Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Nước ngoài

PRE-SERVICE EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ONLINE COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY IN COMPUTER-MEDIATED SYNCHRONOUS COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGY USING GOOGLE DOCS

Hoang Thi Linh Giang — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0700

Participation in online learning environments is increasingly popular following the advent of several computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools. There has been empirical evidence about the positive impacts of using synchronous collaborative technologies on students’ classroom interactions and learning outcomes. This article reports on an examination of Google Docs as collaborative technology for group assignments in a content course on designing test items for young learners of English. A total 54 pre-service EFL teachers were examined for their perceived levels of participation, learning, social, and teaching presence in the online community where Google Docs was utilized as a collaborative platform for sharing work and receiving feedback. Main findings indicate the pre-service teachers’ overall positive perceptions of the use of Google Docs, and their perceived levels of learning, teaching, and social presence were better than those in the face-to-face meeting condition. The results suggest a cohesive community where exchange of ideas and feedback took place effectively and Google Docs was perceived to improve feedback efficiency thanks to its synchronous and asynchronous feedback mechanisms. The study concludes with pedagogical implications for the use of CMC technologies in EFL classrooms and suggestions for future research.

PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS TOWARDS THE INFLUENCE OF PEER ASSESSMENT ON THEIR COMMUNICATION AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

Tran Kieu Hanh, Nguyen Ngan-Ha — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0700

The study aimed to investigate students’ perception towards the use of peer assessment to improve their employability skills, especially communication and critical thinking skills. To achieve this objective, a survey was conducted with the participation of 226 students at a university in Hanoi, Vietnam. They were taking the course named “Skills for University Success”, in which it was required that students made presentations and gave feedback to other groups’ performances. The analyzed data showed that students highly valued the benefits of giving and receiving peer assessment. In terms of communication skills, the majority of students agreed that through this activity, they could learn and improve their ability to convey the ideas, listen to others, and create a friendly atmosphere while giving comments. Regarding critical thinking skills, peer assessment helped students identify strengths and weaknesses of peers’ performances more quickly and correctly. The study suggested that lecturers or curriculum organizers should consider making this activity compulsory in their courses so that students can boost their employability skills.

METACOGNITIVE LISTENING ACTIVITIES USE TO ENHANCE FIRST-YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT

Huong Dieu Nguyen, Huong Thi Bao Dinh — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0700

The action research project was conducted with the aim of exploring if the use of the metacognitive listening activities could improve non-English majored students’ listening comprehension and how students’ metacognitive knowledge about listening was affected. To collect data, the researchers used a questionnaire, pre-test, post-test and students’ journals. The questionnaire data showed a lack of students’ listening strategies, thus highlighting the need to conduct the action research project. In terms of the test score, students’ listening comprehension scores improved after the integration of the metacognitive listening activities. In addition, the data from students’ journals demonstrated a number of examples of broadened metacognitive knowledge about listening, which were reflected through three elements: (1) the awareness of the nature of listening (task knowledge), 2) greater motivation and better ability to work collaboratively (personal knowledge), and 3) the awareness of the importance of planning/prediction and making self-evaluation (strategy knowledge). A number of implications based on the main findings were then given to language instructors, materials developers, and others in the field of language learning and assessment.

DECODING ENGLISH NAMES OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN VIET NAM: UNDERSTANDING THE TRANSLATION PROCEDURES

Nguyen Viet Khoa — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0700

In today's era of the internationalization of higher education, the name of a higher education institution (HEI) plays a crucial role. This study investigates the Vietnamese and English names of 276 HEIs in Viet Nam that are authorized to offer university-level education or higher, and the translation procedures used to create their English names. The research applies both qualitative and quantitative methods to collect and analyze data, statistically categorizing the translation procedures based on the category of HEI, academic subject area, and descriptors of personal and place names. By providing an overview of the English names of HEIs in Viet Nam, the study acknowledges efforts to translate them in accordance with international practices, but also exposes inconsistencies and inaccuracies in several name translation cases. It is recommended that education officials set more stringent criteria for approving institutional names. and that HEIs choose names that reflect both their identity and reputation while adhering to international norms.

E-LEARNING ECOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON FIRST-YEAR VIETNAMESE EFL STUDENTS’ SELF-REGULATED LEARNING AND MOTIVATION IN A TRANSITION TO ONLINE PLATFORMS

Nguyen Thuy Nga — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0700

The transition from high school to university academic life is challenging for many first-year students as they have to adapt to new learning styles and a self-regulated environment that is different from what they were familiar with during school. Learning becomes complicated when the traditional class setting switches to e-learning, requiring tremendous effort. Students have to adjust their learning habits, learn to collaborate and maintain interaction with others. This study investigates first-year EFL students' experience during the transition from face-to-face to e-learning, targeting the influence of factors such as interaction with lecturers and peers, assessment, and peer support on students' motivation and self-regulated learning. Three hundred fifty-two students participated in the survey, and 36 joined the interview. The lecturer interaction and peer support were crucial to motivate students; peer interaction helped navigate self-regulated learning, and assessment regulated students' learning approach. Challenges of e-learning were notified, and recommendations were proposed to enhance learning quality.

“WHAT ARE THE GRAMMATICAL POINTS STUDENTS NEED TO DEVELOP?”: NEED ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH-MAJORED UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Nguyen Hong Nam Phuong, Nguyen Thi Huynh Loc — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0700

The importance of grammar in L2 learners’ development of language skills has anchored for the necessity of teaching grammar to learners of English. However, it is observed that there has been insufficient formal data relevant to the needs of L2 learners for learning grammar, particularly in the context of Vietnam. These two mentioned reasons motivate this current study into the needs of students at a university in Vietnam for learning English grammar with a hope to help teachers and curriculum designers make more informed decisions on their teaching methods and the content of the grammar course, respectively. In the study, students had difficulties with certain English grammatical points such as Linking words and phrases, Tenses to describe events in the past, Articles, determiners and pronouns. Students also expected their grammar lessons to be more interactive with writing and speaking practice included, while formal explanations of grammatical structures be maintained.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF REPORTING VERBS IN NON-NATIVE MA THESES AND INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ARTICLES

Yingqi Hu, Haixu Li — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0700

Using reporting verbs effectively in academic writing is an essential academic skill and a prominent learning activity to present previous research outcomes. But it seems to have been a problem for non-native graduate students for many years. Non-native learners often use reporting verbs inappropriately. To raise graduate students’ awareness of using reporting verbs, this study compares the frequency, types, and tenses of reporting verbs in the literature review section of 25 MA theses written in English by Chinese graduate students, and 45 articles from 5 prestigious international journals in the field of linguistics. The findings demonstrate the similarities and differences in the use of reporting verbs by Chinese graduate students majoring in English and international experts in the field of linguistics. The two groups of writers use discourse, research, and cognition reporting verbs in a descending order of frequency. Chinese graduate students use a larger number but fewer types of reporting verbs. Experienced researchers demonstrate greater proficiency in using reporting verbs than graduate students who are considered novice researchers. The comparison also reveals that the two groups of writers show a similar tendency in using verb tenses to report information, namely, using simple present tense and past tense frequently, and using the present perfect tense infrequently. Via the analysis, suggestions for novices and pedagogical implications are provided.

THE UNITED STATES AND CHINA RIVALRY AND ITS IMPACTS ON WASHINGTON AND BEIJING RELATIONS WITH HISTORICAL COMPLEXITY OF TAIWAN

Sigit, Chindy Agata Bosawer, Rachel Shannon Twigivanya — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0700

This paper aims to analyze the United States and China rivalry which impacts their relationship with Historical Complexity of Taiwan using the Balance of Threat Theory and qualitative research method. Both the United States and China have different perspectives on the Taiwan issue. China considers that historically Taiwan is part of China. However, the disintegration that Taiwan faces makes some Taiwanese people not feel part of China. This incident was later used by the United States in intervening and expanding its influence in the East Asia region since the 1950s. As a result, the Taiwan area has become a battleground for the United States and China as they compete for regional influence. The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) in 1979, provides Washington a legal framework to continue selling weapons to Taiwan. On the other hand, Beijing took the initiative to open a free market with Taipei under the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement (CSSTA) in 2013. This paper suggests that both Beijing and Washington have always refrained from escalating into an open conflict that ended in war. Thus, a future war is unlikely.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETATION AT MULTI-MEDIA ROOMS: FROM LECTURERS’ PERSPECTIVE

Nguyen Thi Minh Thao, Nguyen Thi Huyen — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0700

This study is to explore the main factors affecting the quality of consecutive interpretation of English majored students at School of Languages and Tourism (SLT), Hanoi University of Industry (HaUI). The data for this paper is mainly collected from a semi-structured interview which was adapted from the research by Chunli et al. (2021). The researchers interviewed 4 lecturers at SLT, then compared the answers with an in-depth analysis and review of common errors in students’ interpretation in the final test of the 7th semester which was assessed by the criteria for interpreting assessment proposed by Zwischenberger (2010). The research findings indicated that language competence, interpreting techniques, and psychological elements had great influence on the quality of students’ consecutive interpretation. Good preparation, avoiding perfectionism and practice are key points for students to improve the consecutive interpretation quality. The paper, hopefully, brings deeper understanding of consecutive interpretation as well as helpful information for lecturers and researchers in language study.

THE APPLICATION OF DIGITAL STORYTELLING IN TEACHING ENGLISH LISTENING SKILLS TO YOUNG LEARNERS: TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF BENEFITS AND CONSTRAINTS

Duong My Tham, Pham Thi Thanh Thuy — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0700

Digital storytelling has emerged as an alternative method to teach language skills to various types of learners due to its flexibility, engaging aspects, and linguistic features. Albeit its prevalence, the use of digital storytelling in English language teaching varies from one context to another. This study aimed to investigate English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ perceptions of benefits and constraints in implementing digital storytelling to teach listening skills to young learners. Thirty EFL teachers conveniently sampled from a primary school in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai province, Vietnam partook in answering a closed-ended questionnaire, and ten of them were invited for semi-structured interviews. The obtained data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively using descriptive statistics and content analysis, respectively. The findings indicated the possibility of applying digital storytelling to teach listening skills at the primary school as it could provide the students with adequate language knowledge, listening sub-skills, and a positive learning environment. However, the study revealed a number of difficulties in terms of the content, linguistic features, and grammar in digital stories that EFL teachers encountered in applying digital storytelling to teach listening skills to young learners.

THE PRAGMATICS OF POLITENESS, Author: Geoffrey Leech

Le Huu Loc — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0700

TEACHER RESILIENCE: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY TO THRIVE IN THE CLASSROOM, Author: Jamie Thom

Do Thi Thanh Tra, Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh, Le Thi Thuy — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0700