Nhận thức của giáo viên THPT về phương pháp dạy học tiếng anh dựa vào nhiệm vụ và niềm tin của họ về bộ sách giáo khoa tiếng anh doctor of linguistics 621401

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

NGUYỄN VIỆT HÙNG

SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHER’S PERCEPTIONS OF
TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING AND THEIR BELIEFS
ABOUT THE CURRENT SERIES OF ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS
(Nhận

thức của giáo viên THPT về Phương pháp dạy học Tiếng Anh dựa

vào nhiệm vụ và niềm tin của họ về bộ sách giáo khoa Tiếng Anh)

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

Hanoi, April 2017


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

NGUYỄN VIỆT HÙNG

SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHER’S PERCEPTIONS OF
TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING AND THEIR BELIEFS
ABOUT THE CURRENT SERIES OF ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS
(Nhận

thức của giáo viên THPT về Phương pháp dạy học Tiếng Anh dựa

vào nhiệm vụ và niềm tin của họ về bộ sách giáo khoa Tiếng Anh)

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

Field: English Language Teaching Methodology
Code: 62 14 01 11
Supervisor: Prof. Hoàng Văn Vân

Hanoi, April 2017


DECLARATION

I certify that this dissertation does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief:
(i)

incorporate without acknowledgement any material previously submitted for a

degree or diploma in any institution of higher education;
(ii)

contain any material previously published or written by another person except

where due reference is made in the text; or
(iii) contain any defamatory material.

i

DEDICATION

This dissertation is dedicated to my parents who have brought me up and helped me to
become the person I am. I offer them all my affection for their love and understanding of this
important period of my life, which has taken me so far away from my family.

I also dedicate this dissertation to my lifelong partner, wife, and very best friend,
Thu. Her life and her weekends have been put on hold for the previous years of our lives
in order to help me achieve my goal of earning this doctorate degree. Her undying and
loving support has helped me through this research process. My thesis would not have
been materialized without her and her constant encouragement.

ii


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This Ph.D. thesis would not have become a reality without the help of many people.
First and foremost, I acknowledge my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Dr.
Hoang Van Van, for his continuing encouragement, invaluable suggestions and feedback,
and patient guidance throughout my study. He has showed impressive expertise in
academic research and, as well, in the supervision of his postgraduate students. I have
benefited not only from his rich experience in academic research, but also from his
personal merits: earnest, kind, sincere, and caring.
Secondly, I am enormously indebted to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoa, Assoc. Prof. Le Hung
Tien, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Canh, Dr. Do Quang Viet, and Dr. Huynh Anh Tuan, who have
given me encouragements, generous help and suggestions in my research project.
Next, my heartfelt thanks goes to all the participants, from many provinces, who
cooperated with me in this research. Their views and comments gave me boundless

inspiration. Without their cooperation and contributions, this thesis would have never been
made possible. A special thanks go to the following directors of different provincial
department of education and training and co-ordinators of the National Foreign Language
2020 Project (NFL 2020 Project) of these departments who helped me get into contact with
participants: Mr. Le Van Quy – Director and Ms. Lu Thi Van – co-ordinator of NFL 2020
Project of Dien Bien Department of Education and Training, Mr. Nguyen An Ninh – Director
and Mr. Le Thanh Hai – co-ordinator of NFL 2020 Project of Lao Cai Department of
Education and Training, Mr. Nguyen Minh Thanh – Director and Ms. Le Thi Hong – coordinator of NFL 2020 Project of Hoa Binh Department of Education and Training, Mr. Hoang
Tien Duc – Director and Ms. Pham Thi Thuan – co-ordinator of NFL 2020 Project of Son La
Department of Education and Training, Mr. Do Van Han – Director and Ms. Pham Thu Hang –
co-ordinator of NFL 2020 Project of Lai Chau Department of Education and Training, Mr.
Tran Xuan Hung – Director and Mr. Dang Tran Ha – co-ordinator of NFL 2020 Project of Yen
Bai Department of Education and Training.
In addition, I owe my debts to some of the experts in this field who gave me
consultations to my questions in some stages of research, such as research design, research
method, data analysis at times when I was highly confused: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phan Le Ha,
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thuy Minh, Prof. Dr. Nathan Carr, Prof. Dr. Simon Borg, Dr. Hoang
Xuan Hoa, Dr. To Thu Huong, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Phuong Nga, Dr. Duong Thi Nu, Dr.
Tran Hoai Phuong, Dr. Duong Thu Mai, Dr. Hoang Thi Hanh, and Dr. Vu Hai Ha.
Moreover, I would like to extend my gratitude to my friends such as Nguyen Manh
Cuong, Bui Van Hau, and Blake Nichols for their kind support and willingness to
proofread of my drafts.
Also, I wish to express my profound gratitude to my family, my parents, my sister,
and my brother. They have been so supportive and encouraging that I can always feel their
care. Their love and encouragements have made my long journey to PhD thesis colorful
and enjoyable.
Last, but by no means least, I am thankful to my wife whose deep and warm love is
the most important source of courage and motivation for me to move along this journey.
Being so thoughtful and being always by my side, she has helped me in the most special
and tender way!

iii


TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION............................................................................................................................... I
DEDICATION.................................................................................................................................. II
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................................................................... III
TABLE OF CONTENTS.............................................................................................................. IV
LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................................... VIII
LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................................................................... X
ABBREVIATIONS........................................................................................................................ XI
PART I. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1
1. Rationale........................................................................................................................................ 1
2. Aim of the Study........................................................................................................................... 5
3. Objectives of the Study................................................................................................................ 5
4. Research Questions...................................................................................................................... 5
5. Significance of the Study............................................................................................................ 6
6. Scope of the Study........................................................................................................................ 7
7. Organization of the Study........................................................................................................... 7
PART II. DEVELOPMENT............................................................................................................ 9
CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW....................................................................................... 9
1.1. Introduction................................................................................................................................ 9
1.2. The Main Concepts Related to the Research........................................................................ 9
1.2.1. Teacher Cognition............................................................................................................. 9
1.2.2. Teacher Perception and Teacher Belief........................................................................ 12
1.2.3. Task and TBLT.................................................................................................................. 13
1.3. Theoretical Issues of Task-Based Language Teaching...................................................... 16
1.3.1. Theoretical Foundations of TBLT................................................................................. 16
1.3.2. Framework of TBLT........................................................................................................ 20
1.3.2.1. Definition of TBLT Framework.................................................................................. 20

iv


1.3.2.2. Different TBLT Frameworks....................................................................................... 20
1.3.2.3. TBLT Framework by Willis (1996)............................................................................ 23
1.3.2.4. Principles of TBLT....................................................................................................... 25
1.3.2.5. Task Features................................................................................................................ 27
1.3.2.6. Differences between TBLT and Other Teaching Models ........................................ 30
1.3.3. Techniques of TBLT......................................................................................................... 31
1.4. The Current Series of English Textbooks for Upper Secondary Schools in Vietnam
33
1.4.1. Textbook Objectives......................................................................................................... 33
1.4.2. Content of the Textbooks................................................................................................. 34
1.4.3. Target Knowledge Covered in the Textbooks............................................................... 35
1.4.4. Language Skills Taught in the Textbooks Series ......................................................... 36
1.4.5. Tasks and Activities......................................................................................................... 38
1.5. Previous Related Research.................................................................................................... 39
1.5.1. Research into Teachers’ Perceptions and Beliefs in Task-Based Language
Teaching....................................................................................................................................... 39
1.5.2. Research Related to Teachers’ Beliefs about the Current Series of English
Textbooks...................................................................................................................................... 42
1.6. Summary................................................................................................................................... 43
CHAPTER 2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY....................................................................... 45
2.1. Research Approach................................................................................................................. 45
2.2. Research Setting and Participants......................................................................................... 47
2.2.1. Research Context............................................................................................................. 47
2.2.2. Participants....................................................................................................................... 48
2.3. Research Collection Instruments.......................................................................................... 53
2.3.1. Survey Questionnaire...................................................................................................... 53
2.3.2. Interview............................................................................................................................ 54

2.3.3. Classroom Observation.................................................................................................. 55
2.4. Research Procedure................................................................................................................. 55
v


2.4.1. Quantitative Analysis in Phase 1.................................................................................. 56
2.4.2. Qualitative Analysis in Phase 2..................................................................................... 57
2.5. Data Analysis Techniques...................................................................................................... 59
2.5.1. Descriptive Techniques................................................................................................... 59
2.5.2. Comparative Techniques................................................................................................ 61
2.6. Reliability and Validity........................................................................................................... 62
2.6.1. Reliability and Validity of the First Questionnaire (Teachers’ perceptions of TBLT)
62

2.6.2. Reliability and Validity of the Second Questionnaire (Teachers’ beliefs about
Textbooks).................................................................................................................................... 65
2.7. Credibility, Transferability, Dependability and Confirmability ....................................... 67
2.8. Confidentiality......................................................................................................................... 68
2.9. Chapter Summary.................................................................................................................... 69
CHAPTER 3. THE FINDINGS.................................................................................................... 70
3.2. General Findings about Teachers’ Perceptions of TBLT.................................................. 71
3.2.1. Teachers’ Perceptions of “the Philosophies of TBLT” .............................................. 71
3.2.2. Teachers’ Perceptions of “the Definitions of TBLT” ................................................. 74
3.2.3. Teachers’ Perceptions of “the Principles of TBLT” ................................................... 77
3.2.4. Teachers’ Perceptions of “the Features of TBLT”..................................................... 82
3.2.5. Teachers’ Perceptions of “the Stages of TBLT”......................................................... 86
3.2.6. Teachers’ Perceptions of “the Techniques of TBLT” ................................................. 89
3.3. General Findings about Teachers’ Beliefs about the Textbooks ...................................... 93
3.3.1. Teachers’ Beliefs about “the Textbook Objectives” ................................................... 93
3.3.2. Teachers’ Beliefs about “the Content of the Textbooks” ........................................... 97

3.3.3. Teachers’ Beliefs about “the Knowledge of the Textbooks” ................................... 101
3.3.4. Teachers’ Beliefs about “the Skills taught in the Textbooks” ................................. 103
3.3.5. Teachers’ Beliefs about “the Tasks and Activities of the Textbooks” ....................106
3.3.6. Teachers’ Beliefs about “the Teaching Method of the Textbooks” ........................ 109
CHAPTER 4. DISCUSSION AND INTERPRETATION..................................................... 113
vi


4.1. Discussions of the Findings about Teachers’ Perceptions of TBLT.............................. 113
4.1.1. Teachers’ Perceptions of TBLT....................................................................................... 113
4.1.1.1. Teachers have fair perceptions of TBLT................................................................. 113
4.1.1.2. Higher Score on Teachers’ Perceptions of TBLT in the Quantitative Phase than
in the Qualitative Phase.......................................................................................................... 115
4.1.1.3. Differences in Perception of TBLT between Groups ............................................ 118
4.1.1.4. Teachers’ Perceptions of TBLT Tends to be Task-supported Language Teaching
122
4.1.2. Factors Affecting Teachers’ Perceptions of TBLT........................................................ 126
4.2. Discussions of the Findings about Teachers’ Beliefs about the Textbooks ................. 130
4.2.1. Teachers’ Beliefs about the Textbooks........................................................................... 131
4.2.1.1. Teachers Have Fair Beliefs about the Textbooks .................................................. 131
4.2.1.2. Higher Score on Teachers’ Beliefs about the Textbooks in Quantitative Phase 1
than in the Qualitative Phase 2.............................................................................................. 133
4.2.1.3. Differences in Beliefs about the Textbooks between Teachers in Groups .........136
4.2.2. Factors Affecting Teachers’ Beliefs about the Textbooks and Main Proposals .138
PART III. CONCLUSIONS........................................................................................................ 145
1. Summary of the Major Points of the Study.......................................................................... 145
1.1. Summary of the Study....................................................................................................... 145
1.2. Conclusions........................................................................................................................ 145
1.3. Pedagogical Implications................................................................................................ 147
2. Limitation of the Study............................................................................................................ 148

3. Implications for Future Research........................................................................................... 148
RESEARCHER’S ARTICLES RELATED TO THE THESIS.............................................. 151
REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................. 152

vii


LIST OF TABLES
Table 1.1: Components of teacher cognition
Table 1.2: General objectives to achieve in Grade 10 to Grade 12 (MOET, 2006: 19-25)

Table 1.3: Topics in English 10, English 11 and English 12
Table 1.4: Themes covered in the English curriculum
Table 2.1: Demographic Data of Survey Participants’ Background Information
Table 2.2: Brief profiles of 30 cases in case study phase
Table 2.3: Overview of the data analysis procedure case studies
Table 2.4: The reliability of questionnaire 1 and its domains
Table 2.5: Unreliable Items that need being left out the analysis
Table 2.6: Correlation between domains in the whole questionnaire
Table 2.7: Factor Analysis of Students’ attitudes towards TBLT
Table 2.8: The reliability of questionnaire 1 and its domains
Table 2.9: Correlation between domains in the whole questionnaire (5.2.1.4.1)
Table 2.10: Factor Analysis of Students’ attitudes towards TBLT
Table 3.1: The descriptive statistics for Domain 1
Table 3.2: The interview’s main themes for Domain 1
Table 3.3: The descriptive statistics for Domain 2
Table 3.4: The interview’s main themes for Domain 2
Table 3.5: The descriptive statistics for Domain 3
Table 3.6: Teachers’ perception of principles of TBLT
Table 3.7: The descriptive statistics for Domain 4

Table 3.8: Teachers’ perception of features of TBLT
Table 3.9: The descriptive statistics for Domain 5
Table 3.10: The descriptive statistics for Domain 6
Table 3.11: Teachers’ perception of techniques of TBLT
Table 3.12: The descriptive statistics for Domain 1
Table 3.13: Teachers’ beliefs about objectives of textbooks
Table 3.14: The descriptive statistics for Domain 2
Table 3.15: Teachers’ beliefs about content of textbooks
Table 3.16: The descriptive statistics for Domain 3
Table 3.17: Teachers’ beliefs about knowledge of textbooks
viii


Table 3.18: The descriptive statistics for Domain 4
Table 3.19: Teachers’ beliefs about skills of textbooks
Table 3.20: The descriptive statistics for Domain 5
Table 3.21: Teachers’ beliefs about tasks and activities of textbooks
Table 3.22: The descriptive statistics for Domain 6
Table 3.23: Teachers’ beliefs about teaching method of textbooks
Table 4.1: The descriptive statistics for the whole questionnaire and domains
Table 4.2: Perception percentage of the whole questionnaire and domains
Table 4.3: Typical focused themes of teachers’ perception of TBLT
Table 4.4: Differences in teachers’ perception of TBLT according to provinces
Table 4.5: Differences in teachers’ perception of TBLT according to economic
Table 4.6: Differences in teachers’ perception of TBLT according to first degree
Table 4.7: Qualitative data of teachers’ perception of TBLT
Table 4.8: Model summary of the whole questionnaire and domains “Teachers’
perception of TBLT”
Table 4.9: Coefficient of prediction model 3 for the main domain “Teachers’ perception
of TBLT”

Table 4.10: Unfocused themes of teachers’ perception of TBLT
Table 4.11: The descriptive statistics for the whole questionnaire and domains
Table 4.12: Belief percent of the whole questionnaire and domains
Table 4.13: Typical focused themes of teachers’ beliefs about textbooks
Table 4.14: Differences in teachers’ beliefs about textbooks according to provinces
Table 4.15: Model summary of the whole questionnaire and domains
Table 4.16: Coefficient of prediction model 3 for the main domain
Table 4.17: Unfocused themes of teachers’ beliefs about textbooks

ix


LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1: The construct of teacher cognition (Borg, 2003)

Figure 1.2: Modification construct of teacher cognition
Figure 1.3: Willis’ framework of TBLT (Willis, 1996)
Figure 1.4: Difference between exercise and task
Figure 1.5: Research framework
Figure 2.1: Analytical framework for the research
Figure 4.1: Mean plots according to province
Figure 4.2: Mean plots according to economic state
Figure 4.3: Mean plots according to first degree
Figure 4.4: Mean plots according to locality
Figure 4.5: Mean plots according to province
Figure 5.1: Model of task sequence

x

ABBREVIATIONS

MOET: Ministry of Education and Training
HNUE: Hanoi National University of Education
ULIS: University of Languages and International Studies

NFL 2020: National Foreign Languages 2020
NWA: Northwest Area
TBLT: Task-Based Language Teaching
TSI: Task-Supported Instruction
TST: Task-Supported Teaching
BA: Bachelor of Arts
MA: Master of Arts
ESL: English as Second Language
ELT: English Language Teaching
CLT: Communicative Language Teaching
L1: Mother Tongue/First Language/Native Language
L2: Second Language

xi


PART I. INTRODUCTION

1. Rationale
1.1. Practical Reasons
In 2002, the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) decided to
reform the English curriculum for lower and upper secondary schools toward greater
emphasis on students' ability of using English for communicative and academic purposes.

According to the MOET, the policy “one curriculum, many sets of textbooks” is adopted.
Under this policy, students would start English according to task-based curricula from Grade
6, instead of Grade 10. The researcher’s particular attention focuses on the English
curriculum for secondary schools as this level is considered to be the preparatory stage for
Vietnamese students to study at higher levels. In practice, universities in Vietnam require
graduate students and even newly-entered students to have certain English competency. A
good English curriculum for secondary schools can contribute significantly to the
development of the knowledge-based economy for the country. It motivates the researcher to
investigate secondary school teachers’ cognition of the English curriculum.
This research focuses only on a specific area as contextual features are very
important in the consideration of the language policy in a country. Due to the English
curriculum for secondary schools, students from all areas have to get the same expected
learning outcomes no matter where they come from. The matter is if it is feasible for
students from difficult areas such as the Northwest of Vietnam, the Central Highlands, and
the Southwest to have the same learning materials, lessons and exams as students from
central urban areas like Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City to achieve one
common standard of competence, knowledge and skills in English. The researcher chose the
Northwest Area (NWA) because it is the area within the researcher’s reach and it is one of
the three most difficult areas in the country. Furthermore, the researcher has some
knowledge of the geography, the culture, the customs, and the traditions of the people of this
region from many visits to the area and many friends living there.
The researcher intended to study teachers’ cognition of the task-based curriculum, so
the idea of a research title of “Secondary school teachers’ cognition of the new curriculum”
1


was initiated. However, in Vietnam, curricula are fixed by the MOET, and the contents of the
curricula are realized in a series of textbooks. Modules for units, revised units, and tests are
decided in the English curriculum for Vietnamese schools. Basing on the curriculum of the
MOET, book designers develop learning tasks and activities for each unit. Through the review of

the English curriculum by the MOET (2006) and the textbooks which have been implemented
for secondary schools in Vietnam, it can be confirmed that this new curriculum is the task-based
one. As the textbook series has been claimed to adopt task-based language teaching (TBLT)
methodology, the investigation into teachers’ beliefs about the book series focusing on its TBLT
features will help give room to implications helpful to the implementation of TBLT relevant to
the book series in practice. According to Nunan (2004), in investigation of a task-based
curriculum, the three main dimensions that should be focused on are textbook content, teaching
pedagogy and learner assessment. In fact, according to the English curriculum, the series of
textbooks adopt task-based syllabus design and the teaching method imbedded in the textbooks
is TBLT; the student assessment is still aligned to the traditional manner when it does not focus
on students’ performance, but their linguistic knowledge. Hence, the current study investigates
teachers’ cognitions of two dimensions, namely teachers’ cognitions of the series of English
textbooks for secondary schools, and the teaching method (TBLT). Therefore, instead of
investigating teachers’ cognitions of the English curriculum, the researcher decided to study
teachers’ cognitions of the new series of textbooks and teaching method (TBLT) imbedded in the
series of textbooks. As in the literature concerning teachers’ cognitions, this concept can
umbrella teachers’ beliefs and teachers’ perceptions (Borg, 2003); for that reason, the researcher
changed the research title to “Secondary school teachers’ perceptions of task-based language
teaching and their beliefs about the current series of English textbooks” so as to indicate more
explicitly the purpose of studying two major fields, namely teachers’ perceptions of TBLT and
teachers’ beliefs about the current series of English textbooks for secondary schools; through
these two fields, the researcher hope to find out teachers’ cognitions of the English curricula in
Vietnam. In the two fields, the researcher used two under-umbrella terms of teacher cognition,
namely teacher perception and teacher belief; however, due to the multivalances of the concepts
in the literature, these two constructs can also be understood as teachers’ understandings.

1.2. Theoretical Reasons
According to Louden (1991), teachers "don't merely deliver the curriculum. They
develop it, define it, and reinterpret it too" (p. iv). Borg (2009) also states that teacher cognition
relates closely with what teachers do; he lists out some sophisticated understandings

2


of the relationships between teachers’ cognitions and practices. According to Borg (2009),
“teachers were not robots who simply implemented, in an unthinking manner, curricula
designed by others; rather, teachers exerted agency in the classroom – they made decisions,
both before and while teaching; these decisions thus became a new focus for educational
researchers – teacher cognition” (p.3). This reality should have been a provoking mark for
the research related to how teachers think, know, perceive and believe about the series of
textbooks as well as the teaching method imbedded in this series of textbooks, which is like
the way that Borg (2003, 2006) did and named it teacher cognition. It is widely
acknowledged that teachers have their own theoretical beliefs and perceptions about
language learning and teaching, and that those tend to shape the teaching practices (Pajares,
1992; Woods, 1996). According to Borg (2003), teacher belief and teacher perception are
terms under the bigger umbrella term – teacher cognition.
Regarding the current series of English textbooks for upper secondary schools (Tiếng
Anh 10 (English 10), Tiếng Anh 11 (English 11), and Tiếng Anh 12 (English 12), each set is
comprised of three books: the Student’s textbook, the Workbook, and the Teacher’s books. When
the development of this textbook series was completed, it was piloted in some selected schools
across Vietnam in 2004. After necessary revisions were made, this series of textbooks was
officially approved and was put into use, nationwide, in schools by the MOET in the academic
year of 2006-2007. The presence of the current series of English textbooks is an effort of the
MOET to change teachers’ attitudes, and teachers’ awareness of English teaching in Vietnam
from teacher-centered orientation to learner-centered orientation. The series of English textbooks
are claimed to follow the “learner-centered approach and the communicative approach with taskbased teaching being the central teaching method”.
As far as English teaching method is concerned, the implementation of the series of
textbooks approved in 2006 placed all Vietnamese teachers of English in the teaching renovation
in order to raise the quality of English language teaching; teachers in the NWA are no
exceptions. This series of textbooks were claimed to incorporate the latest methodology in

foreign language teaching: communicative language teaching (CLT) and TBLT because the
focus of this series of textbooks is more on the learner than on the teacher, as traditionally
grammar-based textbooks; learning activities were designed in tasks and mainly employed taskbased language teaching method as developed by the framework of Willis (Hoang Van Van,
2011, p.103). The adoption of the communicative approach and its guiding principles of English
language teaching from this series of English textbooks are specified as follows:
1.
Attaining communication skills is the goal of the teaching and learning process;
linguistic knowledge is the means by which communication skills are formed and developed.

3


2.
Students play an active role in the teaching and learning process and teachers’ roles
are as organizers and guides.
3.
Teaching contents are selected and organized according to themes to guarantee a
high level of communicativeness while catering to the accuracy of the modern language
system.
4.
Textbook writing, management of teaching and learning, testing, assessment and
evaluation follow the curriculum guidelines (MOET 2006: 6).

In this series of English textbooks, learning tasks in TBLT are considered central to
the whole instructional design process, from the identification of learner needs to the
measurement of student achievement. The design of the series of English textbooks from
Grade 10 to Grade 12 organizes each unit in five lessons (reading, speaking, listening,
writing, and language focus), and each lesson consists of three phases (pre-task, while-task
and post-task); each phase has subtasks or activities. This design seems to fit the framework
proposed by Willis (1996a, 1998, 2001, 2007). A little deviation is that the task cycle in the

current series of textbooks is not accomplished in a class teaching period but in five periods
(one periods for each part: reading, speaking, listening, writing, and language focus), so a
task in these textbooks is bigger than a task of other TBLT frameworks stated in the
literature. Besides, in the reality of English language teaching, TBLT has gradually appeared
in teaching though teachers might not have had full conscious awareness of it; therefore,
TBLT might not be fully exploited.
Le Van Canh (2007) and Nguyen Thi Thuy Minh (2007) were the first researchers
starting up research on these series of textbooks in Vietnam right after the new curriculum was
issued. Le Van Canh (2007) reported on 249 in-service secondary school English-as-a-ForeignLanguage (EFL) teachers’ beliefs about the new textbooks. Nguyen Thi Thuy Minh (2007)
conducted research in which she attempted to evaluate the textbooks to see if they meet the goals
of the curriculum. Her careful analysis of the text showed both the strengths and weaknesses of
the textbooks. Most recently at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, Barnard and Nguyen
Gia Viet (2010) carried out research on the curriculum and textbook series entitled “Task-Based
Language Teaching: A Vietnamese Case Study Using Narrative Frames to Elicit Teachers
Beliefs”. In this research, Barnard and Viet used narrative frames (as suggested by Barkhuizen &
Wette, 2008) to explore what teachers know and believe about the reformed curriculum in their
specific contexts in comparison with the former curricular in the direction of grounded analysis
(Charmaz, 2006). They mainly asked teachers to write (in Vietnamese) their reflective comments
about their attitudes towards TBLT, and their recent experiences of applying it in their
classroom. Some of the research was not conducted on a large sample size, so the overview of
teachers’ cognitions of the textbooks and the teaching method were hard to capture. Moreover, in
spite of the importance of understanding of

4


teachers’ beliefs about what the textbooks really are with respect to different cultural regions
(Byrd, 2001); no practical research has been done in the NWA. In practice , through casual talks
with secondary school teachers, and through some minor research assignments from my
practicum students in secondary schools where they did their teaching practice, surprising

information was verbalized, in which teacher-centeredness was admitted to be popular and
learner-centeredness was by far reachable although teachers usually led their teaching according
to what the textbooks instructed. Moreover, some issues related to the content and knowledge
from the textbooks were supposed to be inadequate to students in this area.

For all the reasons mentioned above, I have decided to carry out this research to
uncover two main fields: (i) teachers’ perceptions of TBLT and (ii) teachers’ beliefs about
the series of textbooks. For field (i), I will explore six domains: (1) the definition of task and
TBLT, (2) the philosophy of TBLT, (3) the principles of TBLT, (4) the features of TBLT, (5)
the stages of TBLT, and (6) the techniques of TBLT. And for field (ii), I will also explore six
domains: (1) the objectives of the textbooks, (2) the content of the textbooks, (3) the
knowledge of the textbooks, (4) the skills taught in the textbooks, (5) the tasks and activities
of the textbooks, and (6) the teaching method imbedded in the textbooks.
2. Aim of the Study
The overarching aim of this research is to investigate Vietnamese secondary school
teachers’ cognitions of the task-based English curriculum. As indicated in the title, the
research is realized into two main aims, focusing on two dimensions, namely teachers’
perceptions of TBLT and their beliefs about the series of English textbooks which have been
used throughout Vietnam since 2006.
3. Objectives of the Study
Given the aim above, the research sets for itself the following objectives:
Identifying how secondary school teachers of English in the North-Western Area
(NWA) of Vietnam perceive or understand task-based language teaching (TBLT) in
terms of theory.
Exploring what shapes their perceptions of TBLT.
Finding out what secondary school teachers of English in the NWA of Vietnam
believe about the current series of English textbooks in their teaching context.
Discovering what shapes their beliefs about the current series of English textbooks.
4.

Research Questions

The above objectives are translated into the following questions and subquestions for
exploration:
5


1.
1.
1.

What are the NWA secondary school teachers’ perceptions of TBLT?
1. How do the teachers perceive TBLT in terms of theory?
2. What shapes their perceptions of TBLT?

2. What are the NWA secondary school teachers’ beliefs about the current series of
English textbooks?
2.
1. How do the teachers believe about the current series of English textbooks?
2.
2. What shapes their beliefs about the current series of English textbooks?
5.

Significance of the Study
As a first attempt to look at the NWA teachers’ cognition of the task-based English

curriculum, specifically their perceptions of TBLT and their beliefs about the current series
of English textbooks for secondary schools, this research would be beneficial not only to
ELT in the NWA but also to ELT in Vietnam. It may also be beneficial to some stakeholders
including textbook designers, the English teachers in the NWA, and the education

administrators of ELT in the study area.
Through an investigation of teachers’ perceptions of TBLT, the research would be of
both theoretical and practical value. In the theoretical perspective, with the hope of making a
small contribution to ELT in the NWA and in Vietnam, the researcher proposes a general
theoretical ELT model modified from TBLT when CLT is making teachers confused and
embarrassed in application as there is no specific and precise teaching model of this method
officially issued. The model is only the reasoning and generalization of the researcher in the
theoretical field based on what previous researchers and educators mentioned about TBLT;
therefore, there needs to be further research into it in the future. In the practical perspective,
it cannot be denied that TBLT is adhered to as the teaching instruction model of the current
series of English textbooks for secondary schools in Vietnam; accordingly, investigating as
well as improving teachers’ understanding of the method is an indispensable need. The
result of teachers’ perceptions of TBLT can serve as sources for the solutions to improve
their understandings of this teaching model.
With the investigation of the current series of English textbooks for Vietnamese
secondary schools, the research would be of practical value in teaching practice. In an EFL
context like Vietnam, textbooks are regarded as the main source of learner’s language input
and language practice. For many Vietnamese teachers, textbooks may even help them
construct their class instruction. The research is a chance for secondary school teachers to
raise their voices about what they are facing everyday. As a result, the understanding of
teachers’ beliefs about the current series of English textbooks is source of reference for the
curriculum designers, textbook writers, teacher trainers and education officials; and it can 6


help them evaluate the effectiveness of the series of English textbooks after having been put
into use on a large scale for nearly ten years. For that further adjustments and even revisions
need to be made to perfect the materials so that the textbooks can meet the increasing needs
of modern Vietnamese education. Hopefully, some of the results of this primary research can
be considered in the design of the forthcoming series of textbooks when the MOET
exercises the policy of “one curriculum, many sets of textbooks” to fit different contexts and

areas in Vietnam in the coming years.
6. Scope of the Study
Given the title of the thesis, it is necessary to narrow the research down to a scope
which can be manageable. The title of the thesis is “Secondary School Teachers’
Perceptions of Task-Based Language Teaching and Their Beliefs about the Current Series of
English Textbooks”, the research confines itself to investigating the perceptions of taskbased language teaching of secondary school teachers of English and their beliefs about the
current series of secondary English textbooks in six provinces, including Hoa Binh, Son La,
Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Yen Bai. With regard to the title of this research project, I
would like to investigate the whole current series of English textbooks, being implemented
in nationwide secondary schools, from Grade 10 to Grade 12.
7. Organization of the Study
The study is organized around three parts: Part I, Part II, and Part III
Part I – Introduction – presents rationale for the study, aim of the study, objectives of
the study, research questions, significance of the study, scope of the study, and organization
of the study.
Part II – Development – comprises four chapters. Chapter 1 – Literature Review –
reviews theoretical issues related to TBLT, textbook design and evaluation, teachers’
perceptions of the teaching method and teachers’ beliefs about the textbooks.
Chapter 2 – Methodology – describes research context, explains the reasons for
research method choice and how the two phases of data collection and analysis were set up,
clarifies the reasoning behind the various decisions which were made along the way,
outlines the context within which the data were gathered and presents a composite picture of
the teachers who participated in the study, and describes the teachers' values and shows how
the teachers from both phases of the study held similar sets of perceptions of the nature of
TBLT and sets of beliefs about textbooks.
7


Chapter 3 – Findings – presents main findings of the teachers' understandings of
TBLT and teacher beliefs about textbooks according to themes.

Chapter 4 – Interpretations and Discussions – interprets and discusses data according
to research questions stated at the beginning of the study.
Part III – Conclusion – recapitulates what has been investigated, draws conclusions from
major findings, points out limitations of the study, and makes some suggestions for further
research. Special recommendations are made on what should be done to increase the perception
secondary school teachers of English in the NWA about TBLT as well as increase the ability to
implement the English textbooks, including the textbook modifications, and teachers’ self-study
in a more effective way to fit the context of the NWA.

8


PART II. DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. Introduction
The aim of this chapter is to set up a framework for the study. To do this, the chapter
will (1) re-examine some of the main concepts relevant to the dissertation, (2) discuss TBLT
framework, (3) present main features of the current series of English textbooks for
Vietnamese upper secondary schools, and (4) look at previous research related to the
dissertation.
Towards the overview of TBLT and features of the current series of English
textbooks, issues related to domains are deeply discussed so as to lay the theoretical base for
the design of items in each domain. With TBLT, the following theoretical issues accordant
with six investigated domains of TBLT are considered: (1) the definition of task and TBLT,
(2) the philosophy of TBLT, (3) the principles of TBLT, (4) the features of TBLT, (5) the
stages of TBLT, and (6) the techniques of TBLT. With the current series of English
textbooks, the following theoretical issues in harmony with six investigated domains of the
textbooks are considered: (1) the objectives of the textbooks, (2) the content of the
textbooks, (3) the knowledge of the textbooks, (4) the skills taught in the textbooks, (5) the
tasks and activities of the textbooks, and (6) the teaching method imbedded to the textbooks.

1.2. The Main Concepts Related to the Research
1.2.1. Teacher Cognition
Though this research only investigates two concepts, namely teacher perception and
teacher belief, it is necessary to preliminarily mention the concept the concept teacher
cognition because teacher cognition has been considered to be the umbrella term of teacher
perception and teacher belief (Borg, 2003).
In the mainstream educational literature, the concept of teacher cognition was first
proposed by Borg (2003). Before that it was labeled under a number of terms: teacher judgment
(Clark & Yinger, 1977; Peterson & Clark, 1978), theoretical beliefs (Johnson, 1992), belief
(Pajares, 1992), specific pedagogical knowledge (Shulman, 1987; Spada & Massey, 1992),
conceptions of practice (Freeman, 1993), theories for practice consisting of thinking and beliefs
(Burns, 1996), personal pedagogical systems consisting of beliefs, knowledge, theories,
assumptions and attitudes (Calderhead, 1996; Borg, 1998), pedagogical

knowledge (Shulman, 1987; Gatbonton, 1999), practical knowledge (Meijer, Verloop, & 9


Beijaard, 1999), pedagogic principles (Breen et al., 2001), teacher cognition including
belief, perception, and knowledge (Calderhead, 1996; Borg, 2003, 2006, 2009; Woolfolk,
Davis & Pape, 2006) in which most dominant and notable notions are belief and knowledge.
The most common referenced perspective of teacher cognition in the recent studies in this
decade has been contributed by Borg (2006). The reason is that Borg can summarize and
analyse the complete picture of the mainstream literature of teacher cognition from those
overlapping and divergent constructs to add up a new construct with proper components and
clear categorization of related terms.

Figure 1.1: The construct of teacher cognition (Borg, 2003, p.82)

Borg (2003, 2006) made his own model of teacher cognition based on most of the
scholars’ viewpoints mentioned above in this field. According to Borg (2009), research on

teachers’ cognitive dimensions had primitively emerged in the late 1970s; however, it was
only until late in the 1990s that the study of L2 teacher cognition bloomed, and from the
mid-1990s onwards, there was a rapid increase in the research examining various aspects of
what L2 teachers know, believe and think, and the research of the relationships to what
teachers do. Borg (2003) revised hundreds of works about terminologies and constructs of
teacher cognition from 1970s to his present time. Actually, he made a remarkable
contribution to the literature by graphing previous research of terminologies into categories
for ease of understanding into a new construct; “teacher cognition” has appeared to be the
most cited viewpoint from its first appearance up to now.
As seen in Figure 1.1, the construct of teacher cognition by Borg has four components
coming from four main sources or sectors, and incorporates many other related under-

10


umbrella notions, such as attitudes, beliefs, conceptions, perceptions, images, theories,
perspectives, etc. Inheriting a view from Borg’s previous works and acknowledging research
by Phipps and Borg (2007), Borg (2009, pp.2-3) summarized the nature of teacher cognition
and its relationship to what teachers do as follows:
Teachers’ cognitions can be powerfully influenced by their own experiences as learners.
These cognitions influence what and how teachers learn during teacher education.

Teachers act as a filter through which teachers interpret new information and experience.
Teachers may outweigh the effects of teacher education in influencing what teachers do in
the classroom.
Teachers can be deep-rooted and resistant to change.
Teachers can exert a persistent long-term influence on teachers’ instructional practices.
Teachers are, at the same time, not always reflected in what teachers do in the classroom.
Teachers interact bi-directionally with experience (i.e. beliefs influence practices but
practices can also lead to changes in beliefs).

With regard to teacher cognition research, Borg (2006) claims that: “Teacher
cognition research is concerned with understanding what teachers think, know and believe.
Its primary concern, therefore, lies with the unobservable dimensions of teaching - teachers’
mental lives” (p.1). He explained the definition by further stressing that the questions being
addressed now were not simply “what do teachers do?” but also “what do they think?”,
“what decisions do they make?”, and “why?”… (2009, p.3).
Inevitably, a further critical discussion of Borg’s model of teacher cognition can be made
contribution to the literature in this field. For there are four sections determining teacher
cognition as indicated in the figure, it may be inferred that if we want to change teachers’
teaching practice according to a new theory (for example from learner-centredness to learningcentredness or the imbed of the two), we can act on one in three, or all of three sections (i.e.,
professional courseworks, contextual factors, classroom practice) except for schooling as we
cannot turn teachers’ time back to their university moment. In this sense, it seems that Borg
mentioned sources for the activeness of changes in teacher cognition. For example, if teachers
are forced to change their theory or method of teaching by a policy from the MOET that requires
changes to all subject teaching pedagogies aligned with modern education systems without the
need of careful social surveys for the context adaption because politicians believe what come
from modern society is superior; while to some extent, teachers are passive recipients of the
compulsory change. It is, equally, clear that Borg’s category cannot incorporate the situation in
this case; the reason may be assumingly possible that Borg might get used to modern system of
education like the USA, Hong Kong, the UK, Canada, and Australia, where teachers persist the
right to act according to their thoughts; and educational policies are inquiry-based, and due to
social investigations. Borg might not have

11


sufficient information about the top-down educational policies in other parts of the world;
hence, for second language pedagogy in the context of some developing countries, a
reference to the active role of teacher cognition alone according to Borg’s theory proves to

be insufficient. The question one may raise to Borg’s model is “Why aren’t there more than
four components for teacher cognition, such as political factors, religious factors?” In other
words, in order to develop the Borg’s category model, it is highly likely, if not inevitable,
that the consideration of an alternative one may be put in this way:

Figure 1.2: Modification construct of teacher cognition (adapted from Borg, 2003, p.82)

1.2.2. Teacher Perception and Teacher Belief
The differentiation between the under-umbrella terms of teacher cognition is not easy;
the following component terms, belief and perception, attitude, conception, images, theories,
perspectives, knowledge, awareness, and so on, are usually overlapping in meaning (Woolfolk et
al., 2006). Verloop et al. (2001) explains that “… in the mind of the teacher, components of
knowledge, beliefs, conceptions, perception and intuitions are inextricably intertwined” (p.446).
The proliferation of terms has led to “definitional confusion” (Eisenhart, Shrum, Harding &
Cuthbert, 1988; Woolfolk et al., 2006). Clandinin and Connelly (1987) point out those identical
terms have been defined in different ways and different terms have been used to describe similar
concepts, which can cause conceptual ambiguity.

For ease of understanding and distinguishing the two terms, teacher perception and
teacher belief, and for avoiding the ambiguity of these notions, in this study I categorize the
term teacher cognition into under-umbrella terms as in Table 1.1 below:
Table 1.1: Components of teacher cognition about their teaching (Nguyen Viet Hung, 2012c, p.100)
Construct
Teacher
cognition