Students’ Perceptions of Content- and Language- Integrated Learning in Vietnam: A Survey Study

Phuong-Bao-Tran Nguyen, Lies Sercu

Abstract


Content- and language-integrated learning (CLIL), an educational approach, in which the subject matter is taught in a foreign language. This has become popular in tertiary education. Many research studies have shown its benefits and discussed the favorable effects, especially with respect to L2 language gains. Yet, critical voices, also from the primary stakeholders, namely the students taking part in such integrated programs, have also been heard. In an effort to integrate into the international academic and scientific community, universities in Vietnam have also started to teach academic courses in English. The main objective of this cross-sectional survey study (N=104) was to explore Vietnamese students’ perceptions of such dual-training programs and to investigate to what extent they feel the program currently meets their needs. Our findings show that both lecturers and students are struggling in these courses, for one thing, because of insufficient levels of mastery of the English language; while for another reason, since courses cannot be characterized as courses in which disciplinary contents and the foreign language are taught in an integrated way. The way forward seems to be to educate the lecturers and the students well, before allowing them to participate in CLIL English courses. All these issues need to be considered in the context of local Vietnamese educational realities and traditions.

https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.20.12.1


Keywords


English-Medium Instruction (EMI); Content- and Language- Integrated Learning (CLIL); Vietnamese Higher Education; students’ perception; survey

Full Text:

PDF

References


Aguilar, M., & Rodríguez, R. (2012). Lecturer and student perceptions on CLIL at a Spanish university. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 15(2), 183–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2011.615906

Coyle, D., Hood, P., & Marsh, D. (2010). Content and Language Integrated Learning (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. www.cambridge.org/9780521130219

Do, H. M., & Le, L. T. D. (2017). Content lecturers’ challenges in EMI classroom. European Journal of English Language Teaching, 2(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.256802

Dörnyei, Z., & Ushioda, E. (2009). Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (Vol. 36). Multilingual Matters Bristol.

Fajardo Dack, T. M., Argudo, J., & Abad, M. (2020). Language and Teaching Methodology Features of CLIL in University Classrooms: A Research Synthesis. Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal, 22(1 SE-Theme Review), 40–54. https://doi.org/10.14483/22487085.13878

Goris, J., Denessen, E., & Verhoeven, L. (2019). The contribution of CLIL to learners’ international orientation and EFL confidence. Language Learning Journal, 47(2), 246–256. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2016.1275034

Graham, K. M., Choi, Y., Davoodi, A., Razmeh, S., & Dixon, L. Q. (2018). Language and Content Outcomes of CLIL and EMI: A Systematic Review. Latin American Journal of Content & Language Integrated Learning, 11(1), 19–38. https://doi.org/10.5294/laclil.2018.11.1.2

Macaro, E., Curle, S., Pun, J., An, J., & Dearden, J. (2018a). A systematic review of English medium instruction in higher education. Language Teaching, 51(1), 36–76. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444817000350

Marsh, D., Mehisto, P., Wolff, D., & Frígols-Martín, M. J. (2012). European Framework for CLIL Teacher Education. A framework for the professional development of CLIL teachers. In Encuentro (Vol. 21). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444811000243

McKinley, J., & Rose, H. (2019). The routledge handbook of research methods in applied linguistics. In The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods in Applied Linguistics. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367824471

Nguyen, H. T. (2018). English-medium-instruction management: The missing piece in the internationalisation puzzle of Vietnamese higher education. Internationalisation in Vietnamese higher education (pp. 119–137). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78492-2_7

Nuñez Asomoza, A. (2015). Students’ perceptions of the impact of CLIL in a Mexican BA program. Profile Issues in TeachersProfessional Development, 17(2), 111–124. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v17n2.47065

Peukert, H., & Gogolin, I. (2017). Dynamics of Linguistic Diversity (Vol. 6). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/hsld.6

Phuong, Y. H., & Nguyen, T. T. (2019). Students’ Perceptions towards the Benefits and Drawbacks of EMI Classes. English Language Teaching, 12(5), 88–100. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n5p88

Tran, L. T., & Marginson, S. (2018). Internationalisation of Vietnamese higher education: An overview. Internationalisation in Vietnamese Higher Education, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78492-2

Tran, T. T. Q., & Phuong, H. Y. (2019). An investigation into English preparatory programs for EMI learning in higher education institutes in Vietnam. Can Tho University Journal of Science, 11(2), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.22144/ctu.jen.2019.024

Tsuchiya, K., & Pérez Murillo, M. D. (2015). Comparing the language policies and the students’ perceptions of CLIL in tertiary education in Spain and Japan. Latin American Journal of Content and Language Integrated Learning, 8(1), 25–35. https://doi.org/10.5294/laclil.2015.8.1.3

Vu, N. T. T., & Burns, A. (2014). English as a medium of instruction: Challenges for Vietnamese tertiary lecturers. Journal of Asia TEFL, 11(3), 1–31. http://www.asiatefl.org/main/download_pdf.php?i=59&c=1412065511&fn=11_3_01.pdf


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


e-ISSN: 1694-2116

p-ISSN: 1694-2493