Full name: Nguyen Thi Thu Ha

Sex: Female

Date of birth: 18 June 1974

Place of birth: Hanoi

Admission decision number: 1232/QĐ-ĐHNN by ULIS, VNU.

Changes in academic process:

Change of supervisor.

Extension of PhD education program from June 2021 to June 2023.

Change of thesis title.

Official thesis title: Lecturers’ and students’ perceptions of English medium instruction classroom interaction practices in a Vietnamese technical university.

Major: English Teaching Methodology

Code: 9140231.01

Supervisors:

    Supervisor 1: Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoa

    Supervisor 2: Dr. Huynh Anh Tuan

11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:

Using constructivist grounded theory, the study has generated a general explanation of EMI classroom interaction practices shaped by the views of EMI lecturers and students in a Vietnamese technical university. The study employed two major data collection methods including classroom observations and intensive interviews with six EMI lecturers and thirty-five EMI students.

The results of classroom observation recordings and protocols showed that EMI classes were dominated with teacher-fronted style with four emerged types of classroom interaction including interactions between lecturer and the entire class, lecturer and specific students, lecturer and students in pairs, and lecturer and students in groups. The data analysis of classroom observations also reveals significant categories in verbal and non-verbal interaction including lecturers' use of English and code-switching in presenting content knowledge, use of teaching aids to illustrate the lessons, their mobility and gestures while teaching, students’ verbal and non-verbal  interaction including their use of L1 and L2 in interacting with lecturers, their limited interactive behaviors and their individual work/pair work/group work in EMI classes.

For a greater understanding of the nature of classroom interaction in a Vietnamese contextualized higher education setting, EMI instructors and students provided in-depth explanations for their interaction via intensive interviews after classroom observations. The results demonstrate that views of participants have a profound impact on how classroom interaction practices are shaped. EMI lecturers and students reported several dimensions including curriculum requirements, lecturers’ teaching methodologies and personalities, students’ English competence and subject knowledge, students’ psychological and physical states, career demands and Vietnamese educational tradition and cultures all contribute to how they interacted in EMI classes.

The impacts of classroom interaction on students’ disciplinary learning and English proficiency were differently perceived by EMI lecturers and students. The findings also reveal difficulties faced by EMI lecturers and students during the interaction. Even though all EMI lecturers and students reported positive motivations for EMI, the process of disciplinary learning is perceived to be negatively affected due to limited language skills of students. The suggestions made by these important stakeholders might be taken into account to raise the standard of classroom interaction for students' better content learning via the medium of English language in Vietnamese higher education institutions.

12. Practical applicability, if any:

The findings of the current study provide practical implications for EMI pedagogy in Vietnamese higher institutions, which aims to improve the classroom interaction in EMI courses, leading to students’ better content learning and English proficiency. Based on EMI lecturers and students’ perceptions, the study has proposed some recommendations for key stakeholders in the implementation of EMI policy including educational administrators, EMI lecturers and students in Vietnamese higher institutions.

13. Further research directions, if any:

Based on the findings and limitations of the study, some future research directions are recommended as follows.

 It is necessary to conduct comparative studies to assess the advantages and drawbacks of various EMI models in higher educational institutions worldwide.

More investigations should be conducted to examine multilingual/bilingual practices such as translanguaging/codeswitching, or the use of L1 by EMI lecturers and students in EMI classes in higher education institutions.

More research should be done in terms of teaching methodology training provided for EMI lecturers to investigate appropriate EMI pedagogy.

 Necessary language support for EMI students throughout EMI courses requires more investigations.

Clear benchmarks for English competence for EMI have also not yet been established by research and in need for further studies.

14. Thesis-related publications:

1. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha (2018). Impacts of English as a Medium of Instruction on students’ content learning and their English proficiency: A critical Review. National ESP conference: ESP teaching and Learning in Vietnamese Higher Education: The Status Quo and the Directions. Banking Academy of Vietnam.

2. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha (2018). Some challenges in English as a Medium of Instruction courses in higher education institutions.  2018 International Graduate Research Symposium. University of Languages and International Studies, VNU.

3. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha (2019). Exploring lecturers' and students' perceptions on the impacts of English as a medium of instruction in a Vietnamese technical university: A case study. 2019 International Graduate Research Symposium. University of Languages and International Studies, VNU.

4. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha (2020). Classroom interaction in English medium instruction in higher education institutions: A critical literature review. 2020 International Graduate Research Symposium. University of Languages and International Studies, VNU.

5. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha (2021). Review on approaches in grounded theory: A comparison of similarities and differences. 2021 International Graduate Research Symposium. University of Languages and International Studies, VNU. 

6. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha (2022). Lecturers' perceptions of English medium instruction classroom interaction in a Vietnamese technical university. 2022 International Graduate Research Symposium. University of Languages and International Studies, VNU.

7. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, Nguyen Hoa, Huynh Anh Tuan (2023). Students' perceptions of English medium instruction classroom interaction practices in a Vietnamese technical university. 2023 International Graduate Research Symposium. University of Languages and International Studies, VNU.