Nha Trang University

Faculty of Foreign Languages

PRACTICUM REPORT
Topic: Learning Foreign Languages

Name: NGUYỄN HẢI DƯƠNG

ID Number: 61133531

Group: 02

Class: 61.NNA-2

Teacher: LÊ HOÀNG DUY THUẦN

Date due: 26/12/2021

Nha Trang, December, 2021

 Table of Contents

Acknowledgement ..............................................................................................................3
I. Introduction: ...................................................................................................................4
II. The project: ...................................................................................................................5
1. Overview of the topic: ..................................................................................................5
2. Description of the project: ............................................................................................ 5
3. Results / Findings .........................................................................................................6
a. Personal information: ................................................................................................ 6
b. Time: .........................................................................................................................9
c. Benefits:...................................................................................................................10
d. Difficulties: .............................................................................................................11
e. Methods: ..................................................................................................................12
f. Recommendations: ..................................................................................................13
III. Personal opinion: .......................................................................................................15
1. About the topic: ..........................................................................................................15
a. Benefits:...................................................................................................................15
b. Challenges / difficulties: .........................................................................................15
c. Recommendations: ..................................................................................................15
2. About the project: .......................................................................................................15
a. Benefits:...................................................................................................................15
b. Challenges / difficulties: .........................................................................................16
c. Recommendations ...................................................................................................16
IV. Conclusion: .................................................................................................................16
References .........................................................................................................................17
Appendices ........................................................................................................................18

List of charts

Chart 1. Gender of the Interviewees ....................................................................................6

Chart 2. Nationality of the Interviewees ..............................................................................7
Chart 3. Age of the Interviewees .........................................................................................7
Chart 4. Occupation of the Interviewees .............................................................................8
Chart 5. Foreign languages of the Interviewees ..................................................................8
Chart 6. Studying time of the Interviewees .........................................................................9
Chart 7. Studying time of the Interviewees per day ............................................................ 9
1
Chart 8. Interviewees’ opinions on benefits of foreign languages in daily life .................10
Chart 9. Interviewees’ opinions on benefits of foreign languages in work .......................10
Chart 10. Interviewees’ opinions on the difficulty level of foreign languages .................11
Chart 11. Interviewees’ opinions on the hardest skill of foreign languages ......................11
Chart 12. Interviewees’ opinions on the best place to learn foreign languages ................12
Chart 13. Interviewees’ opinions on the best environment to learn foreign languages .....12
Chart 14. Interviewees’ opinions on ways to learn foreign languages effectively ............13
Chart 15. Interviewees’ opinions on whether some people are able to learn languages
better than the others ..........................................................................................................13
Chart 16. Interviewees’ evidence for their choices............................................................ 14
Chart 17. Interviewees’ advice for beginners ....................................................................14

2
 Acknowledgement
Firstly, I would like to present my gratitude to Mr. Le Hoang Duy Thuan for being such a
great help. Apart from the advice and guidance that he has been generously giving us, he
has been providing a quick presence to listen to our problems with enthusiastic energy. If
it weren’t for him, the project would have turned out to be a disaster.
Secondly, I want to thank all of the interviewees for their participation. Time can be a pretty
big deal as most of you are students. Moreover, without you, there would have been no
survey at all. I truly appreciate all of your contributions to our survey and the kindness you
have shown us.
Finally, I’m grateful for my teammates. We’ve been through the planning stage, the
troublesome interviews, the enormous data collecting, the group presentation, and now we
can proudly cross the finishing line together. We were sympathetic to each other and
assisted as much as possible. With the absence of my teammates, I do not think I could pull
off such an amazing and meaningful project like this.

3
I. Introduction:
Learning foreign languages has always been crucial. Roger
Bacon, the 13th Century English philosopher, wrote,
"Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom.". It
still applies to today's situation. Nowadays, we all have to
learn a second language at school. This essential affects
our work and life profoundly. For example, many
advanced academic insights are in foreign languages.
When traveling, the language barrier is zero. Moreover, if
you speak the language of the country you’re visiting, the
locals will give you a warm welcome and treat you more
nicely. Knowing many languages also gives us an
Picture 1. Roger Bacon advantage when we find jobs.
Corresponding with its numerous advantages, learning foreign languages is composed of
countless aspects including benefits, difficulties, methods, advice from the priors... Plus,
different circumstances create diverse points of view and methods. It would be unwise for
us to only take in opinions of those in the same environment as us, while the struggle of
learning foreign languages also happens to a lot of people around the globe.
Therefore, we saw this assignment as an opportunity for us to explore the kaleidoscope of
foreigners' perspectives and their ways of learning languages. It is necessary for us to
upgrade our network of information and broaden our view if we want to excel in the
linguistic field especially when we are the students of the Foreign Languages Faculty. This
project will be a tremendous contributing factor to our navigation to explore our suitable
ways of learning languages.
The objective of this project is to gather information from foreigners through real-time
interviews. Foreigners' answers are about their experience of learning foreign languages.
The designed questionnaire covers time, benefits, difficulties, methods, and
recommendations. In this report, I include the processed data. Charts will give a clear
illustration, and there will be an analysis below each of them. Moreover, you will find the
team's experience and assignment. Additionally, my reflection about both the project and
the topic is at the bottom.
Even though the project was challenging, the benefits are undeniable. We comprehended
more about the process of studying languages. Furthermore, the experience of chatting with
foreigners assists our English skills, teamwork ability, cultural knowledge, and many
others.

4
II. The project:
1. Overview of the topic:
After launching the project, our group started picking the topic to design the questionnaire
around. A thorough consideration led us to pick “Learning foreign languages” as our topic
for various reasons. We found that as students of the faculty of foreign languages, the topic
is beneficial for us in many ways. Moreover, it is seen as a familiar topic for anyone,
especially for students. Therefore, we rate this subject regarding the level of difficulty as
extremely easy and it will help us find many participants effortlessly. However, since the
aspects of the topic is countless and there is a limited number of questions, we decided to
convey only major aspects including benefits, difficulties, methods and recommendations.
The specific questionnaire is included at the bottom of the paper.
2. Description of the project:
Time Member Mission
Find at least 7 native speakers on Internet to interview
Week 5 - 9 Each member
Assist each other through the group chat
Each member Process data
Quynh Prepare Introduction (Presentation)
Week 10 - 11 Duong & Hao Prepare Statistics and PowerPoint (Presentation)
Ngan Prepare Benefits and Challenges (Presentation)
Thien Prepare Suggestion and Conclusion (Presentation)
Week 5 - 9
Having designed the suitable questionnaire, each member was required to find seven
foreigners to videotape or record an interview depending on their and the interviewee’s
comfort. The duration for this stage was five weeks at maximum.
Advantages
During the process of interviewing people, we are confident because our group are made
of skillful students. Furthermore, our team is equipped with fair socializing skills. That’s
why we identified as a strong team of conversationalists. To add, the appearance of the
group can be a great support to meeting people online. Another point worth mentioning is
that Thien was a member of an international summer camp. She was willing to provide a
contact list of camp attendees. We figured we could offer them more chances to interact
with foreigners through the interview. Because of that list, we were able to have nearly
zero obstacles in finding foreigners

5
Disadvantages
Despite our strong suits, some problems were still inevitable. For instance, English-
speaking countries are situated in inconvenient time zones to Vietnam. The late interviews
can lead to exhaustion and lack of spirit for students the following day. Besides, a
considerable amount of people turned us down since we were mistaken for online scams.
The project was also influenced by poor Wi-Fi connections. In addition, low-quality
electronics such as earphones and computer sound systems affected the fineness of some
interviews. In cases these things happen, we created a group chat for everybody to consult
and ask for directions. Because of our exchange, we managed to get through numerous
difficulties.
Week 10 - 11
After five long weeks, we finally gathered enough information to analyze. Each of the
members was required to process their own interviewees’ data. Having finished, the leader
divided different tasks for each member to prepare for the presentation. Quynh had to take
care of the introduction. I and Hao were in charge of the data charts and PowerPoint. Ngan
was responsible for benefits & challenges, and Thien prepared the suggestions &
conclusions. We then had some mock presentations to ensure the real one to go well.
3. Results / Findings:
a. Personal information:

Chart 1. Gender of the Interviewees

Our group has interviewed a total of 56 foreigners. The female interviewees account for
more than half of the participants.

6
 Chart 2. Nationality of the Interviewees
According to the Nationality bar chart, we mostly interviewed Filipinos with 11 people.
Moreover, we managed to contact native speakers from English-speaking countries.
Therefore, the second most interviewees are composed of 8 Americans. Then comes 7
Malaysian, 6 Indonesian, 4 British, 4 Peruvian, etc. Plus, these are people from all six
continents in the world, including even Oceania represented by 1 Australian and Africa
represented by 1 Moroccan.

Chart 3. Age of the Interviewees

A mass of foreigners is in their twenties and teenage years. In contrast, language learners
from 36 to 45, 46 to 55, and 56 to 65 take up a tiny fraction of about 3% to 5% each.

7
 Chart 4. Occupation of the Interviewees
The vast majority of participants are students from the international camp. In addition, from
the chart, we can observe a spectrum of jobs comprising 7 teachers, 2 nurses, 2 computer
programmers to even 1 freelancer, 1 intern, and even 1 unemployed at the time of the
interview.

Chart 5. Foreign languages of the Interviewees

The most educated language is English, proving the influence of the international language.
In second place is our mother tongue, Vietnamese, with 7 people tied with the Japanese
language. Following that, 3 participants learned Spanish, French, German. This high
position makes sense because these three are famous foreign languages worldwide.

8
b. Time:

Chart 6. Studying time of the Interviewees

More than half the interviewees studied languages for more than 5 years. 12.5 % of the
participants’ studied for 3 to 5 years. Less than one-third of them has learned from 1 to 3
years, and a tiny fraction had only been picking up the language for less than 1 year.

Chart 7. Studying time of the Interviewees per day

Furthermore, more than a quarter of the foreigners studied in less than 1 hour on average
whereas most of them spend 1 to 2 hours a day learning the language. They explained the
time budget with the busy schedule of working and studying. The proportion of people
spending 2 to 3 hours and more than 3 hours to acquire language skills is 14.3% and
19.6 %, respectively.

9
c. Benefits:

Chart 8. Interviewees’ opinions on benefits of foreign languages in daily life

Languages help the speakers exchange information. In that sense, two prominent
mentioned benefits in daily life are communication with foreigners and making new
friends. "Making friends" tops the chart at 19 opinions and "Communication with
foreigners" is mentioned in 17 opinions. Next are “Culture discovery”, “Entertainment”,
etc. On the other hand, 3 people said knowing the language is not helpful in their daily life.

Chart 9. Interviewees’ opinions on benefits of foreign languages in work

Regarding professions, up to 5 participants found their foreign language unbeneficial, more
than the assistance in “Abroad occupation/education” and “Major’s necessity”. The top
three perks are “High chances of finding jobs” with 23 opinions, “Better communication
with colleagues/ customers” with 13 opinions, and “Teaching career” with 9 opinions.
10
d. Difficulties:

Chart 10. Interviewees’ opinions on the difficulty level of foreign languages

When rating the difficulty level of the foreign language, nearly three-fourth of the
interviewees said it is difficult. Nearly 18% declared that it is easy, while people rating it
as medium amounts to only 3.6%. Apart from the three levels, a tiny fraction of the chart
ranked the language as sometimes difficult.

Chart 11. Interviewees’ opinions on the hardest skill of foreign languages

When discussing the toughest skill, "Writing" received the most votes. It is composed of
19 opinions. Next, "Speaking" and "Listening" are discussed by 13 participants and 12
participants respectively. Among the skill set, "Reading" is the least mentioned with only
5 people. Remarkably, one person chose both "Listening and speaking" as the hardest
combo. Besides, some interviewees didn’t follow the skill set above. "Grammar" and
"Pronunciation" were brought up by 3 people each.

11
e. Methods:

Chart 12. Interviewees’ opinions on the best place to learn foreign languages
Concerning the place of study, "School" reaches the highest position at 26 opinions. The
second place belongs to "Online learning platform" comprising of 12 votes. Following that,
"Home" is picked by 8 people while 5 opinions mentioned "The language center".
"Entertainment media", "Work place", and "Daily conversation" respectively have 3 votes,
2 votes, and 1 vote.

Chart 13. Interviewees’ opinions on the best environment to learn foreign languages
The best environment is the most controversial matter. Various segments have almost equal
proportions. "The school", "A group of friends", "A quiet atmosphere", and "Entertainment
media" all take up around 12% to 20% of the total opinions. The least favorite one is
"Language-only environment" with 7.1%. "With native speakers and foreigners" are seen
as the most beneficial environment. Its proportion is 26.8%
12
 Chart 14. Interviewees’ opinions on ways to learn foreign languages effectively
The most popular method is to "Learn from entertainment media" with 50 opinions. 14
opinions encouraged to "Practice with friends and native speakers" and "Practice a lot" is
composed of 13 opinions. 11 foreigners recommended to "Learn on online platforms".
Another tip is "Focus on vocabulary and look up in the dictionary" with 6 opinions. Lastly,
"Try not to be afraid to speak", "Participate in activities related to that language", and
"Learn from school" all consist of 4 opinions
f. Recommendations:

Chart 15. Interviewees’ opinions on whether some people are able to learn languages
better than the others
Facing the question “Are some people able to learn languages better than the others?”, the
majority responded with “Yes” while 28.6% of the opinions disagreed.

13
 Chart 16. Interviewees’ evidence for their choices
Evidence supporting the choices is diverse. Most people agree that the ability to learn
languages is gifted. Other explanations include preference, study method, diligence,
environment, and the studying age. One fascinating point is that 4 opinions chose the
influence of the mother tongue. For example, advanced languages such as Arabic could
help people deal with easier ones such as English, French, … effortlessly.

Chart 17. Interviewees’ advice for beginners

Finally, regarding advice for beginners, "Have motivation", "Don't give up", and "Be
patient" are widely mentioned. The second place goes to the recommendation to "Keep
practicing, speaking with people or by yourself". The rest of the advice consists of various
opinions. They comprise "Study through music, films, books"; "Don’t do things that make
your language never improve"; "Be confident", "Don't be shy"…
14
III. Personal opinion:
1. About the topic:
a. Benefits:
The "Learning foreign languages" topic can help grasp many perspectives and insights to
learn a language effectively. The more we know, the better we are at navigating to find our
suitable way. Plus, As the majority around is the world is learning a second language, it
easily attracts foreigners’ attention. Many online learners seek a chance to know more
about how to study languages as we do. Therefore, a few participants took the survey; in
return, they wanted us to share the result with them.
b. Challenges / difficulties:
On the other hand, since the topic is related to learning, it does not appeal to online chatters.
Chatting about school is tedious to interviewees, especially students. Additionally, various
foreign languages apart from English are taught worldwide while English is the mainly
educated language in Vietnam. Hence, Vietnamese students do not have enough
information to spark conversations with interviewees about unfamiliar languages like
Spanish, Japanese… Finally, a lot of people don't learn or don't remember learning
languages at all. Some also don’t want to share their failed attempts at learning with a
complete stranger.
c. Recommendations:
To excel at the interview, a little research is suggested beforehand. You could study a bit
about famous languages to keep the conversation going. Another tip is that you can
sidetrack the participants to talk about music and other stuff. These things seem to help
them relax a lot. Furthermore, to find people who are interested in the topic, it is better to
change into a more suitable platform. Possible options are numerous language exchanges
groups on Facebook or language-learning apps like HelloTalk, HiNative…
2. About the project:
a. Benefits:
The project has helped us keep up with new technology and sort out daily technical issues.
This skill could help us in future occupations and in daily life as well. In addition,
teamwork and social skills are honed. Not to mention, our English skills and confidence is
taken to the next level when chatting with foreigners. We now do not even flinch at the
sight of a lost foreigner asking for help in real life. Another plus point is that the project
was a chance to make many friends across nations. From there, we acquire knowledge of
many cultures.

15
b. Challenges / difficulties:
By contrast, this project also consists of some negative sides. The extensive requirements
create an overloading crisis along with schoolwork. Moreover, interviewees usually cancel
appointments abruptly and without notice. Not only does the project affects us, but the
school's reputation is also damaged. For instance, one foreigner can be bombarded with
thousands of texts from students of our school. To make matters worse, many people even
publicly wrote warnings on their profiles to drive Nha Trang University's students away.
c. Recommendations
As the root of the problem is the excessive requirement of the course, I suggest that the
key solution should be reducing the number of interviewees. If there are fewer targets,
students will have more time to focus on other courses and foreigners will be less
bothered. At long last, the teachers made a sensible decision to reduce the number of
interviewees from 10 to 7 for each student. Furthermore, the list of recommended
applications and websites is proposed to be renewed. Some of the recommendations do
not work efficiently or are out of service for quite some time now

IV. Conclusion:
In short, the interview project about learning foreign languages has been a delightful and
beneficial experience. It enhanced our English communication skills. Additionally, we
have learned to work better as a team, manage time more sufficiently, and socialize with
people from other cultures. Along the way, although we encountered some issues, we
have successfully pushed through them. Even when the ending of the assignment is near,
remarkable things like the knowledge the interviewees brought us and the new
relationships we built will be here to stay. Plus, through this project, we witnessed the
importance of learning languages. Hence, it didn’t only help us pass this course, but it
also equipped us with practical material for what the future has in store.

16
 References
1. Correas, S. (2019, July 24). Why Knowledge of Languages is Our Doorway to
Wisdom. ICS-Digital. https://www.ics-digital.com/knowledge-language-doorway-
wisdom/

17
 Appendices
QUESTIONNAIRE

Topic: Learning Foreign Languages

Time: Approximately 15-20 minutes
I. Personal information
Your Name is: ............................................................. Gender: ☐ Male ☐ Female
Nationality: ...................................................................................................................
Tick your age group: ☐ 16-25 ☐ 26-35 ☐ 36-45
☐ 46-55 ☐ 56-65 ☐ ≥ 66
Occupation: ...................................................................................................................
1. What foreign language are you studying?
.......................................................................................................................................
2. How long have you studied the 2nd language?
☐ < 1 year ☐ 1-3 years ☐ 3-5 years ☐ > 5 years
3. How much time do you spend on the 2nd language on average every day?
☐ < 1 hour ☐ 1-2 hours ☐ 2-3 hours ☐ > 3 hours
II. Benefits
1. In your opinion, how does the 2nd language help with your daily life?
………….…………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………….
2. Do you consider it will benefit in your work as well?
………….…………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………….
III. Difficulties
1. Do you find the 2nd language difficult?
☐ Yes ☐ No

2. In process of learning the 2nd language, what is the toughest in four skills?
☐ Listening ☐ Speaking ☐ Reading ☐ Writing

18
IV. Ways to learn
1. Where do you learn the 2nd language?
………….…………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………….
2. In what kind of environment do you learn the foreign language best?
………….…………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………..
3. Based on your experience, what do you do to learn the foreign language effectively?
………….…………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………….
V. Recommendations
1. Do you think that some people are able to learn languages better than the others?
Why?
………….…………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………….
2. What advice do you have for someone starting to learn a 2nd language?
………….…………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INFORMATION!

•◦●◦•

19