VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ************************* NGÔ THỊ CHÚC INTERCULTURAL INTERACTION BETWEEN VIETNAMESE MILITARY STUDENTS AND FOREIGN TEACHERS IN ENGLISH CLASSROOM CONTEXT: A CASE STUDY OF A MILITARY SCHOOL (SỰ TƯƠNG TÁC LIÊN VĂN HÓA GIỮA SINH VIÊN QUÂN SỰ VIỆT NAM VỚI GIÁO VIÊN NGƯỜI NƯỚC NGOÀI TRONG LỚP HỌC TIẾNG ANH: NGHIÊN CỨU TRƯỜNG HỢP Ở MỘT TRƯỜNG QUÂN SỰ) M.A MAJOR PROGRAMMME THESIS Field: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS Code: 60220201 HA NOI – 2014 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ************************* NGÔ THỊ CHÚC INTERCULTURAL INTERACTION BETWEEN VIETNAMESE MILITARY STUDENTS AND FOREIGN TEACHERS IN ENGLISH CLASSROOM CONTEXT: A CASE STUDY OF A MILITARY SCHOOL (SỰ TƯƠNG TÁC LIÊN VĂN HÓA GIỮA SINH VIÊN QUÂN SỰ VIỆT NAM VỚI GIÁO VIÊN NGƯỜI NƯỚC NGOÀI TRONG LỚP HỌC TIẾNG ANH: NGHIÊN CỨU TRƯỜNG HỢP Ở MỘT TRƯỜNG QUÂN SỰ) M.A MAJOR PROGRAMMME THESIS Field: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS Code: 60220201 Supervisor: DR. HOÀNG THỊ HẠNH HA NOI – 2014 DECLARATION BY AUTHOR I, NGÔ THỊ CHÚC, hereby certify that this thesis, which is entitled “Intercultural Interaction between Vietnamese Military Students and Foreign Teachers in English Classroom Context: A Case Study of a Military School”, is created from my original work. I have firmly declared the contribution of others to my thesis such as data analysis, practical strategies, and all other research that was employed or reviewed in my thesis. This thesis is the result of my own study in the fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts at Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Hanoi, 2014 Ngô Thị Chúc i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been finished without the assistance I received from many people and organisations. I would like to express my thankfulness to:  my supervisor, Dr. Hoànng Thị Hạnh for being immeasureably helpful for my work and for her detailed advice, invaluable comments and suggestions. Without her endless support this thesis would have been impossible.  the students and teachers who have participated in the study with their priceless time, attempt and keenness.  the staff at the studied military school for their valuable support during my data collection process.  Ms. Lê Minh Thu for her precious help in inviting the foreign teachers to participate in this research.  my sister, Ngô Thị Nhâm, for her endless support and encouragement.  the Post-Graduate staff and my classmates at the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for providing me with basic knowledge about how to structure a research project and the opportunity to improve my research knowledge and skills.  my colleagues at Military Academy of Logistics for their support, encouragement and constructive comments on my work.  my parents and parents-in-law for their wholehearted support and motivation.  my small family including my husband, Phạm Ngọc Hiệp, and my daughter Phạm Trúc Linh for their love and support. Without their support and collaboration, this thesis would have been impossible. ii ABSTRACT This study explores the intercultural interaction between Vietnamese military students and foreign teachers in English classroom context as well as the participants’ perceptions of those interactions using qualitative case study methodology. The participants are a class of 18 Vietnamese military students and two foreign teachers in a military school in Hanoi. Four data collection instruments were employed: classroom observation, retrospective interviews, focus group interviews and individual open-ended interviews. The interaction were analyzed using Chaudron’s (1988) interactive features of classroom behaviours and Hofstede’s (1986) nature of teacher-student interaction related to individualism versus collectivism and power distance dimensions of culture. The findings show that the teacher-student intercultural interaction had the characteristics of both individualism and collectivism, and both large power distance and small power distance. The students participated quite actively in the lessons. The foreign teachers align themselves with their own teaching styles with lots of communicative activities during the lessons and independence of students was encouraged. However, there was a mismatch between the students’ and teachers’ expectations. The perceptions of both students and teachers about their classroom interaction were positive. Both student and teacher participants in this study perceive that differences between two cultures do not hinder their intercultural interaction in the classroom. Nevertheless, misunderstanding was hidden during the interaction without being conscious of by both students and teachers. The findings raise awareness of cultural differences for both students and teachers involved in intercultural interaction in the classroom. The study proposes practical suggestions for international teachers of English in Vietnam and Vietnamese students who study English with foreign teachers in their home country or go overseas to study, especially in Australia. iii NOTES ON QUOTATIONS FROM THE DATA Excerpt 3.1 – JANE – 20.03: Excerpt 3.1: Excerpt number 1 in chapter 3 JANE: Pseudonym of the teacher 20.03: The observed lesson was on March, 20 S1: Student number 1 SS: Students T: Teacher RI: Quotes taken from retrospective interview IO: Quotes taken from individual open-ended interview FG: Quotes taken from focus group interview Jane-RI21.03: Jane: Pseudonym of the teacher who produced the quoted utterance RI21.03: Quote taken from Retrospective Interview taking place on March, 21 Lyn-IO: Lyn: Pseudonym of the teacher who produced the quoted utterance IO: Quotes taken from individual open-ended interview Manh-FG1: Manh: Pseudonym of the student who produced the quoted utterance FG1: Quote taken from Focus Group Interview number 1. […]: quotations are partly omitted iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Vietnamese Teacher-Student Interaction versus Australian Teacher-Student Interaction Related to the Individualism versus Collectivism and the Power Distance Dimensions of Culture……………... 14 Table 2: List of Teacher Participants ……………………..………………... 21 Table 3: List of Student Participants ………………..……………………… 22 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Comparison of value orientations: Vietnam versus Australia....... 12 Figure 2: Stages of Data Analysis ……………………..…………………… 30 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION BY AUTHOR ............................................................................ i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................. ii ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................... iii NOTES ON QUOTATIONS FROM THE DATA ............................................. iv LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................ v LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................... vii PART A: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1 1. Contextual motivation ....................................................................................... 1 2. Significance of the study .................................................................................... 3 3. Aims and scope of the study .............................................................................. 3 3.1 Aims of the study and research questions ........................................................... 3 3.2 Scope of the Study ............................................................................................. 4 4. Organization of the study .................................................................................. 4 PART B: DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................. 5 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEWS ........................................................... 5 1. 1 Review of theoretical background for the study ........................................... 5 1.1.1 Culture ............................................................................................................ 5 1.1.2 Culture and communication............................................................................. 6 1.1.3 Intercultural communication............................................................................ 7 1.1.4 Intercultural communication versus Cross-cultural communication ................. 7 1.1.5 Intercultural communicative competence (ICC)............................................... 8 1.1.6 Classroom interaction...................................................................................... 9 1.1.6.1 Definitions of interaction in the classroom ............................................... 9 1.1.6.2 Features of classroom interaction............................................................. 9 1.1.6.3 Classroom interaction and foreign/second language acquisition ............ 10 1.1.7 Cultural dimensions and teacher-student interaction in the classroom ............ 11 vii 1.1.8 Individualism versus Collectivism and teacher-student interaction................. 12 1.1.9 Power distance and teacher-student interaction .............................................. 13 1.1.10 Vietnamese and Australian teacher-student interaction influenced by cultural factors.................................................................................................................... 14 1.2 Reviews of relevant studies............................................................................ 15 1.3 Summary ........................................................................................................ 17 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................... 19 2.1 General Method ............................................................................................. 19 2.1.1. Qualitative Research .................................................................................... 19 2.1.2. Case Study................................................................................................ 19 2.2 Participants and Site...................................................................................... 20 2.2.1 The School .................................................................................................... 20 2.2.2. Participants .................................................................................................. 21 2.2.2.1. Teacher Participants ............................................................................. 21 2.2.2.2. Student Participants .............................................................................. 21 2.3 Data Collection Instruments ......................................................................... 23 2.3.1 Classroom Observation ................................................................................. 23 2.3.2 The retrospective interview ........................................................................... 25 2.3.2.1 Retrospective interview with students ..................................................... 26 2.3.2.2 Retrospective interview with teachers ..................................................... 26 2.3.3 Individual open-ended interview ................................................................... 27 2.3.4 The focus-group interview ............................................................................ 27 2.4 Transcription and analysis of data ............................................................... 28 2.4.1 Transcription ................................................................................................. 28 2.4.2 Analysis ........................................................................................................ 29 2.5 Validity of the study....................................................................................... 31 2.6 Summary ........................................................................................................ 31 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS ..................................................... 33 viii 3.1. The intercultural interaction between Vietnamese military students and foreign teachers in English classroom ................................................................ 33 3.1.1 Physical Environment ................................................................................... 33 3.1.2 Social environment ....................................................................................... 33 3.1.2.1 Starting the lessons ................................................................................. 33 3.1.2.2 During the lessons .................................................................................. 35 3.1.2.3 Ending the lessons .................................................................................. 36 3.1.3 The features of interaction between teachers and students in the classroom ... 37 3.1.3.1 Turn taking. ............................................................................................ 37 3.1.3.2 Questioning and answering .................................................................... 39 3.1.3.3 Negotiation of meaning........................................................................... 41 3.1.3.4 Feedback ................................................................................................ 44 3.2. Teachers’ and students’ perceptions of their intercultural interactions ..... 49 3.2.1 Teachers’ perceptions.................................................................................... 49 3.2.2 Students’ perceptions ................................................................................ 53 3.3 Cultural factors underlie the teacher-student interaction and their impact on the teacher-student intercultural interaction in the classroom .................... 59 3.3.1 Attitudes to topics for public discussions ....................................................... 60 3.3.2 Conceptions of beauty ................................................................................... 61 3.3.3 Love for romance .......................................................................................... 61 3.3.4 Respect for teachers ...................................................................................... 62 3.3.5 Typical personality ........................................................................................ 62 3.4 To some extent, do cultural differences hinder or facilitate the teacher- student intercultural interaction in the classroom? ........................................... 64 3.4.1 Teachers’ attitudes ........................................................................................ 64 3.4.2 Students’ attitudes ......................................................................................... 64 3.5 Summary ........................................................................................................ 69 PART C: CONCLUSION ................................................................................... 70 1. Research findings............................................................................................. 70 ix 1.1 How do the Vietnamese military students and their foreign teachers interact in English classroom? ............................................................................ 70 1.2 How do the Vietnamese students and their foreign teachers perceive their inter-cultural interaction in the classroom? ....................................................... 71 1.3 What cultural factors underlie their classroom interaction? ...................... 72 1.4 To some extent, do those cultural factors facilitate or hinder the classroom interaction? .......................................................................................................... 73 2. Implications ..................................................................................................... 73 3. Limitations ....................................................................................................... 75 4. Recommendations for further study ............................................................... 76 REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 78 Appendixes ..............................................................................................................I x PART A: INTRODUCTION This part presents two main motivations for conducting the study. It begins with the status of English language education in Vietnam, focusing on Vietnamese students’ learning English as a foreign language. The status initiated a need for researching on intercultural interaction between Vietnamese students and foreign teachers. Then, it presents the significance, aims, research questions, scope and methodology of the study. This part ends with a brief description of the study’s organization. 1. Contextual motivation With the fast process of integration and the growth of international businesses and trades in Vietnam, the ability to communicate in English has become a passport to a better job and a turnkey to opportunity. The need for highly skilled and competent English speakers makes English language learning and teaching a major issue in Vietnamese education today. In 2008, the project to improve the teaching and learning of foreign languages in Vietnam through 2020 was approved by the Prime Minister, and attracting overseas foreigners to teach in Vietnam is included in the project. As a result, there have been an increasing number of foreign teachers teaching English in Vietnam in recent years (Binh, 2012; Vietnam to bring in more native speakers to teach English, 2013). This situation happens not only in schools and universities but also in various kindergartens, international schools, and English language centers such as the British Council, the American Apollo, and the Cambridge International Examinations. Consequently, the access to a multicultural classroom in Vietnam has become increasingly easy. In addition, a significantly rising number of Vietnamese are choosing to study abroad (Hang, 2009) to gain globally-recognised degrees, which increases job prospects and boosts their language skills. Australia and America are the leading study destinations for Vietnamese students (Vietnamese students on the move, 2014). In English classroom at military schools, the presence of foreign teachers may be less common. However, Vietnam’s development cooperation with English speaking 1 countries has gradually been stronger. Hence, there are more and more native English teachers teaching Vietnamese military students in Vietnam, and it is also true for the number of scholarships for military students to study in English speaking countries such as America, Australia and New Zealand. In the current context, the need for understanding of intercultural interaction between Vietnamese students and foreign teachers in English classroom and the role of culture in intercultural communication has been rising. There have been many international studies of intercultural communication (Hall, 1966; Hofstede, 1986; Bennett, 1998; Corbett, 2003; Dogancay-Aktuna, 2005; Crose, 2011; Nataša Bakić-Mirić, 2012). In Vietnam, intercultural communication has not been paid due attention to in English language teaching and learning, but there is a growing interest (Nguyen, 2010; Kiet, 2011; Bright, 2012; Canh, 2013). However, the focus is more on the side of teachers or overseas Vietnamese students. There has not been much research on how intercultural interaction between Vietnamese students and foreign teachers takes place in English classroom, let alone the interaction between military students and foreign teachers. Having taught English at a military school for several years, I can see that military students, like Vietnamese students in general, are eager to have English lessons taught by foreign teachers. However, the cultural differences between Vietnamese students and foreign teachers are considered to cause conflicts and misunderstanding when they encounter intercultural interaction (Ellis, 1995). Because intercultural communication in English language learning and teaching in Vietnam has not been paid due attention to, Vietnamese students in general and Vietnamese military students in particular are not well prepared for intercultural communication. For the given situation, and my concern about the way to help my students be confident when interacting with foreign teachers and make their experience of learning English with foreign teachers a positive one, I take this opportunity to conduct this study on intercultural interaction between Vietnamese 2 military students and foreign teachers in English classroom. This is a case study of a single English class in a military school in Hanoi, Vietnam. 2. Significance of the study In terms of theory, this study is hoped to provide some useful contribution to knowledge of authentic intercultural interaction in an educational context. This research is expected to help Vietnamese military learners of English better understand cultural factors involved in their interaction with foreign teachers, and the impacts of these cultural factors on the interaction. Also, the study is hoped to help with a better understanding between Vietnamese military students and foreign teachers to motivate their learning and teaching process. In terms of practice, this study raises teacher’s and student’s awareness of intercultural communication and can contribute to the teaching of English and of intercultural communication in Vietnamese military schools. 3. Aims and scope of the study 3.1 Aims of the study and research questions The researcher views interaction between Vietnamese military students and foreign teachers in English classroom as a truly intercultural setting that need a close inspection. The aims of this study are:  to describe and interpret inter-cultural interaction between Vietnamese military students and foreign teachers in English classroom.  to describe and interpret how Vietnamese military students and foreign teachers think of that interaction.  to find out what cultural factors involve in the interaction and whether they facilitate or hinder the process of that interaction. These objectives are parallel with four following questions: 3 1. How do the Vietnamese military students and their foreign teachers interact in English classroom? 2. How do they perceive that inter-cultural interaction? 3. What cultural factors underlie their classroom interaction? 4. To some extent, do those cultural factors facilitate or hinder the classroom interaction? 3.2 Scope of the Study To limit the scope of the study, this research examines intercultural interactions in English classroom by focusing on teacher-student interactions. The study considers all forms of interaction: verbal and non-verbal, positive and negative. This is the case of military school in Hanoi with the participation of 18 Vietnamese military students and two foreign teachers, and it has no intention of generalisation. 4. Organization of the study This thesis is organised into three main parts: Part A- Introduction, Part B - Development and Part C - Conclusion. This introductory part presents the research aims, scope, significance, and organisation of the study. Next, part B - Development is divided into three chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the theoretical matters of intercultural interactions in English classroom such as definitions of culture, intercultural communication, and classroom interaction. It also reviews related past research. Chapter 2 explains the methodological approach and procedures of the study. It deals with the description of the case, data collection instruments, data collection procedure and data analysis process. Chapter 3 reports the results for each research question. The thesis ends with part C - Conclusion, which discusses findings and suggests implications for EFL education, especially in military schools. It also presents some limitations of the study and suggestions for further research. 4 PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEWS This chapter consists of two main parts. Firstly, it will start with critically reviewing the concepts of culture, intercultural communication and intercultural communicative competence. Secondly, it will critically review and discuss studies on classroom interaction, the relationship between classroom interaction and second language acquisition, Vietnamese and Australian cultures and the influence of cultural dimensions on teacher –student interaction in classroom, and some relevant studies in order to identify the gap in the literature. 1. 1 Review of theoretical background for the study 1.1.1 Culture Culture is often considered the core concept of intercultural communication (Martin & Nakayama, 2010); therefore, discussion of definitions of culture and the relationship between culture and communication is essential in this study. Singer (1998) defines culture as “a pattern of learned, group-related perceptions – including both verbal and nonverbal language, attitudes, values, belief systems, disbelief systems and behaviours that is accepted and expected by an identity group” (p. 5, as cited in Jones & Quach, 2007, p. 5). Thus, culture is something that is learned from parents, schools, the media and the broader community. Gudykunst (1983) states that, cultures are dynamic because they are created and recreated through shared interactions (cited in Jones & Quach, 2007). This means cultures are not fixed and people could learn and relearn different cultures during their lifetime. Jones and Quach (2007) believe that culture is made up of a particular group of people’s shared values and assumptions. These key features of culture are shared by many authors (for example: Spencer-Otatey, 2000; Liddicoat & Scarino, 2013): 5 Culture is a fuzzy set of attitudes, beliefs, behavioural conventions and basic assumptions and values that are shared by a group of people, and that influence each member’s behaviour and each member’s interpretations of the “meaning” of other people’s behaviour (Spencer-Otatey, 2000, p. 4). Culture is not simply a body of knowledge but a framework in which people live their lives, communicate and interpret shared meanings, and select possible actions to achieve goals (Liddicoat & Scarino, 2013, p. 22). Because culture is made up of shared values and assumptions, people tend to believe that the ways they behave and the things they value are right and true for everyone. However, different groups may have different values, ways of communicating, customs, conventions, and assumptions; and thus when people from different cultural groups communicate with each other, conflicts may appear (Jones and Quach, 2007). 1.1.2 Culture and communication The relationship between culture and communication is complex (Martin & Nakayama, 2010). As Samovar and Porter (2004) state, communication and perception are affected by culture (cited in Patel, Li & Sooknanan, 2011). Culture, therefore, is a significant factor in how people communicate and how they perceive any form of communication. Barro et al. (1998) view culture as “an active meaning- making system of experiences which enters into and is constructed within every act of communication” (p. 83). Thus, culture not only influences communication but also is influenced by communication (Barro et al., 1998; Martin & Nakayama, 2010; Patel, Li & Sooknanan, 2011). In sum, culture and communication are inclusive and interrelated. 6 1.1.3 Intercultural communication In the era of globalization and technology, Vietnamese people are more likely to encounter international interactions which need English as a common language for communication. However, such intercultural interactions can be difficult if we do not know how to deal with people who are culturally different from us. Increasing our knowledge and understanding of other people and their cultures is more important today than ever before. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare Vietnamese language students for intercultural communication in an increasingly multicultural world. Barnett and Lee (2003) define intercultural communication as the cultural information exchange between two groups of people who are culturally different. Intercultural communication, therefore, concerns communication between people who come from different cultures (Ting-Toomey, 1999). Basically, we can understand that intercultural communication embodies the interaction between people from different cultural backgrounds, and it implies a procedure that people of one specific culture observe the target culture and reflect on their own and the target culture (Byram, 1989). In short, intercultural communication is recognised in this study as an interaction between people from distinctive cultural backgrounds which might influence or be influenced by their own cultural characteristics. 1.1.4 Intercultural communication versus Cross-cultural communication The theoretical study of intercultural and cross-cultural communication cannot be entirely isolated (Prosser, 2009). However, it is necessary to distinguish these two terms in this study. Intercultural communication, as discussed above, is defined as the study of communication between people whose cultural backgrounds are significantly different. Whereas, a cross-cultural communication study compares and contrasts the communication of people from different cultures and explain how 7 communication varies from one culture to another (Prosser, 2009). Simply put, cross-cultural approach means a comparison and contrast between two or more cultural groups; therefore, the main goal of cross-cultural approach is the study of a specific concept within one culture and compare to other culture (Prosser, 2009). Intercultural approach, on the other hand, mainly aims at the development of intercultural competence which is viewed as the ability to behave and respond properly and successfully in various cultural contexts (Messner & Schafer, 2012; Spitzberg, 2000). The concept of intercultural communicative competence, thus, will be discussed in the following section. 1.1.5 Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) The term intercultural communicative competence has been defined in various ways. ICC is regularly viewed as united mix of “knowledge, motivation and skills to interact effectively and appropriately with members of different cultures” (Wiseman, 2003, p. 192). Byram (1997) defines ICC as “the ability to communicate and interact across cultural boundaries” (p. 7, as cited in Hien, 2014, p. 117). The differences in cultural backgrounds of people are considered the challenging features for intercultural interaction. Thus, the process of obtaining intercultural and communicative competence is complicated. ICC, as proposed by Byram (1997), requires five significant factors: attitude, knowledge of oneself and others, skills of interpreting and relating, skills of discovery and interaction, critical cultural awareness (p. 91, cited in Hien, 2014). In the era of globalisation, the ICC approach is getting an influential position in foreign language teaching and learning practice (Houghton, 2009, cited in Hien, 2014). Considering the importance of ICC in foreign language education and the trend of globalisation, Vietnamese language students should be taught to interact appropriately and effectively in intercultural communication encounters. 8