Problems Vietnamese Speakers Face When Learning English

Have young English learners in other countries faced the same problems as those who are in Vietnam? Some may appear alike but the others may occur differently. Personally, each individual may engage in varied private troubles. On a small scale of this little essay, it is advised to discuss three main objective factors that the majority of young learners may encounter. They are passive learning style, less communication practice yet heavy-grammar structure, and attitude towards education.

This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nguyen V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.

Learning Style

One of the most controversial reasons that take the blame for causing difficulties in studying English is the passive learning style. It results from three important pillars in one young student life, schools, teachers and family. Perhaps the most cultural inheritance from public schools which has been taught young learners, theory orientation. These are all they can grasp from schools, theory, theory, and theory. Teachers, however, would not have made the disease any less severe. They even add some more catalysts by old-school teaching style, poor lesson plan and lack of interest in teaching due to unwell pay. In the old-school teaching method, the knowledge or the information is simply passed down from the teacher to the student without questions asked. Learners have no other choice, take it or lose marks in their exams. One final piece in the puzzle is the family, who live with Confucianism in their veins. Those who always believe the orders must be infused from the eldest to the youngest, from the grandparents to the offsprings. These factors have accidentally generated a habit of obedience in young learners. They have to wait until getting told to do something.

Also Read: Can I teach English in an English speaking country?

Grammar skills vs. Communication skills

The next issue that many immature students are dealing with is having less communication practice but heavy grammar structure. It is totally opposite the way our first mother-tongue language has been absorbed. We have taken it naturally as a tool to convey our messages to the interlocutor. Learning a language is supposed to be fun and error making. Nevertheless, the Vietnamese education system imposes otherwise. It focuses on test-based methodology in which the only direction every learner has to go to is passing the test. This means a student's success is measured by the result of the test, one has sat for. Moreover, as a part of the test, young students have to acquire a massive amount of grammar structure which they may not have ever used them once.

Also Read: Can I learn a foreign language while teaching English abroad?

Attitude

Last but not least challenge that youthful learners are tackling is themselves, their attitudes towards education generally, and language learning specifically. It is perhaps considered the most dreaded task of them all. When it comes to attitude, it is inevitable to put the perception on the table. Do students actually understand the role of language learning? Have they had a clear awareness of language as a tool, nothing more, nothing less? If those young people have completely comprehended these two above questions, the rest must be easier. Personal goal-oriented in which every single individual has to find it oneself. They are the one who defines for what purpose they wish to apply this tool for. For that reason, the future may lead its way to the path of lifelong learning by which the cradle of mankind civilization has been nurtured flourishingly.

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Though three challenging problems are taking place, there has been a light at the end of the tunnel. Some young students are still able to overcome those common obstacles to achieve astounding awards in English learning. They have proved that “where there’s a will there's a way” (idiom). Also, those issues that Vietnamese young learners are facing, are honestly not too difficult to solve. First, we have totally realized the challenges. Next, It takes time and significant effort from all sides, government, schools, teachers, and family to ease these chronic pains. Together we can do it.

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