Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study
Nowadays, the number of people using English is increasing more and more. In
this modern life, English became an effective way to enhance knowledge, expand
opportunities for exchange in over the world, increased the quality of employees not only in
Vietnam but also in many other countries. So, the way to learning English well play a very
great role in the development of each country. However, there are many problems in the
quality of learning and teaching English in Vietnam generally. In the study " How to improve
spoken English skills for students," Ho Minh Thu (2006) pointed out the results about the
status of English proficiency of students in University of Danang as follows: "The language
skills of students are very limited, especially in speaking and listening skill; the majority of
students (67 %) do not have the habit or cannot communicate with each other in English ".
Therefore, the universities of Vietnam currently have highly focused on applying new
teaching methods in order to improve English skills for students because English ability of
Vietnamese students after graduation is not really good yet.
Management Journal (03/26/2006) says only 40% of students having a positive
attitude towards learning a foreign language, the rest learned only to learn but really did not
invest in them. One of the most reasons leading to this situation is the study motivation of
students not really high. In the field of teaching English, Kieu Van Thinh (2000) says that
"teaching methods matter how sophisticated the way people learn staidly, all will not change.
The school is not bound ourselves to learn the teaching methods have continually improved
toy is just gaudy, expensive, useless." This is similar to improved methods that do not rely on
the laws of collective psychology of learners surely fail. Slavin (2008) stated that "one of the
key ingredients that have the most in learning is learning motivation." The countries have
developed education very interested in how to increase learners’ learning motivation.
Because learners’ motivation creates a power source, a powerful energy source which can
start and maintain their actions to achieve results. Many scientists have noted that students
learn or not related so much to the collective dynamics. If learners were motivated, the
quality of learning will excellent. According to Slavin (2008), one of the main factors that
effectively increase learners’ motivation is teaching methods of teachers.
In the field of learning foreign language, teaching methods have a special important
impact on the quality of education, especially for Vietnamese students’ characteristics "has
the qualities hinder language learning as shy, passive, does not like to collaborate with
friends, learning and self-awareness is not high dynamic” (Nguyen Thi Thuy Hong, 2009).
Nguyen Thi Thuy Hong (2009) recommended English teaching methods have to change
direction for students to practice in groups, in pairs, exercises designed towards creating
computer creative initiative, decrease students’ worries, enhance their attraction to help
students overcome the obstacles on class. Thus, a teaching method in generally and method
of teaching English in particularly playing a big role in promoting academic motivation,
which alters the efficiency of learning English learners.
In Vietnam, English is learned compulsorily since primary school till university level.
Awareness of the need to increase the quality of English language education has been
widespread in Vietnam since the economic reform known as Doi Moi in 1986. Learners have
been looking forward to new teaching methods that aim to equip students with a good
command of English to satisfy various communicative needs in their future work. Indeed,
attempts have been made for a shift from a methodology and curriculum focusing on teaching
reading, grammar, vocabulary and linguistics to the ones focusing on communicative skills
(Le, 2000; Pham, 2005). However, the shift to the communicative approach does not seem to
be difficult to apply in Vietnam context. Although a great number of teachers have been
trained and encouraged to use communicative language teaching, it is widely reported that
they continue to use old methods such as grammar translation once they leave their training
courses (Le, 2000; Nguyen, 2001; Thuy, 2001).
In recent years, attention to the teaching and improving speaking in foreign language
acquisition in Vietnam is increased. In the world, numerous approaches to teaching speaking
and to examine the effectiveness of these approaches have appeared. According to Brinton,
Snow, & Wesche, relative effectiveness is found between the use of content-based instruction
(CBI) and language skills improvement (Brinton, Snow, & Wesche, 1989; Zuengler &
Brinton, 1997). These authors all agree that when language is taught in the context of
acquiring information, four language skills are most effectively developed. Many other
authors agree that CBI results in not only providing content but also improving students’
language acquisition (Daryl, 2006), as well as students’ speaking performance through the
content chosen grounded academic discipline-based (Kasper, 1997a) and the systematic use
of content-based instructional strategies (Kasper, 1995b).
Taking into account the importance of integration between language and content in
foreign language teaching, National Foreign Languages 2020 Project issued by The Ministry
of Education and Training of Vietnam (2009) underlines the importance of improving
language skills for youth in 2020, allowing Vietnamese students to develop their foreign
language speaking skills for communicating confidently; and puts emphasis on changing
foreign language teaching method comprehensively.
However, there is a bitter case between the objective and the present situation in
English classes in many universities in Vietnam. The English speaking ability of Vietnamese
students is still low, having left much to be desired and far below the general expectations.
Many Vietnamese students face a common problem that even when they spent years learning
English in school, they are still not able to communicate fluently and confidently. Many
young students only learn English to pass their examinations in school. According to an
academic magazine in Vietnam “Education and Times, Sunday Issues” (08/04/2012) from the
interview with students and teachers, results indicated that most of the difficulties in
communicating English that Vietnamese students encounter are due to several reasons as the
follows:
The first, textbooks are chosen for English speaking skill were long stories without
providing any communicative or meaningful activities to encourage the students' speaking
ability. In addition, the content is also far away from the practical English skills, which made
learners feel it was useless or meaningless to attend the speaking class.
The second, teacher is the center who did most of her/ his talking in classroom
settings. The teachers often conveyed the contents of the textbook to the students without
giving them opportunities to practice.
The third, the learners feel difficult to speak English in class. One of the reason that
complained why students have that feeling is they didn't know how to develop about the
given topic in English. They were also afraid of being humiliated by their classmates as they
couldn't produce correct pronunciation and speak English fluently.
The forth, there are many differences between English grammar structures and those
of Vietnamese, Vietnamese students are not easy to think and speak it out fluently. Therefore,
the students need a long time to express or explain their ideas or thoughts.
From those difficulties, it is very important and necessary to change some of these
situations into positive ones. Previously, Content-based Instruction (CBI) is found as an
appropriate and effective approach that is especially suitable for the students who want to
improve the English speaking skills. Content-based instruction (CBI) is a new method in the
language teaching field, “since the early 1980s content-based instruction has been growing in
research and in interest as a language teaching approach” (Met, 1999). According to Stoller &
Grabe, CBI is considered the approach as a useful tool for teachers and learners, in order to
develop language skills and content skills in schools and universities (Stoller & Grabe 1997).
The use of the relatively new approach, content-based instruction has become more popular
because of its double function of language learning and content learning. This method has
proposed a different issue that language teachers and other methods had never taken into
account, the use of subject matter for foreign language teaching purposes (Snow 2004).
Both language and content are provided instruction for foreign language learners
through using CBI. Content can be any subject matter or any topic that learners interested in
or communicate through language rather than the language used to convey it (Richard, 2006).
On the other hand, content is interpreted as the use of subject matter as a vehicle for second
or foreign language teaching/ learning. To support the above mentioned, Tucker (1975) cited
in “Approaches and methods for language teachers” (2001) “Language learning is also
believed to be more motivating when students are focusing on something other than
languages, such as ideas, issues, and opinions. The student can most effectively acquire
language when the task of language learning becomes incidental to the task of
communicating with someone about some topics which is inherently interesting to the
student”.
In the language teaching field, meaningful content could provide better input to
students so that they were able to use the language and communicate productively. Krashen
(1984) cited “second language acquisition occurs when the learner receives comprehensible
input, not when the learner is memorizing vocabulary or completing grammar exercises”.
Swan (1985) cited a complementation towards Krashen’s proposal “in order to develop
communicative competence, learners must have extended opportunities to use foreign
language productively”. According to Genesee (1994), “content need not be academic; it can
include any topic, theme or not- language issue of interest or importance to the learners”.
Meanwhile, Crandall & Tucker (1990) suggest that “CBI should integrate the topics or tasks
from subject matter classes (e.g., math, social studies, geography) within the context of
teaching a second/foreign language”. The authors agree that to have meaningful output
learners needed productive input, contextualized scenarios and interesting topics in learning
the process.
Teachers can provide a more comfortable and flexible environment for learning, and a
more interesting and communicative relation between teachers and students to motivate
students’ needs and interests. According to a theory about the zone of proximal development
of Vigotstky’s (1968) “learners are assisted by the teachers or more capable peers in their
development and inner speech. They have a cooperative and meaningful work where they
also have an active role in their language development, as proposed by CBI learners are the
center of learning”.
However, CBI may have been new for most of the learners, hence some participants
may have found it interesting and some others may have found it boring or confusing.
According to Stryker and Leaver (1993) cited “students need to be prepared both
psychologically and cognitively for CBI and if they are not adequately primed, students need
to be kept from enrolling until they are ready”.