Tài liệu Teachers' and students' perceptions on the 11th grade english textbooks = nhận thức của giáo viên và học sinh về sách tiếng anh 11 mới

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY NGUYEN THI CHUNG TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS ON THE 11th GRADE ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS Major: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching Code: 8140111 Supervisor: Assoc, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN NGUYỄN THỊ CHUNG NHẬN THỨC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN VÀ HỌC SINH VỀ SÁCH TIẾNG ANH 11 MỚI Ngành: Lý luận và phƣơng pháp dạy học bộ môn Tiếng Anh Mã số: 8140111 Ngƣời hƣớng dẫn: PGS. TS. Nguyễn Thị Thu Hiền i DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP The thesis entitled “Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions on the 11th Grade English Textbooks” is conducted under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien. I declare that the information reported in this study is the result of my own work and effort, except where due reference is made. This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any university. Quy Nhon, 2022 Nguyen Thi Chung ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Without the support, encouragement, and contributions from my supervisor, my professors, my school, colleagues, friends, and family, the successful completion of this thesis work would not have been possible. I take this chance to express my deepest thanks to them for their support. First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis advisor Associate Prof.Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien for her continuous support, expert guidance, and patience throughout the study. She provided me with assistance at every stage of the process and always expressed his faith in me. I am gratefully indebted to her for her very valuable comments on this thesis. A special thank goes to Phu Yen Department of Education and Training and Nguyen Khuyen Secondary and High School for giving me the chance to attend a MA course at Quy Nhon University. This study was made achievable by the participation of the enthusiastic teachers and students at High Schools in Song Cau town, who devoted their time to taking part in this research. I was also thankful to my colleagues for their support during my study time. I am also grateful to Quy Nhon University, Post-graduate Department, and Foreign Languages Department for the administrative assistance. Last, but not least, I must express my gratitude to my family for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout the course and the study of this thesis. iii ABSTRACT This study explored the teachers‟ and students‟ perceptions on the 11 th grade English textbooks issued in 2014 under the National Foreign Language 2020 project. The study was conducted with 10 teachers and 100 students from high schools in Song Cau Town during March 2022. This research implemented the quantitative and qualitative approaches in collecting the data, by using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. A questionnaire was distributed to 10 English teachers and 100 students, and interviews were completed with 3 teachers and 8 students who returned the questionnaire. The findings showed that the teachers and students had positive perceptions of the textbooks in the physical appearance and format and the roles of the textbooks. The results also showed that teachers and students had different perceptions of the difficulty level and unit organization, the exercises and activities, and the skills and sub-skills distribution in the 11th grade English textbooks. Keywords: Textbook, teachers’ and students’ perception iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP ............................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................. ii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................. iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 1 1.1. RATIONALE .................................................................................... 1 1.2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................... 2 1.2.1. Aims ................................................................................................ 2 1.2.2. Objectives........................................................................................ 3 1.3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS.................................................................... 3 1.4. SCOPE OF THE STUDY ...................................................................... 3 1.5. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ....................................................... 4 1.6. ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY .................................................... 4 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................... 5 2.1. TEACHING ENGLISH AT THE GENERAL EDUCATION LEVEL IN VIETNAM ............................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 The 7-year set of English textbooks................................................. 6 2.1.2. The renovation of the textbooks in Vietnam .................................. 8 2.2. TEXTBOOKS ...................................................................................... 10 2.2.1. Definition of textbook ................................................................... 10 2.2.2. The role of textbooks for EFL teachers and students ................... 11 2.2.3. A description of the 11th – grade English textbooks ..................... 13 2.3. PERCEPTION...................................................................................... 18 2.3.1. Definition of perception ................................................................ 18 2.3.2. Importance of perception on learning and teaching...................... 19 v 2.4. EVALUATION OF TEXTBOOKS ..................................................... 20 2.4.1. Evaluating the design of ELT textbooks....................................... 22 2.4.2. Evaluating the language content of ELT textbooks ...................... 23 2.5. REVIEW OF RELATED EMPIRICAL STUDIES............................. 27 CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................ 32 3.1. RESEARCH DESIGN ......................................................................... 32 3.2. POPULATION AND PARTICIPANT SELECTION ......................... 32 3.2.1. Teachers ........................................................................................ 33 3.2.2. Students ......................................................................................... 33 3.3 RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS ............................................................. 34 3.3.1 Questionnaire ................................................................................. 34 3.3.2. Semi – Structured Interview ......................................................... 37 3.4. DATA COLLECTION ........................................................................ 38 3.5. DATA ANALYSIS .............................................................................. 39 3.6. RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY ....................................................... 40 3.6.1. Scale Reliability Analysis ............................................................. 40 3.6.2. Validity.......................................................................................... 41 CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS .......................................... 42 4.1. TEACHERS‟ PERCEPTIONS ON THE 11TH GRADE ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS ............................................................................................. 42 4.1.1. Teachers‟ perception on the appearance and format of the 11th – grade English textbooks .......................................................................... 43 4.1.2. Teachers‟ perception on the difficulty level and unit organization of the 11th – grade English textbooks. ............................... 46 4.1.3. Teachers‟ perception on the exercises and activities of the 11 th – grade English textbooks .......................................................................... 47 4.1.4. Teachers‟ perception on the skills and sub-skills distribution of the 11th – grade English textbooks .......................................................... 50 vi 4.1.5. Teachers‟ perception of the roles of the textbooks ....................... 52 4.2. STUDENTS‟ PERCEPTIONS ON THE 11TH GRADE ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS ......................................................................................... 53 4.2.1. Students‟ perception of the physical appearance and format on the 11th grade English textbooks ............................................................. 54 4.2.2. Students‟ perception on the difficulty level and the unit organization of the 11th – grade English textbooks. ............................... 57 4.2.3. Students‟ perception on the exercises and activities of the 11 th – grade English textbooks .......................................................................... 60 4.2.4. Students‟ perception on the skills and sub-skills distribution of the 11th – grade English textbooks .......................................................... 62 4.2.5. Students‟ perception of the roles of the 11th – grade English textbooks. ................................................................................................ 64 CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS................................. 67 5.1. SUMMARY ......................................................................................... 67 5.2 IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY ..................................................... 68 5.3 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY ........................................................ 69 5.4. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE STUDIES ....................................... 69 REFERENCES ................................................................................................ 70 APPENDICES vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL : English as a foreign language ELT : English language teaching ESL : English as a second language SLA : Second language acquisition CEFR : Common MOET : Ministry of Education and Training VNFLPF : Foreign Language Proficiency Framework for Vietnam European Framework of Reference Languages for viii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1. The number of English periods for each level of education in Vietnam ............................................................................................................. 6 Table 2.2. Book structure, unit structure, component headings, and time allocated for each heading ( Hoang, V. V., 2015). ......................................... 14 Table 2.3. The topics in the 11th grade Textbooks (MOET, 2012) ................. 15 Table 3.1. The background of teacher participants ......................................... 33 Table 3.2. The background of student participants ......................................... 34 Table 3.3. Process of Conducting the Survey ................................................. 37 Table 3.4. Reliability Statistics of the questionnaire ...................................... 40 Table 4.1. Teachers‟ perception of the 11th grade English textbooks. ........... 42 Table 4.2. Teachers‟ perception on the appearance and format of the 11th – grade English textbooks .................................................................................. 43 Table 4.3. Teachers‟ perception on the difficulty level and the unit organization of the 11th – grade English textbooks......................................... 46 Table 4.4. Teachers‟ perception on the exercises and activities of the 11th – grade English textbooks. ................................................................................. 48 Table 4.5. Teachers‟ perception on the skills and sub-skills distribution of the 11th – grade English textbooks. ....................................................................... 50 Table 4.6. Teachers‟ perception of the roles of the textbooks ........................ 52 Table 4.7. Students‟ perception of the 11th grade English textbooks ............. 54 Table 4.8. Students‟ perception of the physical appearance and format on the 11th grade English textbooks. .......................................................................... 55 Table 4.9. Students‟ perception on the difficulty level and the unit organization of the 11th – grade English textbooks......................................... 57 ix Table 4.10. Students‟ perception on the exercises and activities of the 11 th – grade English textbooks. ................................................................................. 60 Table 4.11. Students‟ perception on the skills and sub-skills distribution of the 11th – grade English textbooks. ....................................................................... 63 Table 4.12. Students‟ perception of the roles of the textbooks....................... 65 1 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. RATIONALE It can be denied that textbooks play a pivotal role in teaching in all types of educational institutions - public or private schools, colleges, and universities - all over the world. Textbooks play a very crucial role in the realm of language teaching and learning and are considered the next important factor in the second/foreign language classroom after the teacher. Textbooks also provide the syllabus for a program, thus supporting novice teachers, training them in methodology, and saving their time and effort for more worthwhile pursuits than material production (Cunningsworth, 1995). In some situations, textbooks serve as the basis for much of the language input students receive and the language practice that happens in the classroom. Learning how to use and adapt textbooks is hence an important part of a teacher‟s professional knowledge (Richards, 2001). For learners, using a textbook as instructive tool helps them practice and study themselves. The textbooks may provide the main source of contact they have with the language apart from input provided by the teacher. In the case of inexperienced teachers, textbooks may also assist as a form of teacher training – they provide ideas on how to plan and present lessons as well as formats that teachers can use. A few of studies have investigated on the teachers‟ and students‟ attitude of the English textbooks in ESL/EFL classroom (Wen-Cheng et al., 2011); (Kirkgöz, 2009); (Rahimi & Hassani, 2012); (Khodabandeh & Mombini, 2018). These studies discussed a textbook evaluation checklist for standardized use at the elementary level. Furthermore, under the National Foreign Language 2020 project, the set of Pilot English Curriculum for 2 Vietnamese Upper Secondary Schools was implemented at some piloted high schools on the 23rd November 2012 by Ministry of Education and Training (MOET, 2012). With the renovation of English textbooks, a research was carried out to investigate Vietnamese upper secondary school EFL teachers‟ use of the set of English textbooks Tieng Anh 11 as resources for achievement tests (Ha Linh & Le, 2020). The findings of this research indicated the teachers‟ practicing in using the set of English textbooks Tieng Anh 11 as resources for achievement tests. Another study was done (Tran, P. N. T., & Tran, 2020) to explore EFL teachers‟ and students‟ perspectives on communicative skills represented in the 11th grade English textbooks. Up to now, though the set English textbooks under the National Foreign Language 2020 project having been piloted in Vietnamese High Schools, some schools have just implemented this set of textbooks for the first time. Hence, there has been little investigation of the perceptions of teachers and students who directly work with the textbooks. Moreover, few studies are conducted the new “English 11” textbooks. In addition, the investigation of the English textbooks under the National Foreign Language 2020 project is quite challenging. For that reason, I choose this study with the aim at understanding how teachers and students perceive on the new English 11 textbooks so that some contributions in improving textbook task or activities can be achieved. 1.2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1.2.1. Aims The aim of the study is to find out teachers‟ and students‟ perceptions on the physical appearance and format, the content (units, activities, exercises, skills and sub-skills), and the roles of the 11th grade English textbooks issued in 2014 as a result of the National Foreign Language 2020 project (MOET, 2013). 3 1.2.2. Objectives To achieve this aim, two main objectives were set up + To investigate the perceptions of the teachers on the physical appearance and format, the content (units, activities, exercises, skills, and sub-skills), and the roles of the 11th grade English textbooks. + To examine the students‟ perceptions of the physical appearance and format, the content (units, activities, exercises, skills, and sub-skills), and the roles of the 11th grade English textbooks. 1.3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS The following research questions are proposed in order to determine the perceptions of the teachers and the students on eight sections of the 11 th grade English textbooks: 1. What do high school teachers in Song Cau town perceive the 11th grade English textbooks? 2. What do high school students in Song Cau town perceive the 11th grade English textbooks? 1.4. SCOPE OF THE STUDY The design of the 11th – grade English textbooks consist of eight headings in each unit. Due to limited time, ability and research conditions, I would like to investigate the perceptions of the teachers and the students on physical appearance and format, language (Vocabulary, Pronunciation, and Grammar) and skills (Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing), and roles of the textbook of the 11th grade English textbooks. The participants are 10 teachers and 100 students who are teaching and learning in some high schools in Song Cau town. 4 1.5. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This research is assumed to discover ways in which teachers and students perceived the textbooks as appropriate or inappropriate sources for English teaching and learning at some high schools in Song Cau Town. It contributed more practically for actual teaching and learning situations at high schools. 1.6. ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY The study consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 “Introduction”, presents the rationale, aims and objectives, research questions, the scope of the study, the significance of the study and the organization of the study. Chapter 2 “Literature Review”, briefly reviews the literature of previous studies on teachers‟ and students‟ perception on the English textbooks related to this study. This chapter also provides the theoretical background textbook evaluation of the physical appearance and format, the content (units, activities, exercises, skills, and sub-skills), and the roles of the textbooks. Chapter 3 “Research Methodology”, deals with the research methods, the description of the data, data analysis and research procedures. This chapter also presents the reliability and validity of the data. Chapter 4 “Findings and Discussions”, focuses on describing, analyzing and discussing the perceptions of the teachers and the students on eight sections of the 11th grade English textbooks. Chapter 5 “Conclusion and Implications”, reveals a summary of the results of the study. It also offers implications for making the effective ways to implement these books and mentions the limitations of the study and the suggestions for further research. 5 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter presents a review of the relevant literature and research that forms the background of the teachers‟ and students‟ perceptions of the textbooks. Firstly, I will specify the current teaching English and the changing the content of English textbooks in Vietnam. Secondly, the importance of perception in learning and teaching will be provided. Then, I will point out the roles of textbooks in learning and teaching English. Next, I give a background evaluation of the textbooks. Finally, it gives an overview of previous studies that involved teachers‟ and students‟ perceptions of the English textbooks. 2.1. TEACHING ENGLISH AT THE GENERAL EDUCATION LEVEL IN VIETNAM English becomes a compulsory subject for all students at General Education Level in Vietnam. In General Education Level in Vietnam, there are three levels with 12 grades: primary level ( from Grade 1 to 5 for children aged 6 to 11); lower secondary level (from Grade 6 to 9 for children aged 11 to 15); and upper secondary level (from Grade 10 to 12 for children aged 15 to 18) Hoang, V. V., 2010). In the current curriculum for English teaching, Vietnam is implementing a 10-year educational program, starting from grade 3, and compulsory foreign language subjects at all levels. Besides, teaching English in grades 1 and 2 is optional (MOET, 2018). At the present, English is a mandatory subject in all schools in primary (from grade 3 to 5), lower and upper secondary education. Students must take English as the compulsory subject in the national examination for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). All public schools have to follow the curriculum set by the government. Currently, 6 there are two types of curricula: 7-year English textbooks and 10-year English textbooks. Therefore, using the textbooks depends on the requirements of each school and the demand of the local authorities. Concerning the detail of content, English is introduced from Form 3 – 5, 2 periods in Forms 3, 4, and 5, making the total of 210 periods at the primary level. English is studied 3 periods a week in Forms 6, 7, and 8, and 2 periods in Form 9, making the total of 385 periods at the lower secondary level. And English is studied in 3 periods in Forms 10, 11, and 12, making the total of 315 periods at the upper secondary level (Hoang, V. V., 2010). The whole formal general education system in Vietnam can be summed up to show the number of English periods studied at each level and the total number of English periods studied in table 2.1. Table 2.1. The number of English periods for each level of education in Vietnam Level of Education (forms) Number of Periods each Week Total periods Primary (Grades 3 - 5) 2 periods/week/35 weeks 210 Lower secondary (Grades 6 - 8) 3 periods/week/35 weeks 210 Lower secondary (Grade 9) 2 periods/week/35 weeks 70 Upper secondary (Grades 10 -12) 3 periods/week/35 weeks 315 Total 805 2.1.1 The 7-year set of English textbooks Owning to the development of English as a global language, the teaching of English in Vietnam has concerned with the roles and the places of the learners as a central role in learning English. Hence, the teachers are a facilitator who provides creative contexts for language teaching. To deal with this situation, the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) organized the design of the curriculum and the writing of English textbooks for all schools under the Decree N0 14/2001 TC-TTG on the Renovation of 7 the Vietnamese General Education Curriculum (Hoang, V. V., 2010). In early 2008, all high schools applied the 7– year set of English textbooks. The book consists of 16 teaching units and six reviews. Each teaching unit is structured into five sections: Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing, and Language Focus. Each section is taught in 45 minutes ( Minh, N. T. T., 2007). In a reading lesson, it begins with Before you read activities. These activities aim to introduce students to the topic and motivate them to read and elicit new words. Then, it is followed by two or three While you read activities in order to develop reading skills and strategies such as scanning, skimming, and guessing meaning in context. Finally, After you read activities are to require students some further practice, and written language production. The Speaking section includes three or four activities. The first and second activities give language input and develop specific language functions such as expressing opinions, agreements, and disagreements. The remaining activities are tasks for students to practice. The Listening section is similar to the Reading section with three stages Before you listen activities, While you listen activities, and After you listen activities. The Writing section may begin with a model to help students with model analysis, language work, and guided writing. The produce of each writing lesson is a writing text of students. The Language Focus section consists of two parts, Pronunciation and Grammar and Vocabulary. The Pronunciation component focuses on the practice of sounds (vowels, consonants, and clusters) that might help students define and know how to pronounce correctly. The Grammar and Vocabulary component aims to consolidate the target forms covered in the unit. Students must do exercises to practice the structure points in the Grammar and Vocabulary component. 8 The six review units called “Test Yourself”, aim to help students go over vocabulary, grammar, and structure which were studied in each unit. The review units are sample tests for teachers when designing 45-minute tests for their classes. There are four main components: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Language Focus in each review. The speaking component is not included. 2.1.2. The renovation of the textbooks in Vietnam In the context of globalization and the demand for teaching and learning English as an international language, the study of English is enhanced and the quality of English teaching and learning in Vietnam is also promoted to keep up with the tendency of globalization. For that reason, the Vietnamese Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam signed Decision N0 1400/QĐ-TTG to promulgate the National Project entitled “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, Period 2008-2020 (henceforth 2020 Project) on the 30th of September, 2008 (MOET, 2008). The general goal of the 2020 project is “... By 2020 most Vietnamese students graduating from secondary, vocational schools, colleges and universities will be able to use a foreign language confidently in their daily communication, their study and work in an integrated, multi-cultural and multi-lingual environment, making foreign languages a comparative advantage of development for Vietnamese people in the cause of industrialization and modernization for the country”. In 2008 MOET issued a new curriculum to implement a ten–year education program on teaching and learning a foreign language (MOET, 2008). It describes the tasks for ELT at the secondary school level as enabling students to: 1. “Identify English and other languages as foreign language subjects to be taught and learned at education institutions that belong to the 9 national education system. 2. Construct and issue a detailed and unified language proficiency framework that consists of 6 levels. This framework is compatible with other common international language proficiency levels and used as a reference when writing curriculums and teaching plans. Based on this framework, criteria of evaluation are set up for different learning and training levels, ensuring interconnection in language training between school levels. 3. Construct and implement a new program on compulsory language training at different school levels as follows: qualify KNLNN level 1 when graduating primary school; qualify KNLNN level 2 when graduating secondary school; qualify KNLNN level 3 when graduating high school.” (MOET, 2008: 2) With the issue of Decision 14000, the Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training appointed Hoang Van Van as chief author of the tenyear English textbook series for Vietnamese schools under the National Foreign Language 2020 Project (Hoang, V. V., 2015). Three teams (primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary) of 15 Vietnamese textbooks writers, along with English textbook writers of MacMillan Education and Pearson Education – two leading international foreign language textbook publishers produced the ten-year English textbook series (from grade 3 to grade 12) for Vietnamese schools in the process of writing textbooks. For that reason, on the 23rd November, 2012, the Minister of Education and Training signed Decision 5209/QĐ-BGDĐT on the Approval of Chương trình giáo dục phổ thông môn tiếng Anh thí điểm cấp trung học phổ thông (Pilot English Curriculum for Vietnamese Upper Secondary Schools) (MOET, 2012).