Language learning/teaching theoreticians and Key findings on CBI

2.3.1. Language learning/teaching theoreticians

From theories in language acquisition, content-based instruction fulfills the necessary

conditions for a successful language teaching and learning. According to Krashen (1984),

“second language acquisition occurs when the learner receives comprehensible input, not

when the learner is memorizing vocabulary or completing language exercises”. Because the

study of a subject matter makes the input more comprehensible and meaningful for learners,

so, content-based instruction accomplishes that assumption, as Krashen highlights, “what

rather than how”. Swain (1985) also suggests that “in order to develop communicative

competence, learners must have extended opportunities to use second/foreign language

productively”. It means that learners must have meaningful input in order to inquire they to

produce meaningful output.

Moreover, the theory from Krashen (1984) and the theory from Swain (1985)

complement each other. These theories were important in my study because the scope was to

motivate learners to talk about their issues in a foreign language. Following my learning

experiences I have always wondered why Vietnamese students cannot speak English well.

Most of them said that they feel so difficult to show what they want in using the target

language. One of the reasons causes this situation may happen because the information given

is not as meaningful as language teachers think it is. Therefore, it is necessary to provide

meaningful input to have productively output.

Going depth to social and philologists issues surrounding content-based instruction,

Vigotsky’s (1968) notions of “(1) zone of proximal development, (2) private speech

“internally directed speech as strategies for problem-solving a rehearsing”. There are plenty

of possibilities to interact and negotiate with the content for CBI students in order to

communicate with a peer and practice comfortably the knowledge acquired. In the general

educational field, another assumption comes from Ausubel (1983) that is important in

teaching a foreign language, the concept of “Meaningful learning” is where teachers use

students’ prior knowledge in order to create a new one. Ausubel (1983) states that “teachers

should not take for granted students’ minds, their minds are not in Zero”. Information from

students can be elicited by teachers in order to contribute new knowledge and let students

participate in their own process of learning.

In addition, the assumption stated by Novak (1994) is “learners choose consciously to

integrate new knowledge to knowledge they already possess”. This statement means

meaningful knowledge is made by learners when they are related to knowledge learners

already own. Moreover, Cummins (1980-1981) points that “there is a paradigm in which

language tasks may be characterized as context reduced or context embedded and in which

the tasks addressed through language may be cognitively demanding or undemanding”.

Additionally, it is important to clarify that CBI aided language development in terms

of effectiveness in the learning process; it means that the four skills were fully developed

during the implementation of CBI. As said by Brinton.et al (2003) the content development

makes the best use of skills in the target language in order to aid learners to use the content

and understand the language significantly. Therefore, language and content were balanced

developed and worked.

The autonomous learning is another issue which is important to mention. The role of

the learners in CBI class is centered. Stryker and Leaver (1997) stated “One goal of CBI is

for learners to become autonomous so that they come to understand their own learning

process and take charge of their own learning from the very start”. Therefore, the role of the

learners is to change being active, in their own process and with their own rhythm of learning

they become involved.

After all others, Stryker & Leaver (1997) pointed that “teaching approaches which

combine the development of language and content knowledge practice, using this knowledge

and strategy training to promote independent learning”. In Vietnam context it is not easy to

change learners’ habit, since students are used to learn with passive ways and not to have an

autonomous thought of their own process of learning. Thus, I gave a special attention to a

new teaching method and found that this approach can improve students’ autonomous

learning.

2.3.2. Key findings on Content-based

One finding was found by one researcher in the qualitative study conducted by Tim

Murphy (1996) with EFL learners from a state university in Japan. This research found that

Japanese students showed a great amount of development in language and content in the

experience of learning with CBI program. It is good results experimenting with them even

though they still had many difficulties with the administrative part. This finding is relevant to

my research because it is the way in which the teachers implement it no matter the context in

which CBI is being addressed.

Another research is the project conducted by Corrales & Maloof (2009) where CBI

was addressed with medicine students in Universidad Del Norte; they found out that when the

language classes were focused on their academic interests and more useful for learners, they

were more motivated. This project is relevant for my study because it means that in Vietnam

context it is possible to address CBI classes, it depends on the learner's special interests.

The last one relevant CBI program is a project conducted at Universidad Tecnológica

de Pereira by Ortiz and Cruz (2010) in which content-based was conducted to EFL beginners

through Colombian culture, and they found out that students felt more motivated when the

target language was being united with the native culture and interests, it means that students

can also expand knowledge of their culture. This research is relevant to the study because it is

directly related to the context being worked and the model how they conducted the project

could be a significant guide for the study.