This study investigated how English teachers in Vietnam exercise their agency in the implementation of the new multiple textbooks policy, introduced under the 2018 curriculum, from the ecological perspective. The study employed a case study methodology to gain in-depth insights into the perceptions and practices of two upper secondary school teachers from the Mekong Delta. Data collection involved interviews, observations, field notes and textbooks, offering a comprehensive examination of the teachers' perspectives, decision-making processes, and instructional practices in the context of the new curriculum. Data was then analyzed thematically. The research identified key findings related to how the participants engaged with the new textbooks. They enacted their agency via their participation in the choice of textbook, teaching methods, teaching content, and teaching activities. In addition, teacher agency enactment was manifested in three common modes including acceptance, adaptation, and resistance. The factors from iterational, practical-evaluative, and projective dimensions had impacts on teachers' agency in implementing the selected textbooks. The findings of this study shed light on the practical implications of curriculum implementation in the Vietnamese English as a foreign language context.

In response to the growing need for English proficiency for international communication, Vietnam has implemented English-as-medium-of-instruction (EMI) education. This educational strategy aims to enhance students’ English and disciplinary knowledge that meets the high-demanding work readiness and assists their professional endeavors. However, there is limited research on how Vietnamese students perceive intercultural communicative competence (ICC) through EMI, which typically involves acquiring cultural attitudes, knowledge, and skills relevant to their future personal willingness, educational qualifications, and professional requirements. This study investigates how Vietnamese higher education students in EMI programs perceive acquiring ICC, including intercultural attitudes, knowledge, discovery, and interaction skills, interpreting and relating skills, and critical cultural awareness. Informed by Byram’s (1997) ICC framework, a questionnaire was developed, validated, and administered to a sample of 315 students. The questionnaire revealed varied perceptions of ICC outcomes after completing EMI programs, influenced by their cultural backgrounds, educational experiences, and social interactions. Our quantitative findings suggest implications for improving educational policies for EMI in Vietnam while foregrounding future survey-based research that attends to ICC as part of the EMI education implementation. Furthermore, the study proposes practical and research-oriented directions to better understand how Vietnamese learners perceive ICC as they participate in EMI programs, both domestically and internationally.

TESOL JournalEarly View e786 RESEARCH BRIEF Engagement in and beyond academic communities in a foreign country: A case study of Vietnamese TESOL doctoral students in Thailand Do Na Chi, Corresponding Author Do Na Chi [email protected] An Giang University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam An Giang University is a member of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh CitySearch for more papers by this authorPhuong Le Hoang Ngo, Phuong Le Hoang Ngo University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Hue University, VietnamSearch for more papers by this author Do Na Chi, Corresponding Author Do Na Chi [email protected] An Giang University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam An Giang University is a member of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh CitySearch for more papers by this authorPhuong Le Hoang Ngo, Phuong Le Hoang Ngo University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Hue University, VietnamSearch for more papers by this author First published: 26 December 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.786Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat REFERENCES Botelho de Magalhães, M., Cotterall, S., & Mideros, D. (2019). Identity, voice and agency in two EAL doctoral writing contexts. Journal of Second Language Writing, 43, 4–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2018.05.001 10.1016/j.jslw.2018.05.001 Web of Science®Google Scholar Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa Google Scholar Cameron, R., & Harrison, J. L. (2012). The interrelatedness of formal, non-formal and informal learning: Evidence from labour market program participants. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 52, 277–309. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1000165.pdf Web of Science®Google Scholar Kettle, M. (2021). Conceptualising the complexity of international student engagement: Antecedents, actions and accomplishments. In Z. Zhang, T. Grimshaw, & X. Shi (Eds.), International student education in tertiary settings: Interrogating programs and processes in diverse contexts (pp. 107–124). London, England: Routledge. Google Scholar Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issuee786 ReferencesRelatedInformation

This paper reports on the benefits of Project-based learning (PBL) for the lecturer and the students in an English for Business course at a university in Vietnam. This qualitative study employs classroom observations of how the projects are carried out and interviews with five student representatives and the lecturer about the benefits of PBL. As most research focuses on how PBL develops learners’ language and project-related knowledge, this paper points out positive effects provided by PBL for personal, professional, and notably social development, which has been understudied in current literature. The findings showed that although the development existed in all three areas, it happened with a considerable disparity in which social development was surprisingly regarded by the learners as highly valuable. Besides, the lecturer in this study pointed to the benefits gained in terms of motivation and discipline-based knowledge. Based on a wide range of benefits provided by PBL, the study provides recommendations for a better implementation of PBL in EFL/ESP education so that learners’ successful experiences in their future careers can be further supported.

While critical thinking is one of the ultimate requirements for students and is integrated into assessment practices in higher education, there has not been a definitive view of what it means and how it can be achieved. This limitation challenges students when they neither recognize the need to demonstrate critical thinking nor successfully perform it. To reconceptualize critical thinking in higher education, this study emphasizes how critical thinking is defined, performed, and evaluated in an English Literature course in Vietnamese higher education. Following the analyses of the course documents, the students’ writing with the lecturer’s comments, and the interview with the lecturer, the study revealed the distinctive view of critical thinking in relation to the characteristics of the writing genre and the Literature discipline. For critical thinking being discipline-oriented and genre-based, successfully performing critical thinking was also found challenging to the students given their limited understanding of the lecturer’s conceptualization of critical thinking in this particular course. This study therefore suggests pedagogical implications to support the explication of this concept to students to improve their academic performances.

Academic writing in higher education requires an inclusion of writers’ propositions or arguments to indicate their understanding of the content knowledge and critical thinking regarding the topic at hand (Morton & Storch, 2019; Wingate, 2012). The concern that has arisen is how writers’ propositions should be presented in writing. Hyland (2005) proposes a framework of hedges (expressions of opinions), boosters (expressions of certainty), attitude markers (expressions of affective attitudes), and self-mentions (first person pronouns and possessive adjectives) as linguistic categories for writers to indicate their propositions or arguments. In this framework, self-mentions such as “I” and “my” are among the most popular choices for writers’ propositions (Abdi & Farrokhi, 2015). However, different readers would have different expectations on how writing should be performed including the language used to represent the writers’ views (Shen, 1989). With this rationale, the paper discusses how “I” and “my” as representatives of self-mentions are used by EFL students to perform their positions or arguments in academic essays and responded to by instructors as readers in an Academic Writing course at college level. This paper explores the various views on the use of these linguistic features, challenges the common view of cultural generalisation in writing, and proposes the necessary negotiation among Writing instructors in teaching and assessment practices in Academic Writing courses.

This chapter discusses the benefits of online academic advising for part-time university students. Understanding the importance of academic advising in relation to students' academic success, the limited contact that part-time students might have with academic staff and faculty makes advisement even more crucial to fostering a productive academic environment for students like these. Drawing on the Core Competencies of Academic Advising developed by the Global Community for Academic Advising (NACADA, 2017), this chapter presents a case study featuring two part-time students at a university in Vietnam who encountered difficulties in their academic journeys and required special support from university advisors. The authors, through an ethnographically-oriented approach as academic advisors, present student narratives at various points of the advisement process, detailing how student support services led to favorable academic outcomes. This chapter presents how advisors demonstrated conceptual, informational, and relational competencies in supporting learners and limitations of the advisement process. Findings from this investigation revealed that the advisement process transcended one-on-one interactions, instead being a collaborative and community-based endeavor requiring input from both institutional and professional networks. In sum, the authors argue for the use of online advisement as a tool for creating an equitable learning environment for university students and to enhance their sense of institutional belonging.

To address learners' low attention to form in peer interaction, the current study investigated the impact of reflective learning practice intervention that aims to promote learners' attention to form. Sixty-eight adolescent EFL learners (M-age = 15.6, SD = 7.05) formed reflective learning practice and control groups. The reflective practice group received a treatment that was designed following the reflective learning model with the goal of increasing learners' attention to form. Pre/post-tests results showed that learners' attention to form in the type of self-correction and metalinguistic talk increased over time. Self-reports revealed that learners perceived the reflective learning practice as beneficial, particularly encouraging them to attend to language form and establish collaborative mindset. However, factors such as learners' approach to tasks, social relationship, perceptions of feedback provision, and proficiency appeared to mediate the effectiveness of the treatment. The results suggest reflective learning practice as a pedagogical tool to promote effective peer interaction.

In this paper, I investigate the practice of selecting English names of Vietnamese EFL learners at a language center. Although this naming practice is required at the institution for communicative convenience, there are negotiation and exceptions where learners refuse to use English names. Naming is believed to reflect one’s identity, and those learners explicitly indicate numerous reasons their acceptance or refusal of having English names. Observations and interviews with 15 participants in an EFL class were undertaken to explore the attitudes and reasons for their naming practices, and their identity reflection through that practice. The findings reveal that most learners see English names to be more convenient for their native English-speaking teachers and make them feel more westernised, which is in their belief necessary in an EFL setting. On the contrary, some learners would pay such respects to their Vietnamese names which they believe to be meaningful and should be remained. Whether using English names is an act of showing respect or not in EFL settings is also discussed. Also, regardless of genders, the paper reveals the age issue that strongly impacts the naming decision. The paper concludes with suggestions to do proper naming practice among EFL learners not to make this a discontent part in their learning processes.

The book outlines major themes in American Literature throughout history from pre-colonial to present time. It brings together the views and contributions of renown representatives in different literary movements and provides its readers with a basic understanding of various literary trends in association with socio-cultural aspects of American society. Each movement is well described with illustrations of authors’ works and factors which inspire their choices of literary themes.

This paper explores the implementation of bilingual education at a private institution in Vietnam, with a focus on its successes and challenges. Despite long-term English education as a compulsory subject at grade levels 3 to 12, there is still a need for Vietnamese learners of English to improve their language profciency beyond the national curriculum. For that reason, many institutions have been established to make English a more important part of the curriculum, not simply a subject but a means of communication and a medium of instruction. In other words, the aim is to make those learners reach bilingualism. However, training learners to be bilingual is not an easy mission, since it has numerous requirements. Observing how bilingual education was implemented at a private institution in Vietnam, this paper reveals some positive effects on learners’ language development along with challenges regarding teaching materials, qualifed staff, and negative infuences of the national curriculum. Introduction While English is a mandatory subject in Vietnam, the focus is still on grammar and vocabulary, not communicative competence (Denham, 1992; Nunan, 2003). To develop English language profciency of future generations of Vietnamese students, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) proposed the use of English as the medium of instruction at high school and college levels nationwide (MOET, 2008). As stated by MOET in Directive 1400, the national curriculum embarked on a project entitled “Teaching and Learning in English in the National Education System 2008-2020,” or “Project 2020” for short. The goal is that by the year 2020, a majority of high school graduates will be able to undertake higher studies entirely in English and communicate meaningfully in English. Moreover, high school students will be taught mathematics and a number of other subjects in English. In order to accomplish this goal, MOET encourages high schools to implement bilingual education to gradually familiarize learners with English as a medium of instruction. However, research on bilingual programs in Vietnamese public schools has shown the diffculties involved in following MOET’s directions. Some have concluded that many public gifted high schools fail to make English the medium of instruction due to unqualifed teachers, lack of materials and facilities, and inappropriate use of teaching materials (Ben Tre Department of Education, 2017). Responding to the need for bilingual education, many private institutions have bilingual or international programs following British or American educational systems for ______________________ Chi, D. N. (2017). Issues in the implementation of bilingual education in Vietnam. TESOL Working Paper Series, 15, 96-113. Website: Hawaii Pacifc University http://www.hpu.edu. * Email: chidona.ag@gmail.com. Address: An Giang University, 18 Ung Van Khiem Street, Dong Xuyen Ward, Long Xuyen City, An Giang Province, Vietnam. TESOL Working Paper Series those who plan to study abroad (Hoang, 2011). These programs aim to promote the use of English for varying purposes, such as teaching, learning, and communication. However, little is known about the extent to which these programs have succeeded in implementing a bilingual education model at private institutions (Hoang, 2011). Hence, there is a need for an in-depth study on how those institutions implement those programs and to what extent they are able to improve learners’ English language profciency. This paper aims to address this issue through a case study of a private educational institution in Vietnam which claims to offer a VietnameseEnglish bilingual education program. It is the only institution claiming to have such a program in the Mekong Delta region. Before I present the case study, I will review the key characteristics of a bilingual individual and forms of bilingual education.

Phương pháp học dựa trên những nhiệm vụ thực tế (Task-based language teaching) từ lâu được nghiên cứu và ứng dụng rộng rãi trong giảng dạy tiếng Anh vì những lợi ích trong việc phát triển năng lực ngôn ngữ của người học. Dù phương pháp này không còn mới mẻ nhưng vẫn còn tồn tại nhiều khó khăn khi ứng dụng phương pháp này trong giảng dạy do những hiểu nhầm về phương pháp này. Bài nghiên cứu tổng quan này sẽ phân tích những hiểu nhầm thường gặp khi ứng dụng Phương pháp học dựa trên những nhiệm vụ thực tế tại Việt Nam. Bài viết sẽ tìm hiểu những hiểu biết chưa thỏa đáng về phương pháp học dựa trên những nhiệm vụ thực tế và đề xuất giải pháp để thiết kế các nhiệm vụ thực tế có hiệu quả trong dạy và học tiếng Anh.

The paper investigates the use of projects in an English for Business course at a university setting. Selecting English Language major has become a hot trend for high school graduates. They hold the view that this major can support their future employment in a wide range of professions such as translation and interpretation, business, or tourism industries. Higher education institutions, therefore, have made English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses an essential part of the curriculum. Among those ESP courses, a highly preferred one is English for Business. However, with the characteristics of being quite proficient in English and the need to stimulate learners’ autonomy, the traditional approach of lecturing has been regarded as not being sufficient enough, and project-based learning (PBL) is, in fact, more capable of helping learners develop both English language for Business discipline and understanding of the field. The students develop their language through different projects and reports. Besides, they are able to build up the soft skills relevant to the business field due to the authentic classroom settings in forms of business meetings. However, obstacles do exist when applying PBL in English for Business classrooms. Through observations and questionnaires with 30 students and 3 instructors in an English for Business course, the study reveals positive effects on language, soft skills, and professional development along with certain drawbacks due to the lack of specialised knowledge of the discipline of both instructors and learners. As a result, recommendations for creating a solid foundation in both language and professional knowledge are proposed to enhance the effectiveness of PBL in English for Business courses. Besides, curriculum modifications are also mentioned to better the teaching and learning in the course.