English-medium instruction in Vietnamese higher education : discourses, meanings, and practices /

Open in iSearch

Student Theses

2024

Tang, Khanh Hoa

Hong Kong : The Education University of Hong Kong

Thesis

This thesis is aimed at acquiring a more thorough understanding of EMI in Vietnamese higher education in respect of discourses, meanings, and practices in the light of academic disciplines. This thesis investigates first the discourses - that is, "ways of ... valuing, thinking, believing, speaking, and often reading and writing ... by specific groups of people" (Gee, 1990, p. xix) - upon EMI in Vietnamese higher education across levels. It then investigates the constructed meanings of EMI across levels - that is, how English and instruction are perceived across levels - and the linguistic and pedagogical practices at grassroots level - that is, how EMI instructors use language(s) and teach, especially new terminologies, in EMI classrooms in different academic disciplines. It adopts Bakhtin's (1981) theory of dialogism as its theoretical framework and Martin and White's (2005) engagement framework and Deetz's (1992) discursive closure practices as its analytical frameworks. The fundamental concepts of Bakhtin's theory of dialogism include monoglossia and heteroglossia. To carry out the investigation, the thesis draws upon (1) documentary analysis of EMI(-related) policies and documents at national, institutional, and grassroots levels, (2) participation observation of EMI classrooms, and (3) in-depth semi-structured interviews with stakeholders at grassroots level. Regarding data analysis, thematic analysis is conducted, which is followed by the application of Martin and White's (2005) engagement framework and Deetz's (1992) discursive closure practices. As a consequence, four discourses associated with EMI in Vietnamese higher education are identified, namely English as the global lingua franca, EMI as high-quality education, EMI as context-dependent, and disciplinary paradigms. The interplay of these discourses underlies the discrepant constructed meanings of English and instruction across levels - i.e., monoglossic versus heteroglossic, which, in turn, shape the different linguistic and pedagogical practices in actual EMI classrooms - i.e., monoglossic versus heteroglossic. In all, by investigating the discourses, constructed meanings, and practices of EMI in Vietnamese higher education, the study contributes to an understanding of these aspects of EMI in the context of Vietnam, which aids with not only practical but also theoretical implications

LG51.H43 Dr 2024eb Tangkh

https://educoll.lib.eduhk.hk/records/e6SE5AP5