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VIETNAMESE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY- HO CHI MINH CITY University of Social Sciences and Humanities  LE THI NGUYET APPLYING THE CASE METHOD IN TEACHING ESP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SECURITY, HO CHI MINH CITY A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (TESOL) Supervisor: NGUYEN THI KIEU THU, Ph.D. Ho Chi Minh City- 2010 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: APPLYING THE CASE METHOD IN TEACHING ESP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SECURITY, HO CHI MINH CITY in terms of the statement of Requirements of the theses in Master’s Programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee. Ho Chi Minh City June, 2010 LE THI NGUYET RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, LE THI NGUYET, being the candidate for the degree of Master of TESOL, accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library. In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Library for the care, loan and reproduction of the theses. Ho Chi Minh City, June 2010 LE THI NGUYET ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the following people who have made writing this thesis possible for me: First of all, I would like to express my wholehearted thanks to my thesis supervisor, Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, Ph.D, at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, HCMC for her enthusiastic, constant guidance and valuable advice. Without her assistance, patience, encouragement and advice, this thesis could not have been completed. She has not only shown me the limitations of my own knowledge, but also always guided me towards overcoming these problems. Gratitude is also offered to the Board of Directors at the University of Security, who gave me facilities and conditions to take part in this Master’s program. I would also like to give many thanks to Mr. Pham Trac Kham, the Dean of the Department of Foreign Languages at the University of Security, who always gave me lots of support and encouragement to successfully implement this thesis. I owe many thanks to my colleagues and friends not only for their endless encouragement and support but also for their assistance in data collection. I simply cannot find enough words to express my thankfulness to them. Last but not least, I would also like to thank my husband, my parents and my younger sisters for their loving support and encouragement that help me so much in finishing this thesis. ABSTRACT The case method has been one of the most widely-used method in the area of ESP. In fact, it is rather difficult to apply in teaching languages but many researchers have realized its benefits. This thesis, therefore, attempted to find out whether the case method was effective in enhancing students’ interest and communication skills as well as their ability to deal with actual situations in professional contexts through students’ attitude towards learning ESP with cases, and finally to discover how to apply the case method effectively in teaching ESP at the University of Security. The data were collected through surveys to students’ attitude with an experimental teaching, classroom observations, questionnaires and pocket interviews to teachers. It was found that most students felt interested and motivated when learning ESP with the case method. They were more responsible for their own learning, thus working harder. In addition, they actively participated in case activities such as group discussions, role-playing or decisison-making. More importantly, students could improve their communication skills as well as the skills of solving professional situations and making decisions. However, despite the benefits of the case method, many ESP teachers at the University of Security did not apply the case method in their ESP classes. Based on the findings, some suggestions for ESP teachers, ESP students, and administrators were made to enhance the quality of teaching ESP at the University of Security. TABLES OF CONTENTS Pages Certificate of originality i Retention and use of the thesis ii Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv Table of contents v List of tables and abbreviations xii List of figures xiii Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. Background 1 1.2. Statement of the purpose 3 1.3. Research questions 4 1.4. Significance of the Study 4 1.5. Terminology 5 1.6. Assumptions 7 1.7. Limitations 8 1.8. Organization of the Study 8 Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. An overview of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) 10 10 2.1.1. What is ESP? 10 2.1.2. General characteristics of ESP 11 2.1.3. Types of ESP 13 2.1.4. How is ESP different from GE? 15 2.1.5. Methodological approaches used in teaching ESP 17 2.2. The Case Method 19 2.2.1. A case 19 2.2.1.1. What is a case? 19 2.2.1.2. Important Features of a Case 20 2.2.1.3. Types of cases 21 2.2.1.4. Nature of a Teaching Case 23 2.2.2. Case method 24 2.2.2.1. Definitions 25 2.2.2.2. Types of Case method 27 2.2.3.The teacher and student roles 28 2.2.3.1. The teacher and student roles in a regular class 28 2.2.3.2. The teacher roles in an ESP case class 29 2.2.3.3. The student roles in an ESP case class 33 2.2.4. Advantages in the use of case method in teaching language 34 2.2.5. Drawbacks in the use of case method in teaching language 39 2.2.6. Effective case teaching strategies 41 2.3. Summary 42 Chapter 3: RESEARCH METHODODLOGY 43 3.1. Research questions 43 3.2. Research design 44 3.2.1. Research instruments 3.2.1.1. Experimental teaching 3.2.1.1.a. Purposes 44 44 44 3.2.1.1.b. Subjects 44 3.2.1.1.c. Teaching procedures 45 3.2.1.2. Class observations 51 3.2.1.2.a. Purposes 51 3.2.1.2.b. Subjects 51 3.2.1.2.c. Procedures 51 3.2.1.3. Questionnaire for ESP students 52 3.2.1.3.a. Subjects 52 3.2.1.3.b. Questionnaire design 53 3.2.1.3.c. Data Collection Procedure 53 3.2.1.4. Pocket interviews 53 3.3. Summary 55 Chapter 4: FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS 57 4.1. DATA ANALYSIS 57 4.1.1. Class observations 57 4.1.1.1. Teachers’ evaluation of ESP students’ attitude 57 towards their learning with the case method 4.1.1.2. Teacher’s evaluation of ESP students’ 58 improvements in English communication skills 4.1.1.3. Teacher’s evaluation of ESP students’ ability of 59 dealing with real 4.1.2. Students’ responses to the questionnaires 60 4.1.2.1. Students’ English background 60 4.1.2.2. The effectiveness of the case method in improving 61 students’ interest and their communication competence as well as their ability to deal with real situations in professional contexts 4.1.2.3. Students’ attitude towards their ESP learning with 66 the case method 4.1.2.4. Students’ comments case activities, disadvantages 69 of the case method and necessary factors of ESP teachers, which resulted in how to apply the case method effectively in ESP classes. 4.1.3. Teacher interviews 4.2. FINDINGS 76 77 4.2.1. The ESP coursebook did not give advantages to ESP teachers in 78 teaching with the case method 4.2.1.1. The coursebook designers did not recognize the 78 importance of the case method and its benefits in improving the quality of teaching ESP students, therefore they neglected this method in the process of designing the coursebook’ content. 4.2.1.2. The professional cases presented in the coursebook were 78 not satisfactorily and systematically arranged. 4.2.2. From ESP students 4.2.2.1. Students had positive attitude towards their learning and 79 79 the case method. 4.2.2.2. Students showed active performance in the experimental 79 classes 4.2.2.3. Students realized the importance and effectiveness of 79 the case method. 4.2.2.4. Some difficulties of learning with the case method were acknowledged 80 4.2.3. From ESP teachers 80 4.2.3.1. The importance and benefits of the case method was 80 widely acknowledged among ESP teachers 4.2.3.2. ESP teachers admitted that the case method was 81 difficult for both teaching and learning though it was very interesting and beneficial. 4.2.3.3. Many ESP teachers did not apply the case method in 81 their ESP classes 4.2.3.4. ESP teachers realized some difficulties of applying the 82 case method in teaching ESP at the University of Security 4.3. SUMMARY 82 Chapter 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 83 5.1. Conclusion 83 5.2. Recommendations 85 5.2.1. Recommendations for ESP teachers at the University of Security 5.2.1.1. ESP teachers ought to apply the case method in their 85 85 ESP classes to improve students’ communication skills. 5.2.1.2. ESP teachers ought to help students prepare for good 85 discussions. 5.2.1.3. ESP teachers should use many kinds of case activities to 90 arouse students’ interest in learning ESP. 5.2.1.4. ESP teachers ought to spend a lot of time preparing lesson plans carefully professional cases. and selecting effective 94 5.2.1.5. ESP teachers should use current professional cases that 94 are updated and familiar with students 5.2.1.6. ESP teachers ought to use technological equipments 95 such as screens, projectors, laptops, etc. to enhance the effectiveness of the case method in teaching ESP. 5.2.1.7. ESP teachers must create a collaborative and learner- 95 centered learning environment. 5.2.1.8. ESP teachers ought to identify the difficulties and 97 drawbacks of the case method in teaching ESP, admit them and find out ways to overcome them. 5.2.1.9. ESP teachers ought to improve both ESP knowledge and 97 understanding of Vietnamese law and national security. 5.2.2. Recommendations for ESP students 98 5.2.2.1. Students ought to improve both GE and ESP vocabulary 98 5.2.2.2. Students ought to improve an understanding of 98 Vietnamese law and national security. 5.2.2.3. Students must take responsibility for their own learning 98 and find out their active strategies in learning ESP with cases to exploit the effectiveness of the case method. 5.2.3. Recommendations for the Department of Foreign Languages at 99 the University of Security 5.2.3.1. Increasing the time for case activities in the course 99 syllabus 5.2.3.2. Writing more different kinds of case activities in the 100 coursebook so that ESP teachers find it easy to apply the case method in teaching ESP. Moreover, professional cases should be presented in the coursebook satisfactorily and systematically. 5.2.3.3. Including case questions on mid-term and final exams 100 5.2.3.4. Holding some seminars about how to apply the case 101 method in teaching ESP. 5.2.4. Recommendations for the Board of Directors at the University of 101 Security 5.2.4.1. Equipping ESP classrooms with projectors and screens 101 that are needed to exploit the effectiveness of the case method in teaching ESP. 5.2.4.2. Creating a motivating and convenient setting for students 102 to carry out case activities after class REFERENCES 103 APPENDICES 110 Appendix A …………………………………………………….. 112 Appendix B …………………………………………………….. 115 Appendix C …………………………………………………….. 122 Appendix D …………………………………………………….. 128 Appendix E …………………………………………………….. 137 Appendix F …………………………………………………….. 145 Appendix G ……………………………………………………... 148 Appendix H ……………………………………………………… 150 Appendix I ……………………………………………………… 152 Appendix J ………………………………………………………. 153 Appendix K ………………………………………………………. LIST OF TABLES AND ABBREVIATIONS  TABLES Table 4.1: Students’ communication skills Table 4.2: Effects of the case method on students’ future jobs Table 4.3: The benefits of the case method Table 4.4: Students’ attitude towards their ESP learning Table 4.5: Comparison of the case method with the grammar-translation method Table 4.6: Students’ evaluation towards interesting case activities in class Table 4.7: Students’ evaluation towards class cases Table 4.8: The disadvantages of the case method Table 4.9: Necessary factors of teachers who teach ESP with cases  ABBREVIATIONS ESP: English for Specific Purposes GE: General English ELT: English Language Teaching ESP-B: Business English IT: Information Technology HCMC: Ho Chi Minh City TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4.1: Students’ years of learning English at school Figure 4.2: Students’ results of General English in the previous semester Figure 4.3: Students’ attitude towards their ESP learning with the case method 1 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1. Background to the study 1.1.1. Rationale To meet the requirements of the global integrated world, Vietnamese nonmajored students now need to gain both General English (GE) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP). In the field of GE, many teachers have spent a lot of time searching for effective teaching methods and techniques to help their students gain both linguistic and communicative competence. Likewise, ESP teachers have aimed to help students to be competent second language users in specific professional fields, and helping them to deal with real professional situations is one of the key learning objectives that ESP teachers pursue. In the area of ESP, one of the most widely-used techniques has been the case method. Among its more salient characteristics, as far as ESP is concerned, the case method is fundamentally communicative. Professional authentic material is used and the process is totally learner-centered. Like students at other universities in Vietnam, those at the University of Security take both General English and ESP courses. However, there is not enough attention paid to searching for effective ESP teaching methods, so the ESP learning is not learner-centered and interesting. In addition, students cannot apply the theories that they have learnt in dealing with real professional situations. To solve those problems, the author of this thesis, an English teacher at the University of Security, always looks for effective methods to arouse ESP students’ interest and communication skills. 2 At the University of Security, ESP has been taught theoretically with only vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension, which causes the ineffectiveness and limits for students in communication. As a result, a more effective method needed applying to give students more opportunities to practice knowledge, concepts, and skills relevant to their specific professional field. Therefore, the case method - a form of discussion teaching - is chosen because it can make students more interested and motivated in their learning, and helps them achieve their learning goals in improving their English communication skills as well as skills of analysis, problem-solving and decision-making. To sum up, this study discusses the application of the case method to the teaching of ESP at the University of Security. Students are given some professional situations (or cases) in English to deal with while improving their English comprehension and communication skills. 1.1.2. Current situation of ESP teaching at the University of Security In fact, most students at the University of Security studied 3-7 years of General English in secondary school and high school. Before enrolling in their English courses, they have to take a placement test to classify their English levels. Based on their grade results, they are divided into different classes suitable to their actual English levels. They study English as an obligatory subject for 6 terms (360 periods). After studying 5 terms of General English (300 periods) with the textbook “English KnowHow- Book 1” and “English KnowHow- Book 2” by Therese Naber Angela Blackwell 2004, the students continue their ESP course for 60 periods. The ESP coursebook used for teaching ESP students is “Start with Vocational English”, compiled by the teachers of the Department of Foreign Languages at the University of Security. The ESP students are third-year students. There are 15 teachers in the Department of Foreign Languages, but only 10 teachers have taught ESP. ESP classrooms at the University of Security are not very large. There are about 34-38 3 students in each class. Chairs in the classrooms are arranged in double straight U for students to be able to communicate with each other or discuss in groups easily. In addition, some classes are equipped with a projector and a screen so that teachers can apply IT in teaching English to make their teaching more interesting and effective. Moreover, the students here are boarders, that is, they all live in the university dormitory during the terms except for the holidays. Thus, this learning environment facilitates their teamwork, especially group discussions. However, there are still a lot of disadvantages in teaching ESP students with the case method at the University of Security. The first difficulty that ESP teachers have faced is that the coursebook is not really case-based, so that they feel discouraged to apply the case method in their teaching. The number of cases in the coursebook is limited so teachers have to spend much time looking for professional cases and preparing their lesson plans. As a result, not many teachers are willing to spend time and energy looking for effective methods to improve the students’ communication skills. Second, the teaching time limit is also a difficulty for using the case method in ESP classes. Teaching with cases requires a lot of time for students to discuss problems with their friends and give their own decisions. Consequently, the amount of current teaching time for each unit is not enough for group discussions. Moreover, not all classrooms are equipped with projectors and screens, whereas ESP teachers really need this supporting technology equipment when they apply the case method in their classes so that they can make their teaching more lively, exciting and effective. 1.2. Statement of the purpose The purposes of this study, therefore, are (1) to discover whether the case method is effective in arousing students’ interest in learning ESP, in enhancing their English communication skills and ability to deal with real situations in professional 4 contexts; (2) to find out efficient ways to apply the case method in teaching ESP at the University of Security. 1.3. Research question For its purposes, the study aimed to answer one main question as follows Is the case method effective in enhancing students’ interest, their communication skills and their ability to deal with real situations in professional contexts? 1.4. Significance of the Study This study is significant in both theory and practice for several reasons as follows. Firstly, there have not been any researches on teaching ESP with real professional cases at the University of Security. Therefore, this study will be the first to investigate the issue above. Secondly, the quality of teaching and learning ESP at the University of Security is not as good as expected, that is, students’ interest and their English communication skills are not enhanced after the ESP course finishes. Moreover, they do not know how to apply ESP knowledge in dealing with real professional cases. Thus, it is necessary to do one or more researches in this domain to improve the situation. Finally, this study focuses on teaching ESP with real professional cases at the University of Security. Therefore, it helps provide a deeper understanding of the advantages and practical effectiveness of this method. Then it also provides useful and deliberate recommendations about effective strategies to apply the case method 5 in teaching ESP. In addition, the study will also serve as a meaningful reference for teachers of ESP at the University of Security as well as at other universities. 1.5. Terminology 1.5.1. The University of Security is the one in which learners are trained with the knowledge of national security, criminal affairs and law as well as skills of investigation in order to be security officers. 1.5.2. ESP ESP stands for English for Specific Purposes. Hutchinson and Waters (1987:99) stated that, “ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner’s reason for learning.” It fulfils the needs of adult learners who need to learn a foreign or second language for use in their specific fields such as science, technology, medicine, leisure, academic learning, etc. 1.5.3. Case/ Situation/ Problem Case is “a description of an actual situation, commonly involving a decision, a challenge, an opportunity, a problem or an issue faced by a person (or persons) in an organization” (J.A. Erskine, M.R. Leenders, L.A.M. Mauffette-Leenders, 1999: 2). From the definition above, the writer of this study uses the term case and situation interchangeably. The term problem is sometimes used in this research; however, it only presents an aspect of a case. It cannot replace the term case because a case involves many aspects such as a decision, a challenge, an opportunity, a problem or an issue. 6 1.5.4. Case method/ problem-based learning/ case-based teaching/ case study/ problem-solving teaching/ case study method/ case-based approach “Case method is seen as a technique based on analysis, discussion, and decision-making” (A. Almagro Esteban and M.L. Pérez Canãdo, 2003: 138). That is, case method teaching is a form of discussion teaching in which students prepare a case, either individually or in groups, and then seek collectively through in class discussion to discover a solution to the problem presented by the case. In fact, there is a confusion in the way many researchers use different terms to refer to this teaching method. First, the terms case method, problem-based learning, and casebased teaching are often used interchangeably with an occasional interspersing of the term case study. The term commonly used across all disciplines to define teaching with cases or problems is case method. What are the similarities and differences among each of these terms as used in discussions of teaching from cases or problems? First, the term case study refers to the final product of qualitative data collection and analysis; the case study is a written account of both the case and its analysis. Conversely, a case as used in teaching typically includes only the “story” without the accompanying analysis; that analysis is left to students. Therefore, the term case study is often used inaccurately to describe a case for teaching. The term case study, because it most correctly describes the product of qualitative inquiry and not an instructional method, is excluded from further discussion. Second, the terms problem-based learning and case-based learning are frameworks for an instructional process and a curriculum structure respectively. Third, the term case method is a general descriptor for teaching with cases or situations. Most often, this term refers to traditional methods of teaching in law or business. It is a generic term that can include teaching from cases or situations with either contained or open-ended analysis. Besides, some researchers such as Peter Daly (2003) and Jenny Miller (1996) used the term case method interchangeably with the term case study method or case-based approach to refer to a teaching method with cases. And another one contributing to the confusion is the term
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