TABLE OF CONTENTS
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1
LIST OF FIGURES AND CHARTS 3
ABSTRACT 4
1.2. Aims of the study 7
1.5. Scope of the study 7
2. 1. Introduction 9
3.1. Introduction 36
3.3. Participants 37
The participants in this research are 100 English majors at Hue University
College of Foreign Languages. They came from different provinces of Vietnam.
Among them were first year, second year, third year and fourth year students,
aged from 19- 22 years. These students were chosen randomly to answer the
questionnaires. During the process of giving questionnaires, the researcher also
mentioned that the information collected is very necessary to the success of the
study and the data serve the research purposes. After the questionnaires are being
distributed, one hundred students at Hue University College of Foreign
Languages took part in the research and filled out the questionnaires. Most of
them concerned about the socio-cultural factors affecting their English learning
out of class because it was one of the important keys for them to seek essential
factors outside the classroom which have great influences on improving their
English. 37
3.7. Summary 40
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LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS
LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1. Summary of the questionnaire components……………………………41
Table 4.1. The reliability of the piloted questionnaires………………………… 44
Table 4.2. The reliability of the questionnaires……………………………………45

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ABSTRACT
The current study investigates the impact of socio-cultural factors on
learning English out of class by English majors at Hue University College of
Foreign Languages. The first aim of this study is to examine socio-cultural
factors that affect learning English out of class. The second aim is to explore
how these socio-cultural factors have effects on studying English out of class by
English majors.
The data were collected through interviews and questionnaires with English
majors at Hue College of Foreign Languages. The results indicated that most of the
students agreed that socio-cultural factors affect their English learning out of class.
English majors were influenced by socio-cultural factors. The students want to
learn English out of class more to practice by themselves due to the impact of
Confucianism. In fact, they dare not exchange or discuss their ideas with the
teachers in classes. Besides, they also take advantages of studying English out of
class to become more active and self-confident because of students’ shyness,
passiveness and lack of confidence. Indeed, they are not ready to take part in
activities in classes or to express their own ideas before classes. Furthermore,
students want to seek ways of learning English out of class through friends, forums,
English clubs and the Internet since the crowded classroom prevents them from free
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communicative activities Finally, the majority of students want to practice English
out of class to master it so that they can meet the demand of society and
employment.
Based on the findings, recommendations and implications are provided to
students so that they can have good ways of studying English out of class.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale
English has become one of the most important languages in the world. It has
trickled even into lesser known countries as something that is needed to

take English out of class to satisfy their requirement and to explore new horizons in
the social and human spheres. In addition, the factors out of class enable the
students with multiple choices to discover new values and relations by widening
their understanding of the vivid experience.
Furthermore, English is said to be the global lingua franca that is used by
several countries so as to communicate with other countries. That is why we need
to be proficient in speaking it. The need for knowing the English language
increases because of globalization and our connections, relations and transactions
with other countries. Because of this great need, schools from all over the world
require the study of the English language. Students even tend to study English
outside of their country so as to suffice their need of the language. Nowadays, the
majority of classroom environments are culturally diverse. Although the university
has the capability of providing opportunities to students, there are still other factors
that could affect the quality of the English language learning (Celis et al., 2011).
They are socio- cultural factors.
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From the above reasons, I have decided to conduct a study titled: “An
investigation into the impact of socio-cultural factors on learning English out of
class by English majors at hue University College of Foreign Languages”.
1.2. Aims of the study
This study focuses on two main aims. The first aim is to find out the socio-
cultural factors that have influences on learning English out of class by English
majors. The second aim is to explore how these socio-cultural factors have effects
on learning English out of class by the English majors.
1.3. Research significance
It is hoped that the findings of the research will help the Vietnamese EFL
teachers as well as students find out the socio-cultural factors which affect learning
English out of class. As an English teacher, the researcher has a desire to help all of
the English majors and her colleagues know more about how the impact of these
socio-cultural factors is so that they can consider success or failure in learning as

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2. 1. Introduction
This chapter presents the literature review related to the present study. There
are five main parts in this section. The first part introduces some socio-cultural
factors. The second part presents learning English out of class versus in class. The
third part discusses self study. The fourth part emphasizes the impact of socio-
cultural factors on learning English out of class. The next part reviews the previous
readings relating to the topic. The last section provides a summary of the whole
chapter.
2.2 Socio-cultural factors
It stands to reason that there is an interaction between socio-economic or
socio-cultural factors and language learning. As an international language, English
is ubiquitously learnt; and certainly English learning is also influenced by some of
or all of the socio-cultural factors of a certain society where English is being learnt
(Bui, 1999).
The socio-cultural factors can be: culture, social demand, social attitudes,
population and learning environment. Within the scope of this paper, I do not hope
to cover every factor influencing on English learning out of class. Instead, I just
briefly go through the factors mentioned in some recent research works.
2.2.1. Social factors
More than ever before, the world today is developing in thousand of
relations among nations in so many fields: politics, economics, technology, science,
information, culture, tourism, education and so forth. In such a scene, foreign
languages became the key to promote the development of each country and to open
the efficient co-operations between countries (Bui, 1999). To satisfy such an urgent
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purpose, foreign language teaching and learning has to change; and indeed, it has
changed.
So far social needs make language teaching and learning change a lot. The
number of people learning foreign languages to meet the demand of society is

their teaching is therefore, more or less limited (Le, 1998:12-13).
Not only Viet Nam or Lao or Cambodia alone suffers such a shortage.
Even China, with a fast-developing economy, the problem is similarly serious.
According to Leng (1997), most teachers do not have enough opportunities to
widen their knowledge, which leads to the inappropriate teaching sooner or later.
The above-mentioned points show a truth that the increase in social needs has
resulted in the shortage of language teachers for some places and the shortage of
“academic teachers” for some other places (Hoang, 1998:17).
2.2.2. Social attitudes
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Social attitudes toward a foreign language can be understood as a
culturally based view of certain society toward a foreign language. Social attitudes
could lower or higher the interest in learning a foreign language, depending on the
negative or positive attitudes of that society.
“In Korea, most middle high school students receive only limited amount
of information about the history or current affairs of other countries. Even at the
college level, courses that focus on understanding other cultures are also relatively
scare”. “The media plays an important part in shaping attitudes toward foreign
languages…Korean newspapers, articles and editions complain about foreign
words that are “contaminating” the Korean language; and therefore, Korean
language must be protected, from an all-out invasion of foreign languages” (Janet,
1997:9).
Obviously, Janet (1997) concluded, such a cultural based view would
lower the interest in teaching and learning foreign language in Korea.
Unlike the attitudes toward foreign languages of the Korean society,
Vietnamese society has a more optimistic attitude. More and more foreign
languages are being taught and learnt, and this is encouraged. As long as the
encouragement is nourished, foreign language teaching and learning would be
enhanced. Together with the increase in social demands, social attitudes toward
language give their hands in making more changes, more renovations for language

factors can result in negative learning experiences and poor achievements in
students due to the common practice of grouping language learners according to
class rank proficiency. Janet (1997:9) believes that “In a society where in saving
face is vital to self-esteem; this practice sets the stage for potential failures for those
who enter college with below average language skills and feel unable to keep up
with their classmates”.
Shapioro (1997:13), an expatriate in Viet Nam also has the same idea. He
suggests that students would not be successful until they could overcome their
cultural-determined characters. He had this conclusion when he observed many
learners coming to evening classes wanting to speak the language fluently but are
too ashamed to practice speaking it. Due to shyness, passiveness, hesitation and
lack of self-confidence, Vietnamese learners seem unwilling to join public
activities and to work in groups as well as to express their own views in
discussions. As a result, many Vietnamese learners became inactive and confused
when involving real communications in daily life in the foreign languages they are
learning.
Besides, “traditional craving for knowledge” (truyền thống hiếu học) is
considered as a desire of Vietnamese people, which also belongs to Vietnamese
cultural values. In fact, the Vietnamese common man seems to have a great love for
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knowledge and learning. He seems to have particular respect and admiration for
learned people. Like the virtuous man, the learned man enjoys great prestige in
Vietnamese society. The Vietnamese conceives that knowledge and virtues are but
the two complementary aspects of the ideal man. Learning is considered more
valuable than wealth and material success. Rich people who are not educated are
often looked down upon by other people and they themselves feel inferior to
learned people who are poor. In the traditional social system, the scholar ranked
first, before the farmer, artisan, and tradesman. Even nowadays, the learned man is
held in high esteem and respect. The love of learning does not spring from purely
disinterested motives. The lure of prestige and the prospect of improved social

Learning environment plays an important role in improving learning and
teaching quality. If learning and teaching facilities are not sufficient, teachers will
find it difficult to improve the teaching process and learners could hardly better
their learning.
Leng (1997:38) complains about the shortage of facilities in China:
“Libraries do not have enough authentic English books, newspapers and magazines
for teachers and students’ use; overhead projectors and computers are rare and used
for only a few demonstration classes. The unavailability of resources wastes
teachers’ energy and time, making teaching preparation a painstaking process.”
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As we have seen, with such a prosperous economy as China teaching and
learning will suffer the lack of facilities, let alone the “backward” economy of our
country. According to Vu (1997: 8-9), the author of a research about “The common
situation of lower secondary schools in Viet Nam”, the shortage of facilities for
both learning and teaching is commonly seen in most schools of rural, or of remote
and mountainous areas. Even the most necessary conditions such as classrooms,
tables or chalks are lacking. This results in the impossibility for the renewal of
methodology. In addition, essential conditions for teachers’ self studying are also
not satisfactory. Teacher’s knowledge is gradually worn out with time unless it is
renewed and improved everyday. Teachers in cities and towns are luckier to have
nearly enough opportunities to deepen their knowledge and experiences.
Meanwhile, those who work in far areas where no favorable conditions for teachers
is provided will certainly sustain a feeling of loosing knowledge and abilities day
by day with no recovery.
As for students, Shapioro (1997:13) claims: “That the students lack
communication competence was partly due to the lack of qualified teachers of
foreign languages and native speakers of these languages whose assistance was
much needed. Shortage of good textbooks and audio-visual aids worsened the
problem. With a limited number of hours each week varying from 3 to 6 hours and
having practically no opportunity to practice the language learned in the classroom,

the difference among them bases on the nature of the message involved, the
methods of delivery, the type of the audience involved and the purpose for the
speech event (Hashim, 2002).
Besides, debate is an argument or discussion expressing different opinions.
It should be noted that possessing a large number of vocabularies is one thing, but
knowing how to use them effectively is quite another thing. Students may possess
quite a reasonable number of words in their vocabulary stocks, but may fail to use
them appropriately. Therefore, we need to give them chances to practice the
vocabularies they have in concrete situations. One way of achieving this is through
debate. In debate, there are always points of interruption, point of correction, point
of information, and the like. Collectively they help students to master their use of
the language appropriately (Hashim, 2002).
Private speaking (Organizing a conversation) is another way of learning
English outside the classroom. Conversation is a type of speech involving two or
more participants taking their turns when talking to each other either face to face or
via some technical devices such as telephone or computer. This method or activity,
essentially helps the learners of English in mastering their speaking as well as
listening skills of a language, bearing it in mind that without listening effectively,
one can not correctly respond to the conversation. This is emphasized by Leech &
Svartvic (2003).
Group discussion allows a number of people to discuss a single topic. A
school being a kind of community the ideas held by the community members can
be shared through group discussion. The key point here is not to focus on how the
discussion is conducted but its chief contribution to language learning. Sanford
(1979) suggests the discussion to take the form of, panel discussion, a round-table
discussion, or some form of town meeting. All these types of discussions allow
students to express themselves in English thus giving them chances to apply the
rules of the language they learn in the classroom.
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Moreover, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is one of the

teacher-student relationships that will support student learning.
(
Therefore, the following parts will discuss learning English in class: the
main roles of the teacher and students in communicative activities, the teaching and
learning process and the interaction between the teacher and the students.
2.3.2.1. The main roles of the teachers and students in classroom activities
* The roles of the teachers
William Littlewood (1981), Jeremy Harmer (1991) and Pit Corder (1977)
pointed out that the teacher has many tasks to do in communicative activities. His
tasks are considered less dominant than before but no less important.
The most important roles of the teacher are facilitating and guiding.
Talking about these roles, Pit Corder (1977: 15) stated, “The teacher is to guide
learners, not to tell them. The teacher’s role is recognized as facilitating one, with
learners proceeding according to their own inner capacities, not in a lock step than
solely of the teacher creation. An attitude of co-operation and sharing is stressed, as
well as emphasis on group activities”. As a facilitator, the teacher has to help
students without intruding. It means that a facilitator should maintain a low profile
in order to make the students’ own achievement of a task possible. Furthermore,
during free-practice activities, this role requires the teacher’s attention to encourage
students to participate in activities to talk as much as possible and use the language
items by themselves. It is true that if the teacher can assist students reasonably,
he/she increases their chances of success and the effectiveness of the practice
activities as a whole. As a guide, the teacher takes the role of guiding students to
clarify ideas and limit the task as they are using the language more freely. During
the activity, the teacher can act the role of a resource and assessor or advisor.
Students can expect the teacher’s answers to their questions.
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While students are performing their tasks, the teacher can monitor their
strength and weaknesses and use them as signs of learning needs which he must
cater for later. Since communicative activities focus on learner-centered activities,

preferred modes of input and output vary from one individual to another, it is
critical that teachers use a range of teaching strategies to effectively meet the needs
of individual learners. Sound health instruction should incorporate a variety of
teaching methods intended to complement the learning styles of children. This
should lead to the fact that young learners who are both intrinsically and
extrinsically motivated to inquire, infer, and interpret; to think reflectively,
critically and creatively; and in the final analysis to make use of the knowledge and
skills they have gained by becoming effective decision- makers.
Besides, a student-centred approach which actively engages the young
person in the learning process is critical if skills which result in healthy behaviors
are to be fostered and developed. Some of the learning strategies that could be
incorporated in a comprehensive approach include self-directed learning, co-
operative learning, role playing, behavioral rehearsal, peer education and parent
involvement. Consideration should be given to allowing students to plan some
learning experiences. They could be provided with opportunities to identify topics
or areas for further study, contribute information relevant to an issue for study
and/or make suggestions for follow-up activities.
In addition, within the classroom, teachers need to be sensitive to values
which are promoted by family, peers, and friends, religious and cultural
backgrounds. The health classroom provides numerous opportunities for students to
share personal anecdotes ask explicit questions and make disclosures. The climate
of the classroom must be such that students may speak openly while being assured
of the confidentiality, trust and respect of their classmates and teacher
().
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Furthermore, it is informative to examine the ideal teaching-learning
process, as proposed by Diana Laurillard (1993). She argues that there are four
aspects of the teaching-learning process:
(a) Discussion between the teacher and learners.
(b) Interaction between the learner and some aspect of the world defined by the

s
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Reflection on
Interaction
2.3.2.3. The interaction between the teacher and students
According to Engin Karadag and Nihat Caliskan (2009), school is an institution
that plays a significant role in a child's life. Being an active employee in this
institution, a teacher should be democratic, tender, patient, reliable and humorous
to his/her students during the interaction and communication processes so that the
teaching and learning processes are affected positively. It is important to create a
common living space in the classroom for students that have different family,
economic, cultural and living backgrounds in order to achieve better motivation
and learning. In the common living space in the classroom, the teacher creates a
common living space with the students while the students do the same thing among
themselves and accordingly a common synergy is created.
The most important component of education is students. Teachers'
interactions, ways of communication and verbal-non verbal behaviors, class
management and activities affect not only students' behaviors but also teaching
system directly (Acikgoz, 1996). It is inevitable for teachers who are responsible
for the education industry to have a policy and behavior. A teacher who always
interacts with students is responsible for planning activities of teaching and
application. Being a qualified teacher plays an important role in providing quality
disposed behavior (Gokce, 1999).
Interaction simplifies the process of communication between teachers and
students and provides them with the formation of a shared common area and with
the enlargement of a shared women's area. During the enlargement of distracters
can be easily destroyed though communication. Communication is the key of
education, teaching and learning and it affects the life of an individual throughout
his/her whole life.
Moreover, cultural harmony plays an important role in forming positive