THE MOTIVATION OF VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

TO LEARN ENGLISH: A STUDY USING THE EXPECTANCY-

VALUE MODEL OF ACADEMIC MOTIVATION

By

TRUONG CONG BANG

BA (HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam)

MA (Curtin university, Australia)

This thesis is submitted

in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Faculty of Education and Arts

The University of Newcastle

NSW, Australia

August 2016
 Statement of Originality i

Statement of Originality

The thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other

degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution and, to the best of my

knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another

person, except where due reference has been made in the text. I give consent to the final

version of my thesis being made available worldwide when deposited in the

University’s Digital Repository, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.

Name: Truong Cong Bang

Signature: …………………………………………………………………

Date: 30 August, 2016

 Acknowledegments ii

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to those who have

provided resources, support, time, guidance, encouragement, and company during my

PhD candidature.

My sincere thanks go to my supervisors, Dr Jennifer Archer and Associate

Professor Shen Chen, for accompanying me throughout the course of my study. I am

deeply grateful for their domain expertise, valuable feedback, scholarly guidance,

extraordinary patience, and wholehearted dedication to my project. My warmest thanks

also go to Professor Max Smith for his valuable assistance with the statistics in my

study.

I would like to thank the Vietnamese government for awarding me a scholarship

to undertake my PhD studies in Australia. I am also greatly indebted to School of

Education for giving me financial support to travel to Vietnam to collect data for the

research and present part of my research findings at an international conference in

Hawaii.

I am grateful to the three university administrators in Vietnam who granted

approval for me to collect data at their universities. I also am very grateful to the

students and lecturers of English at those universities who volunteered to participate in

my study.

My thanks go to the University of Newcastle for providing a rich research

environment and support services to students and, in particular, to the academics and

professional staff of the School of Education and the Faculty of Education and Arts.

I am thankful to my colleagues and friends at home in Vietnam, and friends at

the University of Newcastle for their good advice, sharing many memorable moments,

and for their constant encouragement. My sincere thanks also go to Mrs Jeanette Abery
 Acknowledegments iii

and Mr Bryan Abery and everyone in their family for their love and concern as if I were

a member of their family.

Lastly, I express my love and boundless gratitude to my parents, my brothers,

sisters, nephews, and nieces. Words cannot express the extent of my appreciation for all

that you have done for me. Your love has given me the strength to accomplish this

study.
 Table of Contents iv

Table of Contents

Page
Statement of Originality ..................................................................................................................... i
Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................. ii
Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................ iv
List of Tables ....................................................................................................................................... viii
List of Figures ....................................................................................................................................... ix
List of Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................... x
Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... xi
INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY ............................................ 1
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 1
Research Questions ................................................................................................................................ 4
Organization of the Thesis ................................................................................................................... 4
HIGHER EDUCATION AND ENGLISH TEACHING AND
LEARNING IN VIETNAM ........................................................................................... 7
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 7
Vietnam: Demographic detail and its system of education ........................................................ 7
A brief historical overview of foreign language policies in Vietnam ..................................... 8
The role of English in Vietnam ........................................................................................................ 11
Vietnamese higher education ............................................................................................................ 15
Historical perspective on higher education in Vietnam .................................................... 15
Higher Education Reforms since 1986 .................................................................................. 17
Teaching and learning English in Vietnamese higher education ............................................ 22
English programs in higher education ................................................................................... 22
English competency in Vietnam .............................................................................................. 24
Teacher shortage .......................................................................................................................... 26
Approaches to teaching and learning ..................................................................................... 26
Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 29
LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................ 31
Motivation defined ............................................................................................................................... 31
Expectancy-value theory: A brief history ..................................................................................... 33
The Eccles et al. expectancy-value model of achievement motivation ................................ 36
Expectancy-related beliefs ........................................................................................................ 39
Task values .................................................................................................................................... 43
 Table of Contents v

Expectancy beliefs and value attached to the task .............................................................. 45

Gender differences in expectancies and values ................................................................... 46
METHODOLOGY ..................................................................... 49
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 49
Sampling issues ..................................................................................................................................... 49
Research sites ................................................................................................................................ 49
Selection of Participants ............................................................................................................ 51
Research design .................................................................................................................................... 55
Quantitative method............................................................................................................................. 58
Survey.............................................................................................................................................. 58
Translation of survey into Vietnamese .................................................................................. 71
Piloting testing of the survey .................................................................................................... 72
Qualitative method ............................................................................................................................... 73
Focus group interviews with students .................................................................................... 73
Individual interviews with lecturers ....................................................................................... 76
Overview of data analyses ................................................................................................................. 76
Quantitative data analysis .......................................................................................................... 77
Qualitative data analyses for focus groups with students and individual interviews
with teachers .................................................................................................................................. 80
Ethics clearance .................................................................................................................................... 82
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 83
ANALYSIS OF QUANTITATIVE DATA ................................. 84
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 84
Structural Equation Model (SEM)................................................................................................... 86
Measuring model fit ............................................................................................................................. 93
Limitations of Structural Equation Modeling .............................................................................. 96
QUALITATIVE FINDINGS .......................................................... 98
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 98
Focus group interviews with students ............................................................................................ 99
Part 1: Expectancy of success and Motivation to study English .......................................... 100
Expectancy of success .............................................................................................................. 100
Motivation to study English .................................................................................................... 104
Part 2: Gender differences and similarities in studying English ........................................... 113
Usefulness .................................................................................................................................... 113
 Table of Contents vi

Performance ................................................................................................................................. 114

Part 3: Learning English at university .......................................................................................... 115
Focus on grammatical rules, memorisation, and written exercises ............................. 115
Focus on communicative language activities .................................................................... 116
Influences of lecturer on students’ motivation to learn English ................................... 118
Interviews with lecturers .................................................................................................................. 124
Part 1: Expectancy of success and students’ motivation to learn English ......................... 126
Expectancy of success .............................................................................................................. 126
Students’ motivation to learn English .................................................................................. 127
Part 2: Gender differences- achievement and interest ............................................................. 129
Part 3: Teaching English at the university .................................................................................. 131
Communicative focus and ways to improve speaking skills ......................................... 131
Focus on grammar, memorisation, and written exercises .............................................. 133
Summary ............................................................................................................................................... 134
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION .................................... 137
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 137
The Vietnamese Government and the study of English .......................................................... 139
Discussion of quantitative and qualitative findings .................................................................. 140
Expectancy of success on the English test .......................................................................... 141
Utility value of English ............................................................................................................ 143
Interest value of English .......................................................................................................... 144
Family value and the study of English ................................................................................. 147
Gender/sex and the study of English .................................................................................... 153
Limitations of the study and areas for future research ............................................................ 154
Limitations ................................................................................................................................... 154
Future directions for research ................................................................................................. 156
Recommendations to improve English teaching in universities ........................................... 158
Conclusion to the study .................................................................................................................... 163
References ........................................................................................................................................... 167
Appendices .......................................................................................................................................... 204
Appendix 1: Survey for Student ........................................................................................................... 204
Appendix 2: Interview Schedule for students ...................................................................................... 217
Appendix 3: Interview Schedule for lecturers ...................................................................................... 221
Appendix 4: Full fitted model showing standardized coefficients and factor loadings for items ........ 225
 Table of Contents vii

Appendix 5: End-of-semester Tests of English .................................................................................... 226

Appendix 6: Confirmation of equivalence of examninations ............................................................... 238
Appendix 7: Ethics Committee Notification of Expedited Approval ......................................... 240
Appendix 8: Letter of Information and consent form to Head of Department of English ................... 245
Appendix 9: Letter of Information and consent form to EFL lecturers ................................................ 257
Appendix 10: Letter of Information and consent form to Students ..................................................... 271
 List of Tables viii

List of Tables

Table 4.1 Item Descriptions for English-Related Attitudes ............................................ 65

Table 5.1 Final fitted model (showing standardised coefficients) .................................. 91

Table 5.2 Descriptive statistics and variance (R2) values for the latent and observed

variables in the study....................................................................................................... 95

Table 5.3 Inter-correlations among observed and latent variables ................................. 96

Table 6.1 Summary of student participants in the focus groups ..................................... 99

Table 6.2 Distribution of lecturers by university, gender, qualifications, and teaching

experience ..................................................................................................................... 125

 List of Figures ix

List of Figures

Figure 3.1 Expectancy-value model of achievement motivation. Adapted from Eccles &

Wigfield, 2002 (p. 119) ................................................................................................... 38

Figure 5.1 Path diagram for final fitted model showing standardised coefficients ........ 89
 List of Abbreviations x

List of Abbreviations

APEC Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations

CLT Communicative Language Teaching

EFL English as a Foreign Language

EMI English as a Medium of Instruction

HREC Human Research Ethics Committee

IELTS International English Language Testing System

KET Key English Test

MOET Ministry of Education and Training

SEM Structural Equation Modelling

SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Science

TESOL Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

TOEIC Test of English for International Communication

WTO World Trade Organization

 Abstract xi

Abstract

This study examined the motivation to study English and the English achievement of

Vietnamese university students, using the expectancy-value model as a theoretical

framework. Given the Vietnamese context, an additional variable was added to the

model. This variable measured students’ motivation to study English as a means of

pleasing their parents and bringing honour to their family.

The investigation used a mixed method approach that included surveys, focus group

interviews, and individual interviews. Data were gathered in three universities located

in Ho Chi Minh City. Participants were first year university students who were

studying non-English majors but who were required to take English classes and

lecturers who teach English classes. The quantitative component was a survey

completed by 1207 students. The qualitative component was individual interviews with

nine lecturers of English and focus group interviews with their 72 male and female

students who also completed the survey.

The quantitative data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The

results provided support for the expectancy-value model. Students’ expectancy to do

well in English predicted students’ achievement in English. Students’ values,

particularly the utility value of studying English, predicted students’ willingness to take

additional courses in English. The new family variable directly predicted students’

interest in English and their utility value of English and indirectly predicted students’

willingness to take additional courses in English. Students’ sex predicted expectancy to

 Abstract xii

do well, interest in English, utility value of English, willingness to take additional

English courses, and achievement in English.

The interview data from lecturers and students provided additional insights into

students’ motivation to study English and their experiences of English classes. Students

and lecturers agreed that most students were motivated to achieve a level of oral

competency in English that would help them get desirable jobs after graduation.

However, most English classes devoted little time to this aspect of English and the oral

competency of most students was low. There were a number of reasons for this

situation. The influence of the family, an integral part of a Confucian-based culture, on

students’ motivation to study English also was explored in detail.

The thesis finishes with a set of recommendations for ways in which the teaching of

English, especially the teaching of oral English, in universities in Vietnam might be

improved.