Tài liệu A survey on the impact of the marketization of english on parents’ attitudes to their young children learning english

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** ĐỖ THỊ HUYỀN A SURVEY ON THE IMPACT OF THE MARKETIZATION OF ENGLISH ON PARENTS'ATITUDES TOWARD THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN LEARNING ENGLISH (KHẢO SÁT VỀ SỰ TÁC ĐỘNG CỦA THỊ TRƯỜNG HÓA TIẾNG ANH ĐỐI VỚI THÁI ĐỘ CỦA CHA MẸ CHO TRẺ CON HỌC TIẾNG ANH) M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01 Hanoi – 2020 VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** ĐỖ THỊ HUYỀN A SURVEY ON THE IMPACT OF THE MARKETIZATION OF ENGLISH ON PARENTS'ATITUDES TOWARD THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN LEARNING ENGLISH (KHẢO SÁT VỀ SỰ TÁC ĐỘNG CỦA THỊ TRƯỜNG HÓA TIẾNG ANH ĐỐI VỚI THÁI ĐỘ CỦA CHA MẸ CHO TRẺ CON HỌC TIẾNG ANH) M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01 Supervisor : Mr. Le Van Canh, Assoc. Prof. Hanoi – 2020 DECLARATION I, Do Thi Huyen, hereby certify that my thesis entitled A survey on the impact of the marketization of english on parents'atitudes toward their young children learning english ( Khảo sát về sự tác động của thị trường hóa tiếng Anh đối với thái độ vủa cha mẹ cho trẻ con học tiếng Anh) submitted to the Faculty of Post- Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi is my own work. I have not submitted this thesis for assessment in any other training institutions and documented references have been fully provided. Hanoi, 2020 Do Thi Huyen i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my special and sincere thanks to my supervisor, Mr. Le Van Canh, PhD, my supervisor, who has patiently and constantly supported me through the stages of , and whose stimulating ideas, expertise, and suggestions have inspired me greatly through my growth as an academic researcher. I also want to express my profound gratitude to all the doctors, lecturers and staff members of the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their valuable lectures and useful advice that is of a great help for me to fulfill the thesis. I would also like to send my deep sense of thanks to all enthusiastic parents as well as the principles at some surveyed primary schools for their cooperation and the valuable information they provided in my research field. Without their passionate participation and input, the validation survey could not have been successfully conducted. Last but not least, I must express my very profound gratitude to my family members and to my friends for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing this thesis. This accomplishment would not have been possible without them. ii ABSTRACT This study investigated the parents' attitudes towards their children' English language learning under the impact of marketization of English at some Primary schools in Khoai Chau district, Hung Yen province. A questionnaire survey was conducted by google.form and only 115 reponses of 350 parents were sent back. In addition, the author had four interviews through Zoom with four primary school leaders of different primary schools located in Hung Yen province and all these were recorded fully and exactly. Beside the data was collected by means of the questionnaire and interviewing, various information from advertisements on posters, leaflets, mass media such as facebook, websites, etc., was also collected as references of English training private companies‘ marketing strategies. The results of the study showed the marketing strategies of these companies/centers had some positive and negative impacts on the parents‘ attitudes but the positive ones overweigh the drawbacks. And from the findings, some implications are also drawn to school managers, parents as well as private education companies‘ managers. iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4.1: The parental interest comes from poster advertisement ......................... 27 Figure 4.2: The parental interest come from advertisement details .......................... 28 Figure 4.3: The parental interest comes from various resources of multi-media ..... 29 Figure 4.4: The mental factors affecting parents ...................................................... 31 Figure 4.5: The parental reasons of applying for optional English program ........... 33 Figure 4.6: Parental ideas about the first time to learn English ................................ 34 Figure 4.7: Parental ideas about the first grade to learn English at school ............... 34 Figure 4.8: Parental ideas about English lessons per week....................................... 35 Figure 4.9: Parental ideas on choosing English program.......................................... 36 Figure 4.10: The most attractive factors on material for parents .............................. 38 Figure 4.11: The most outstanding features in the English teaching programs ........ 39 iv ABBREVIATIONS AEC ASEAN Economic Community ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations ACET Australian Education and Training Center ECA The US Department of Education and Education EFL English foreign language WTO WorldTradeOrganization IIE The Institute of International Education v TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ...................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... ii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. iii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................ iv ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................ vi CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 1 1. Rationale of the study............................................................................................. 1 2. Aims and objectives of the study ........................................................................... 2 3. Research questions ................................................................................................. 3 4. Scope of the study .................................................................................................. 3 5. Method of the study ............................................................................................... 3 6. Significance of research ......................................................................................... 3 7. Organization of the thesis...................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................. 4 2.1 Review of theoretical background ....................................................................... 5 2.1.1 The spread of English to young learners ........................................................... 5 2.1.2 Neoliberalism in English language teaching ..................................................... 6 2.1.3 The marketization and marketing strategies .................................................... 8 2.1.4 Teaching English for young learners ............................................................... 11 2.1.5 Attitudes of parents and their impact on young learners‘ learning English ..... 15 2.2 Review of previous studies ................................................................................. 18 2.2.1 Previous studies overseas ................................................................................. 18 2.2.2 Previous studies in Viet Nam ........................................................................... 19 2.2.3 Summary .......................................................................................................... 20 CHARPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................ 22 3.1. Research methodology ....................................................................................... 22 3.2. Setting ................................................................................................................ 22 vi 3.3 Participants .......................................................................................................... 23 3.4 Data collection .................................................................................................... 24 3.5 Data collection instruments ................................................................................. 25 CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS ........................................ 27 4.1 Marketing strategies used by private education companies to marketize English to young children at primary schools. ....................................................................... 27 4.2 Parents‘ attitudes towards children‘s learning English at primary schools ....... 32 4.2.1 Parents‘ awareness of English important role .................................................. 33 4.2.2 English teaching program‘s vital role .............................................................. 36 4.2.3 English learning environment .......................................................................... 38 4.2.4 Real achievements in English are highly appreciated ...................................... 39 4.3 Impacts of those strategies on parents' attitudes towards students' English language learning ...................................................................................................... 41 4.3.1 Parents have positive attitudes ......................................................................... 41 4.3.2 Parents have negative attitudes ........................................................................ 42 4.4. School managers‘ attitudes towards the services of these private English language training providers ....................................................................................... 43 4.4.1 Data analysis from 4 interviews ....................................................................... 43 4.4.2 Positive attitudes towards the services of these private English language training providers ...................................................................................................... 45 4.4.3 Dissatisfied attitudes towards the services of these private English language training providers ...................................................................................................... 46 4.5 Summary ............................................................................................................. 47 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................ 48 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................ 51 APPENDIX 1 ............................................................................................................ I APPENDIX 2 ......................................................................................................... VII APPENDIX 3 ........................................................................................................ VIII vii CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the study Although there are only 360 million native speakers in the world but it has 1.6 billion people use English as the first, second or third language. Over the centuries, English has become a "bridge language" developing along with global trade, diplomacy and culture. And despite the remarkable number of Chinese and Spanish users - two of the most used languages in the world in terms of number of native speakers, very few signs suggest that these two languages can challenge English as "lingua franca" around the world. Since the mid-1990s, foreign investment in Vietnam has increased markedly. In a dynamic and effective working environment, young people in Vietnam are required to have a broader understanding of economic, cultural and social issues. To achieve this, foreign language is an important tool; it is a bridge for Vietnamese workers to succeed in important positions at representative offices and companies with 100% foreign capital in Vietnam. . Recognizing that trend, international education institutions have pioneered investment in Vietnam with the goal of spreading large-scale English and linking international college and university programs. These companies have been successful in the past, including the British Council (1993), the Apollo Education and Training Organization (1994), LanguageLink Vietnam (1996) or Australian Education and Training Center - ACET (2002). In the context of Vietnam's integration into the world, and in particular the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by the end of 2015, the training and capacity building Foreign languages, especially English, are considered a priority (Dam Xuan Yun, 2015). The Government of Vietnam set a target of "5% of cadres, civil servants and public servants in state agencies with a foreign language level 3 or higher by 2015 and 30% by 2020" (Decision No. 1400 / QD-TTg dated September 30, 2008 of the Prime Minister). 1 In Hung Yen City and neighboring provinces, the demand for learning foreign languages, especially English, is still very high (Hung Yen Department of Education and Training, 2017). In the context of Vietnam's integration into the ASEAN Economic Community, the need to learn and use foreign languages is very useful and urgent to provide predictive information on the trends of learning and use. Foreign language in the near future as well as identification of factors influencing the choice of foreign languages to help educators and managers plan the development of teaching, content, and methodology in program design (Jin, Liu, & Zhang, 2015). As a primary English teacher, the author has witnessed how English has become one of the compulsory subjects in the curriculum, how Vietnamese education system appreciates the importance of English learning nowadays, especially at primary school, and the importance of how parents motivate their children‘s learning English is not only subject at school and their own concern, it is also their parents‘ worry and interest. Many studies show that parents play an important role in maintaining their children‘s ability as well as in participating for success of school and learning. Besides, some ways to marketize education also affect their educational attitudes positively or negatively. Some gaps, notwithstanding, have not been filled up to meet our curiosity on the impact of the marketization of English on parents‘ attitudes toward their young children learning English. Thus, the study reported in this thesis, on investigating the impact of English marketization towards parents‘ attitudes on their children learning English at Khoai Chau, Hung Yen Province. 2. Aims and objectives of the study The study aims at investigating the impact of the marketization of English on parents‘ attitudes toward their young children learning English at Dong Tien Primary School in Khoai Chau, Hung Yen Province. This overall aim was specified into the following objectives: - Explore the influence of marketing strategies on the parents‘ attitudes towards their children‘s early English language learning. 2 Investigate the attitudes of the parents towards their children's early English language learning in Khoai Chau, Hung Yen Province.3. Research questions In order to achieve the above aims, the following research questions are formulated: (1) What marketing strategies do private education companies use to marketize English to young children at primary schools? (2) What are parents‘ attitudes towards children‘s learning English at primary schools? (3) What impacts do those strategies have on parents' attitudes towards students' English language learning? (4) How do the mareketization startegies for English language training programs influence school managers‘ attitudes towards the services of these private English language training providers? 4. Scope of the study Due to limitation of time and knowledge, this thesis only focus on investigating the impact of marketization on parents' attitudes toward their young children learning English at Dong Tien Primary School, a medium - sized primary school of Khoai Chau, Hung Yen, where the researcher is working as English foreign language (EFL) teacher. 5. Method of the study Both quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted for this study in order to achieve its aims as stated above. An online survey method was adopted to collect the data. The survey data was analyzed quantitatively by means of descriptive statistics. In addition to the survey questionnaire for parents, personal interviews were conducted with five primary school leaders. The interview data was analyzed qualitatively. 6. Significance of research 3 Findings of this study contribute to the knowledge of the influence of the market-economy on English language education through marketization strategies toward school managers as well as parents. Particularly, it adds to the ideology of the ‗early the better‘ assumption in the field of English language education. 7. Organization of the thesis The study is organized 5 chapters as follows: Chapter 1, INTRODUCTION, presents rationale, objectives, research questions, scope, methods, significance, and design of the study. Chapter 2, LITERATURE REVIEW, theoretical background presents relating to the characteristic of young learners , attitudes , marketization, and parents‘ attitudes towards their children‘s EL learning and its impact. Chapter 3, METHODOLOGY, introduces the research context and methodology of the study including the context, the subject, the data collection instruments, data collection procedure, and data analysis. Chapter 4, FIDNDINGS AND DISCUSSION investigates the impact of the marketization of English on parents‘ attitudes toward their young children‘s learning English and suggestions for parents to support their children‘s EL learning. Chapter 5, CONCLUSION, offers a summary of the key findings, implications, limitations, and future directions for further study. CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 4 In this section, previously studies in the detail fields of the impact of marketization to education and attitudes of parents toward young learners‘ learning English will be presented and discussed. This must be done in order to place the thesis in the context relevant to the research which will be conducted. Furthermore, it will provide the readers with some basic knowledge of the background and present state of this field of research. 2.1 Review of theoretical background 2.1.1 The spread of English to young learners The widespread introduction of languages in primary schools has been described by Johnstone (2009) as ―possibly the world‘s biggest policy development in education‖ (p. 33), with English being the language most commonly introduced. There are several reasons for this trend. First, it is often assumed that it is better to begin learning languages early (Y. Hu, 2007; Nunan, 2003). Second, economic globalisation has resulted in the widespread use of English and many governments believe it is essential to have an English speaking workforce in order to compete (Enever& Moon, 2009; Gimenez, 2009; Y. Hu, 2007). Third, parents want their children to develop English skills to benefit from new world orders and put pressure on governments to introduce English to younger children (Enever& Moon, 2009; Gimenez, 2009). In parallel with this expansion, there has been increasing criticism of the growth of English as a global lingua franca, in particular thepolitical and social implications. Publications by Block, Gray, and Hol-borow (2012), Coleman (2011), Edge (2006), and Kumaravadivelu(2011) have all challenged understandings of the place of English,how it has reached its current level of popularity, whose interests therise of English serves, and the status of different world Englishes. Suchdiscussions call into question the underlying premises on which theintroduction of learning English at an early age are predicated (seealso Pillar & Cho, 2013). Edge (2006) and Kumaravadivelu (2011) inparticular are also highly critical of wholesale adoption of Westernapproaches to language teaching 5 which support the spread of English while ensuring Western countries continue to benefit from it. Againstthis background, teachers of young learners around the world mustdaily fulfill the tasks of instructing their students, often being requiredto use a pedagogic approach which is alien to many, and having to persuade their students of the value of learning English. It can be sais that the introduction of English in primary education curricula is a phenomenon occurring in many nonEnglish-speaking countries in Asia, including Vietnam. Recently, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in Vietnam issued guidelines for the piloting of an English as a foreign language (EFL) primary curriculum in which English is taught as a compulsory subject from Grade 3; however, there is limited research on the practices required to successfully implement this policy. 2.1.2 Neoliberalism in English language teaching 2.1.2.1 Neoliberalism definition Neoliberalism has been difficult to define owning to the complexity, elasticity, inconsistency of its meaning, the apparent gaps between theory and practices of its advocates ( Block, Gary, &Holborow, 2012). Generally speaking, the term ―Neoliberalism‖ refer to the philosophy of economic and social transformation taking place according to the logic of free market doctrines that dictate the way and society function. These free market doctrines are ―rooted in much deeper structural and systemic changes in our conception of the politics and the practices of governing‖ ( Oksala, 2013, P53). 2.1.2.2 Neoliberalism in English education Over the reality of neoliberal globalization has placed different demands on education and brought about changes to the very concept of education in both Western and non-English-speaking countries. One of the most noticeable changes in the field of education in the twenty-first century is the emergence of contested concepts such as the ― knowledge (based) economy‖ and ―knowledge as intellectual capital‖ ( Burton-Jones, 1999). Roberts and Peters(2008) in their book entiled Neoliberalism , Higher Education and Research further argue ― the most significant material change underpinning neoliberalism in the 21st century is the rise in the 6 importance of knowledge as intellectual capital‖. ― If transformation in knowledge production entails a rethinking of economic fundamentals, the shift to a knowledge economy also requires a profound rethinking of education as emerging forms of knowledge capitalism, involving knowledge creation, acquisition, transmission and organization‖( pp.17-18). And according to Down ( 2009, p.52), within this market framework, education is being conceived as a source of knowledge and skill contributing to economic growth, and ― the role of schools is to prepare students as enterprising workers and citizens with the prerequisite skills, knowledge and values to survive in a volatile and competitive global labour market‖. This is exactly what Ball( 1999, p.198) is referring to when he argues that, under the neoliberal globalization of education, ― schools become more like business and more businesslike‖. These movements towards a knowledge economy have necessitated a rethinking of education systems both in Western and non- English-speaking countries. And there are also other ways in which the policies of neoliberal economic globalization have resulted in converting education into business. Regarding English, neoliberal thinking postulates that English is linked to economic benefits. Specifically, English is promoted as key to future economic successes such as good jobs, good opportunities for social upward movement, etc. So, it spreads the myth that without proficiency in English, young people are likely to be disadvantaged or even marginalized. It is this myth that motivates governments to implement the ‗younger the better‘ or the ‗earlier the better‘ policy in English language teaching and learning. Parents, on their part, are persuaded to invest heavily in their children‘ learning English even without the clear purposes of using English. Education businesses take full advantage of this to make profits, and the market for English is ever being expanded. 2.1.2.3. English language market in Vietnam With a population of nearly 100 million, Vietnam has become an attractor to private international and domestic English language training providers. In reality, it is no exaggeration to say that English language centers in Vietnam mushroomed everywhere, first in big cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, then to the 7 rural areas. In addition to big international education groups such as Apollo, Cambridge Education Group, Language Link, etc, there are numerous domestic groups, big and small. The rapid mushrooming of these ‗English Language Centers‘ shows that English is a profitable commodity. By using different strategies, these English language training providers have managed to convince parents that investment in their children‘s learning English is an investment for the future. This is not to say that these businesses find all means to convince school leadership to host their English programs. In short, neoliberalism in English education grows all over the world and English language market in Vietnam is increasingly developing so it is said that it is an opportunity for private companies on English language training to grow. However, how successful they can achieve depends on their own marketization and marketing strategies. 2.1.3 The marketization and marketing strategies 2.1.3.1 The definition of the marketization According to Raffe and Croxford (2013), the theory of marketization provides a good foundation to nations in introducing the aspects of choices, competition, and public accountability, which are essential in enhancing the quality of products or services under production. Evidently, the theory of marketization helps in eliminating different economic problems and concepts such as unfavorable market competition, inefficiencies in markets, and the lack of players and market forces that are likely to influence the production process. From the perspective of the marketization theory, a number of economies across the globe are calling upon for the deregulation of institutions of higher learning with the aim of making them more competitive within the global market. Marketing and marketization are not the same. However, it is nor a simple task to disentangle one from the other. At one end of the distribution of meaning, marketing may be taken to be about the provision of information to help people make decisions, while at the other end of distribution, marketization challenges 8 stakeholders with radical change encompassing issues of power, funding, labour, markets, and complexity. Nor is this a comprehensive list.(see, e.g., HemsleyBrown & Oplarka, 2006). 2.1.3.2 The main marketing strategies Julie Chance (2020), 8 Keys to a Strong Marketing Strategy; https://www.businessknowhow.com/marketing/blocks.htm showed that the key is developing a marketing strategy that forms a solid foundation for your promotional efforts. ― Implementing promotional activities such as advertising, direct mail or even networking and one-to-one sales efforts without a marketing strategy is like buying curtains for a house you are building before you have an architectural plan.‖ A company can develop a strong marketing foundation by: 1. Defining the product or service clearly which company provides customer. 2. Identifying the target market: The ideal customer should be defined in terms of income, age, geographic area, number of employees, revenues, industry, etc because the time or money to market them would not be wasted. 3. Knowing the competition: Even if there are no direct competitors for the company service, there is always competition of some kind. Something besides its product is competing for the potential client‘s money. 4. Finding a niche: A niche strategy should be focused with marketing efforts and dominating the market, even if company is a small player. 5. Developing awareness: It is difficult for a potential client to buy a product or service if they don‘t even know or remember its exist. Generally a potential customer will have to be exposed to a product 5 to 15 times before they are likely to think of that product when the need arises. Needs often arise unexpectedly so the product must be appeared in front of potential clients consistently if they are going to remember it when that need arises. 6. Building credibility: Not only must clients be aware of a product or service, they also must have a positive disposition toward it. Potential customers must trust it Especially with large or risky purchases, you need to give them the 9 opportunity to ―sample‖, ―touch‖, or ―taste‖ the product in some way. 7. Being consistent: Be consistent in every way and in everything you do, which includes the look of your collateral materials, the message you deliver, the level of customer service, and the quality of the product. Being consistent is more important than having the ―best‖ product. This in part is the reason for the success of chains. 8. Maintaining focus: Focus allows for more effective utilization of the scarce resources of time and money. Your promotional budget will bring you greater return if you use it to promote a single product to a narrowly defined target market and if you promote that same product to that same target market over a continuous period of time. In the other useful link, https://www.learncube.com/language-schoolmarketing-tips.html showed that there are some useful and outstanding marketing tips on English education. First of all, in a competitive market, and where competition is global in the online world, the company may need to adjust the pricing, or give additional benefits to the program to attract enrollments. In some case the program price may need to be reduced. In other cases increase them. As an alternative to a price reduction company may increase the value of courses by adding extra components that the competitors do not have. The second strategy is the importance of good teachers. ―The teachers are your ambassadors that will increase your likelihood for students to recommend your language school so don‘t underestimate their influence for your students to enjoy their learning experience. In general worldwide, teachers often change schools. Retaining good teachers in your school is more likely if they can still be part of your school when they move to another location‖. In addition, it is focusing on the students the center has. If it has fewer students, it can focus on giving them top-notch service. It is necessary to make sure that the students currently enrolled get the best quality program they could possibly have from the center. Each and every student is a prospective referral for center. No-cost or low-cost ways to focus on students include things like having every person who works in the program learn the names of each and every student. Personalized letters of congratulation to each student from the director at the end of 10 the program is another idea. Last but not least, the center should take time to regroup, re-organize and even celebrate some interesting events, which remind everyone that while these may not be the best of times, things will get better. It can be necessary to clean out the teachers' offices, resource rooms, filing cabinets, cupboards and bookshelves, organize a second-hand book sale of any old textbooks or resources which are not needed. Especially, it is very useful to use the money to take the students on a field trip or buy pizza for the staff on a Friday afternoon, which can be a huge emotional investment in the mental health of staffs and potential students. To put it in a nutshell, these above strategies are rather useful for the author to follow and with this research the author hopes to explore the marketing strategies of some English training companies if they are affecting on parental attitudes toward their children‘s English learning program. 2.1.4 Teaching English for young learners To achieve success in teaching English in primary schools; it is very important to know the characteristics of student. Teachers should understand young learners instincts, interests, cognizance, emotional aspects an especially their characteristics. There issues play a crucial role in how teachers plan a lesson, make sure that the young learners are interested in and fully engaged in the whole process of learning. 2.1.4.1 Characteristics of young learners\ Regarding learning foreign language, the characteristics of young learners are mentioned by many famous linguistics such as Sadler (1974); Cameron (2001), Brown (2001), Scott (1990) and Mustafa (2003), Pinter (2006) and Hammer (2007). In this study, the author firstly focused the main characteristics mentioned by Hammer (2007) and teachers should know to teach them effectively. These characteristics include as followings: - They respond to meaning even if they do not understand individual words: In other words, learning will come from the real experience from the children‘s life. - They often learn indirectly rather than directly - that is they take in 11