part in a teaching contest at school next year,
which is to prepare for the provincial contest. Therefore, what currently concerns me most
is whether I can apply the knowledge gained from the training courses into the teaching
contests.
Thus, a matter that needs to be taken into consideration is how good English
teaching practices are really perceived in these contests and if there is any correspondence
between those perceptions and the criteria of ETCF.
1.2

Research objectives
Based on the issue mentioned above, the study is aimed at:


Investigating how good English language teaching practices are perceived in the
assessment criteria employed in the teaching contests in Hai Duong province in
particular;



Examining how good English language teaching practices are perceived by the
teachers taking part in these contests;



Exploring the correspondence, if any, between the perceptions of good English
language teaching practices in Hai Duong province and the criteria of ETCF.

2


1.3

Research questions
Followings are three research questions:
1. What characterizes “good English language teaching practices” according to the
assessment criteria employed in the teaching contests (from the documents and
from the examiners‟ point of view)?
2. What characterizes “good English language teaching practices” as perceived by the
teachers (examinees) taking part in these contests?
3. What are the similarities and differences between the perceptions of “good English
teaching practices” in these contests and in the ETCF?
The first and second question are to highlight the perceptions of “good English

teaching practices” in reality as they are assessed in the teaching contests based on the
assessment criteria as well as acknowledged by the examinees. It is due to few documents
acted as the guidelines of assessment in these teaching contests that examiners are needed
to specify how the criteria are adapted to assess English teaching practices.
The third question is to compare the assessment of English language teaching in a

real situation of provincial teaching contests to the instruction of English teachers‟ training
and development described in the document of ETCF.
1.4

Research scope
The study is limited to the perceptions of good English language teaching practices

presented in the assessment criteria and by the contestants of the teaching contests. These
perceptions are quite comprehensive since good English teaching practices are looked into
both inside and outside the classroom. The teaching contests mentioned in the study are
provincial contests intended for high school teachers in Hai Duong Province, Vietnam.
1.5

Significance of the study
In a time when educational innovation is necessary in Vietnam to improve the

effectiveness of teaching and learning process, a research on the perception of good
teaching in classes has become significant. Therefore, this study has certain meanings to
not only teachers and school managers but also educational scholars.
First, for English teachers this research provides an overall view on the definition
of effective teaching for foreign languages as well as the criteria for assessment, which
helps them to adjust and improve their own teaching capability and approach. Like this,

3


they can enhance their strengths in teaching and try to minimize and improve the weak
points at the same time in order to increase the effectiveness of teaching.
On the other hand, school managers can also acquire knowledge from this research,
then using it to create the direction and construct the plan for their teachers‟ development.

With an appropriate growth idea, they can maximize each individual‟s capabilities, which
are important to improve the school quality and reputation in the long term.
Last but not least, educational scholars can find this paper a source of reference on
academic investigation of effective educational approach. Not only the research can
provide researchers general knowledge on foreign language teaching and its impacts on
teaching process but also it describes and analyzes the situation of this perception in the
application of English contests in a real case study in Vietnam.

4


CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter presents the review of the knowledge which is related to the topic in
order to build the theoretical framework of the study. The chapter consists of three
sections. Section 2.1 shows the general theoretical domains which are directly associated
with the research, including perspectives on teaching, English language teacher education
and assessment, and a review of the existing research on perceptions of good English
language practices. Section 2.2 provides more specific background information regarding
the case study of the research, which includes the situation of English language teacher
education and assessment in Vietnam in general and in Hai Duong in particular. The
context regarding the provincial teaching contests in Hai Duong province is also discussed
in detail. Finally, the gaps in the reviewed literature are stated in Section 2.3.
2.1

Theoretical background

2.1.1 Perspectives on teaching
Teaching and learning go together, but teaching methods are not defined and
refined based on how people learn in reality (Bates, 2015). After studying 253 adult

teachers from five countries, Pratt (1992) found that there are five different perspectives on
teaching, which include transmission, interactive, experiential, nurturing, and social reform
(Table 1).
Table 1: Five models of teaching
Perspective

Proposition

Authors

on teaching
Transmissive

Lectures are held in the classroom and students learn mostly by

Bligh (2000),

teaching

listening to a speaker. Knowledge is transmitting to from the speaker to

Bates (2015)

the students. This way of teaching is teacher-centered. The purpose of
teaching is to provide students (listeners) with a designed body of
language in pre-designated order without regarding the way students
interpret such knowledge.
Interactive

Learning via interactive teaching requires talking, concentrating on

Ausubel (1978),

teaching

analytical/

and

Bligh (2000),

assessment by analyzing, synthesis, comparison and evaluation.

Bates (2015)

critical

thinking/

problem-solving,

discussion,

Teachers not only transmit knowledge to students but also foster and
facilitate discussion and argument within the rules and discipline of the
subject. Learners are encouraged to converse and argue to reach a

5

deeper viewpoint of the topic.
Experiential

This category consists of several approaches, for example, experiential

Pratt (1992),

teaching

learning, adventure learning and apprenticeship. It refers the strategic

Bates (2015),

and active way students engage in learning opportunities via doing and

Kolb and Kolb

reflect on those activities to enable them to apply their theoretical

(2005),

knowledge to practical contexts in inside and/ or outside classroom
settings. The focus is learners‟ reflection on their experiences of doing
something, from which they can obtain abstract insights into the
theoretical framework and its practical applicability as well.
Nurturing

Nurturing teaching is characterized by teachers‟ strong emphasis on

Pratt (1992),

teaching

learners. Teachers need to study learners‟ interests and approaches to

Bates (2015)

learning in an empathic way. To achieve this, teachers listen carefully to
learners‟ thoughts and saying regarding learning and supply them with
supportive, suitable and reflective responses.
Social reform

Social reform of teaching is not a theory of teaching. Teachers under

Pratt (1992),

teaching

this approach believe that educational contribution via teaching is for

Bates (2015)

developing a better society. Teaching methods and perspectives of
knowledge are flexible and not fixated as long as they are linked to a
vision of an improved future.

2.1.2 English language teacher education
English language teacher education in this paper refers to second language teacher
education (SLTE). It was a term that is invented that is initially invented by Richards
(1990) and later accepted as well as consolidated by the public from the work of Burns and

Richards (2009). In this publication, SLTE is defined as how language teachers are trained
and educated in order to “acquire knowledge and skills and build a working model of
effective teaching”. According to Britten (1985) cited in Wright (2010), language teacher
education before 1985 was dominated by the model of Applied linguistics practices. The
principle of Applied linguistics is to provide teachers with the time and methods/ ways to
develop a deeper understanding of language and learning. It would enhance teachers‟ own
lives and help them achieve a sense of professional cohesion and independence. Teachers
have a better sense of their career and are enabled to own the control of their own teaching
and learning activity (Burns & Richards, 2009). After 1985, there have been important
changes to SLTE curriculum and correspondingly in teacher education and the professional
development of English language teachers. Wright (2010) reported three main significant

6


schools of theories that drive the alterations in SLTE, namely Reflective practice (Lockhart
& Richards, 1994), Reconceptualization of knowledge base about what teachers need to
learn in SLTE and the process of learning (Freeman, 1989, 1991; Freeman & Richards,
1996; Roberts, 1998; Shulman, 1986; Woods, 1996), and School-based teacher learning
(Medgyes & Malderez, 1996). SLTE is now aimed at producing “reflective teachers” with
the provision of a variety of learning experiences in institutionally-based sessions in real
schools and classrooms, the creation of means for evaluating personal and professional
learning, and long-term research-based follow-up of successful graduates of SLTE
programs (Wright, 2010). Conclusively, post-1985 SLTE emphasizes awareness-raising,
collaborative learning, reflection and learning from experiences.
Several contemporary models of teacher training and development have been
constructed based upon the new agenda in SLTE. Table 2 provides an overview of some
main models of teacher education in the post-1985 period (for graphic illustrations of these
models, see Appendix 1)
Table 2: Some main contemporary models of language teacher education

Model
Process of teacher
change

Teacher-centered
professional
development

Interconnected
model of
professional
growth

Description
The model suggests the sequence among the three major goals
or outcomes of professional development. The idea behind the
model is that change is primarily an experientially based
learning process for teachers.
The model is contrast to the traditional approach to teacher
education. It tackles the problem of acknowledging different
individual teaching styles when teachers mediate their
students‟ learning and proposes the Teacher‟s Choice
Framework for planning development programs.
The model identifies the specific mechanisms by which
teacher change in one domain is associated with change in
another based on the domains of change in the model of
teacher change by Guskey (1986).

Authors and
references

Guskey (1986, 2002)

Diaz-Maggioli
(2004)

Clarke and
Hollingsworth
(2002)

2.1.3 English language teacher assessment
Nowadays, teachers are required to develop competencies which would help them
gain better teaching performance in the classroom (Nessipbayeva, 2012). This normally
implies higher educational quality. Therefore, there is a growing interest in evaluating
teacher by competence (Roelofs & Sanders, 2007). According to Selvi (2010), teaching
competencies can be defined as the ability to respond successfully to a complex
requirement that involves attitudes, values, knowledge, and capacities in a meaningful and

7


effective way. In other words, it is the way in which knowledge, beliefs, capabilities,
abilities, values, and strategies that teachers possess and that determine the outcome of his/
her performance articulated.
In the field of English teaching as either a foreign language (FL) or second
language (L2), competency-based training is becoming increasingly significant in teacher
education (Wright, 2010). Its growing influence is demonstrated by the appearance of
professional standards as well as frameworks for language teachers. Table 3 describes
some competency framework:
Table 3: Some competency frameworks/ models for English language teachers
Model/

Framework
Standards for
ESL/EFL teachers
of adults

Organization/
Association
TESOL

ACTA/ ATESOL

Australia

TESOL ANZ

New Zealand

Common European
Framework of
Reference for
Languages:
Learning,
Teaching,
Assessment
(CEFL)
Teaching for
Success

Europe

Competency
framework for
English for
Academic Purpose
(EAP) Teachers

British
Association of
Lecturers in
English for
Academic
Purposes
(BALEAP)

British Council

Proposition
Eleven standards of key competencies within
five domains (Language, Culture, Instruction,
Assessment, and Professionalism) via a variety
of performance indicators adopted from Seufert
et al. (2005).
Guidelines for teacher‟s competencies, which
are organized into four categories, namely
knowledge, practice, ethics of teaching, and
professionalism, and professional development
and the performance indicators are largely
defined in behavioral terms.
Competency standards for all ESL teachers as
an extensive list of required knowledge, skills,

attitudes, education, and experience.
A framework of reference for European
countries to set standards of language teachers‟
competencies by four domains (Structure,
Language and Understanding, Strategies and
Skills, Values).

A framework with twelve professional
practices that a language teacher is required to
know and do as a part of his continuing
professional development.
Guideline and description of core competencies
of a professional EAP teacher, which are
categorized into four domains relating to
Academic practices, EAP students, Curriculum
development, and Program implementation.

8

References
Alexandria
(2008)

ATESOL
(Association of
teachers of
english to
speakers of other
languages)
(2003)

Haddock (2006)

Council of
Europe (2018)

British Council
(2016)

BALEAP (2008)


In addition to the standards and performance indicators, assessment instruments are
critical to any well-developed evaluation system (Kuhlman & Knezevic, 2013). In teacher
education, there are a variety of tools for teacher assessment, including tests, classroom
observation, teacher self-assessment, teacher portfolio, surveys, students‟ reviews, peer
reviews, etc. Test, though being one of the most commonly used instruments, is often
criticized for being not sufficient, because it does not reflect teacher performance in actual
classroom setting. In addition, test is subjective since it will likely show the preparers‟
biases about what is important (Pecheone & Chung, 2006). Teacher portfolios have a long
history in teacher assessment. Teacher portfolios can provide both the breadth and depth of
a teacher‟s accomplishments (Kuhlman & Knezevic, 2013). Classroom observation can be
integrated into a portfolio by recording videos of teachers actually teaching in the
classroom. Projects that demonstrate an understanding of language development, test of
content knowledge and many other things can be included in the portfolio as well
(O‟Malley & Valdez Pierce, 1996). A key to utilizing portfolios is establishing how they
are evaluated. Rubric is a method that provides a consistent way to determine the quality of
the teacher portfolio. Rubric in teacher education refers to a scoring guide designed to
provide constructive feedback to students by helping them think more clearly about the
characteristics of quality work (Burke, 2011). Rubric is most commonly used in
performance-based assessment, which consists of any form of assessment in which the

teachers construct a response orally or in writing (O‟Malley & Valdez Pierce, 1996). A
carefully developed rubric shows teachers how far they have traveled along a scale toward
meeting the standards and achieving the competencies (Kuhlman & Knezevic, 2013).
2.1.4 Perceptions of good English language teaching
Teaching itself is a complex task, so it is difficult to clarify what good teaching is
(Perrott, 2014) and there is no universally accepted definition of effective teaching
(Johnson & Ryan, 2000; Paulsen, 2002; Trigwell, 2001). Numerous attempts have been
made to identify the characteristics of effective teaching, using a variety of theoretical
perspectives, from qualitative and quantitative approaches, from various disciplinary
standpoints (McMillan, 2007) and from the student point of view (Vulcano, 2007), but the
number of empirical studies focusing exclusively on teaching practices in language
classroom is extremely limited, making up a fairly small of body literature.

9


Reber (2001) investigated how teachers perceive the teaching behaviors and
attitudes that contribute to effective FL teaching and learning. An 80-item questionnaire
was used to collect data from 457 respondents, who are FL teachers from Spain, France
and German. The teachers were asked to rate the level of significance of each statement
concerning one particular behavior/ attitude based upon their perceptions, using a scale
from 1 (not important at all) to 5 (essential). The teaching behaviors and attitudes in the
survey were identified and categorized based on the theories about Communicative
Approaches, the focus on form and other theories in L2 acquisition, individual leaner
differences in FL learning, strategies for FL learning, teacher qualifications and how FL
teachers are assessed. The items that received the most major agreement are the ones that
general theories and behaviors related to communicative theories of FL teaching, to small
group work, to negotiation of meaning, strategies in FL learning, and assessment. The rest
emerged confusing results. The set of questionnaire items in this study is the most
comprehensive one and covers a broad range of characteristics that are theorized to

contribute to effective teaching. However, since it combines both FL and L2 perspectives
while the respondents are FL teachers without sufficient relevant training, it limits the
representativeness and validity of the research.
Following in the footsteps of Reber (2001), Bell (2005) provided a comprehensive
portrait of effective L2 teachers, which was characterized by 44 perceived behaviors and
attitudes and agreed upon by 457 experienced teachers. The results confirmed the influence
of communicative approach found in Reber (2001) and established emerging professional
consensus on what constitutes effective teaching. It addressed various topics such as
instruction, the use of cooperative learning strategies, interdisciplinary connections,
differentiated instruction, assessment, instruction of grammar, and L2 acquisition theories.
Brown (2006, 2009) conducted a comparison of perceptions regarding the
characteristics of an effective FL teachers between students and teachers. The author
developed a 24-item Likert-scale questionnaire on teaching behaviors that are considered
as the reflection of effective FL teachers. The instruments come from the dominant
theories and discussions in language teaching at that time, including grammar teaching,
error correction, target language use, culture, computer-assisted language learning,
communicative teaching approach, assessment and standards about L2 learning and
teaching. Significant differences in the two perspectives were found. The 49 teachers were

10


heavily under the influence of their previous teacher training, so they favored the
communicative approach to teaching in language classroom, while the students seem to
prefer the old-school-and-grammar-based class. The differences were mostly evident in the
two schools of beliefs in the areas of target language use, error correction and group work.
Though the instrument of Brown (2006, 2009) is not as comprehensive as that of Reber
(2001) and Bell (2005), the questionnaire much more focuses on the practices of FL
teaching and has a reasonable length. As a result, the respondents found the survey easier
to comprehend and conduct than an 80-item questionnaire, leading to a higher applicability

of real-world settings. These studies also provided additional support for the growing
beliefs emerged from Reber (2001) and Bell (2005).
A more recent research by Katooli and Abdolmanafi-Rokni (2015) improvised and
downsized the instrument of Reber (2001) to study the perceptions of FL teaching in Iran
public high schools from the perspectives of both students and teachers as well. The study
examined only seven categories, including Grammar Teaching, Error Correction, Target
Language Use, Culture, Computer-Based Technology, Communicative Language Teaching
Strategies, and Assessment. The findings of this research are also consistent with Brown
(2006, 2009) with students preferring a more common grammar-based method and
teachers preferring a communicative FL classroom.
Using the influential model of teacher cognition by Borg (2003), Kissau et al.
(2013) conducted a large-scale mixed-method research on the beliefs about effective
language teaching in the US across different groups of teachers with the impact of teaching
training. A total of 222 teachers were asked to complete the survey and followed-up with
the interviews with 14 teachers. Following the same approach but in a smaller scale,
Saydee (2016) measured the beliefs of 25 foreign language teachers, using the lens of
communicative approach. Generally, the study is consistent with the general accepted
approaches in previous research that are already embedded in language teacher education.
As mentioned above, quantitative analysis dominates the body of literature on
beliefs of effective language teaching. Ketsman (2012) is the only found study using
qualitative approach for this topic in the context of rural Spanish high school classroom.
The data were collected through classroom observations, one-on-one audiotaped interviews
with teachers and exploration of instructional materials. However, the research
concentrates on exploring the correlation between teacher expectation and student

11


achievement. It reveals that teachers need to have high expectations for themselves and
follow those expectations, including constantly using innovative technology in the

classroom, utilizing a variety of assessments and ample amount of FL, and conducting
their pedagogical procedures according to second language acquisition theories.
2.2

Case study background

2.2.1 English language teacher education in Vietnam
In Vietnam, as part of the educational reform, a new English curriculum is being
introduced that mandates 35 weeks a year, amounting to 165 weeks in the five years of
primary education (Ministry of Education and Training, 2001; Socialist Republic of
Vietnam, 2001, 2002, 2003). Teacher education is the key to achieving the implementation
of this curriculum. More specifically, in order to introduce effectively the new curriculum,
first, it is important for teachers to learn new teaching content and methods (Hamano,
2008). In addition, „teacher education‟ needs to be improved to allow them to learn new
teaching methods. Second, educational conditions should be developed and improved with
a view toward the implementation of the new curriculum. Specifically, a „transition from a
two-shift system to full-day schooling‟ has to be realized in order to secure the required
number of classes.
The introduction of the new curriculum poses two challenges to teacher education
(Hamano, 2008). The first is the need for teachers to learn the new content and the second is
to learn the new education/teaching methods. On the first task, subjects such as music,
physical education, and drawing and handicrafts (art), which were not taught in the past,
have been added in the new curriculum. In addition, the teaching content of major subjects
has been significantly increased for every grade. Gaining knowledge about these new
contents and studying educational tools for this end will be a great challenge. The second,
learning the educational methods, is an even more important and difficult challenge.
Teacher training in Vietnam was traditionally influenced by the French intellectualismoriented education, in which teachers traditionally provided pupils with textbook contents
unilaterally in classes, and this in turn engendered an emphasis on rote memorization and a
passive learning attitude (Nguyen, 2004). Teacher training also placed a focus on
knowledge about the subjects and on the Ho Chi Minh (Pham, 1998), while little attention

was paid to „teaching methods‟. The concept of the new curriculum, which is currently
being introduced, seems to have been developed against this backdrop.

12


Besides, students who have completed a pre-service teacher training course at
teacher training colleges or universities are considered to be qualified to teach in secondary
schools. However, teacher training in Vietnam pays much attention to the theoretical study
rather than teaching methods (Le, 2012), not to mention some of those courses were not
properly delivered without controlled quality, especially off-campus tai chuc English
language ones, which leads to the inadequacy of teaching practices. In the meantime,
after graduation, it is not easy for Vietnamese teachers to access to professional
development (Le, 2012) because of the following: (1) the burden of paper work, and (2)
the unfamiliarity with dialogue to exchange ideas with their colleagues. Hence, it is the
teacher education and development that need some revision to enhance the quality of
teaching practices.
National Foreign Languages 2020 Project
In 2008, Vietnam government issued the Decision no. 1400/QĐ-TTG regarding the
approval of the scheme on "Teaching and learning foreign languages in the national
education system, period 2008-2020", dated 30 September 2008. This scheme is often
shortened as National Foreign Languages 2020 Project (Ministry of Education and
Training, 2008).
The official aim of the project is the renovation of teaching and learning FLs in the
national education system to launch new teaching and learning programs at different
educational levels, job training centers and mass organizations with the focus on English.
Specifically, the implementation of the 10-year education program with the progressive
rate is as followed: 15% (2010 – 2011), 65% (2015 – 2016) and 100% (2018 – 2020). By
2020, Vietnamese university and college graduates, who have sufficient ability to speak
FLs independently and confidently in communication, learning and working in an

integrated, multilingual and multicultural environment.
In the Decision, the government stated the missions that this project must achieve
as below:


FLs that will be taught and studied in education institutions in the national
education system are English and other languages.



The FL proficiency framework should clearly define the requirements for each
category of listening, speaking, reading and writing based on a criterion of 6 levels

13


determined by the Association of European Foreign Language Examination. The
first level is the lowest one and the sixth level is the highest one.


Setting up the standard framework to reach the following degree: Primary students
need to pass the first level, junior high school students need to achieve the second
level, and high students need to get the third level. The math and suitable subjects
will be taught in English



Innovating the method of examination and evaluation is done by building
questionnaire and enhancing the application of information technology in FL
training.

The estimated budget for the project implementation is VND9,378 billion in total

(Ministry of Education and Training, 2008). According to the Ministry of Education and
Training, by the 2015-2016 school year, there were over 1.8 million students whose
studying follows this project. In 2016-2017 school year, this figure went up to more than
4.9 million. There are 5,940 FL teachers of all English levels who have been trained
professionally. In some high schools, Math, Physics are piloted in English to evaluate the
ability of FL of students (Phuong, 2016). However, the project costs more than VND9,000
billion, whereas the number of students who can be approached this program only
accounted for 20% of the target. The number of FL teachers is more than 30% (Hieu,
2017). After 9 years of implementation, the objectives of the project have not been
achieved at all levels in terms of the number of learners and the quality of teaching and
learning.
2.2.2 English language teacher assessment in Vietnam and the English Teacher
Competency Framework (ETCF)
Because of the National Foreign Languages 2020 Project, an English Teacher
Competency Framework (ETCF) has been developed, acting as official standards in
evaluating and training teachers, and completed in 2012 (Ministry of Education and
Training, 2012). This framework has been applied in the training and evaluation of English
teachers widely since 2013. The ETCF is intended to be used by teacher trainers from
regional centers, universities, and other providers for teacher needs assessment, program
and curriculum evaluation, and program and curriculum improvement. The ETCF provides
a roadmap for ongoing professional development. As these processes are developed and
practiced, English teacher development will be both standardized and localized while
remaining flexible to incorporate new knowledge and understandings.

14


ETCF consists of five domains (Ministry of Education and Training, 2013). The

first domain deals with knowledge of language, culture and national curriculum. This also
mentions teacher language proficiency. As teachers‟ competency standards are set, it is
inevitable for teachers to retrain. The second domain addresses knowledge of English
teaching, including teaching methodology, lesson planning, conducting classroom
activities, assessing students‟ learning, applying materials and information technology.
Because of the new curriculum and requirements, teachers have to adapt new teaching
methods which encourage students‟ critical thinking and creativity. The third domain
concentrates on how teachers understand their students. Teachers should acknowledge the
changes in learners‟ cognition and psychological state, apply the understandings of
learners‟ values and learning experiences in the teaching process in order to enhance their
motivation, creativity and critical thinking. The fourth gives attention to teachers‟
professional values and attitudes. It indicates that teachers should show their
professionalism and cooperation and be aware of self-study and professional development.
The last domain is about the practice and context of language teaching. To be more
specific, teachers are expected to have a comprehensive understanding of related
contextual issues, to put English into practice in real life and to reflect on their own
language learning. In short, the new ETCF requires lots of self-evaluation and training as
well as an open-mind attitude from English teachers. The focus, competencies and
performance indicators of each domain in this framework are summarized in Table 4.
The ETCF can be used in a variety of ways to identify the training needs of a
specific group of teachers. Some initial tools have been created and are explained on the
website of Ministry of Education and Training (National Foreign Languages 2020 Project
Forum, n.d). For teachers, the ETCF is used for self-assessment. Tools for self-assessment
developed from this framework can help teachers to identify areas in which they would
like to grow. Teacher Strengths and Needs Assessment (TSNA) can be used by individual
teachers to identify a domain on which to focus professional development, or mentor other
teachers. The Teacher Self-Assessment (TSA) is utilized by individual teachers either on
their own or as part of a training course or to identify strengths and needs on a specific
Domain after analyzing the information gained from TSNA. The Teacher Self-Assessment
Summary and Action Plan (TSSA) is a template for teachers to use to reflect on the

Teacher Self-Assessment, and to develop an individual professional development plan (For
details of these tools, please see Appendix 4).

15


Table 4: Domains and Competencies in ETCF
Domain

Domain 1:
Knowledge of
Language &
Curriculum

Domain 2:
Knowledge of
Teaching

Domain 3:
Knowledge of
Language
Learners

Competency
Competency
1.1a
Competency
1.1b
Competency
1.2

Competency
1.3
Competency
1.4
Competency
1.5
Competency
1.6
Competency
2.1
Competency
2.2
Competency
2.3
Competency
2.4
Competency
2.5
Competency
2.6
Competency
3.1
Competency
3.2
Competency

Competency description

Performance indicator
Primary B1, Primary & Lower Secondary B2, Upper Secondary C1

Teacher‟s language proficiency

A1-A2, A2-B1, B1-B2

Working knowledge of CEFR

Knowledge about Pronunciation, Grammar, and Vocabulary

Language as a system

Knowledge of language learning:
 How instruction affects language learning
 How individual learner variables affect language learning
Awareness of English speaking and other countries‟ cultures, methodologies of
knowledge delivery, comparison with Vietnamese culture
Literature, Cultural Texts, Academic Texts

Understanding how languages are learned
Cultures of English-speaking countries
Academic content in English

Understanding national and local curricula as well as their importance of more
than a textbook
Role of teacher & teacher talk, Teaching Listening, Speaking, Writing, and
Reading
Curriculum & Objectives, Variety, Time, Instructions, Content, Activities

Language curriculum
Language teaching methodology

Lesson planning

Supportive, meaningful classroom, use of lesson plans, classroom management

Conducting a lesson

Design, continuity, selection of assessment and use of assessment information

Assessment of language learning

Select & adapt materials, Resources, Make materials, Reference materials

Resources

Use technology in teaching; Teach learners to use technology

Technology
Understand learners‟ development to encourage
& motivate them
Recognize developmental learner language to
inform instructions
Reflect on learners‟ values & prior learning

16

Cognitive and affective needs, learning styles
Errors; Learning environment & risk- taking, Inform instruction
Prior learning experiences, Changing student learning behaviors, Student feedback