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    Constraints On The Development of A Learner-Centered Curriculum: A Case Study of EFL Teacher Education in Vietnam

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    Farrukh Zia
    This document summarizes a study on constraints to developing a learner-centered curriculum for teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in Vietnam. The study examined curriculum and tasks at three Vietnamese universities. Key findings included that tasks lacked authenticity and relevance to students, did not promote sufficient interaction or student voice, and were product-oriented rather than focused on the knowledge construction process or developing self-reflection skills. The conclusion calls for reforms to make the curriculum, content, objectives, and assessments more learner-centered and supportive of developing students' ability to learn autonomously.

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    Constraints On The Development of A Learner-Centered Curriculum: A Case Study of EFL Teacher Education in Vietnam

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    Farrukh Zia
    34 views31 pages
    This document summarizes a study on constraints to developing a learner-centered curriculum for teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in Vietnam. The study examined curriculum and tasks at three Vietnamese universities. Key findings included that tasks lacked authenticity and relevance to students, did not promote sufficient interaction or student voice, and were product-oriented rather than focused on the knowledge construction process or developing self-reflection skills. The conclusion calls for reforms to make the curriculum, content, objectives, and assessments more learner-centered and supportive of developing students' ability to learn autonomously.

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    This document summarizes a study on constraints to developing a learner-centered curriculum for teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in Vietnam. The study examined curriculum and tasks at three Vietnamese universities. Key findings included that tasks lacked authenticity and relevance to students, did not promote sufficient interaction or student voice, and were product-oriented rather than focused on the knowledge construction process or developing self-reflection skills. The conclusion calls for reforms to make the curriculum, content, objectives, and assessments more learner-centered and supportive of developing students' ability to learn autonomously.

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    34 views31 pages

    Constraints On The Development of A Learner-Centered Curriculum: A Case Study of EFL Teacher Education in Vietnam

    Uploaded by

    Farrukh Zia
    This document summarizes a study on constraints to developing a learner-centered curriculum for teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in Vietnam. The study examined curriculum and tasks at three Vietnamese universities. Key findings included that tasks lacked authenticity and relevance to students, did not promote sufficient interaction or student voice, and were product-oriented rather than focused on the knowledge construction process or developing self-reflection skills. The conclusion calls for reforms to make the curriculum, content, objectives, and assessments more learner-centered and supportive of developing students' ability to learn autonomously.

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    of 31

    The 4th World Teachers’ Day in Thailand and The

    12th UNESCO-APEID International Conference

    Constraints on the Development


    of a Learner-centered Curriculum:
    A Case Study of EFL Teacher Education
    in Vietnam

    Dang Van Hung

    AC
    SEA
    SEAMEO RETRAC, Vietnam' (dvhung@vnseameo.org) M

    R
    EO RET
     Aims
     Background
     Learner-centered instruction
     Research methodology
     Findings and discussion
     Conclusion and implications
     Aims
     Background
     Learner-centered instruction
     Research methodology
     Findings and discussion
     Conclusion and implications
    Aims
     This paper aims to describe the findings of a study on
    the curriculum and tasks used at three universities of
    EFL teacher education in Vietnam.
     Aims
     Background
     Learner-centered instruction
     Research methodology
     Findings and discussion
     Conclusion and implications
    Background
     Education in VN:
     Primary: Grades 1-5 (6-10yrs old)
     Lower secondary: Grades 6-9 (11-14yrs old)
     Upper secondary: Grades 10-12 (15-17yrs old)
     EFL instruction:
     Major foreign languages: English, French, Russian, Chinese
     96% of the sts learn English as a foreign language (EFL)
     Compulsory: from grade 6 (nation wide, 3 45-minute pds/wk)
     Optional: from grade 3 (some big cities 3 45-minute pds/wk)

     EFL teachers education


     For lower secondary schools: 3 yr Program
     For upper secondary schools: 4 yr Program
    Background
     EFL curriculum:
     3-yr program (170 to 180 credit hours)
     4-yr program (205 to 216 credit hours)
     Curriculum frame:
     designed and mandated by the Ministry of
    Education and Training (MOET).
     The syllabus for each subject/unit:
     developed by each college/university.
     2 major blocks of knowledge:
     general/foundation knowledge
     professional education.
    Knowledge Blocks Credit Proportion
    Hours
    General/Foundation education 57 26%

    Mathematics and Natural 5 2%


    Sciences
    Fundamental knowledge 17 8%
    of the discipline
    Professional Basic knowledge of the 102 45%
    Education discipline
    Professional knowledge 25 12%

    Practicum 5 2%

    Thesis 10 5%

    ►
    Background
     Nearly 50% of the total credits are delivered in
    Vietnamese
     Teaching materials are
     adopted or adapted from overseas published
    textbooks, reference books, journals, videos, and
    the media.
     out-of-date, inconsistent and particularly irrelevant
    to the students’ needs and interests.
     Aims
     Background
     Learner-centered instruction
     Research methodology
     Findings and discussion
     Conclusion and implications
    Learner-centered instruction
     Learner-centered education aims to create favorable
    conditions for educational goals - access, equity,
    quality and democracy - to be accomplished (NIED,
    2003).
     Characteristics
     a stronger focus on the learner as an individual;
     a corresponding shift from a focus on teaching to a
    focus on learners and learning;
     consideration of differences in learning styles and
    learning strategies; and
     various manifestations of humanism. (Hoven, 1999)
    Learner-centered instruction
     Learner-centered instruction draws heavily upon
    constructivism with the assumption that deep
    learning occurs when learners are actively
    engaged in the construction of knowledge for
    themselves (Pulist, 2005)
     Teachers are expected to understand their
    learners’ views, beliefs and needs and to
    support capacities already existing in the
    learners to bring about desired learning
    outcomes (Schuh, 2003).
    Learner-centered instruction
     Learning goals are realized by active
    collaboration between the teacher and
    learners who have a shared knowledge of
    what learning means and how it can be best
    promoted within each individual learner by
    drawing on the learner’s own unique talents,
    capacities and experiences (McCombs, 1997)
     Aims
     Background
     Learner-centered instruction
     Research methodology
     Findings and discussion
     Conclusion and implications
    Research methodology
     Conceptual framework:
     Based on the five primary constructivist
    principles
     task authenticity
     interaction
     voice and ownership in the learning process
     knowledge construction process, and
     meta-cognition
    (Cunningham, Duffy, & Knuth, 1993)
    Research methodology
     The research approach: essentially qualitative.
     The data
     Primary sources:

     questionnaires to students and to teacher educators,


     individual interviews with teacher educators and
    university leaders,
     classroom observations
     student focus-groups, and
     case studies.
     Secondary sources:
     curriculum guidelines, course books, and conference
    and seminar proceedings
    Research methodology
     Participants
     3rd & 4th yr EFL students (future upper secondary
    school teachers of English)
     University lecturers
     English department and university administrators ►
     Sites
     Ha Noi College of Foreign Languages, Ha Noi
    National University
     Da Nang College of Foreign Languages, Da Nang
    University
     Ho Chi Minh City University of Education
     Background
     Learner-centered instruction
     Research methodology
     Findings and discussion
     Conclusion and implications
    Findings and discussion
     Authenticity
     Not adequately considered in the curriculum and
    learning materials:
     the curriculum and learning materials are
    currently designed and developed without
    reference to students’ needs ►
     lack of learner data in the learning materials ►
     the learning materials of some subjects are out-
    of-date and ill-structured ►
     monotonous formats of learning tasks and
    lessons ►
     repetition of topics and themes
    Findings and discussion
     Interaction
     Teacher-student relationships
     lecturers do not work as mediators in helping
    students to perform the learning tasks
    effectively
     lecturers taking a dominating role ►
     Peer group relationships
     working in groups and pairs is not enhanced due
    to:
     Unfavorable classroom physical setting
     Time consuming
     Student learning styles ►
    Findings and discussion
     Voice and ownership in the learning process:
     Not appreciated
     Prescribed curriculum

     Teacher's dominating role

     Teachers do not trust students' ideas ►

     Students' lack of confidence ►

     Students’ misconception of teachers’ authority

    ►
    Findings and discussion
     Knowledge construction process
     Sts are not involved in knowledge construction
     Learning tasks and assessments are more product than
    process oriented.
     Sts are not encouraged to pay due attention to the on-
    going process
     Sts are more concerned about the knowledge and skills
    they have to acquire and internalize.
     Sts never received any feedback from their teachers for
    their examination papers
     Self-assessment is neglected ►
    Findings and discussion
     Meta-cognition
     Few opportunities for sts to get involved in
    processes of reflecting on knowledge and its
    construction
     Sts are not fully aware of effective learning
    methods or strategies
     Learning how to learn is not included as an
    objective of training in the curriculum and learning
    materials. ►
     Aims
     Background
     Learner-centered instruction
     Research methodology
     Findings and discussion
     Conclusion and implications
    Conclusion and implications
     Conclusion
     Curriculum & tasks are
     non authentic, irrelevant and alien to the
    students because they are designed and
    developed without reference to the students’
    needs, preferences and interests.
     The tasks are also non interactive with
    inadequate teacher mediation and only
    occasional and unsatisfactory team or group
    work.
    Conclusion and implications
     The students’ voice and ownership in the learning
    process is not supported through task performance due
    to preset tasks and teachers’ dominant role in the
    teaching and learning process.
     The tasks are product oriented =>
     the knowledge construction process and meta-
    cognition in task performance are not adequately
    practiced =>
     the students not being trained to learn how to
    learn, how to construct and refine meaning, nor
    how to reflect on the structure of the task, and on
    the structuring of their approaches to the task.
    Conclusion and implications
     Implications
     There should be changes at every level of the
    educational task, in terms of
     aims and objectives of educational program

     nature of curriculum,

     function of learning content, and assessment.

     To this end,
     aims and objectives of educational programs must

    be clearly defined, inclusive, and comprehensive;


    and they must be known by all educators and
    students.
    Conclusion and implications
     curriculum, in terms of content selection,
    pedagogy, learning materials, and learning
    tasks and activities, should be designed and
    developed with reference to learners’ needs
    and interests.
     the content of learning must serve a dual
    purpose: providing learners with both a body of
    knowledge and skills for active learning. In
    other words, learning strategies should be
    incorporated into the content of language
    learning.
    Conclusion and implications
     assessment should be both product- and
    process-oriented
     test papers should be designed in ways that not
    only learned knowledge and skills but also
    students’ creative and critical thinking are taken
    into account;
     different modes and forms of assessment (e.g.,
    on-going, end-of-semester tests; conventional
    tests, portfolios, etc.,) should be used;
     and self-assessment should be encouraged
    Dang Van Hung, Ph.D.
    SEAMEO Regional Training Center, Vietnam
    dvhung@vnseameo.org

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