UNDERGRADUATE PRESERVICE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE TO VIETNAMESE YOUNG LEARNERS | Tuyên | TNU Journal of Science and Technology

UNDERGRADUATE PRESERVICE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE TO VIETNAMESE YOUNG LEARNERS

About this article

Received: 28/01/24                Revised: 22/03/24                Published: 22/03/24

Authors

1. Le Van Tuyen Email to author, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH University)
2. Tran Kim Hong, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH University)
3. Vo Tran Minh Hieu, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH University)

Abstract


Teachers’ beliefs about teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to young learners may influence teaching effectiveness, and understanding beliefs of EFL teachers in a context like Vietnam is useful for EFL teacher educators. The current study, therefore, aims to investigate undergraduate preservice teachers’ beliefs about teaching English to young learners. The study was conducted at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology with the participation of 133 undergraduate preservice teachers. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through the employment of the questionnaire and semi-structured interviews; for data analysis, descriptive statistics and content analysis were employed. The findings of the study revealed that most of the participants held common beliefs about young learners’ EFL learning, teaching methods and techniques, and themselves. The study highlights the importance of beliefs in EFL teaching and learning and provides meaningful contributions to undergraduate preservice teachers, teachers and teacher educators to enhance the quality of teaching EFL to young learners in Vietnam in particular, and in other EFL contexts in general.

Keywords


Beliefs; EFL young learners; EFL learning and teaching; Preservice teacher; Vietnamese context

Full Text:

PDF

References


[1] P. Cao, “Teaching English to young learners in Vietnam: From policy to implementation,” The Asian Journal of Applied Linguistics, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 96-104, 2019.

[2] H. Zheng, Teacher beliefs as a complex system: English language teachers in China. Springer, 2015.

[3] J. Richards and C. Lockhart, Reflective teaching in second language classrooms. Cambridge University Press, 1994.

[4] J. Calderhead, “Teachers: beliefs and knowledge,” in.), Handbook of educational psychology, D. C. Berliner and R. C. Calfee,Eds., Macmillan, 1996.

[5] C. M. Clark and P. L. Peterson, “Teachers’ thought processes,” in Handbook of research on teaching (3rd Ed), M. C. Wittrock, Ed., Macmillan, 1986, pp. 255-296.

[6] M. B. Shinde and T. K. Karekatti, “Pre-service teachers’ beliefs about teaching English to primary school children,” International Journal of Instruction, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1308-1470, 2012.

[7] A. P. Gilakjani and N. B. Sabouri, “Teachers’ beliefs in English language teaching and learning: A review of the literature,” English Language Teaching, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 78-86, 2017, doi: 10.5539/elt.v10n4p78.

[8] J. Othman and R. Kiely, “Preservice teachers’ beliefs and practices in teaching English to young leaners,” Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 50-59, 2016, doi: 10.17509/ijal.v6i1.2661.

[9] K. M. W. Hadiyanti and M. Yolanda, “Insights into prospective teachers’ beliefs in teaching English to young learners,” A Journal on Language and Language Teaching, vol. 24 no. 1, pp. 36-50, 2021, doi: 10.24071/llt.v24i1.2484.

[10] B. L. Reynolds, D. Liu, X. V. Ha, X. Zhang, and C. Ding, “Pre-service teachers learning to teach English to very young learners in Macau: A longitudinal study,” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 12, pp. 1-17, 2021, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.720660.

[11] S. Whyte, C. R. Wigham, and N. Younès, “Insights into Teacher Beliefs and Practice in Primary-School EFL in France,” Languages, vol. 7, no. 185, pp. 1-21, 2022, doi: 10.3390/languages7030185.

[12] B. L. Reynolds, S. Liu, M. Milosavljevic, C. Ding, and J. McDonald, “Exploring pre-service pre-primary EFL teacher beliefs about teaching English to very young learners: A Macau Case Study,” SAGE Open, vol. 11 no. 4, pp. 1-15, 2021, doi: 10.1177/21582440211052932.

[13] B. L. Reynolds, X. V. Ha, C. Ding, X. Zhang, S. Liu, and X. Ma, “Pre-service teachers learning to teach English to very young learners in Macau: Do beliefs trump practice?” Behavioral Sciences, vol. 12, no. 19, pp. 1-21, 2022, doi: 10.3390/bs12020019.

[14] H. T. B. Vu, “Teaching English speaking skills: An investigation into Vietnamese EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices,” Issues in Educational Research, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 428-450, 2023.

[15] T. V. Le, T. H. Ho, and H. K. Tran, “Undergraduate pre-service EFL teachers’ beliefs about learner autonomy development in EFL learning,” TNU Journal of Science and Technology, vol. 228, no. 4, pp. 51-58, 2023, doi: 10.34238/tnu-jst.6968.

[16] P. Liao, “Teachers’ beliefs about teaching English to elementary school children,” English Teaching & Learning, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 43-76, 2007.

[17] J. Bland, Teaching English to young learners: Critical issues in language teaching with 3–12 year olds. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., 2015.

[18] S. Mourão, “English in Pre-primary: The challenges of getting it right,” in Teaching English to young learners: Critical issues in language teaching with 3–12 year olds, J. Bland, Ed., Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., 2015, pp. 51-69.

[19] J. Enever, “The advantages and disadvantages of English as a foreign language with young learners,” in Teaching English to young learners: Critical issues in language teaching with 3–12 year olds, J. Bland, Ed., Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., 2015, pp. 1-29.

[20] M. Nikolov, “A framework for young EFL learners’ diagnostic assessment: ‘Can do statements and task types,” in Assessing young learners of English: Global and local perspectives, M. Nikolov, Ed., Springer, 2016, pp. 65-92.

[21] S. Rich, International Perspectives on Teaching English to Young Learners. Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

[22] K. Klein, “Teaching young learners,” English Teaching Forum, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 12-17, 2005.

[23] H. Susan, Teaching English in the primary classroom. Longman, 1992.

[24] S. Krashen, The input hypothesis: Issues and implications. Longman, 1985.

[25] S. Rixon, “Primary English and critical issues: A worldwide perspective,” in Teaching English to young learners: Critical issues in language teaching with 3–12 year olds, J. Bland, Ed., Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., 2015, pp. 31-50.

[26] H. Zheng, “A review of research on EFL pre-service teachers’ beliefs and practices,” Journal of Cambridge Studies, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 73-81, 2009.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.34238/tnu-jst.9648

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.
TNU Journal of Science and Technology
Rooms 408, 409 - Administration Building - Thai Nguyen University
Tan Thinh Ward - Thai Nguyen City
Phone: (+84) 208 3840 288 - E-mail: jst@tnu.edu.vn
Based on Open Journal Systems
©2018 All Rights Reserved