Evaluation of the 3rd semester reading syllabus for English major students at Hanoi University of Industry (HaUI) Đánh giá đề cương môn đọc hiểu học kỳ 3 cho si

Vietnam national university
College of Foreign Languages
Department of postgraduate studies




NGUYỄN THU HƯƠNG

Evaluation of the 3
rd
Semester Reading Syllabus for
English Major Students at Hanoi University of Industry (HaUI)
Đánh giá đề cương môn đọc hiểu học kỳ 3 cho sinh viên chuyên ngữ
trường Đại học Công Nghiệp Hà Nội


M.A MINOR THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY

Supervisor: Dr. To Thi Thu Huong

Hanoi, 2010



iv
TABLE OF CONTENT

Chapter 1. Introduction 1
1.1. Theoretical background 1
1.2. Background of the study 2
1.3. Statement of the problem 2
1.4. Objective and structure of the study 3
Chapter 2. Literature review 4
2.1. An overview of evaluation 4
2.1.1. Needs analysis 5
2.1.1.1. Needs 5
2.1.1.2. The roles of needs analysis 7
2.1.2. Language course evaluation 8
2.2. Overview of reading process 9
2.2.1. Reading and reading comprehension 9
2.2.2. Reading strategies 11
2.2.2.1. Reading strategies to approach reading materials effectively 11
2.2.2.2. Reading strategies for effective processing of reading materials 12
2.2.3. Purposes of reading 13
2.3. Overview of syllabus 14
2.3.1. Syllabus vs. Curriculum 14
2.3.2. Definitions of syllabus 15
2.3.3. Types of syllabus 16
2.3.4. Roles of syllabus in training program 17

2.3.5. The role of reading syllabus in language curriculum 17
Chapter 3. The study 20
3.1. Research objectives and methodology 20
a. Subjects 20
b. Instruments 21


v
i. Document analysis 21
ii. Questionnaires for teachers and students 21
iii. Interview with teachers and officials 22
c. Data presentation 22
i. Document and context analysis 22
1. The curriculum (Appendix 1) 22
2. The syllabus (Appendix 2) 23
ii. Questionnaire results 25
iii. Interview results 31
Chapter 4. Findings and recommendations 34
4.1 Finding of the study 34
4.1.1 Students‟ needs 34
4.1.2 Objectives in relation to students‟ needs 34
4.1.3 Effectiveness of the course book in use 35
4.1.4 Time allocation 35
4.1.5 Other findings 35
4.2 Recommendation for improving the current syllabus 35
Goal and Objectives 36
Goal of the course 36
Objectives 36
Time allocation modification 37
Course book consideration 37

Chapter 5. Conclusion 38
Appendix 1 39
Appendix 2 43
Appendix 3 46
Appendix 4 49
Appendix 5 51
References 56


1
Chapter 1. Introduction

1.1. Theoretical background
Recently, along with the development of technology and business, English is
considered to be the language of opportunity that is the reason why the demand of English
has remarkably changed. Particularly in Vietnam, people use English to learn better, to
know more about new technology and be able to get a good job. For many reasons, English
has gradually become the most widely used language in international relations. In Vietnam,
many foreign companies, the majority of which use English as a medium of
communication, have come and invested in various fields like tourism, electronics,
telecommunication, banking, transportation, environment, oil industry, etc. Therefore, how
to teach and learn English effectively has become an important mission to meet the great
demand for communication with foreigners, especially in various fields mentioned above.
That is the reason why the demand of good English users is higher especially in the field of
translation and interpretation. Another issue is whether the designed syllabus meets the
expectation of both teachers and learners. In this light, evaluation is very important for
teachers because of the future direction in classroom practice, the planning of course and
the management of learning tasks and students (Rea- Dinkins and Germaine, 1992).
Being the systematic collection and analysis of all relevant information necessary to
promote the improvement of a syllabus and assessment of its effectiveness and efficiency,

as well as the participants‟ attitudes within the context of particular institutions involved
(Rea- Dinkins and Germaine, 1992, p.3), evaluation plays three interrelated and
overlapping roles in course design. They are evaluating needs, student‟ learning and the
course itself (Grave, 2000, p.207). Evaluation could be done at the end of a course and
provides information about the students‟ overall achievement as well as the overall
effectiveness of the course (Hedge, 2000, p. 375) for further improvement. When you
evaluate the course, you assess what your course design has achieved with respect to you
intention in designing it (Grave, 2000, p.207). However, evaluation is not an easy job as it
needs to take into consideration many different factors such as course objectives, time
allocation, material and assessment; once completed, the evaluation of a course can help


2
further improve the course. With the aim to make a better change in the implementation of
the 3
rd
semester English reading syllabus for English major students at Hanoi University of
Industry (HaUI) this study focuses on evaluating the syllabus developed by teachers at the
English Department at HaUI regarding factors such as course objectives, time allocation,
material and assessment.
1.2. Background of the study
Hanoi University of Industry (HaUI), which previously known as a college of
vocational training, was founded in 2005. Previously, English was taught as a compulsory
subject following the requirement of Ministry of Education and Training. After finishing
the college, students only need to master basic level of General English (GE). Although at
that time English was a compulsory subject, students and teachers did not consider English
as important as other subjects, thus teachers thought that it was not necessary to evaluate
any GE syllabuses.
Recently, recognizing the needs of society for good English for Specific Purposes
(ESP) teachers, translators and interpreters, HaUI establishes its English Department at the

same time of HaUI‟s foundation. The ultimate goal of the English Department is to train
ESP teachers, translators and interpreters who need both English and knowledge in specific
fields of science and technology. The English Department has 50 teachers who mostly
graduated from University of Foreign Languages in Hanoi and some from other places
nationwide to meet the demand of training. At present, these English teachers are able to
teach GE as well as ESP.
1.3. Statement of the problem
Having been teaching at Hanoi University of Industry (HaUI) for five years, I have
used many syllabuses in teaching English for different kinds of students namely non-
English major students, for ESP, and for English major students. As far as I am concerned,
the English syllabi at HaUI have not ever been evaluated yet. I, therefore, would like to
make contribution to the development of teaching English at my University in general and
at the English Department in particular. This is the reason why I evaluate one of the syllabi
used at the English Department at HaUI with the aim of revising the current syllabus and
the hope to make a better change in its implementation.


3
My study is targeted at the 3
rd
semester reading syllabus of English major students of the
English Department.
1.4. Objective and structure of the study
The ultimate goal of the study is to evaluate the current 3
rd
semester reading syllabus
(thereafter called the syllabus) for English major students at HaUI. Due to time constrain, I
plan to conduct the research to find answers to the following questions:

1. To what extent does the syllabus meet the expectations of both teachers and

learners in terms of course objectives, time allocation, materials and assessment?
2. What are the suggestions to further improve the syllabus?
Such findings will provide insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the current
syllabus and help propose some recommendations for an even better syllabus.
The thesis is organized into five chapters. Chapter 1 is the Introduction, Chapter 5 is
the Conclusion. Chapter 2, Literature Review, consists of an overview of evaluation,
reading process and of syllabus. Chapter 3, the Study deals with the methodology of the
study detailing the data collections and analysis. Chapter 4, Findings and
Recommendations, provides an insight into the current syllabus with its own strengths and
weakness in real situation via feedbacks from students and teachers. It also gives
recommendations for an even better syllabus.


4
Chapter 2. Literature review

2.1. An overview of evaluation
There are many definitions of evaluation. Basically, evaluation is asking questions
and acting on the responses. According to Brown (1989, p.223), evaluation is the
systematic collection and analysis of all relevant information necessary to promote the
improvement of a curriculum and assess its effectiveness and efficiency, as well as the
participants‟ attitudes within the context of the particular institutions involved.
Rea- Dickins and Germaine (1992) claim that evaluation is an intrinsic part of
teaching and learning. It can provide a wealth of information to use for the future of
classroom practice, for planning of courses, and for the management of learning tasks and
students. They assert that “making evaluative judgments is therefore a feature of social life,
but evaluation is not always something that we do in a principle and systematic way”.
Evaluation plays three interrelated and overlapping roles in course design. The first
is evaluating needs, the second is evaluating students‟ learning and the third is evaluating
the course itself (Graves, 2000, p.207). While evaluation entails the collection of

information on what learners can do in the target language, it also involves additional
processes designed to assist us in interpreting and acting on the results of our evaluation.
Graves also believes that evaluation can be both formative and summative.
Formative evaluation, whose purpose is pedagogically motivated (Hedge, 2000, p. 376),
takes place as the course is in progress and provides information about how well the
students are doing what they have achieved, what they need to work on, and how well the
course is meeting their needs. Summative evaluation is done at the end of a course and
provides information about the students‟ overall achievement as well as the overall
effectiveness of the course.
Hedge (2000) also refers to the term “evaluation” as “the assessment of students at
the end of the course. Recently, however, the meaning of evaluation is understood as an
assessment of all aspects of a program. Evaluation can relate to course and learners in a
number of ways. First, the course can be judged as it is planned. Second, all what are


5
actually happening in the classroom can be observed, described and assessed. Thus, there
is parallel between assessing the students‟ learning and evaluating the course. According to
Graves (2000, p. 208), when you evaluate the course, you assess what your course design
has achieved with respect to your intentions in designing.
In conclusion, evaluation relates to courses and learners, it is also include the
aspects of a program so it can be referred to three notions of evaluations such as pre-course
evaluation, on- course evaluation or post-course evaluation which depend on the purpose
of the evaluation.
The following parts briefly discuss need analysis and language course evaluation.
2.1.1. Needs analysis
In need analysis, not only students‟ needs are mentions, but the institutional needs
and teachers‟ needs should be as well. However, in the case of this minor thesis, these
needs are already reflected through the objectives of the 3
rd

semester reading syllabus for
English major students, which were designed by teachers of the English Department. This
shows that teachers expect students to achieve the reading skills through working on
selected English books. Thus, teachers‟ needs are not dealt with in the survey for this
study.
2.1.1.1. Needs
In fact, there are different discussions about the meanings of needs. Researchers
like R. Berwick, H.G Widdowson and P.C. Robinson and T. Hutchinson & A. Walter
expressed their opinion about needs as follows:
- Needs can refer to learners‟ study or job requirement that is what they have to
be able to do at the end of their language course. This is called to be a goal-
oriented definition of needs (Widdowson, 1981, p.2)
- Needs can be considered what the learners need to do to actually acquire the
language. This is a process- oriented definition of needs and the means of
learning
(Widdowson, 1981, p.2).


6
- Needs are considered to be what students themselves would like to gain from
the language course. In this sense “needs are perhaps more appropriately
described as objectives” (Berwick, 1989, p. 57).
- Needs may be interpreted as lacks, that is what students do not know or cannot
do in English (Robinson, 1991, p. 8)
In this study, learners‟ needs will be taken into account under Hutchinson and
Walters‟ point of view in terms of target needs and learning needs. Target needs are what
the learner needs to do in the target situation and can be categorized as necessities, lacks
and wants.
“Necessities are the type of needs which are determined by the demands of the
target situation, that is what learner has to know in order to function effectively in the

target situation” (Hutchinson & Walters 1987, p.55). In other words, necessities can be
regarded as learners‟ target proficiency – the scope of the language knowledge and skills
that learners are supposed to acquire on completing a course.
Lacks are the gap between the target proficiency and the existing proficiency of the
learners‟ (Hutchinson & Walters 1987, p.56). In other words, information about learners‟
lacks will help the designer to determine how much language training is needed to bridge
the gap between learners‟ entry level and their exit one.
Wants is one of the terms of target needs with the actual learners playing active role
that is the learners have a view as to what their needs are. Richterich (1984) comments that
needs do not exist independently of a person. People build the image of their needs on the
basis of data relating to themselves and their environment.
In conclusion, within the category of target needs, further division under
necessities, lacks and wants in which the route from the starting point (lacks) to the
destination (necessities) and what the destination should be (wants) form the so called
learning needs (Hutchinson & Walters, 1993, p.60).
In other words, learning needs are defined in terms of what the learner needs to do
in order to learn. However, to the destination successfully, Hutchinson & Walters (1987)
point out:


7
It is native to base a course design simply on the target objectives, just as
it is native to think that a journey can be planned solely in terms of the
starting point and the destination. The needs, potential and constrains of
the route (i.e. the learning situation) must also be taken into account, if we
are going to have any useful analysis of learners‟ needs (p.61).

On the basis of the theory above, information on learners‟ needs is often collected
and analyzed in the various steps of teaching and learning, from the course design,
implementation to the evaluation.

2.1.1.2. The roles of needs analysis
Needs analysis is of great importance in defining and meeting the various needs of
particular learners. The course designer has to analyze the learners‟ needs so as to design
appropriate course and help the learners to acquire English more effectively and
successfully. Discussing the important role of needs analysis, Hutchinson & Walters
(1987) assert that:
If learners, sponsors and teachers know why learners need English, that
awareness will have an influence on what will be acceptable as reasonable
content in the language course, and on the positive side, what potential can
be exploited. (p.53)

It is clear that needs analysis very much influence the input of a language
programme. A major reason for conducting a needs analysis is to provide a specifications
of input which is relevant to the needs of a given learner or group of learners (target
needs). If it were possible or desirable to teach the entire system of the target language,
then need analysis would not be necessary (Nunan, 1985, p.7). Need analysis can be
divided into two stages. The first stage is the objective analysis which is carried out before
the beginning of a course and involves consideration of both input and methodology. The


8
next is the subjective analysis which is conducted during the course of program delivery
(Nunan, 1985, p 51).
Needs analysis can be used for a number of different purposes. Richards (2001, p.
53) lists such purpose of a needs analysis as follows:
- To find out what language skills a learner needs in order to perform a particular role
such as a sale manager, tourist guide, or university student.
- To determine if an existing course adequately addresses the needs of potential
students
- To identify a change of direction that people in a reference group feel important.

- To identify a gap between what students can do at present and what they need to be
able to do.
- To collect information about particular problems learners are experiencing.
- To help evaluate a language program.
It can be easily seen that needs analysis is essential to the development of a
language course in general, and the course evaluation in particular.
2.1.2. Language course evaluation
Although the aim of the study is not to evaluate the entire course, it is worth
looking briefly at some question to answer while one evaluates a language course. The
answers to these questions could be some help in terms of methodology for the study. The
questions are:
1. Who evaluate the course?
2. What can be evaluated?
3. Why evaluate the course?
4. How can you evaluate it? (What are some ways to evaluate it?
5. When can you evaluate it?
6. What is done with the results of evaluation? ( Graves, 2000, pp 214 -216)


9
According to Pauline Rea – Dickins and Richard Kiely (2005, pp 59 – 60) language
course evaluation design factors have had significant influence on the development of
evaluation theory and practice in this field. Teachers and administrators do course or
program evaluation for many different reasons. Teachers may, for example, do evaluation
in order to improve the effectiveness of their:
1. Course materials
2. Classroom activities
3. Teaching
4. Student‟ learning process
5. Student‟s learning

And there will be other reasons for administrators such as resource allocation,
promotion, recruitment, addition/removal of a course…
2.2. Overview of reading process
2.2.1. Reading and reading comprehension
According to Goodman ( 1975, p.12), “ reading is a receptive language process
which starts with a linguistic surface representative encoded by a writer and ends with
meaning which the reader constructs”. On the other hand, Hammer (1991, p.190) viewed
reading with more physical and mental precision as an “exercise dominated by the eyes
and the brain. The eyes receive messages and the brain then has to work out the
significance of these messages. Other authors define reading as the act of simultaneously
reading the lines, reading between the lines, and reading beyond the lines (Manzo &
Manzo, 1993). The first part of their definition, reading the lines refers to the act of
decoding the words in order to construct the author‟s basic massage. The next part,
reading between the line, refers to the act of making inferences and understanding the
author‟s implied message and finally, reading beyond the lines involves the judging of
the significance of the author‟s message and applying it to other areas of background and
knowledge. It is important to note that neither of these definitions focuses on the sounding
out of the words. Sounding out of the words is an important skill but it is secondary to the


10
act of comprehending and thinking. Comprehension and thinking is what reading is really
all about.
Reading is an active process (not a product) in which readers shift between sources
of information (what they know and what the text says) elaborate meaning and strategies,
check their interpretation (revising when appropriate) and use the social context to focus
their response (Walker, 1996 ).
Vacca and Vacca ( 1996) offer the following chart of levels of comprehension:

Figure 2.1 Levels of comprehension (Vacca and Vacca, 1996, p. 23)

Obviously, these definitions have pointed out the nature of reading which is
necessary for consideration of how to read effectively.
Getting information
explicitly from the text




Putting together
information, perceiving
relationships and making
inference



Using information to
express opinion and form
new ideas

Reading the lines



Reading between the lines






Reading beyond the lines

Level of comprehension
Literal
Interpretive
Applied


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2.2.2. Reading strategies
2.2.2.1. Reading strategies to approach reading materials effectively
There have been many discussions about reading strategies, its nature and the skills
required for effective reading to be achieved. Robinson (1980); Nuttal (1982) and Grabe
(1988) hold that reading is not a passive process, but an active process of communication
whereby the reader approaches the text for specific purposes. The reader‟s involvement in
the text is of crucial significance as they should not accept what is written, but they should
develop, modify and even reflect on all or some of the ideas displayed in the text.

According to some experts, reading is an interactive – constructive process in
which readers comprehend, interpret and respond to text according to what they already
know. Interactive is probably best explained by Grabe (1988) as…“the interaction of the
reader‟s several kinds of knowledge and the interaction of the reader and the text”.
Grabe‟s point of view (1988, p. 56) on the notion of reading as an interactive
process refers to a “kind of dialogue” between the reader and the text.” The notion of
reading as an interactive process evolved from schema theory and is often termed the top-
down approach to reading. Moreover, Grabe (1988) also suggests that the term “
interactive” also refers to the interplay of both bottom – up and top- down reading
strategies. Bottom- up strategies include decoding graphic features and grammatical
characteristics, while top- down strategies include predicting, applying background
knowledge and recognizing global text structure.
The notion of top-down strategies is usually used in the literature to include both
global strategies for processing the text as well as activating conceptual (background)
knowledge of the world.
Any imbalance between bottom- up and top- down strategies process can cause
problems for the reader. In the words of Dublin & Bucina (1991, p. 197) “the two
processes, bottom- up and top- down, are complementary: one is not able to function
properly without the other. Thus, interactive theory accounts for the ability to read closely
when necessary- for example in scanning for specific information or proof – reading
material after composing it.”


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Some other researchers describe the reading act as a “transaction”, in which
meaning emerges from a continuing give- and – take relationship between the reader and
the text, each shaping is shaped by the other. This kind of interaction between readers and
the text allows readers to construct their own meaning according to their background
knowledge and experience. Recent research has conceived reading as an interactive
cognitive process in which readers interact with the text using their prior knowledge

(Carrell, 1983) and cultural background. Brumfit (1984, p. 3) defines reading is a complex
activity covering “a combination of perceptual, linguistic and cognitive abilities”. It is a
constructive thinking process which “involve application, analysis, evaluation and
imagination”.
In this thesis, the “interactive” reading model with interactive reading strategies is
considered applicable to teaching and learning English reading skills. Thus, it should be
taken into account when designing reading syllabus.
2.2.2.2. Reading strategies for effective processing of reading materials
It is meaningless to do anything without a clear purpose and this is especially true
for reading practice. We can not read any material effectively if we do not know exactly
what we want or need from it. Different reading purposes result in a wide range of reading
strategies also termed techniques applicable to EFL reading comprehension, the final target
of any EFL reading practice. According to Munby (1978), the most important of these
strategies are:
 Recognizing the script of a language
 Deducting the meaning and use of unfamiliar lexical items
 Understanding explicitly stated information
 Understanding information when not explicitly stated
 Understanding conceptual meaning
 Understanding the communicative value of sentence and utterance
 Understanding relations between parts of a text through lexical cohesion devices


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 Understanding relations between parts of a text through grammatical cohesion
devices
 Interpreting text by going outside it
 Recognizing indicators in discourse
 Identifying the main point or important information in a piece of discourse
 Distinguishing the main idea from supporting details

 Extracting salient point to summarize ( the text, an idea….)
 Basic reference skills
 Skimming
 Scanning to locate specifically required information
The above strategies are very effective and useful tools to facilitate the reading
process and to help EFL readers to achieve different reading purposes. When strategies
such as skimming, scanning, making inference can be regarded as first basic activities for
comprehension, the others including guessing strategies, identifying and reviewing
grammatical phenomena used in a text. All the strategies are of equal importance since if
one fails to identify the cohesive device in a text, she/he may not be able to understand the
logical information.
2.2.3. Purposes of reading
It is important to define reader‟s purposes in reading a text as this will indicate the
skills and strategies to be adopted by the reader and the level of comprehension which is
being operated by readers (Kennedy & Bolitho, 1991).
According to The National Capital Language Resource Center, Washington, DC
(2010):
Reading is an essential part of language instruction at every level
because it supports learning in multiple ways. People use reading for some
important purposes. Observing the way people read, we can find some main
purposes as follows:


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Reading to learn the language: Reading material is language input.
It is necessary to provide multiple opportunities for learners to absorb
vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, and discourse structure as they
occur in authentic context by giving learners a variety of materials to read.
Learners this gain a more complete picture of the ways in which the
elements of the language work together to convey meaning.

Reading for content information: Learners‟ purpose for reading in
their native language is often to obtain information about a subject they are
studying and this purpose can be useful in the language classroom as well.
Reading for content information in the language classroom gives learners
both authentic reading material and an authentic purpose for reading.
Reading for cultural knowledge and awareness: Reading everyday
materials that are designed for native can give learners insight into the
lifestyles and worldviews of the people whose language they are studying.
When learners have access to newspapers, magazines and internet, they are
exposes to culture in all its variety, and monolithic cultural stereotypes
begin to break down.
2.3. Overview of syllabus
This overview starts by looking at some definitions of syllabus defined by famous
authors. Attention then turns to the role of syllabus in a language curriculum, and the place
of macro- skills, especially reading, in what is referred to as a task- based approach to
syllabus and the criteria of syllabus evaluation.
2.3.1. Syllabus vs. Curriculum
In defining the term “syllabus”, there are several conflicting views on just what it is
distinguishes syllabus from curriculum development. Dublin and Olshin (1986) distinguish
syllabus from curriculum development as follows:
A curriculum contain a broad description of general goals by indicating an overall
educational –cultural philosophy which applies across subjects together with a
theoretical orientation to language and language teaching with respect to the subject
matter at hand. A curriculum is often reflective of national and trends as well


15
A syllabus is more detailed and operational statement of teaching and learning
elements which translate the philosophy of the curriculum into series of planned
steps leading towards more narrowly defined objectives at each level (p.35).

2.3.2. Definitions of syllabus
Basically, the term “syllabus” has been used and defined by famous authors with
the narrow and broad views. Thus, the term is still rather confusing to many readers
because some authors advocate the narrow view which draw a clear distinction between
syllabus and methodology whereas some others adopt the broader view which argues with
the advent of communicative language teaching, the distinction between content and tasks
is difficult to sustain. Yalden (1984) points out his broad view as follows:
The syllabus replaces the concept of “method”, and the syllabus is now seen ad an
instrument by which the teacher, with the help of the syllabus designer, can achieve a
degree of “fit” between the needs and the aims of the learners ( as social being and as
individual) and the activities which will take place in the classroom. (p.14)
Breen (1984, p49) also share the same view a Yalden (1984). He states that any
syllabus will indirectly express certain assumption about the language, about the
psychological process of learning and about the pedagogic and social processes within
classroom. It is obvious that both Yalden and Breen support the view that the selection and
gradation of content are combined with the methodology in the so- called syllabus. In
contrast to such views, some other authors such as Allen (1984); Widdowson (1981);
Hutchinson & Walters (1987) and Nunan (1988) indicate that syllabus and methodology
should be distinctive separate parts.
Allen shares the same view with Nunan, they define syllabus with the distinction
between syllabus and methodology. According to Allen (1984, p.49) “syllabus is related to
what units the learners will be learned but not how they will be taught and that is a matter
of methodology, and Nunan‟s point of view is “syllabus is seen as being concerned
essentially with the selection and grading of content, while methodology is concerned with
the selection of learning tasks and activities”
According to Winddowson (1981, p. 26), a syllabus is simply a framework within
which activities can be carried out: a teaching device to facilitate learning. It only becomes


16

a threat to pedagogy when it is regarded as absolute rules for determining what is to be
learned rather than points of reference from which learing can be taken.
It is clear from the literature that the authors‟ opinions do not contradict one
another, although they study the subject from different points of view and express their
ideas in different terms and words. Finally, it can be concluded that a syllabus is the
description of the contents of a course of instruction and the order in which they are to be
taught. Moreover, the syllabus functions as a major communication device that provides
details on how student learning will be assessed and about the roles of both students and
instructors in learning and assessment process.
2.3.3. Types of syllabus
Different types of syllabus are best summarized by Robinson (1991) in the
following diagram
BASE FOR LANGUAGE SYLLABUSES

CONTENT







METHOD

SKILL






















FORM
Structural
focus
TOPIC
Informational
focus

LANGUAGE
Receptive/
Productive
LEARNING
Skill
acquisition
focus

PROCESS
Learning
focus
Learner-
led
PROCEDURAL
Cognitive focus
Task-based.

SITUATION
Contextual
focus
FUNCTIONAL
Notional/
Functional focus











Figure 2.2 Bases for language syllabus design


17
It is clear from the above diagram that “Content”, “Skill”, and “Method” are the main
bases for language syllabuses.
2.3.4. Roles of syllabus in training program
It is obvious that a syllabus is an integral component in the process of course
design. Hutchinson and Walters (1987, p.83) have listed different roles of a syllabus in a
training programme. First, a syllabus, in defining the constituent parts of language
knowledge provides a practical basis for the division of assessment, learning time and

textbooks. Second, a syllabus also gives moral support to the teacher and learner, in that it
makes the language learning task appear manageable. Third, a syllabus can be seen as a
statement of the projected routes, so that teachers and learners do not only have an idea of
where they are going, but how might they get there. Fourth, a syllabus is an implicit
statement of view on the nature of language and learning. A syllabus will normally be
expressed in terms of what is taken to be the most important aspect of language learning.
Fifth, a syllabus provides a set of criteria for materials selection and/or writing. It defines
the kind of texts to look for or produce the items to focus on in exercises and so on. Sixth,
a syllabus is one way in which standardization is achieved. Lastly, a syllabus provides a
visible basis for testing.
Therefore, it is said that a syllabus is an important document in the teaching and
learning process. A language teaching syllabus involves the integration of subject matter
(what to talk about) and linguistic matter (how to talk about it); that is the actual matter
that makes up teaching.
In short, it is clear from the list that a syllabus is a document of great importance in
teaching and learning process. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the significant
roles of syllabus in designing syllabus.

2.3.5. The role of reading syllabus in language curriculum
In order to evaluate a reading syllabus, we should consider the place of reading in a
language curriculum. According to Nunan (1988), a syllabus is located in the curriculum
documents, it can also be found in the classroom itself where it is manifested in the
content, resources, and processes of learning. There are a great variety of syllabuses in


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existence at any time. However they can be classified into: grammatical syllabus, lexical
syllabus, functional syllabus, situational syllabus, topical or content- based syllabus, skill
syllabus, task- based syllabus, text- based syllabus and integrated- syllabus (Richards,
2001). Moreover, what type of syllabus is used depending on the real situation, student

needs and objectives of the course. According to Read John A. S (1984), the four criteria to
evaluate a syllabus are: (1) adequacy of the framework, (2) suitability for learner needs, (3)
probability of successful implementation, and (4) effectiveness of learning activities based
on the syllabus. From the four criteria of syllabus evaluation, researchers point out some
distinctions in syllabus design. The most clear distinction is language „product‟ and learner
„process‟ as the appropriate orientation towards the curriculum (Rost, 1990, p.222). There
are various types of syllabus which can be put under three board headings such as: Content
or Product (focus on the end result), Skill, and Methods or Process (focus on the means to
an end). The first type consists of Grammatical/ Structural/ Language form syllabus,
Notional- Functional syllabus, Situational syllabus, Topic syllabus, and Content- based
syllabus. The second type is just single type and the last are Process syllabus,
Procedure/Task- based syllabus, and Learning- centered/Negotiate syllabus.
In a product-oriented view of syllabus, language skills are treated as “channels”
through which content can be processed (Rost, 1990, p. 222). Skills are to be developed in
order to enable learners to acquire „product‟ – words, grammatical rules, facts and concept-
more efficiently. Within product syllabuses, language macro skill are thought of means
through which prescribes items are represented, practiced and learned. Specifically,
reading can be viewed as a processing channel through which language products are
presented to the learner.
Beside, in the process- oriented syllabuses, language development is considered as
progressive gain in skills for handling information and strategies for handing interactions
and procedures, with macro- skills (such as reading) viewed as supportive outcomes of
learning tasks Nunan (1989, p.40). Another way of stating relationship between skill
development and syllabus is that in a process – syllabus, language skill and content can be
linked in a curricular cycle. In this cycle, texts are used as starting pointes or as necessary
source of information needed for a task, skills support interpretation of texts in the task,


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language is understood as means of doing task, and appropriately graded and liked tasks

constitute the syllabus content of the language course (Long, 1985, cited by Rost, p. 224).
So far in this chapter, there was discussion on the relationship between skill
development (specifically reading) and the different types of syllabus. The next chapter
focuses on my study with the aim of finding the merits and demerits of the 3
rd
semester
reading syllabus for English major student at HaUI for further improvement.


20
Chapter 3. The study
3.1. Research objectives and methodology
The study‟s aim is to evaluate the current reading syllabus of the 3
rd
semester for
English major students at Hanoi University of Industry. I just focus on the following
questions:
1. To what extent does the syllabus meet the expectations of both teachers and
learners in terms of course objectives, time allocation, materials and assessment?
2. What are the suggestions to further improve the syllabus?
In the light of the literature review and based on my real situation, I decide to use
mixed methods to find answers to these 2 questions. I use questionnaires, interviews and
document review to collect data for my research.
Using these tools is more relevant in my study because the aim of this minor thesis
is just a preliminary evaluation of one of the language syllabuses for English major
students. Specifically, I use questionnaires to collect information from students and
teachers, and then I interview teachers and analyse relevant documents from the univesity
such as teaching-learning guidelines, course instructions As mentioned in the literature
review, when conducting a course evaluation these tools are frequently used to find out
factors such as course objectives, materials, assessment and time allocation.

The survey questionnaires to 6 teachers and 120 students who used the syllabus
were administered to investigate the level of satisfaction and achievement after using the
syllabus. All questions are in English and also translated into Vietnamese, to make it easier
for students to give reliable answers. The data were collected and analyzed in both
quantitative and qualitative methods such as calculating percentage, ranking, interpreting
trends.
a. Subjects
The subjects/ evaluators of the research include two groups
The first group consists of six teachers of English who are responsible for teaching
the reading skill at English major division, the Dean and the Vice of the English


21
Department. They are from twenty five to thirty five of age. Most of them hold a Master in
TESOL, only two are MA candidates. The youngest teachers have three years of English
teaching experience while others have around nine years‟ experience. Therefore they could
be a very reliable source of data.
The second group of participant consists of 55 second year students and 65 third-
year students. All of them are English- major students at the English Department and have
finished the reading load of 3
rd
semester.
b. Instruments
i. Document analysis
In this study, two documents were analyzed, that is the the overall curriculum of
BA of English which is issued by the English Department with the course objectives (the
curriculum for eight semester) and the 3
rd
semester reading syllabus. Examining the overall
curriculum is to put the reading course in a broader picture of all reading courses and the

other macro language skills. The 3
rd
semester reading syllabus, as mentioned in the
Introduction, was designed by teaching staff of the English Department based on the
curriculum mentioned above. It is meant to be flexible and can be amended so that it can
meet the expectations of both teachers and learners and suitable with the need of learners.
ii. Questionnaires for teachers and students
The questionnaires (Appendix 3) consist of seven questions which mainly focused
on student‟s attitudes toward the syllabus. Through students‟ syllabus evaluation, it helps
to reflect on their needs and wants. All questions were designed for both second and third
year students. Second year students were chosen to answer the questionnaire because they
had finished the 3
rd
semester. Data were collected at the end of the academic years. With
students answering the questionnaires as soon as they had just finished the reading
component which belongs to the 3
rd
semester reading syllabus, the information can be
reliable and make contribution to the next course. The fourth year students were not chosen
because they finished the reading component more than a year before, so they may not
remember the syllabus which they had implemented and answers to the questionnaires may
not be accurate.


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To help the informants to understand the questions thoroughly and answer them in
a most accurate and complete way, one teacher administered the questionnaire filling
session. She was willing to explain any difficult or unfamiliar expression. The informants
were also allowed to write the answers in Vietnamese if they found it not easy to express
what they mean in English. The answers were then translated into English for analysis and

reporting by the research with editing assistance by a professional translator.
iii. Interview with teachers and officials
The interviews were conducted in one- to – one situation with six teachers who are
currently in charge of teaching reading skill for English- major division. Five open- ended
questions (Appendix 4) were asked to find out their attitude to the following issues:
- Their comments on the syllabus in terms of objectives and time allocation.
- The suitability of the course books and supplementary materials for the course.
- The assessment of students.
- The students‟ achievement of the objectives of the 3
rd
semester reading
syllabus.
- Their suggestions on how to further improve the syllabus.
Similar interviews were also conducted with the Dean and the Vice Dean of
English Department at HaUi.
All the interviews took place in a friendly and open manner. Data from the
interview were then collated with data from the questionnaires for analysis and
interpretation.
c. Data presentation
i. Document and context analysis
1. The curriculum (Appendix 1)
During the preparation process of the Bachelor in English for Technical
Translation of HaUI, the project board which consists of the Departments of English,
Technical Pedagogy and some other departments whose scientific and technological
branches are included in the programe met to discuss the content, sequence and time