MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HUE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
o O o
DESIGNING A SYLLABUS FOR GRADE 9 STUDENTS AT
NGUYEN TRI PHUONG JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
IN HUE CITY FOR A* STAR SCHOLARSHIP
ENGLISH TEST PREPARATION FIELD OF STUDY: THEORY AND METHODOLOGY
OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
CODE: 60.14.10

MASTER IN EDUCATION Hue, 2011
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents Pages

2.3.2.1. Target needs 27
2.3.2.2. Learning needs 28
2.3.3. Effects of needs analysis on ESP syllabus 29

2.4. Selecting themes and planning thematic units 29
2.4.1. Topics or Themes selection 30
2.4.2. Topics or Themes grading 31
2.4.3. Thematic units planning 32
2.5. Material design 33
2.6. A* Star Scholarship and the structure of the selection test 34
2.6.1. A* Star Scholarship 34
2.6.2. The structure of the selection test 34
CHAPTER 3 – METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES 36
3.1. Research approach 36
3.2. Research subjects and site 36
3.3. Methods of data collection 37
3.3.1. Questionnaires 38
3.3.2. Interview 41
3.3.3. Class observation 41
3.4. Data analysis 42
3.5. Procedures 42
3.5.1. Questionnaires administration procedure 42
3.5.2. Interview procedure 43
3.5.3. Research steps…………………… ……………………………………43
3.6. Conclusion 44
CHAPTER 4 - FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 45
4.1. Data analysis from teachers 45
4.1.1. Teachers’ perceptions of the tests and students’ performance 46
4.1.1.1. Teachers’ perceptions of students’ listening and speaking skill…… . 47
4.1.1.2. Teachers’ perceptions of the reading comprehension texts 48

5.3.1. For administrators at NTP School 83
5.3.2. For teachers at NTP School 84
5.3.3. For grade 9 students 85
5.4. Contributions of the Study 85
5.5. Limitation of the Study 86
5.6. Further study 87
5.7. Concluding reflection 87
REFERENCES 88
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Questionnaire for teachers
Appendice B: Questionnaire for students
Appendice C: Feedback sheet
Appendix D: Questions for interview
Appendix E: Observation sheet
Appendix F: Sample units
Appendix G: Reliability analysis of the questionnaires for teacher
Appendix H: Reliability analysis of the questionnaires for students

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ESP : English for Specific Purposes
Q
A
: Questionnaire A
Q
B
: Questionnaire B
Q
C
: Questionnaire C

Table 3.1: Research subjects
Table 3.2: Research methods
Table 3.3: Summary of clusters for teachers
Table 3.4: Summary of clusters for students
Table 4.1:
The reliability of the questionnaire………………………………………

Table 4.2: The mean score of the questionnaire for teacher
Table 4.3: Teachers’ perceptions of the tests and students’ performance
Table 4.4: Teachers’ perceptions of students’ listening and speaking skill
Table 4.5: Teachers’ perceptions of the reading comprehension texts
Table 4.6: The mean score of teachers’ advice for students…….………………….
Table 4.7: Teachers’ advice for students on the four skills
Table 4.8: Mean score of questionnaire for students……………………………….
Table 4.9: Students’ perception of the A* Star selection Test……………………
Table 4.10: Students’ experience and preparations for the listening and
speaking skill……………………………………………………………………
Table 4.11: Students’ experience and preparations for the writing skill…………
Table 4.12: Students’ experience for the overall preparation…………………
Table 4.13: Target learners………………………………………………………
Table 4.14: The type of tests and evaluation…………………………………….
Table 4.15: The English Syllabus for grade 9 students at NTP School…………
Table 4.16: The viewpoints of NTP teachers on the lessons …………………
Table 4.17: Teachers’ suggestions to improve the quality of teaching and
learning…………………………………………………………………………….
Table 4.18: The level of English proficiency of grade 9 gifted students…………
Table 4.19: The viewpoints of grade 9 gifted students on the lessons…………….

LISTS OF CHARTS



2
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
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education is no exception. More and more chances are now opened up for students
from any countries to study in other more well-developed education environment.
This is incredibly popular in Vietnam nowadays.
Integrating with this trend, Nguyen Tri Phuong Junior High School in Hue City and
Raffles Institution in Singapore as premier secondary schools in Vietnam and

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Singapore respectively, have an added responsibility to develop students with a
global outlook.
Nguyen Tri Phuong Junior High School is one of the old famous schools that has
large number of intelligent students. It is the unique junior high school in Hue City
where students are carefully selected through a strict entrance exam and their
academic performance in their primary education.
Raffles Institution (RI) which was founded in 1823 grew to be a beacon of
educational excellence that attracted the best from all walks of life regardless of race
or creed in Singapore, and from overseas [72]. Thanks to the cooperation of Nguyen
Tri Phuong (NTP) Junior High School with Raffles Institution, many NTP students
have received the A* Star Scholarships to pursue their secondary education in
Singapore. According to the feedbacks from previous batches of students who are
studying in RI, the education in Singapore is indeed a good chance for Vietnamese
students as they integrate with many international friends and learn to be more
independent.
Albeit with the keen interest of the students in this scholarship as well as their effort
to prepare for the selection, only 25 students, including 16 boys and 9 girls, were
chosen in the past six years. This number is relatively low in comparison with other
cities like Hanoi, Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh City [73].
As a teacher at this school, who is doing research on A* Star Scholarship, I would
like to specially design an English syllabus which will help gifted students who are
potential but lack English proficiency to take up the scholarship. Basing on the
experience of the previous batches of students and teachers from Raffles Institution,


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Chapter two presents relevant background theories as well as the researcher‟ point of
view on the examined issue.
Chapter 3: Methodology
In this chapter, the issues such as methodology, participants, procedures of the
research and data collection as well as explanations for the author‟s employment of
those instruments in the research are also given.
Chapter 4: Findings and Discussions
This chapter reports on the findings from questionnaires and interviews with teachers
and students at NTP School and Raffles Institution. The data collected will be
analyzed to answer the research questions of the research paper. Additionally,
discussion is conducted based on the data collected in the study. The ESP syllabus for
grade 9 students is presented. Finally, two sample thematic units for students and
comments on the experimental teaching of these two units are stated.
Chapter 5: Conclusion
Chapter 5 summarizes the results of the study. Implications and suggestions are also
included in this chapter.

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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW

This current literature review focuses on a general understanding of syllabus design
employed for grade 9 students at Nguyen Tri Phuong School for A* Star Scholarship
English Test preparation. It begins with the definitions of syllabus and curriculum, the
notion of a syllabus and types of syllabuses. Besides, the theme-based syllabus, a discussion
of the advantages of using theme-based syllabuses as well as definition of needs analysis,
kinds of needs, effects of needs analysis on ESP syllabus are mentioned. The information of

authentic test material prepared by Cambridge ESOL. The Student‟s Book with
answers contains four complete tests for Academic candidates, plus extra Reading
and Writing modules for General Training candidates. A comprehensive section of
answers and tapescripts makes the material ideal for students working partly or
entirely on their own.
At present, one of the best sellers is “Prepare for IELTS Academic Practice Test”
written by Penny Cameron and Vanessa Tood. The book is divided into 4 sections:
Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing with test practice activities, texts and
instructions that closely follow the test format. Specially, this book supplies the oral
test samples which help students a lot in practice speaking.
In Vietnam, there have been many course books designed for national and
international examinations. Strong grammar syllabus which revises key structures, an
integrated Workbook with further practice in test questions, a study skills syllabus
and practice in the general English module are also mentioned in these syllabuses. Le
(2011) designed TOEFL Readings with the aim to serve as a reading practice book
for students of English who want to improve their scores in the TOEFL reading tests.
Different from other books, TOEFL Readings provides the reading strategies and tips
which are very useful in TOEFL tests. Bach and Nguyen (2007) designed 1200
multiple choice questions to prepare for TOEFL Tests. Besides, Nguyen (2006)
supplied 2000 English multiple choice questions to meet the Certificate A, B, C. In

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these books, all grammar points, language focus are arranged from easy to difficult
questions. Another syllabus related to Certificate A, B, C is “Tai lieu luyen thi noi
chung chi Quoc Gia Tieng Anh”
with 20 speaking topics designed by Nguyen (2009). Additionally, many books for
high-stakes testing are also popular designed.
In sum, each book has its own advantages and disadvantages but we cannot use any
of them for our students apart from the reference or self-study. Although teaching
ESP is a challenge to the English teachers, the researcher finds it necessary to design

which is a matter for methodology.
Allen (1984) points out the relationship between a curriculum and a syllabus. A
syllabus is a "subpart" of a curriculum, and is related to "the specification of what
unit will be taught" while the scope of a curriculum is broader as it refers to many
factors of planning an educational program. With this definition, Allen (1984) seems
to make a distinction between syllabus design and methodology, which is slightly
different from Yalden‟s (1987) view on syllabus: “A syllabus should be, in the first
instance, a statement about content, and only in a later stage of development a
statement about methodology and materials to be used in a particular teaching
context.” (Yalden, 1987, p.87).
Candlin (1984, pp. 8-10) also makes the distinction between a syllabus and a
curriculum. He states that “curriculum is concerned with making general statements
about language learning items and suggestions about how these might be used in
class". "Syllabus is based on accounts and records of what actually happens at the
classroom level as teachers and learners apply a given curriculum to their own
situation. These accounts can be used to make subsequent modifications to the
curriculum so that the developmental process is ongoing and cyclical". According to
Candlin (1984), a curriculum is above classroom level and focuses on the "general
statements about language learning" and the suggestions on how to use these ideas in
class, while a syllabus reflects what actually takes place in classroom based on the
suggestions of a curriculum in an actual circumstance.

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Thus, a syllabus is obviously recognised as a sub-part of a curriculum. To sum up, a
syllabus can be considered as an arrangement concerning the teaching method of a
general main content for what should be taught and learnt in a course.
2.2.2. Types of syllabus
Types of syllabus have been classified and defined by many authors. Nunan (1988)
seems to generalize these types under two big categories: product-oriented syllabus
and process-oriented syllabus. While Hutchingson & Waters (1897, pp. 85-88) claim

involved in. White (1988, p.77) claims that "language functions do not usually occur
in isolation" and there are also difficulties of selecting and grading function and form.
Clearly, the task of deciding whether a given function (i.e. persuading), is easier or
more difficult than another (i.e. approving), makes the task harder to approach. The
above approaches belong to the product-oriented category of syllabuses.
This type of syllabus is considered to be taken a broader approach than the
grammatical one.
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of situation can be created by materials writer or teachers or taken from real life. In
other words, it is designed in such a way to provide realistic situation basing on
broadly communicative view of language and experimental theory of learning. One
advantage of the situational approach is that motivation will be heightened since it is
"learner- rather than subject-centered" (Wilkins, 1976, p.16).
2.2.2.4. Task-based syllabus
A task-based syllabus is based on task-based learning, an approach where learners
carry out tasks such as solving a problem or planning an activity. The language learnt
comes out of the linguistic demands of the activity. A task-based syllabus is
structured around a series of these tasks. The students draw on a variety of language
forms, functions, and skills, often in an individual and unpredictable way, in
completing the tasks. Tasks that can be used for language learning are, generally,
tasks that the learners actually have to perform in any case. Examples include:

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applying for a job, talking with a social worker, getting housing information over the
telephone, and so on (Mckay,1978).
With the same idea, Nunan (2001) states that task-based syllabuses represent a
particular realization of communicative language teaching. Instead of beginning the
design process with lists of grammatical, functional-notional, and other items, the
designer conducts a needs analysis which yields a list of the target tasks that the
targeted learners will need to carry out in the „real-world‟ outside the classroom.
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sThe content of the language teaching is a collection of specific abilities that may play
a part in using language. Skills are things that people must be able to do to be
competent in a language, relatively independently of the situation or setting in which
the language use can occur.
Brown (1995, p.11) says: “An author who uses skill-based syllabus organized
materials around language or academic skills that he or she thinks students will most
need in order to use and continue to learn the language.” Clearly, while situational
syllabus groups functions together into specific settings of language use, skill-based

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Mixed syllabuses occur when authors choose to mix two or more types of syllabuses
together into what looks like a different type of syllabus… Other authors may choose
to use layered syllabuses, secondary or tertiary syllabuses in layers that operate
underneath the primary syllabus
(Brown, 1995, p.12)
Ur (1996) agrees with Brown (1995) about these types of syllabus; however, she
labels them as mixed or „multi-strand‟ syllabuses. She points out that the purposes of
using these kinds of syllabuses is to increase the effectiveness of the syllabuses
because when different types of syllabuses are combined, they will maximize the
comprehension and usefulness to students. In these types of syllabuses, specification
of topics, tasks, functions and notions as well as grammar and vocabulary may be
found by learners.
Different from Brown (1995), Taba (1962) defines that it is a syllabus that integrates
aspects of all the three mentioned syllabuses. This integrated model is attempted to
synthesize the content-oriented model, the objective-oriented model and the process-
oriented model. It is also called “a proportional syllabus”.

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Whatever the definitions of syllabuses, teachers must be reflective, analytic, creative,
and open to new methods and new ideas. That is the most important issue.
To conclude, the above syllabuses are extensively discussed by many authors.
Although the types of syllabus content are defined here in isolated contexts, it is rare
for one type of syllabus or content to be used exclusively in actual teaching settings.
Syllabus or content types are usually combined in more or less integrated ways, with
one type as the organizing basis around which the others are arranged and related. In
discussing syllabus choice and design, it should be kept in mind that the issue is not
which type to choose but which types, and how to relate them to each other (Krahnke,
1988).
2.2.2.8. Theme-based syllabus
A theme-based syllabus, also known as a topical syllabus or a topic-based syllabus is

in which they are going to achieve these goals (Bonyadi, 2002).
It seems to me that theme-based syllabus is the most appropriate to my teaching
context for the following reasons:
Firstly, a theme-based syllabus enables learners to cover all the important subject
areas. They open up opportunities to use the target language. In his point of view,
Goodman (2005, p.1) asserts:
Using a topic-based syllabus as a framework, however, provides a natural
stimulation for language learning in a realistic context. By starting with a
topic of interest and then discussing or explaining an issue or opinion,
students will find out what they want to say and whether they can say it or
not. This, then, provides further objectives, whether they be grammatical,
lexical or pronunciation, to build the course.
Secondly, theme-based syllabus has the potential to tie together different skill areas
by means of a contextual theme. - It offers a large degree of flexibility and can
provide for different proficiency levels.
Thirdly, theme-based syllabus is interesting which provides a variety of activities.
Moreover, it is learner centered, which encourages students to participate in the
lessons through such communicative activities as role-play activities, group
presentations, writing memoranda, text summaries, etc. This can promote learners'
autonomy and can motivate learners in learning target language (Heaton, 1994 and
Shin, 2007).

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Finally, such theme-based work is essentially task-based, enabling students to put to
real use the study skills they are practicing - giving students a real purpose and
showing a direct application of the skills being acquired (according to Heaton (1994)).
Clearly, there is a vast amount of syllabuses to choose, to design. Thus, syllabus
designers need to consider the practicality of a particular syllabus by examining all
the possible factors that might affect effectively. As Hutchinson and Waters
(1987:51) suggest: “Does the syllabus specification include all aspects? If yes, how is

appropriate to the learners' language level and be developed from easy to difficult
levels, and have suitably sized teaching units with a proper variety of activities.
This follows very closely the general model advocated by Taba (1962) which gave
the following steps:
* needs analysis
* formulation of objectives
* selection of content
* organization of content
* selection of learning activities
* organization of learning activities
* decisions about what needs evaluating and how to evaluate.
From the above explanations on syllabus design, it can be concluded that the
important stages in syllabus design are needs analysis, and content specification and
syllabus organization.
Within the scope of this thesis, the researcher aims to investigate three main stages,
namely needs analysis, content selecting and grading, and material design.
2.3. Needs analysis
What is needs analysis? How is it completed? Why is it important?
A needs analysis is the process of shaping the needs for which a learner or a group of
learners requires a language and arranging the needs according to priorities.
Richards et al (1992, p.242)