A study on difficulties of the fourth year non english major students at hanoi university of science and technology in achieving english learning outcome standard

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

NGUYỄN THỊ THANH HẰNG

A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES OF THE FOURTH-YEAR NON-ENGLISH
MAJOR STUDENTS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY IN ACHIEVING ENGLISH LEARNING OUTCOME
STANDARDS AND SOME SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

(Nghiên cứu về những khó khăn của sinh viên không chuyên tiếng Anh năm thứ 4
tại trường Đại học Bách Khoa Hà Nội trong việc đạt chuẩn đầu ra tiếng Anh
và đề xuất một số giải pháp khắc phục)

M.A.MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field

: English Teaching Methodology

Code

: 60140111

HA NOI – 2017


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
*************************

NGUYỄN THỊ THANH HẰNG

A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES OF THE FOURTH-YEAR NON-ENGLISH
MAJOR STUDENTS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY IN ACHIEVING ENGLISH LEARNING OUTCOME
STANDARDS AND SOME SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

(Nghiên cứu về những khó khăn của sinh viên không chuyên tiếng Anh năm thứ 4
tại trường Đại học Bách Khoa Hà Nội trong việc đạt chuẩn đầu ra tiếng Anh
và đề xuất một số giải pháp khắc phục)

M.A.MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field

: English Teaching Methodology

Code

: 60140111

Supervisor : DR. PHẠM THỊ THANH THÙY

HANOI – 2017


DECLARATION

NGUYỄN THỊ THANH HẰNG, hereby certifies that this thesis, which is
entitled “A Study On Difficulties Of The Fourth-year Non-English Major
Students At Hanoi University Of Science And Technology In Achieving
English Learning Outcome Standards And Some Suggested Solutions” is
created from my original work. I have firmly declared the contribution of others to
my thesis such as data analysis, practical strategies, and all other researches that
were employed or reviewed in my thesis.
This thesis is the result of my own study in the fulfillment of the requirement
for the Degree of Master of Arts at Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies, University of
Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
Hanoi, 2017

Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hằng

i


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr.
PhạmThịThanhThùy, whose insightful comments, criticism, direction and kind support
were of great assistance to me in carrying out this study.
My sincere thanks also go to all the lecturers and staff of the Faculty of PostGraduate Studies, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies,
Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for their valuable knowledge and invaluable
guidance and help during my two years of study at the Faculty.
I am also indebted to the teachers as well as the students at Hanoi University of
Science and Technology, who have helped me a lot in my data collection to fulfill this
paper.
Last but not least, I would like to express my appreciation to my family for
their understanding and strong encouragement to me throughout the study.

Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hằng

ii


ABSTRACT
The fact that final year students at universities in Vietnam in general and at Hanoi
University of Science and Technology in particular face many difficulties in
achieving English learning outcome standards is of great concerns to many people
including educational managers, teaching staff and families. This study aims to
explore the difficulties that students encounter in achieving English learning
outcomes, identifies which particular factor poses the most difficulty of the students
in order to propose feasible solutions that help them overcome the problems and get
the best results in English study. The subjects of the study were the fourth-year nonEnglish major students of Hanoi University of Science and Technology among
which 108 students who took English examination in the academic year 2016-2017
were selected for the study. Data on difficult factors that students face in achieving
English learning outcome standards were collected using questionnaire and
interview. The results show that the fourth year non-English major students have
many problems that negatively affected their academic achievements in both
English subject and university study. These problems mainly resulted from 3
sources: (1) the students themselves, (2) the teaching staff, and (3) the management.
Several suggestions to help students overcome the problems by the participants are
also presented.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ......................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................ ii

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................... iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................... iv
ABBRIVIATIONS ..................................................................................................... v
LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... vi
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... vi
PART A. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1
1.1. Rationale of the study ....................................................................................... 1
1.2. Research objectives .......................................................................................... 2
1.3. Research questions ........................................................................................... 2
1.4. Scope of the Study ............................................................................................ 3
1.5. Structure of Research ....................................................................................... 3
PART B. DEVELOPMENT ..................................................................................... 5
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................... 5
1.1. Definition of outcomes and outcome-based education ........................................ 5
1.1.1 Definition of outcomes ................................................................................... 5
1.1.2 Definition of outcome-based education ......................................................... 6
1.2. Difficulties of learning English as a foreign language ........................................ 6
1.3. Difficulties in achieving expected learning outcomes in English language study7
1.3.1. Difficulties relating to the students ............................................................... 7
1.3.2. Difficulties relating to the teachers ............................................................... 8
1.3.3. Difficulties relating to the management ........................................................ 9
1.4. Previous studies on the difficulties faced by language learners ........................ 10
1.5. Chapter summary ............................................................................................... 13
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................ 14
2.1 The context of Hanoi University of Science and Technology ............................ 14
2.1.1. Teachers ....................................................................................................... 14
2.1.2. Students ....................................................................................................... 14

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2.1.3. The English teaching and learning at HUST ............................................... 15
2.1.3.1. The syllabus of English teaching and learning ..................................... 15
2.1.3.2. The English teaching and learning in HUST ........................................ 15
2.1.4. Requirements of English learning outcomes for HUST students ............... 16
2.2. Research method ................................................................................................ 18
2.2.1. Description of the subjects .......................................................................... 18
2.2.2. Conduct preliminary study .......................................................................... 18
2.2.3. Data collection instruments ......................................................................... 20
2.2.3.1. Questionnaire ........................................................................................ 20
2.2.3.2. Teacher interview .................................................................................. 20
2.2.4. Procedures ................................................................................................... 21
2.2.5. Data analysis ................................................................................................ 21
2. 3. Summary .......................................................................................................... 22
CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ................................................... 23
3.1. Difficulties faced by the fourth-year non-English major students ................. 24
3.1.1. Difficulties relating to the students .......................................................... 24
3.1.2. Difficulties relating to the teachers .......................................................... 28
3.1.3. Difficulties relating to the university management .................................. 30
3.2. The factor that poses the most difficulty for the students .............................. 33
3.3. Summary of the results ................................................................................... 35
PART C: CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................... 37
1. Recapitulation of the main ideas ........................................................................... 37
2. Implications........................................................................................................... 37
REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... I
APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE ...................................................................... III
APPENDIX 2: DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS...................................................... V
APPENDIX 3: INTERVIEW .............................................................................. VIII
APPENDIX 4: RATE OF DIFFICULTY ............................................................. XI

v


ABBRIVIATIONS

HUST:

Hanoi University of Science and Technology

EFL:

English Foreign Language

L2:

Second Language

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LIST OF TABLES
TABLE1. 1: DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS 1..................................................................... 25
TABLE1. 2: DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS 2..................................................................... 28
TABLE1. 3: DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS 3..................................................................... 30
TABLE1. 4: DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS 4..................................................................... 33
TABLE 2. 1: FACTORS AND PARTICULAR DIFFICULTIES INFLUENCING THE EFL
LEARNERS‟ ACHIEVEMENT ........................................................................................ 36

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE 1. 1: SPOLSKY‟S (1989) MODEL OF SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING ............. 12
FIGURE 1. 2: MINIMUM ENGLISH LEVEL FOR STUDENTS AT HUST........................... 17
FIGURE 1. 3: EQUIVALENT TO SCORES OF ENGLISH LEVEL ....................................... 17
FIGURE 1. 4: SUMMARY OF FACTORS CAUSING DIFFICULTIES TO THE EFL LEARNERS
IN ACHIEVING LEARNING OUTCOMES ........................................................................ 19

FIGURE 2. 1: DIFFICULTIES RELATING TO THE STUDENTS ......................................... 26
FIGURE 2. 2: DIFFICULTIES RELATING TO THE TEACHERS ......................................... 29
FIGURE 2. 3: DIFFICULTIES RELATING TO THE MANAGEMENT BOARD ...................... 31
FIGURE 2. 4: DIFFICULTIES FACED BY THE 4TH YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS
AT HUST IN ACHIEVING ENGLISH LEARNING OUTCOMES ......................................... 34

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PART A. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale of the study
There is no denying that English has been taken up by people in all walks of
life not only in academic institutes but also in companies in Vietnam. People are
eager to learn English and wish to acquire it at an early age. Also, in order to speed
up the country economy and to improve the living standards as soon as possible, it
is necessary for engineers, technicians, scientists, etc. to learn and acquire English
to keep up to date with the latest developments in technology in the world.
However, as a matter of fact, there are a large number of graduates who cannot use
English at work fluently, while English proficiency is constantly considered as a
key requirement for recruitment. In order to improve this situation, Ministry of
Education and Training (MOET) launched the dispatch No. 2196/BGDĐT-GDĐH
dated April 22nd 2010, universities and colleges must notify the graduate outcome
standards to students to know. Accordingly, English is one of the compulsory
criteria to evaluate students‟ performance after 4 years at schools. Moreover, as

cited from Prime Minister‟s Decision No. 1400/QĐ-TTG approving the
project "teaching and learning of foreign languages in the national education system
period 2008-2020”(Nhan, 2008), in the higher education level, students who are
studying in universities non-specialized in foreign languages have to pass at least
the language proficiency-level 3 (450 TOEIC) after their graduation. Therefore, as
one of the leading universities in Vietnam, Hanoi University of Science and
Technology has integrated TOEIC as one of learning outcome standards to the
evaluation system. In addition to the number of outstanding students attaining the
required English level, there are a lot of undergraduates, especially non- English
major ones, encountering problems with English outcome standards in their final
year at this university. That is the reason why “difficulties faced by the fourth-year
non-English major students at Hanoi University of Science and Technology in
achieving English learning outcome standards” is chosen as the research‟s topic.
Therefore, it can be assumed that mastering English skills will be a key for
graduates to open the career gate rather than struggling and become the ineffective
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labor force in the market. And meeting learning outcome requirements is a stage in
the roadmap to prove personal capability.
1.2. Research objectives
Rather than serving only for the purpose of completing the graduate thesis,
the author has found it interested in the project implementation, which may also
help the school and educators consider the effective ways how to improve English
teaching and learning quality at university. Accordingly, the research needs to
address the following issues
 Having general understanding about learning outcome standards for
students in Vietnamese universities and Hanoi University of Science and
Technology in particular
 Understanding difficulties of fourth-year non-English major students;

 Examining the relations and correlation between difficulties of fourth-year
non-English major students and achievement of learning outcome standards;
 Identifying the most influencing difficulties to impact on the fourth-year
students‟ learning outcomes at Hanoi University of Science and Technology;
 See how to improve the situation to help students accumulate sufficient
knowledge and skills.
1.3. Research questions
The purpose of the study is to find out factors causing challenges in
achieving learning outcomes faced by the fourth year non-English major students at
HUST. To this end, the researcher has formulated the following leading questions to
be answered in the course of the study:
1. What are the difficulties faced by the fourth year non-English major
students of HUST in achieving leaning outcome standards?
2. Which particular factor poses the most difficulty for the fourth year nonEnglish major students of HUST in achieving leaning outcome standards?
3. What could be done to solve the problems of the fourth year non-English
major students of HUST?

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1.4. Scope of the Study
In the research, the author would emphasize the difficulties of the fourth-year
non-English major students facing and determine the most influencing factor.
Although students, especially ones in the fourth year, this research focuses on the
difficulties of language. Moreover, with the limitation of time and resources, the
author would conduct the project in small target population in order to provide
precise findings and conclusions on the issue.
Firstly, the research targets to find out some major difficulties when
students‟ English ability cannot reach the requirements of outcome before
graduating.

Rather than spreading the research‟s scope of work to the entire area of
Hanoi, the author chose to make the research at Hanoi University of Science and
Technology
Last but not least, the research also considers these factors‟ influence on
acquiring learning outcomes, which is regulated by the school‟s board.
Although the research is conducted on target population in reality, with some
limitations and pressure, it cannot avoid the uncertainty in the implementation.
Therefore, all of findings and conclusions are only relative and referential.
1.5. Structure of Research
The research consists of 3 main parts, including:
Part A: Introduction
The first part will provide the overall viewpoints about the learning outcome
standards Hanoi University of Science and Technology has required full-time
students to achieve. Accordingly, based on the standards, the author would develop
other ideas about the difficulties the fourth-year students may face when they
cannot accumulate sufficient English skills and knowledge, which are considered
the foundation to write the next chapter of Literature review. After that, research
objectives and questions will provide some preliminary orientation to help the
researcher to narrow the research‟s scope of work as well as avoid the excursion in
the project implementation. In addition, the structure of research is considered the

3


framework or an outline for readers to follow the researcher‟s thoughts and
arguments.
Part B. Development
Chapter 1: Literature review
In this chapter, the author will provide different theories and academic
knowledge to develop a conceptual framework. Accordingly, many literatures and

terminologies are reviewed carefully to choose some typical difficulties a fourthyear student may face when preparing to reach the outcome requirements.
Moreover, other scholars focusing on the studying methods are also included.
Therefore, this part is regarded the basis to help the researcher develop statements
and prove the findings in the following chapters.
Chapter 2: Methodology
The chapter will focus on methods to conduct the research. Accordingly,
description and explanation of research tools are interpreted clearly in the phase of
developing research strategies, data collection and data analysis. The author will
provide two study methods including questionnaire, interview and observation. The
method of questionnaire is much more preferable because it helps to save resources
in the project implementation. Besides, interview will be the supporting method to
clarify the answer of respondents. Information related sample and implementing
way are also explained in detail in this part.
Chapter 3: Findings and Discussion
After the phase of data collection and data analysis, the author will have
findings about the main tendencies in this chapter. Accordingly, the findings and
discussions will decide whether the initial hypothesis can match with the results.
Part C. Conclusion and Recommendation
In this part, based on the calculated results, the author may jump to the
conclusions as well as provide practical recommendations to improve the situation
of learning English at Hanoi University of Science and Technology. Besides, with
experience in the project implementation, the author will also raise some
recommendations for further studies mitigating the external influencing factors.

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PART B. DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter comprises five sections. The first section discusses the

definitions of outcomes and outcome-based education. The second section states
the difficulties in learning English as a foreign language. The third section
presents the difficulties in achieving English learning outcomes. The fourth
section reviews the studies conducted on difficulties faced by language learners
in general and in Vietnamese context. Finally, a brief summary of the reviewed
literature will be given.
1.1. Definition of outcomes and outcome-based education
1.1.1 Definition of outcomes
There have been a lot of different concepts and perspectives about learning
outcomes.
According to Margery H. David (2003), an outcome is a culminating
demonstration of learning. It is what the student should be able to do at the end of
the course.
Jenkins and Unwin defined that: “Learning outcomes are statements of what is
expected that the student will be able to do as a result of learning the activity.” (2011)
Another definition is that “Learning outcomes are an explicit description of
what a learner should know, understand and be able to do as a result of learning.”
(Bingham, 1999)
Or “A learning outcome is a statement of what the learner is expected to
know, understand and/or be able to do at the end of a period of learning.” (Donnelly
and Fitzmaurice, 2005)
Moon, (2002) asserted that “A learning outcome is a statement of what a
learner is expected to know, understand and be able to do at the end of a period of
learning and of how that learning is to be demonstrated”. (Moon, 2002)
Thus, it can be seen that the various definitions of learning outcomes do not
differ significantly from each other. From these definitions, it is clear that:
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• Learning outcomes focus on what the learner has achieved rather than the

intentions of the teacher;
• Learning outcomes focus on what the learner can demonstrate at the end of
a learning activity.
In short, learning outcomes are statements that describe significant and
essential learning that learners have achieved, and can reliably demonstrate at the
end of a course or program. In other words, learning outcomes identify what the
learner will know and be able to do by the end of a course or program.
1.1.2 Definition of outcome-based education
William G. Spady, an educational researcher, defines that outcome-based
education is an approach to education in which decisions about the curriculum are
driven by the exit learning outcomes that the students should display at the end of
the course.
Outcome-based education means clearly focusing and organizing everything
in an educational system what is essential for all students to be able to do
successfully at the end of their learning experience.
Spady, (1994), who spearheaded the development of outcomes based
education, suggests that the ability demonstrate learning is the key point. This
demonstration of learning involves a performance of some kind in order to show
significant learning, or learning that matters. He claims that significant content is
essential, but that content alone is insufficient as an outcome. Rather, knowledge of
content must be manifested through a demonstration process of some kind.
1.2. Difficulties of learning English as a foreign language
A foreign language (or a second language) is a language other than one‟s
mother tongue used for a special purpose, e.g. for education, government (Crystal,
1997:256). English as a second or foreign language (ESFL), refers to the use of
English by speakers with different native languages. In recent years, teachers of
English as a foreign language (EFL) have been paying increasing attention to
identify the needs of their students, to students‟ attitudes towards English and their
reasons for learning it. The researchers investigate the answer to the following

6


question: why do students still find difficulties in learning English, although their
teachers do their best to help them achieve good results? The answer to this
question lies in the fact that learning English or any other foreign language is
difficult, not only for EFL students, but for all native speakers. Beardsmore (1982)
suggests that many of the difficulties a second language learner has with the
phonology, vocabulary and grammar of L2 are due to the interference of habits
from L1. The formal elements of L1 are used within the context of L2, resulting in
errors in L2, as the structures of L1 and L2 are different.
1.3. Difficulties in achieving expected learning outcomes in English
language study
There is no denying that there are various different factors affecting learning
outcomes of L2 learners. If the learners put a lot of effort into coordinating these
elements positively, their learning outcomes will be improved. Conversely, these
factors will be difficulties and barriers for the learners in an attempt to reach
expected outcomes unless the learners combine them properly. Difficulties
belonging to the factors are categorized in three relating subjects as follows.
1.3.1. Difficulties relating to the students
Numerous studies have confirmed the relationship between background
knowledge and achievement. It is said that background knowledge is a key factor
affecting the learners‟ success, especially in language study. The term background
knowledge is described as what students already know which is very advantageous
for learners in accessing a new language. Poor knowledge is one of the biggest
difficulties faced by learners not only in language learning but also in achieving
expected outcomes.
Besides, according to Brown (2008 as cited in Liu, 2011), what contributed
to negative outcomes for their language-learning is the international students‟ lack
of English language skills. It means that language skills are important for learners to

reach the success in language learning.
Motivation and attitudes are considered one of the most important factors in
the process of second language acquisition (Ellis, 1994). According to Ellis, attitude

7


and motivation of learners will determine the persistence of them when
encountering with the challenges and difficulties in the study process. These factors
affect the fluency degree of the language learners; therefore, they lead the success
or failure of language development. There is a truth that most students are not
interested in learning the language and just think about passing the course, thus,
because they are not interested, they do not listen to their teacher and do not learn
anything, even they learn something they will forget it quickly. (Akram, 2013).In
addition, the role of attitude and motivation has been conducted by many L2
researchers. The overall findings show that positive attitude and motivation are
related to success in second language learning. (Gardner, 1985).
It is commonly said that practice makes perfect. The saying is considered the
valuable guideline for every language learner due to its meaning. It shows an
undeniable fact that practice plays an important role determining the success of
language study. As a matter of fact, before joining the test, the course had been
offered to the students in order to give them preparation through daily practice. This
is needed in order to make them familiar with the test and to guide them in
answering the tests.
In association with practice, self-study is vital for learning results and also
the most important factor of education program basing on credits (Tran Thanh Ai,
2013). According to Little (2007), the capability of foreign language learners‟ selfstudy will determine the success of that language study process. Hedge (2000)
describes in detail the possibility that is the case learners who are aware of needs
and goals try to reach the aims, know how to exploit the resources independently,
move in thinking and adjust the learning methods in order to improve the results

and manage the study time reasonably.
1.3.2. Difficulties relating to the teachers
According to Willy A. Renandya (2013), who conducted the related research
in Singapore, input is arguably one of the most important elements in language
learning. Years of research by L2 researchers have clearly demonstrated the critical
role of input in L2learning.In the language classroom, language input essentially

8


refers to oral or written language that a learner receives. Research has shown that
for input to be beneficial for language development, it has to be highly
comprehensible and abundantly and reliably available in the classroom as well as
outside the classroom. Nunan (1991) quoted that "successful language learners
applying their developing language skills outside the classroom can play a crucial
role in their second language development".
Ellis (2005, p. 218) writes, "…. most researchers now acknowledge that
learner output also plays a part." L2 researchers (e.g., Ellis, 2005; Swain, 1999)
agree that learner output is useful for learners' language development. It can make
learners pay more attention to grammar, thus enabling them to produce more
accurate language; it can provide them with an opportunity to try out newly learned
grammatical points; it can facilitate faster access and retrieval to existing linguistic
knowledge, which through repeated use improves learners' fluency; and finally, it
enables them to develop their ability to produce longer stretches of speech, thus
enhancing their discourse skills.
1.3.3. Difficulties relating to the management
One of the reasons why our students are not successful in learning English in
school is probably due to the way the English curriculum is designed and the
content it is covering. It is proved that the more appropriate the English program is,
the more successful the English learners can be. Unless the English content of the

textbook meets the learners‟ need, learners‟ motivation will possibly decrease,
which affects directly and profoundly on the learners‟ achievement.
Up to now, numerous researches on effective English learning methods have
shown that learning a language requires learners to be persistent to keep learning in
a long and continuous period. Time is a real factor determining the success of
language study.
When mentioning factors influencing language learning outcomes, it is
necessary to take assistance and instruction into consideration. It is obvious that the
management board is responsible for the assistance and instruction to the learners.
Research has shown that instruction that is distributed over a longer stretch of time

9


is less effective than one that is taught more intensively. Light Bown's (2000)
research in Canada with the French immersion programs is exemplary and shows
that "students who have intensive exposure to the second language near the end of
elementary school have an advantage over those whose instruction was thinly
spread out over a longer period of time." (p. 499). What‟s more, assistance from
related objects and subjects such as facilities, materials, references, extra-classes,
tutors or advisors supported by the board of management will contribute to the
success of language learners.
1.4. Previous studies on the difficulties faced by language learners
It is important to shed the light on some of the studies conducted on the
difficulties faced by EFL learners in achieving learning outcomes all around the
world to take advantage of the procedure and ways of account.
Frederick Wehbe (2013) indicated that “some of the problems ESL students
will face are due to the diversity in racial, ethnic, religious, and linguistic
background.” With the indifferent perspective, Liu (2011) specified the four barriers
that EFL learners encountered. They were culture shock, language proficiency,

cultural personality and earlier learning experiences.
Besides, researches on EFL language learning problems have also attempted
to point out the factors that may influence learners‟ outcomes. Renandya W. A.
(2013) conducted a research named “Essential factors affecting EFL learning
outcomes” pointed out eight factors that can influence the outcomes of foreign
language learning. They are roles of input, output, fluency, formulaic expressions,
motivation, grammar, vocabulary, and amount and intensity of instruction. The
researcher suggested that language teachers should focus on these eight factors in
order to raise students‟ level of proficiency up. However, the research has its own
limitation because of not covering all other factors related to curricula issues,
teacher factors, learner factors, and a whole host of situational factors that may
affect on learners‟ outcomes in their language learning process.
Another research on the factors influencing the outcomes of language
learning conducted by AoutaGhania (2013) identified and analyzed internal and

10


external factors leading learners to succeed in EFL. According to the researcher,
internal factors include intelligence, perception, self-esteem, and learning styles;
whereas external factors are divided into such two sub-factors as motivation and
socio-cultural status. The research deals with one of the most issues in foreign
language learning, which is the internal and external factors influencing learners‟
success in EFL. Nevertheless, the research is limited to third year students because
they have a great relation with the problem; they have studied English for three
years, so they can recognize the main problems they face in learning English. This
could provide teachers and learners into the main factors that contribute to students‟
success in learning process.
In addition, Ellis‟s (1994) review of research demonstrated that
psychological factors such as language aptitude, learning style, age, motivation,

strategy use and learner belief; and social factors such as gender, class, ethnicity,
cultural background and settings for learning were considered the barriers of the
EFL learners‟ achievements.
In order to have the generic picture of language performance, the language
evaluator should define and understand clearly what they are going to assess as well
as which criteria should be included. Accordingly, Spolsky (1989) indicated the
relations among different components, including contextual factors, learning
opportunities, learner differences like background and learning environment, and
the learning outcomes. Therefore, lacking any of these components will influence
the ability of language performance. Accordingly, contextual factors include all
components related to the context, for example, the noise, the special environment
or so on. Besides, learning opportunities describes the possibility to learn new
things or acquire new knowledge. Notably, it also includes the environment,
whether the language learners have good environment to practice their language.
Besides, the background and even personalities of language learners also influence
on their performance in language. For quick-win learners, they can learn and
acquire new words in some seconds but for the slow-processing students, they
spend time on learning but not have long-lasting memory. Therefore, if one of these

11


factors is failed to meet, language learners will be posed to the difficulties in
English learning. In turn, these difficulties will result in the failure to meet the
expected outcomes in the future.

Figure 1.1: Spolsky’s (1989) model of second language learning
(Source: Spolsky‟s (1989) Model of Second Language Learning)
In Vietnam, some studies have been conducted on factors posing difficulties
and affecting the learning outcomes of EFL learners. Ha ThanhBich Loan (2015),

who conducted a research on the issue of English outcomes for full-time students at
University of Economics, Ho Chi Minh City, pointed out the factors influencing the
learning outcomes. The two main factors are time issue (learning program amount
of time), appropriateness of English program for non-English major students
12


(English program). Also, Nguyen Van Loi (2014), in a study on factors influencing
the English proficiency growth of English education students at Can Tho University
that self-study, indicated four factors such as self-study, opportunities to access
comprehensible input and to use meaningful output, motivation and attitude,
assessment method.
In conclusion, based on the analysis above, it can be concluded that language
learners, especially who do not have much time to learn English, will face many
troubles in language learning process. Lack of such factors as learning orientation,
learning motivation and awareness of learning English is considered one of the
main challenges. Moreover, the shortage of basic knowledge, the limitation of
English proficiency, the inexperience in testing skills and some other situational
factors are of great obstacles for EFL learners to reach the success in language
study.
1.5. Chapter summary
With this review, it can be seen that mastering a target language is the longterm process, which requires the language learners to be well prepared and willing
to overcome difficulties. The complication of different factors as well as difficulties
in the learning process has created the barriers for language learners to master the
target. Accordingly, the determination of learning outcomes, for example, definition
of language competency will help both students and educators have insights of
current scenarios. Therefore, this review provided the basic theories to develop the
upcoming chapter.
Accordingly, the next chapter will define the methodology that means
methods to conduct the research. That will lay the foundation for the researcher to

analyze the results and come up with conclusion.

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CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
This chapter introduces the context of Hanoi University of Science and
Technology where the study is conducted. Then it describes the methodologies
employed in the study in terms of the research questions, target population and
sampling, the data collection instruments and data analysis.
2.1 The context of Hanoi University of Science and Technology
Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) was officially
established in 1956. HUST is a multidisciplinary technical university. It always
ranks first in technology training universities in Vietnam. Thousands of engineers
have graduated from HUST and are now serving in key industrial and scientific
areas. Many of them hold important positions in the government.
2.1.1. Teachers
The English teaching staff in the university consists of 85teachers of English,
28 of whom are in charge of teaching English for non-English major students. Most
of them are masters of English, except to two PhDs and another 2 are in the process
of gaining their M.A degrees. Almost all the English teachers are young and active;
therefore, they are available to get access to new methods of teaching English in the
world. Besides, they always have a tendency to continuously equip themselves with
the latest knowledge of the English language. As for the older teachers, they always
prove themselves to be experienced. In addition, they never set in their own ways;
they try their best to keep up with the changes and innovations of the new English
world instead. In a word, all the teachers of English in HUST are not only
experienced in teaching English but also attentive to the new trend in development
of English worldwide. What‟s more, they are always highly appreciated because of
their dedication and enthusiasm to their students.

2.1.2. Students
In general, the students in HUST are at the age of 18 -23, and the fourth-year
students are at the age of 22-23. They are mostly male students, coming from

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different parts all over the country. The class consists of about 35 students each.
Most of students studied English at high school; however, most of them did not
consider English as their major. As a result, they did not pay much attention to learn
English at that time.
In addition, English is not their favorite subjects. There can be no doubt that
most of them are not really interested in learning English due to the fact that they
find it difficult to master English knowledge and to use English skills fluently. For
illustration, they are familiar with the common teaching methods at secondary and
high school with the focus on grammatical and structural issues.
2.1.3. The English teaching and learning at HUST
2.1.3.1. The syllabus of English teaching and learning
The main syllabus applied in the HUST is New English Fileby Clive
Oxenden and Christina Latham-Koenig with level intermediate. It is asserted that
the book meets the current requirements of teaching and learning English. It focuses
on developing all four skills: reading, speaking, listening and writing. At the level
of bachelor, the students only complete the book intermediate for a duration of 180
periods, each of which lasts 60 minutes.In addition, non-major English students in
HUST have to learn ESP of technical aspects. Besides that, other books relating to
TOEIC,PET, TOEFL, and IELTS are also used as reference ones for exams. In a
word, HUST has made great efforts to put forward a satisfactory syllabus of English
for the students.
2.1.3.2. The English teaching and learning in HUST
While in the past, mentioning studying English, the students always kept in

their mind that they necessarily acquired the grammatical rules with the book New
Headway by Liz Soars, John Soars and Amanda Maris, nowadays, both of the
students and teachers have turned to the new trend of teaching and learning English
that is developing such 4 skills as reading, speaking, listening and writing.
Therefore, during the lesson, the students have become the centre of attention. They
actively take part in the lesson and use English even outside the class, which has no
precedents before. The teachers play the role of instructing, controlling and

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encouraging the students. As a consequence of this, the lesson has become
increasingly appealing and all the students have the chance to participate in learning
activities. However, a number of students profoundly affected by inherent passive
learning habits have been unavailable to adopt the new method of teaching and
learning. This requires the teachers to pay much attention to make sure that all the
students have the equal opportunities in the class. In addition to follow the program
in the class, the students at HUST are required to obey a fix learning schedule set by
the teachers. The aim of the teachers‟ setting the schedule is to help their students
enhance self-studying outside the English class. In order to deal with the schedule,
the students have to employ better with their time management, and also employ
strategies that help them produce the correct answer for a drill or exercise.
2.1.4. Requirements of English learning outcomes for HUST students
According to Ministry of Education and Training‟s (MOET) dispatch No.
2196/BGDĐT-GDĐH dated April 22nd 2010, universities and colleges must notify
the graduate outcome standards to students to know. Accordingly, English is one of
the compulsory criteria to evaluate students‟ performance after 4 years at schools.
Moreover, as cited from Prime Minister‟s Decision No. 1400/QĐ-TTG approving
the project "teaching and learning of foreign languages in the national education
system period 2008-2020”(Nhan, 2008), in the higher education level, students,

who are studying in universities non-specialized in foreign languages, have to pass
at least the language proficiency-level 3 after graduating. It means that students
must reach 450 TOEIC after their graduation.
Moreover, with the global inevitable trend of international integration, many
international certificates are created to help local residents become global residents.
TOEIC (abbreviation of Teaching of English for International Communication) is
one kind among these certificates. Accordingly, the test will help to evaluate
English proficiency for foreign residents (especially in those countries English is
not considered their mother tongue). Notably, TOEIC is a reliable certificate which
is suitable with the communication and working environment. Therefore, as one of
the leading universities in Vietnam, Hanoi University of Science and Technology

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