An Investigation of Intercultural Teaching and Learning in Tertiary EFL Classrooms in Vietnam

Intercultural competence has become an important goal of foreign language education in response to the need for learners to function effectively in an increasingly multicultural world. Language and culture are seen as interwoven and inseparable components and therefore learning a foreign language inevitably means learning about other ways of being and behaving. Many foreign language programmes around the world, particularly in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, have adopted an intercultural pedagogy which seeks to integrate into the language teaching experience opportunities for developing intercultural competence for language learners. This study investigates intercultural teaching and learning in tertiary EFL classrooms in Vietnam, a context in which intercultural approaches to language teaching and learning have not been widely considered. The study consisted of three phases. The first phase involved a curriculum review in which I critically evaluated the extent to which culture and culture learning are represented in the curriculum frameworks for tertiary EFL programmes and in the national education policy on foreign language education in Vietnam. The findings showed that the importance of culture and culture learning is not emphasised, and the designation of culture to separate culture courses establishes a separate status, construct and treatment of culture and culture learning in the EFL programmes. In the second phase of the study, I analysed the perceptions of fourteen Vietnamese EFL teachers and two hundred Vietnamese EFL students on culture in language teaching and learning, and their classroom practices. The findings indicated that the teachers' beliefs about culture teaching revealed a predictable priority for teaching language rather than culture. Their culture teaching practices were greatly influenced by their perceptions and beliefs regarding culture in language teaching. The students also treated culture as a subordinate priority in language learning. Overall, they found culture learning beneficial for their language learning and supported the teachability of language and culture in EFL classes. Both the teachers and students identified a number of constraints that restricted their opportunities and motivation to engage in teaching and learning culture. The third phase of the study involved an empirical study investigating the effect of adopting an intercultural stance in English speaking lessons on thedevelopment of the learners' intercultural competence. Over a nine-week teaching period, eighteen English speaking lessons (90 minutes / lesson / week) for two equivalent, intact classes (seventy-one students) were observed. For one class, the lessons were adapted to reflect the principles of intercultural language learning. For the other, no changes were made. The results showed that the intercultural competence of learners in the intercultural class increased by significantly more than that of learners in the standard class. In particular, the students in the intercultural class were able to better articulate ethnorelative awareness and attitudes towards their home culture and the target culture. The findings also showed that the reflective journal was an effective tool to assess learners' process of acquiring intercultural competence, particularly affective capacities that are not easy to evaluate by other means. Overall, the study provided evidence for the feasibility of intercultural teaching and learning in tertiary EFL classrooms in the Vietnamese context. It also showed that intercultural teaching and learning cultivated learners' affective capacities which are often overlooked in the EFL classroom. It is hoped that the study can inform the work of curriculum designers, education policy-makers as well as EFL teachers and students for the implementation of intercultural language teaching and learning in Vietnam and elsewhere.

An Investigation of Intercultural Teaching and Learning in Tertiary EFL Classrooms in Vietnam

10.26686/wgtn.17011412 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Si Thang Kiet Ho

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Intercultural Competence ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Language Education ◽

Culture Learning ◽

Language And Culture ◽

Efl Classrooms ◽

Interview with Amos Paran, Specialist in L2 Reading and Literature in Language Teaching

The Language Teacher - The Language Teacher 39.1 ◽

10.37546/jalttlt41.2-3 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (2) ◽

pp. 16

Author(s):

Simon Bibby ◽

Anna Husson Isozaki

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Language Education ◽

L2 Reading ◽

University College ◽

The University ◽

Dr. Amos Paran teaches MA and PhD students at the University College London’s Institute of Education. Fluent and literate in English, Hebrew, and German himself (with a bit of Spanish and French), he is probably best known for his research and writing on literature in foreign language learning. Among the recent books he has written, edited and co-edited are Literature —Into the Classroom with Pauline Robinson (2016), Testing the Untestable in Language Education (Multilingual Matters, 2010) with Lies Sercu, and Literature in Language Teaching and Learning (2006, TESOL).

Study Abroad Contexts for Enhanced Foreign Language Learning - Advances in Linguistics and Communication Studies ◽

Learning Chinese

10.4018/978-1-5225-3814-1.ch003 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 44-69

Author(s):

Kaishan Kong

Keyword(s):

Study Abroad ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Learning Strategies ◽

Language Education ◽

Cultural Knowledge ◽

Culture Learning ◽

Study Abroad Programs ◽

Language And Culture ◽

American Students

Both ACTFL standards and the world-readiness standards for learning languages include five aspects in foreign language education, among which are connections and comparisons. While many instructors consider these two aspects as means of effective instruction, in this chapter, connections and comparisons are studied as learning strategies that four American students adopted to apply in their study abroad contexts in China. Despite the different focus of their study abroad programs, this chapter discusses a variety of examples where the participants made connections and comparisons to enhance their language and culture learning. Findings reveal that connections and comparisons were not only fostering language learning but also developing cultural knowledge. Results provide implications to foreign language educators related to teaching and preparing students for study abroad experience.

The Use of Virtual Worlds in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

Computer-Assisted Language Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7663-1.ch093 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1949-1972

Author(s):

Ellen Yeh ◽

Guofang Wan

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Language Learners ◽

Virtual Worlds ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Dynamic Environment ◽

Learning Instruction ◽

This book chapter presents, a review of the literature from 2004-2014 regarding the various models of virtual worlds used in foreign language teaching and learning, the impact of virtual world learning environments and the implications of language teaching. The study being reported aims to address the following questions: (1) What are the models of virtual worlds used in language learning instruction in K-12 and higher education; (2) How do VWLEs impact language learning in terms of motivation, communicative competency, intercultural competency, collaborative competency, constructivist learning, and sociocultural competency; and (3) What are the implications of using VWLEs in foreign language teaching and learning? Results indicate that social context and task-based learning enhanced language learners' participation and motivations. Findings also indicate that consistent use of interactional strategies encouraged learners to engage in the tasks and stay motivated. The study suggested that a VWLE offers a motivating, engaging, and multi-dynamic environment for language learners.

On using intelligent computer-assisted language learning in real-life foreign language teaching and learning

ReCALL ◽

10.1017/s0958344010000261 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 4-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Luiz A. Amaral ◽

Detmar Meurers

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽

Intelligent Computer ◽

Activity Design ◽

AbstractThis paper explores the motivation and prerequisites for successful integration of Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning (ICALL) tools into current foreign language teaching and learning (FLTL) practice. We focus on two aspects, which we argue to be important for effective ICALL system development and use: (i) the relationship between activity design and restrictions needed to make natural language processing tractable and reliable, and (ii) pedagogical considerations and the influence of activity design choices on the integration of ICALL systems into FLTL practice.

OER “produsage” as a model to support language teaching and learning

Education Policy Analysis Archives ◽

10.14507/epaa.24.1825 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 ◽

pp. 40

Author(s):

Teresa MacKinnon ◽

Sarah Pasfield-Neofitou

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Language Learning ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Language Education ◽

Open Educational Resources ◽

High Quality ◽

Digital Resources ◽

Teaching Resources ◽

Language education faculty face myriad challenges in finding teaching resources that are suitable, of high quality, and allow for the modifications needed to meet the requirements of their course contexts and their learners. The article elaborates the grassroots model of “produsage” (a portmanteau of “production” and “usage”) as a way of imagining a movement toward the use and creation of open educational resources (OER) for language learning. Through a set of examples of video resources that fill a need for authentically compelling language learning materials, the authors demonstrate the potential of produsage to engage teachers and learners around digital resources, to the benefit of language teaching and learning. In support of this grassroots model, the authors propose practices and policies to address challenges involved in engaging teachers and learners around OER in higher education.

Creating Contexts for Adult Motivation for Foreign Language Learning and Acquisition

Armenian Folia Anglistika ◽

10.46991/afa/2006.2.1-2.101 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 2 (1-2 (2)) ◽

pp. 101-105

Author(s):

Mariana Karapetyan

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Teaching Methods ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Teaching Methodology ◽

Language Teaching Methods ◽

While developing foreign language teaching methods for adult students aged 17-20, it is necessary to take into account not only teaching and learning related issues, but also a number of principles which are connected with adult teaching. The article discusses a set of issues connected with foreign language teaching methodology with view of not only the specific features of the foreign language teaching methods for adults but also the theories that attach importance to the factor of emotions in the teaching process. The article attempts to combine a foreign language teaching and learning with the theory of game. The aim of the research is to reveal how games contribute to the improvement of foreign language teaching and learning.

Kollokationen – ein vernachlässigtes Gebiet der DaF-Didaktik?

Linguistik Online ◽

10.13092/lo.68.1638 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 68 (6) ◽

Author(s):

Joanna Targońska

Keyword(s):

Empirical Study ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Specific Group ◽

Collocations, a highly specific group of set phrases, play an important role in the process of foreign language learning and acquisition. While their importance is unquestioned, they constitute a frequent source of errors, because the learners do not focus their attention on a collocation's form. What's more, they frequently assume that specific fixed sequences of words may be freely transferred from one language to another. In this paper we argue that collocations are in fact a neglected or even unrecognized aspect of teaching German as a foreign language. First, we discuss the relevance of the issue in foreign language teaching and learning. Next, we present an overview of research on collocations. Finally, we turn to an account of the results of our empirical study supporting the thesis as framed in the title.

The Use of CLT in the Arab Context: A Critical Perspective

International Journal of English Language Education ◽

10.5296/ijele.v5i1.10486 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 15

Author(s):

Basma M. Alwazir ◽

Nadia Shukri

Keyword(s):

English Language Learners ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

English Language ◽

Communicative Competence ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Theoretical Background ◽

Efl Classrooms ◽

Authentic Environment

One of the main aims behind learning English as a foreign language (EFL) is to communicate effectively with other speakers of the English language. The justification for concentrating on the teaching and learning of English as a second language (L2), and as a foreign language, is that it is the lingua franca (Klimczak-Pawlak, 2014) and the primary language used for communication around the world (Rich, 2014). English language learners are given limited chances to practice speaking in authentic situations in class, and teaching to communicate effectively in an authentic environment is often overlooked. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) emphasizes meaning and communication in language learning, and with CLT the goal is to improve learners’ “communicative competence” (Richards & Rodgers, 2001). Nevertheless, challenges are faced when applying CLT in the EFL classrooms. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to critically explore elements of the CLT approach and to better understand some of the cultural difficulties involved in its application. The paper will propose more application of the CLT in EFL classrooms, in place of language teaching techniques currently used in the Arab context. This paper will also examine issues dealing with the theoretical background of CLT, and focus on the implementation of activities that can encourage students' communicative competence.

Falling on deaf ears

The Journal of Internationalization and Localization ◽

10.1075/jial.3.2.06rub ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 196-212 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Brian Rubrecht

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Language Learners ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Target Language ◽

Pronunciation Instruction ◽

Second or foreign language learners study or are taught various language skill areas, one of which is speaking. In order to speak in the target language, learners must gain some proficiency in the target language’s vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation so that their verbal utterances are meaningful to listeners. However, although pronunciation may be said to be the most fundamental of these three components, it is by far the one that receives the least amount of attention in second or foreign language learning situations. Insufficient attention placed on the pronunciation component can lead to detrimental effects on learners, potentially negatively impacting them in their attempts at bridging the interculturality gap between their first language and the language being learned. The present article will make a call for increased inclusion of pronunciation instruction and training in second and foreign language teaching and learning by relating pronunciation’s importance in verbal communicative acts and by addressing the issue of pronunciation localization. In addition, the article will present a discussion explaining why those involved in such language teaching and learning tend to overlook the pronunciation component in second and foreign language teaching and learning situations.