Chapter 5

DISCUSSION

5.0 INTRODUCTION

The following chapter concludes this report. This study used a quantitative approach. Responses
from all the respondents from Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, Vietnam were examined, compiled and
evaluated properly to answer the research questions asked at the beginning of this study. In order
to detect and distinguish any trends that provided the best interpretation of the study's findings,
data were tallied and shown through tables and graphs as much as feasible. A summary of the
research is presented, and findings of the study are discussed and interpreted. This chapter ends
with recommendations in order to give information as well as guidance to conduct additional
investigation related to the same field. Finally, these recommendations are addressed to those
who are interested in teaching academic English in Vietnam particularly foreign teachers.

5.1 SUMMARY

This study intended to contribute to existing research on the factors affecting student’s English
learning ability, to shed light on the common obstacles or challenges faced by foreign teachers in
teaching academic English in Vietnam, and to find out the factors affecting the English learning
ability of Vietnamese students. Based on the results, it is concluded that (a) both language
barriers and student’s attitude are the most common obstacles foreign teachers face; and (b) the
motivation or reason for studying English is said to be the number one factor that affects the
student’s English learning ability.

There is a constant debate about whether native English speakers or non-native English speakers
are better at teaching English to speakers of other languages as a result of the growing demand
for English teachers. In this study, majority of the respondents were from the Philippines
accumulating 60% from the total number of respondents. According to Ulla (2019) and
Frederiksen (2014), the majority of the Filipinos who took part in her study received salaries that
were higher than those in their home countries, and this is typically the primary reason why
Filipino English teachers work abroad. Additionally, Cabigon (2015) mentioned that Filipinos
are recognized to have some degree of fluency in the English language despite the fact that
English is not a native language in the Philippines. Moreover, most of the foreign teachers had
more than seven years of teaching experience and had bachelor’s degree. This is an implication
that the more teaching experience the teacher has, the better his/her teaching skills are. As
teachers gain experience, students are more likely to do better in class.

As shown in Figure 2.1, language barrier and students’ attitude both accumulated 53.3% which
means more than half of the foreign teachers respondents felt that these are the greatest challenge
for them. Most foreign teachers of English experienced these challenges. They encountered
difficulties in adapting to the language problem in their daily work, teaching, and life.
Additionally, English and Vietnamese were two completely different languages with different
pragmatic and semantic features making it a huge barrier for foreign teachers to communicate
not only to their students but also to the local people. According to John Schumann of UCLA's
Department of Applied Linguistics, students studying a second language frequently have trouble
expressing themselves if they don't fully master that language. Their capacity to learn may be
hampered by the resulting mental stress. In another matter, Firdevs Karahan states that “positive
language attitudes let learner have positive orientation towards learning English.” As a result,
attitudes may be extremely important in language acquisition since they seem to have an impact
on students' success or failure in their studies. In addition, attitudes are significant because of the
way they shape behavior. Negative attitudes may also impede students' learning, thereby
affecting their future perspectives, choices, and actions (Abdelkader & Mohamed Amine, 2017).

On the other hand, Figure 2.2 showed the motivation/reason for studying English to have the
most percentage points (86.7%). Foreign teachers believed that this is the number one factor
affecting the English learning ability of Vietnamese students. For students who showed a great
motivation to learn usually excel in class. On the contrary, those who showed little to no
motivation at all usually failed. Many researchers expressed their views in regards to motivation
affecting students’ learning ability especially in English. According to Ditual (2012), learners
were highly motivated with positive attitudes towards learning English.

Consequently, the results of this study showed that teacher’s strategies were the least challenging
for foreign teachers and family and economic background were said to least affect the student’s
English learning abilities.
5.2 DISCUSSION

In light of English's status as a universal language, Vietnam is one of many non-English-

speaking nations where English language instruction is now required in schools. English has
continued to be used as training to turn Vietnamese children into global citizens with the toolbox
to communicate for survival needs, move abroad, travel, etc., with a rising emphasis on foreign
integration and international economic development (Ca & Danh, 2021). However, the quality of
English language teaching in Vietnam is quite low. The period before English became an
undeniable part of Vietnamese society and became common in diplomatic contacts may be
responsible for the poor deployment and implementation in English language learning and
instruction (Pham, 2022). In connecting to the lack of effectiveness of English teaching in
Vietnam, this study addresses some challenges faced by teachers as well as the factors hindering
students’ English learning ability.

This study claims that Vietnamese students lack motivation or reason to study English thus
affecting their English learning ability. Internal factors such as motivation have an impact on
students' attitudes, behaviors, and skill acquisition results. To achieve excellent learning
outcomes, learning motivation plays a crucial role. Thus, students' learning outcomes are highly
influenced by their motivation (Wahab, 2015). According to Hamdu & Agustina (2011), there is
a considerable impact on students' motivation to succeed. This suggests that if students are
driven to study, they will succeed more than those who are not, and vice versa, if they are
demotivated to learn, they will achieve less. This coincides with the study’s findings where
motivation/reason for studying English is the number one factor affecting students’ English
learning ability.

The majority of Vietnamese learners are now aware of the value of learning English thanks to its
widespread use. However, foreign teachers, as based on the survey, have found out that it is hard
to engage or motivate students in the classroom. Teachers spend years of hard work and a lot of
money to become experts in teaching English, with degrees and teaching certification to prove it.
They developed assessments to track the students’ progress. However, students are still not
learning. This is due to students are not motivated to learn. Even with the perfect lesson plan in
place, an unmotivated student will not learn.
ESL/EFL teachers play a significant role in motivating learners to the learning of second or
foreign language. Thus, the results imply that since students’ motivation influenced their learning
outcomes, then it is imperative that teachers should make each lesson more interesting to keep
students’ motivation high. Students need a classroom environment that is safe. To achieve this
goal, together, the teacher and students must work toward shared, group objectives. Students
must be willing to collaborate with and support their classmates in the classroom. The struggle
that comes with learning should be welcomed and encouraged.

Additionally, most professors focus more on teaching the language's technical parts, taking the
interaction between students and teachers for granted. As a result, students have little chance to
use their English in class (Alshaar, 1997). Furthermore, the results of this study coincide with
Malik, et.al. (2021) research entitled “Identification of barriers and challenges to teaching
English at an early age in Indonesia.” Their study found out that students show shallow learning
motivation in learning English as a foreign language. Moreover, Sardiman (2014) stated that
because motivation determines the amount of learning attempts and the success of students'
learning process, motivation will produce the best learning outcomes.

Secondly, this study shows that students’ attitude towards the class and language barrier greatly
affects the students overall learning at the same time a struggle for teachers especially foreign
teachers. Teachers should always be in control of the classroom however, it can be difficult at
times especially if the students have negative attitude towards the class. According to Farrel
(2018), teachers are urged to develop "a reflective mind” in order to get insight into what is
occurring in the classroom and determine what does and does not work. Understanding students'
attitudes toward language will benefit both the teacher and the student in the teaching-learning
process. Thus, teachers can start to implement lesson plans and activities suitable for the
student’s interests and attitudes. In this regard, Harmer (2002) emphasizes that one of the key
responsibilities of teachers is to pique students' interest and involvement in the subject, even if
they are not at first. They may be able to successfully manage a class through the selection of a
topic, activity, and language content. They may have an impact on their students through their
attitude toward class participation, their diligence, their sense of humor, and their seriousness.
They may inspire others by their own actions and passion. However, students' motivation is not
entirely the fault of their teachers. They can only motivate by their words and actions. Genuine
inspiration originates from within each person.

Consequently, teaching students whose native language is different from yours is a difficult but
rewarding experience. According to Oxford Dictionary, a language barrier is a communication
barrier between people who do not share a common language. Language barriers can be a
considerable hurdle to students. In fact, according to a 2008 research conducted by UNESCO,
more than 50% of all students who dropped out of school did not speak their school's primary
language. The learners have to cope with language limitations, strange dialects, and other issues
in addition to all the typical difficulties that come with learning a new language. Even older
students may frequently experience frustration as a result, lose interest in their studies, and
mentally detach themselves from the learning process.

Yet, in this study, it shows that another challenge faced by majority of foreign teachers of
academic English in Vietnam is the language barrier. However, the researcher believes that with
a few strategies in hand, you can ensure a successful and rewarding experience teaching English
as a foreign language. For example, foreign teachers can break the class into smaller groups and
help them practice in small environment until students become more confident in speaking in
front of the class. Another strategy that may help is for teachers to speak slowly but clearly. In
this case, students are able to comprehend what the teachers are saying.

5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS

After a thorough analysis of the data gathered, the following recommendations are hereby made:

 Foreign teachers should be mentally, physically and socially healthy in order to overcome
the challenges they might face when teaching academic English in Vietnam.
 Some ESL/EFL teachers overlook motivation when encouraging their students to learn
more. As ESL/EFL teachers, they should teach students how to motivate themselves.
Teachers should assist their students in finding motivation in unexpected places, as well
as research their own motivational processes so that they can capitalize on them.
 To improve students' attitudes toward English, the school and teachers should
recommend promoting students' positive attitudes and motivation toward English.
  The Vietnamese education system and school administration will assist and support
teachers in creating the necessary encouraging and positive environment in English
classes.
 Teachers and parents should encourage students to read English-language materials such
as books, short stories, newspapers, magazines, and educational DVDs.
 Activities and programs in improving students’ attitude towards learning English and
their English competence should be implemented.
 Further research on overcoming challenges faced by foreign teachers should be made.
 And finally, a follow up study should be conducted with bigger respondents for a more
comprehensive result.

This study is not without limitation, the study only surveyed foreign teachers from Ho Chi Minh
and Hanoi City, Vietnam and only those with more than three years of experience in teaching
English in the country. It would be more insightful if the study covered more foreign teachers in
the nearby cities and/or specific schools/universities, language centers, etc. and through this
setting, a variety of procedures could be formed that the aspiring English as Second Language
teacher could follow regarding teaching English in Vietnam. However, this study could also be
developed to provide better implications to aspiring English teachers abroad.