The changing face of language teaching Symposium

Abstract

A growing body of research on the sources of foreign language test anxiety has been established with different types of tests; nonetheless, that of the VSTEP test, an English proficiency test particularly developed for Vietnamese EFL learners, is still minimal. This study aimed to explore the sources of VSTEP test anxiety experienced by EFL students at a higher education institution in Vietnam. The study involved 100 Vietnamese EFL students as participants, with data being collected by means of questionnaires, interviews and journals and then analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings indicated that EFL students’ expressions of VSTEP test anxiety were relatively high. Five sources of VSTEP test anxiety were found, including (1) learner-related factors, (2) teachers and curriculum-related factors, (3) family and friends-related factors, (4) the complexity of the VSTEP test itself, and (5) factors related to how the VSTEP test is organized. Suggestions were offered for different stakeholders in order to help alleviating the Vietnamese EFL students’ anxiety of the VSTEP test.

Key words: foreign language test anxiety, VSTEP test anxiety, sources of test anxiety, alleviating test anxiety.

Presenter

Thuy Nguyen | Hue University of Foreign Languages and International Studies

Abstract

In this presentation I will talk about how writing topics affected the dimension of lexical richness in English essays by Vietnamese EFL university students. The findings draw on a recent research project that I conducted at Hue University level. Data analysed for this talk included 256 essays written by 64 students in their normal class hours as progress tests and interviews with ten students. Mixed effects of topics were found on the different quantitative measures of lexical richness (e.g., lexical density, lexical diversity and lexical sophistication) obtained via the Lextutor’s VocabProfile. Students’ experiences further revealed the complexity of EFL writing as a problem-solving process in which topic familiarity or novelty came into play to impact upon idea generation, individual text realisations, emotional engagement and thus how students chose to allocate their attentional resources to lexical use. Based on these findings, I will discuss important pedagogical implications for writing instruction and future research directions.

Presenter

Nguyen Thi Bao Trang, PhD, Hue University of Foreign Languages and International Studies

Abstract

Data-driven learning (DDL) is increasingly popular in language teaching and is being incorporated into teacher education programs. However, assessing teacher trainees' "corpus literacy" and its impact on eventually incorporating corpora into language teaching is an ongoing issue. This paper explores the experiences of in-service English language teacher trainees in developing corpus literacy and corpus-based language pedagogy skills in Vietnam, where the potential applications of corpora/DDL in classroom settings have not yet been widely undertaken. The study finds a disconnect between high self-reported corpus literacy and trainee’s ability to convert said literacy into viable ideas for corpus-based language teaching. The study also discusses Vietnamese-specific issues for both areas, with implications for assessing the concepts of corpus literacy and the potential uptake of corpora and DDL in language classrooms in this region.

Presenters

Peter Crosthwaite, Tieu-Thuy Chung, Cam Cao Thi Hong & Carolina Tavares De Carvalho

Abstract

Vietnam’s National Foreign Languages Project (NFL) is a far-reaching national initiative that aims to develop national policy and practice in foreign language education, with a strong focus on the English language, as well as the use of emerging technologies in the teaching of languages. As an under-represented context in CALL literature, Vietnam provides the international research community striking insights into attempts at CALL integration and its links to national educational development and economic growth, from macro-level policy development to meso-and micro-level implementation, in all its complexity. In this presentation we explore contexts of ICT integration into Vietnamese educational policy, methodology, and practice, from a sociocultural ecological perspective, highlighting tensions between a desire for autonomy and technological and pedagogical innovation on one hand, and existing top-down structures and historically embedded educational practices on the other. After a brief discussion of the relevance of competency-based education—with a specific focus on technology standards—we provide an in-depth analysis of Vietnam’s aspirational (and expensive) educational, language, and technology policy frameworks, highlighting challenges related to the borrowing of policies developed in other contexts, and top-down, across-the-board methods of implementation. We then explore, at the micro-level, challenges for CALL integration in language teacher education in ICT, in the specific context of Public University (PU, deidentified). Drawing on our reflections on PU’s policy-driven implementation, and recent research literature into CALL integration, we conclude with a set of contextualized principles aimed at sustainable CALL integration at the micro-level, while acknowledging the existing meso-and macro-level requirements, aspirations, and challenges.

Presenters

Paul J. Moore is a lecturer in the Applied Linguistics program at The University of Queensland’s School of Languages and Cultures. His research interests include a sociocultural perspective on task-based interaction in classroom and online contexts, intercultural communication, and the dynamic roles of the L1 in L2 interaction, particularly in the context of higher education in Japan.

Hong Giang Nguyen is a senior lecturer pf Applied Linguistics and TESOL, Deputy Dean of English Department, and Vice Director of the MTESOL (International) at Hanoi University, Vietnam. She obtained her PhD at the University of Canberra. Her recent research interests are on ICT/CALL, blended language learning, interactional competence, and teacher professional development.

Quang Vinh Nguyen is a senior lecturer of applied linguistics, Hanoi University, Vietnam. He got his PhD from the University of Canberra. His current research interests focus on ICT/CALL, TEFL, blended language learning, learner autonomy, intercultural communication, and language teacher education.

Abstract

Japanese is a major foreign language taught in Vietnam and Australia although their historical relationships with the language are vastly different. In the era of transnational migration, both countries have identified languages as an area of national priority to create job-ready graduates, but studies on university language teaching have remained predominantly focused on English related issues. While the economic imperatives brought about by the COVID-19 crisis has pushed this further, the impact on individual learners is unknown. This project investigates how and why university language curriculum has transformed in Vietnam and Australia and how Japanese language learners perceive the changes in relation to their career paths and individual trajectories. The data set includes online survey and interviews of third-year Japanese major students in Hue University, Hanoi University in Vietnam and UQ. It expects to generate a new knowledge of relationships between language learners, university education and employment. Expected outcomes include language curriculum models that allow both enhanced employability and personal growth as global citizens. This project will provide significant benefits by helping to design and promote more robust models of university language curriculum and to deepen Australia’s understanding of its involvement with Asia through Asian language education.

Presenters

Dr Kayoko Hashimoto is Senior Lecturer at School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland, Australia. Her main research area is language policy with particular interest in Japanese and English language teaching in Asia and Australia. Her publications include Asian Studies Review special issue “Japan and Southeast Asia: Language, mobility and employability” (Guest Editor, 2022, Vol. 46, Issue 4), an edited book, Japanese Language and Soft Power in Asia (2018, Palgrave Macmillan), and a co-authored book, Beyond Native-Speakerism: Current Explorations and Future Visions (2018, Routledge, with S. A. Houghton & D. J. Rivers).

Dr Nguyen Thi Huong Tra has been the Dean of the Faculty of Japanese Language and Culture at the University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Hue University, since January 2015. She is one of the founding members of the Faculty of Japanese Language and Culture. Dr Nguyen Thi Huong Tra obtained a master's degree from Chubu University, Japan, in 2004 and PhD from Ehime University, Japan, in 2014 in Linguistics and Culture. Her current research focuses on Japanese teaching methods. She is a member of the Society for Research on Collaboration in Language Learning.

Dr Van Nghiem Hong has been the Dean of the Japanese Language Department of Hanoi University since 2018. She is also a visiting professor at Foreign Trade University, Nguyen Trai University, and Dai Nam University. In 2014, she chaired the Project on building a framework for Japanese language training programs for specialised high schools in Vietnam. She obtained a master's degree from Osaka University, Japan in 2010, and PhD from the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences in 2018 in Cognitive Linguistics. Her research interest includes Japanese for specific purposes, Japanese as a medium of instruction, and application of ICT in teaching Japanese.