TAILIEUCHUNG - Tertiary language planning and career development: Challenges to Vietnamese students

Research in the field of English language education has shifted towards interrogating the real role of English in development across disciplines and countries. Vietnam English language policy, especially the National Foreign Languages Project (The NFL Project), have promoted English as a key success factor for Vietnamese students in the labour market as well as the well-being of the nation. This paper focuses on examining the notion of development which investigates the roles of English in Vietnamese tertiary students’ employability. The researchers conducted 527 surveys with tertiary students in four university in the North Vietnam. | 140 N. T. T. Thom VNU Journal of Foreign Studies 2020 140-152 TERTIARY LANGUAGE PLANNING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES TO VIETNAMESE STUDENTS Nguyen Thi Thom Thom 1 Bui Thi Ngoc Thuy2 Nguyen Duc An3 1. VNU University of Languages and International Studies Pham Van Dong Cau Giay Hanoi Vietnam 2. Hanoi University of Science and Technology Dai Co Viet Hai Ba Trung Hanoi Vietnam 3. Taybac University Quyet Tam Sonla Vietnam Received 21 September 2019 Revised 08 May 2020 Accepted 23 July 2020 Abstract Research in the field of English language education has shifted towards interrogating the real role of English in development across disciplines and countries. Vietnam English language policy especially the National Foreign Languages Project The NFL Project have promoted English as a key success factor for Vietnamese students in the labour market as well as the well-being of the nation. This paper focuses on examining the notion of development which investigates the roles of English in Vietnamese tertiary students employability. The researchers conducted 527 surveys with tertiary students in four university in the North Vietnam. Moreover five students and three EFL tertiary instructors from each institution were selected to participate in a follow-up semi-structured interview N 32 . The results indicated students limited level of confidence in both their English skills as well as career-related skills performed in English. In other words students showed their lack of sufficient English for employability purposes. Aligning the research results with the promising and well-intended agendas of ELP and The NFL Project illuminates a clear mismatch between English and employability. In reality the relationship between English language education and career development is highly complex and contested which may influence students full development in the long run. Towards the end the paper offers suggestions for improving pedagogies policies and practices to promote .

• Giáo dục học
• Notions of development
• Tertiary education
• Challenges to Vietnamese students
• Career development
• Tertiary language planning