CHAPTER 1.

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Rationale of the study

1.2. Aim and objectives of the study

1.3. Research questions

1.4. Methods of the study

1.5. Scope of the study

1.6. Significance of the study

1.7. Organization of the study

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Needs analysis in foreign language education

2.1.1. Definition of need analysis

2.1.2. Rationale for need analysis

2.1.3. Approaches to needs analysis.

2.1.3.1. Sociolinguistic model

2.1.3.2. Systemic approach

2.1.3.3. Task-based approach

2.1.3.4. Learning-centered approach

2.1.3.5. Learner-centered approach

2.1.4. Types of needs

2.1.4.1. Target needs and learning needs

2.1.4.2. Objective and subjective needs

2.2. Learning needs of gifted students in VN.

2.2.1. The concept of gifted students in the world

2.2.2. Characteristics of gifted students

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 2.2.3. Vietnamese conception of giftedness

2.2.4. Meeting the needs of gifted students in Vietnam

2.3. Defining what and how to teach in English language teaching

2.3.1. What to teach in English language teaching

2.3.1.1. English for academic specific purposes

2.3.1.2. English proficiency

2.3.2. How to teach in English language teaching

2.4. Relevant studies on gifted students’ needs.

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1. Settings of the study

3.2. Sampling and participations

3.3. Data collection

3.3.1. Data collection instruments

3.3.1.1. Quantitative method

3.3.1.2. Qualitative method

3.3.2. Data collection procedure

3.3.2.1. Data from the questionnaires

3.3.2.2. Data from the interviews

3.4. Data analysis methods

3.4.1. Quantitative data analysis

3.4.2. Qualitative data analysis

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LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

List of Figures

Figure 1. Three goals of Target needs (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987)

Figure 2. Flowchart of the mixed-method research process

Figure 3. Quantitative method procedure

Figure 4. Qualitative method procedure

List of Tables

Table 1. Reference the CEFR scale for each certificate type

Table 2. Interview participants’ experiences

Table 3. The frameworks used in the questionnaires

Table 4. Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

This initial chapter justifies the problem and reasons for this research to be conducted. After
that, two research questions, the scope, the significance, the method and the organization of
the study are presented as well as how this research would contribute to the existing literature.

1.1. Rationale of the study

In today's society, people cannot develop by their own but need the cohesion of an entire
society to be able to carry out this process. One tool that can bring individuals and
communities together is language. Language allows people to exchange information with each
other, absorb and learn to develop (Hayati, 2015). Over the years, English has become a
common language of the world. English holds a huge role all over the world, especially in the
language and teaching majors.

Many people learn English for many different purposes. Some people look to English to
improve their communication skills and absorb many different cultures, but there are also
people who learn English to serve in work, study, study abroad, etc. There are countless
purposes and ways to approach English for each person.

In Vietnam, besides formal training schools, there are also gifted schools (MOET, 2014). The
notion of giftedness has expanded to include exceptional accomplishments in intellectual,
physical, and cultural realms as society views towards giftedness have shifted in the end of the
20th century (Catholic Education Office Melbourne, 2013). Vialle and Rogers (2010) define
that giftedness is the ability to demonstrate either remarkable potential or outstanding
performance in one or more of the intellectual, academic, creative, leadership, or visual
performing arts domains. The specialized schools, accordingly will have to train excellent
students in a particular subject which includes foreign languages, especially English. In
English gifted classes, students will have to study and take exams mostly in English.
Therefore, students majoring in English at gifted schools are said to have clearer needs and
expectations to learn English than other subjects at regular high schools (Do & Nguyen, 2021).

However, while significant efforts have been made to define and identify gifted learners, little
has been done to ensure whether these learners receive appropriate instructional programming

4
(Cao, Jung & Lee, 2017). Even though it is thought to be a crucial component to identify the
learning requirements of gifted students, there are not many studies that investigate the
complex needs of academically gifted students, making it difficult to design effective
instruction for these learners (Murdock-Smith, 2013).

In Vietnamese context, gifted education involves a long history and is presently regarded as
one important scheme in education system, since the government has made valuable
investments, and the country has achieved excellent results in national and international
academic contests (Hong, 2010). Nevertheless, what really attracts the attention of the
researcher is the lack of enough attention given to educational programs for gifted students.
Educators and policymakers have openly acknowledged the remaining issues at several
government conferences, and some have even argued that gifted education should be
discontinued for several reasons. (Handa, 2019). Firstly, the purpose of gifted education is not
yet clearly defined, especially for the vast majority of students who do not participate in
regional or national competitions (Mai, 2007). Second, there is currently no national program
or comprehensive set of guidelines for talented kids (MOET, 2012). The majority of curricula
and instructional resources for gifted students are individually created by the individual
teachers who work with them. Furthermore, none of the Vietnam's existing teacher education
programs include instruction for those dealing with talented ones. Concerns about whether or
not the learning needs of Vietnamese gifted students have been adequately identified and met
were raised by the absence of clear educational goals for all gifted students, as well as by the
absence of standardized educational curricula for students and training programs for teachers
of the gifted.

To summarize, the researcher shows the interest in this research topic due to the importance of
needs in learning English and the shortage of guidance on gifted students’ teaching. In the
process of learning a foreign language, needs and wants will shape learners’ attitudes, how
learners approach learning as well as the final outcome (Bernat & Gvozdenko, 2005). Second,
as a student of the English language major, the researcher realizes that the needs and desires of
foreign language gifted students at gifted schools are very clear and need to be met. Therefore,
this paper, entitled “The needs towards English learning of students majoring in English in
a high school for the gifted in the north of Vietnam” is developed to investigate the demand

5
and needs for English language learning of students majoring in English at gifted high schools
in Vietnam.

1.2. Aims and objectives

Having realized that gifted students at gifted schools in the north of Vietnam have great needs
in learning English, teachers need to learn and meet these needs. With the aim of meeting
those aspirations, this study is an attempt to investigate gifted students' desire for English
language learning. In addition, the study also aims to determine the relationship between the
desire to learn a foreign language, the goals and the results of the students. With the results of
the investigation, the study will also make contributions to English teaching and learning at
gifted schools in the north of Vietnam in particular and high schools in general.

1.3. Research questions

Within the framework as well as the objectives and the rationale of this study, it aims to
answer the following questions:

(1) What are the English gifted students’ needs in learning English in a gifted high school?

1.1. What are the gifted students’ needs in English proficiency?

1.2. What are the gifted students’ need in English learning method and environment?

(2) What and how do teachers think English gifted students need to study in a gifted high
school?

1.4. Methods of the study

The data were collected by using three techniques: interview, questionnaire, and document
analysis. The respondents answered open-ended questions to provide interpretable data
(Popping, 2015). The data from interview were used for analyzing gifted high school students’
learning needs and present situation (strengths and weaknesses in learning English). According
to Ponto (2015), questionnaires were delivered by using electronic format, in this case the
researcher used Google Form. The data from questionnaire was used for analyzing mainly
students’ target needs, which specialize in the wants.

6
As for document analysis, the data were collected from syllabus, lesson plans, textbook, and
the assignments of the students. Document analysis is related to similar themes, and also the
combination of qualitative and quantitative methods (Triad, 2016). Document analysis was
collected to confirm the learning needs from the interview and target needs from the
questionnaire.

1.5. Scope of the study

The research took place at one of high schools for the gifted in the north of Vietnam. The
researcher chose the research site as its accessibility in gaining the data related to the needs of
the gifted students. The participant of the research were 210 gifted high school students of
10th, 11th and 12th grade as well and 10 English teachers working with these students. Three
students were selected to participate in the questionnaire, while the ten teachers were
interviewed to clarify the answers, also got more information of gifted students’ needs.

1.6. Significance of the study

This study is a stepping stone in studying learning methods and most fully meeting the needs
of gifted students when applied to teaching English in Vietnam. This is also a study to help
partly assess the capacity and goals of foreign language learning of gifted high school students
in the north of Vietnam in particular as well as high school students in general. Thereby giving
specific comments and research methods on the most effective and appropriate new teaching
methods for this audience.

Hopefully the research also contributes to improving the teaching and learning methods of
both students and teachers, contributing to the construction of Vietnamese education.

1.7. Organization of the study

The research will be built on the main headings in addition to the headings such as abstracts,
references, and appendices. Specifically, the study will include the following main items:

4 main chapters:

Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION - reasons for choosing the topic, objectives of the research,
research methods, scale of the research, how to conduct the research.

7
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW - Provides the theoretical basis for research including
Definition of needs for English language learning and teaching, types of needs, foreign
language learning needs of students in specialized schools, Research related to the content of
foreign language learning purposes, solutions to help improve foreign language learning
ability

Chapter 3 – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This section will describe the methodology used
in the research including research methodology, research context/context, data collection, and
data analysis.

Chapter 4 - DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS - summarizes the data collected and
discusses the results of the study.

CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION summarizes the main issues presented in the research, and at
the same time offers limitations and options to optimize English teaching and learning for
gifted students in Hai Phong city.

8
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter reviews the literatures on learner needs analysis in foreign language education
(section 2.1), which critically evaluates models and methodological issues of learner needs
analysis; learning needs of gifted students in Vietnam (section 2.2), which delineates gifted
EFL education in Vietnam and explains why learning needs of gifted EFL students are worth
investigating and the literatures on English language teaching (section 2.3), which defines
what and how to teach in English language teaching as well. Some relevant studies on gifted
students’ needs are also listed out in the last section (section 2.4).

2.1. Needs analysis in foreign language education

2.1.1. Definition of need analysis

The phrase "need analysis," according to Iwai et al. (1999), typically refers to the actions
involved in gathering data that will be the foundation for establishing a curriculum and
designing instructional techniques that will fulfill the requirements of a specific set of
language learners. It is the first action that should be taken in order to successfully develop an
effective training program (Bleich, 2018). Also, it is a crucial procedure that aids companies in
determining the precise training and training length they must offer their employees in order
for them to become effective and productive (Morrison, 2020). As is common knowledge, a
need analysis is a series of procedures for defining a course's requirements. John Munby
(1978) created the most well-known need analysis work. His Communication Requirements
Processor (CNP) technique asks questions to determine the needs of any group of learners in
the target language.

In general, "needs analysis" refers to the processes involved in obtaining data that will be used as
the foundation for creating a curriculum that will suit the educational requirements of a certain
student population. These requirements will be language-related in the case of language programs.
In the context of language instruction, needs analysis (in the formal and technical meaning) is a
relatively recent concept. However, teachers who sought to determine what language concepts
their children needed to acquire had been doing informal needs evaluations for years. First,
informal needs analysis is nothing new; in fact, effective instructors have been performing needs
assessments in some capacity since the teaching profession was founded. Second, needs analysis

9
is information collection to determine the extent of the student’s prior knowledge and what they
still have to acquire.

Needs assessment is described by Richards, Platt, and Weber (1985, p.189) in more precise terms
as "the process of identifying the requirements that a learner or group of learners has for a
language and prioritizing those needs. The needs assessment process uses both subjective and
objective data (such as results from surveys, tests, interviews, and observations)." The definition
continues by listing the subjects on which information should be gathered.

These needs are those of the learners who are participating, and it is their language needs that must
be identified and organized based on both subjective and objective data. Another way to define
needs assessment is as "the process of finding the items that are essential or valuable for the
accomplishment of a defensible goal," according to Stufflebeam, McCormick, Brinkerhoff, and
Nelson (1985, p. 16). The word "defensible purpose" is crucial in this larger definition. This
concept is appealing because it indicates that isolated requirements must be defendable and serve a
single, legitimate goal.

This study depends on the theory from John Munby (1978), Hutchinson & Waters (1987)
Titcomand (2000) and Morrison (2020)’s studies with an aim to evaluating the needs in
English language learning and teaching of gifted students in Vietnam. Besides, need analysis
in this paper is defined as the process of identification and evaluation of needs as to address
specific demands of English learning, with an emphasis on English for academic specific
purposes as well as English proficiency (Richards, 2001, p.51). Once needs have been
determined, they may be expressed in terms of goals and objectives, which can then be used to
construct assessments, resources, lesson plans, and evaluation techniques as well as to
reevaluate the precision and accuracy of the initial needs assessment.

2.1.2. Rationale for need analysis

In the context of increasingly limited human resources, the demand for accountability in
society is increasing, including in the field of education. The teaching and learning of foreign
languages are also affected by this problem. This requires schools and teachers to clearly study
the needs of learners as an indispensable condition determining the quality of the student's
learning process.

10
In his book "Second Language Needs Analysis," Long (2005) asserts that language education that
does not take into account specific student groups is likely to be either ineffective or insufficient
for developing successful learning curricula. Therefore, just as a comprehensive medical diagnosis
is required to provide a successful medical intervention for a condition, a thorough needs analysis
is vital to any language education program. (Long, 2005b).

Additionally, despite the fact that a few needs analyses have been produced in universities
throughout the world, they have all maintained an emphasis on identifying learners’ learning
needs and lacks, such as Djiwandono (2008), Jubhari (2006), Coleman, & Hardjanto (1997).
Furthermore, other scholars argue the necessity of needs analysis, but they still discuss it at the
conceptual levels (Riyandari, 2003; Sujana, 2006). While these phenomena have provided
evidence that analyses of target needs for English education in upper secondary levels in Vietnam
have been underdeveloped recently, how EFL learners understand their target and learning needs
regarding their particular discipline is still scarcely investigated. In light of this situation, this
paper examines how learners perceive their English needs and how they practice their needs
analyses by investigating the factors that have influenced their needs. Such a study was
required to shed light on the degree to which they understand their needs because, according to
Long's (2005) argument, learners know little about target university tasks and the language
necessary to function successfully in target discourse domains since they lack working
experience. Target needs analysis, together with objective and subjective needs, are supposed
to be demonstrated in this article.

2.1.3. Approaches to needs analysis

Due to the importance of needs analysis, several significant approaches have been developed
to conduct it, including the sociolinguistic model (Munby, 1978), the systemic approach
(Richterich & Chancerel, 1977), the learning-centered approach (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987),
the learner-centered approach (Berwick, 1989; Brindley, 1989), and the task-based approach
(Long 2005a, 2005b).

2.1.3.1. Sociolinguistic model

This model was developed by Munby (1978) to define the content of purpose-specific
language programs. The sociolinguistic model is the study of social domains, such as cultural

11
notions, expectations, and communication situations, which affect how language is used and
how that use of language affects society (Jack, 2009). The descriptive study of sociolinguistics
examines how society, including cultural norms, expectations, and environment, influences
how language is used, how society influences language as well as how these variations in
usage and variations in usage-related attitudes shape and reflect social or socioeconomic
groups. It may cross over with language sociology, which is concerned with how language
affects society. Pragmatics and sociolinguistics have a lot in common, and sociolinguistics is
strongly connected to linguistic anthropology.

In more details, from these studies, a profile of the target communication needs is developed,
including communicative events (e.g. discussing routine tasks and responsibilities), functional
domain (e.g. educational), medium (e.g. spoken) or mode (e.g. dialogue or conversation),
channel of communication (e.g. face-to-face), setting of the communication, the primary
communicator(s), and the recipient(s), dialect, attitude, and tone of communicator(s) (e.g.
informal or formal), subject content and the level of English proficiency required for the
communication. The syllabus is then based on these requirements as a foundation to develop
and adapt. However, it is undeniable that the model offers a wealth of details, West (1994)
critiqued it for being unworkable, rigid, complicated, time-consuming, and excluding learners'
emotional needs and perceptions.

2.1.3.2. Systemic approach

The systems approach is a research method that derives system theory, which is applied by
many different scientific disciplines, including Sociolinguistics. Richterich and Chancerel
(1977) proposed a systemic method for determining the needs of adults learning a foreign
language that involved gathering data from the students themselves before and during the
course as well as from teaching establishments such as their employers and sponsoring
organizations.

The term "systems approach" describes an analytical technique that takes a broad view of a
complicated system rather than concentrating on specifics. It seeks to comprehend complexity
better without simplifying reality. For instance, because it is frequently carried out with a more
analytical approach, it avoids breaking the system into separate subsets or isolating a

12
component. It is a method of defining newly developing organizational-level-specific features.
More broadly, it encourages using models to conceptualize and communicate complexity
rather than a thorough, in-depth investigation. When deciding the space-time scales and
limitations of the system under investigation, this can only be accomplished with pragmatism
(Heylighen. F, 1979).

Every event and social process of a social topic in Sociolinguistics must be viewed from a
multifaceted, multidimensional, dialectical, and unified viewpoint, according to the systemic
approach, because every part of the system is interdependent. Hence, according to this model,
gifted students’ needs should be investigated and analyzed both before and after the course.
These needs should also be raised and expressed through the voice of the students, teachers
and even the school administrators. However, its shortcomings include the overreliance on
learners' perceptions and the disregard for their real-world demands. Long (2005) also noted
that because many students lack clarity on their goals, an excessive reliance on students' views
of their needs becomes problematic.

2.1.3.3. Task-based approach

The full name of the task-based approach is the Task-based Langue Teaching Approach. This
strategy is known as teaching language via small tasks. A language specialist named Prabhu
employed this technique for the first time in India. To encourage students to actively seek
information throughout each lesson, this strategy will mostly rely on Tasks (Small Tasks).
There are several ways to assign tasks, either individually or in groups. Students will use their
language skills to research a real-world issue and convey their findings in a variety of creative
ways (Mohammad Javad Ahmadian, 2021). As a result, teaching other languages, including
English, using the Task-based technique has numerous advantages: high knowledge
applicability, enhanced teamwork abilities, adapting traditional teaching strategies, fostering
creativity, and improving presentational abilities.

Sharing the same idea with Long (2005a), this study has advocated for this Task-based
approach of doing needs analyses on the grounds that students should focus on communicative
activities rather than lexical items, concepts, or other linguistic components as their primary
learning objectives.

13
2.1.3.4. Learning-centered approach

This is an often-cited approach to teaching English for specific purpose, which is offered by
Hutchinson and Waters (1987). Two directions are proposed: target needs and learning needs.
While the former is described as "what the learner has to perform in the target circumstance"
(p. 54), the latter relates to humanistic factors such learners' sociocultural backgrounds, ages,
genders, attitudes toward English, etc., The fundamental criticism of this strategy is that it
places too much emphasis on language requirements rather than the learning process. The
utilization of various data gathering techniques and the participation of numerous participants
(including learners and others) are also emphasized. Nation (2000) and West (2004) provide
strong evidence for each of these ideas.

2.1.3.5. Learner-centered approach

Learners are seen as active players in the learner-centered approach. In this study, the learner-
centered approach to needs analysis means that students contribute their own knowledge, prior
experiences, education, and opinions, which has an impact on how they learn and assimilate
new information. This study puts the students at the center of the lesson instead of the teacher
to better meet the needs and interests of each person because the majority of students offer
their personal knowledge, experiences, and ideas, which has an impact on how they learn and
absorb in new knowledge (Judith & Barbara, 2008). Compared to the conventional instructor-
centered approach, it is very different. Behaviorism, which views students as "white sheets"
and teachers as experts who must impart all pertinent knowledge, informs traditional learning
approaches. This method views students as reacting to outside influences. (Dudley-Evans and
St. John, 2009)

Berwick and Brindley (1989) offer three ways to look at learner needs are offered: perceived
versus felt needs; product versus process-oriented interpretations; and objective versus
subjective needs. Perceived needs are those that instructors or teachers see, whereas felt needs
are those that students feel (Berwick, 1989). Learner needs are considered as the linguistic
variables necessary in target contexts in the product-oriented interpretation. Needs are centered
on learners' emotive and cognitive traits that influence learning in the process-oriented
interpretation (Brindley, 1989). Finally, the two types of needs, "objective needs" and

14
"subjective needs", respectively result from the application of requirements analysis that is
"product-oriented" and "process-oriented." Objective requirements, according to Brindley
(1989), are drawn from a variety of factual facts about learners, their actual language usage
circumstances, and their existing language ability and challenges. Information on a person's
affective and cognitive aspects, such as their confidence, attitudes, learning goals, learning
expectations and learning strategies is used to determine their subjective requirements.

Sub-summary

Among the abovementioned approaches, the learner-centered approach (Berwick & Brindley,
1989 and Dudley-Evans & St. John, 2009) and the task-based approach (Long, 2005) have
numerous advantages over the others, as it emphasizes both cognitive and emotive factors in a
more communicative environment. In other words, in addition to linguistic requirements, the
attitudes and sentiments of learners are also prominently stressed. Moreover, the distinction
between perceived and felt requirements makes it possible to build conclusions on information
from various angles (of both learners and teachers). Additionally, while the task-based
approach emphasizes the communicative approach as the targets for learning and teaching, the
learner-centered one addresses concerns that both the sociolinguistic approach and the
learning-centered approach find important. For instance, the notions of communication
requirements (Munby, 1978) and target needs (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987) are comparable to
needs in the product-oriented interpretation of learner-centered approach. Needs in the
process-oriented interpretation of the learner-centered approach also line up with Hutchinson
& Waters' definition of learning needs (1987).

Since the emphasis of EFL learning has shifted away from the narrow goal of mastering a
body of knowledge to the concentration on the learner in terms of the process of acquiring this
knowledge, learner-centered and task-based approach have been receiving increasing attention
over the last few decades (Holec, 1979; Nunan, 1988). Because it gives students the chance to
gradually understand their needs and express them in a pedagogically useful manner by
addressing the learning process, the majority of current methods of EFL learning adhere to the
"process-oriented" view of needs analysis that emerged from the learner-centered approach
(Tudor, 1996). In this regard, the "process-oriented" view's findings about the subjective needs

15
of learners stand out as being particularly significant and worth investigation before, but
particularly during, the implementation of the curriculum (Richards, 2012). Due to these
factors, the current study utilizes a learner-centered and task-based approach with a focus on
determining students' subjective needs along with the process-oriented interpretations and
teachers’ objective needs in a communicative environment.

2.1.4. Types of needs

2.1.4.1. Target needs and learning needs

What the learner must perform in the goal setting is referred to as the "target needs." In the
study of Hutchinson and Waters (1987), the phrase "Target needs" is supposed to be an
overarching term. This term is defined by 3 goals (a) need, (b) lack, and (c) want.

Figure 1. Three goals of Target needs (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987)

(a) Necessity

16
The term “Necessity” is the most essential to define the target needs of an English learner.
Usually, a critical need is a type of need that is determined by the requirements of the target
situation, which is what learners must know to function effectively in the target situation.
Research has shown the “necessary conditions” for students' English proficiency as a medium
of instruction in all subjects at the school. Therefore, students must depend on their English
skills to understand the content of the study.

(b) Lack

The second component of “Target Needs” is to identify learners' shortcomings. Language

learners, with their shortcomings, will have different target needs to fill those gaps.

(c) Want

The notion of "necessity" in the target circumstance may be readily understood by learners,
and they will undoubtedly have an opinion regarding their "shortcomings." However, not all
students will have the same desires, and some may disagree with the opinions of other
interested parties like professors and schools. According to Richterich and Chancerel (1980),
"a need" cannot exist independently of a person. These are the folks who base their perception
of their requirements on information about themselves and their surroundings.

In addition to their basic requirements, language learners will develop what is known as a
"learning need". The process through which students learn, which includes students' goals,
knowledge, abilities, and techniques for learning a language, is referred to as "learning needs."
Learning demands actually have a lot to do with language difficulties, learning objectives,
learning preferences, and other factors (Liza Sharmin, 2020). Therefore, the main focus in this
study is to analye “want” from the students, which considers what a student feels he/she wants
to do or to learn.

2.1.4.2. Objective and subjective needs

The term "objective needs" refers to all factual information about learners, or their
"biographical data" (Nunan, 1988), including their age, sex, nationality, marital status,
education background, prior language study, current proficiency level, language difficulties,
use of the language in daily life, amount of time spent in the target culture, and their current,

17
past, and future occupations (Brindley, 1989; Nunan, 1988; Robinson, 1991). Teachers can
identify students' objective requirements by analyzing personal information about them,
combined with information about their language competency and language usage habits
(Brindley, 1984. p. 31).

Subjective needs, such as self-assurance, attitudes, and expectations, are the cognitive and
emotive requirements of language learners. about the curriculum. The preferred length and
level of a course, the preferred learning arrangement (whether the learner prefers classroom or
non-classroom-based instruction), the preferred methodology (which will include the types of
materials and activities preferred by the learner), and learning styles are all examples of the
learners' subjective needs (Nunan, 1988, p. 42)

Subjective needs, on the other hand, are those that are perceived by interested parties other
than learners, such as instructors, administrators, sponsors, parents, and possible employers. In
a broad sense, objective needs refer to any factual facts linked to the curriculum.

Regarding needs analyses identified by Dudley-Evans and St. John (2009), this study makes
use of subjective needs analysis for the students, which focuses on the learners’ wants, reasons
for attending the course, or expectations, and the objective needs for the teachers, which are
defined as all factual information about the learner, for example language proficiency,
learners’ background that teachers think students need to use to present language proficiency.
Moreover, the researcher considers that the teacher-student relationship, the classroom
environment, and in that line of thought the students’ perception of their teacher are all part of
this type of needs analysis and an integral part of a successful course.

2.2. Learning needs of gifted students in Vietnam

2.2.1. The concept of gifted students in the world

There are many interpretations by researchers or research centers about the term "Gifted
student". According to Davison insitute (2021), When compared to other kids their age,
experience, or environment, gifted kids show a higher level of aptitude or potential in one or
more particular areas. Because of their exceptional capacity for thought, reasoning, and
judgment, these talented persons require specific educational programs and assistance in order
to maximize their potential and abilities.

18
In Identifying Gifted Children: A Practical Guide, according to Susan K. Johnsen's (2018)
research, all gifted children show the ability to excel in the areas included by the federal
classification of gifted and talented students in the United States: “The term 'gifted and
talented' when used in respect to students, children, or youth means (those who show)
evidence of high performance capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or
leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who require services or activities not
ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop such capabilities.”

The National Association for Gifted Children in the United States (2011) defines giftedness as
those who exhibit exceptional levels of aptitude-defined as an exceptional capacity for thought
and learning or competence-documented performance or achievement in the top 10% or rarer
in one or more disciplines are considered gifted. Any structured field of study having a unique
symbol system (such as mathematics, music, or a language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills is
referred to as a domain (e.g., painting, dance, sports). Ability or talent development is a
lifetime process. Exceptional performance on tests and/or other measures of aptitude, a quick
rate of learning compared to other pupils their age, or real achievement in an area can all be
signs of it in young children. However, as people grow from childhood to adolescent, success
and high levels of motivation in the area start to dominate as indicators of giftedness. The
growth and expression of abilities can be inherited by a variety of variables, either positively
or negatively.

A policy on gifted education is suggested for schools in Hong Kong, according to The
Education Commission Report No.4 (1990), and it is suggested that a broad definition of
giftedness incorporating many criteria should be applied. Children that are gifted typically
excel or have extraordinary potential in one or more of the following areas:

• A high degree of measurable intelligence;

• Specialized subject-area academic aptitude;
• Creative thinking;
• Exceptional talent in the visual and performing arts;
• Innate peer leadership;

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 • Psychomotor ability - exceptional talent or inventiveness in sports, mechanical
skills, or other disciplines requiring fine or gross motor coordination.

In Singapore, the Gifted Education Programme (GEP) was established in 1984, and it is
available during the upper primary years (Primary 4–6, ages 10–12). For entry into the GEP
for Primary 4 to 6, students must pass rigorous examination in Primary 3 (age 9). Only 1% of
the cohort gets accepted into the program each year. (Singapore Ministry of Education, 2016).
Because of these concepts, many parts of the world including Vietnam have set up special
learning environments for them.

2.2.2. Characteristics of gifted students

Academically gifted individuals may exhibit traits including above-average academic

achievement, a love of learning, and perseverance through difficult and hard activities, all of
which differentiate them from their peers, according to Pfeiffer (2012). The Davison Institute
(2021) research shows that gifted children often exhibit the following traits:

• Being able to understand stuff that is several grade levels above what their age-
related peers can understand.
• Surprisingly mature emotional awareness and depth for one so young
• Enthusiastic about specialized subjects and hobbies
• Enthusiastic about specialized subjects and hobbies that are eccentric or adult
• Inventiveness and the ability to solve problems creatively
• Information is easily absorbed, requiring little repetition.
• Mindful of oneself, others, and challenges across the world

Additionally, Renzulli (2011) agreed that talented kids frequently exhibit high aptitude, high
originality, and high work dedication. They also comprehend the course topics more quickly
than the typical student (Fonseca, 2011), and they typically learn well on their own (Ormrod,
2003). In terms of social-emotional dimensions, talented children can also exhibit
multipontentiality, which is the fusion of many skills and interests (Jung, 2013; Sajjadi,
Rejskind, & Shore, 2001), or perfectionism (Adderholt & Goldberg, 1999; Schuler, 2002;
Silverman, 1999).

20
Given the unique traits that have been examined in a large number of studies, it may be
assumed that talented EFL students, like those who are exceptional in other areas, may have
learning demands that are different from those of non-gifted students. Failure to provide for
their requirements might result in low motivation, distracted attention, and ultimately low
learning accomplishment (Clinkenbeard, 2012; Schunk, 2012). Due of this, there is a high
need for "gifted education," which is defined as particular services, techniques, theories,
processes, and policies utilized to meet the unique requirements of talented students (Delisle,
2006; Purcell & Eckert, 2006).

2.2.3. Vietnamese conception of giftedness

The concept of gifted student in Vietnam is different from the world. According to Clause 1,
Article 62 of the Education Law 2019 stipulates: “Special schools are established at the upper
secondary level for students who achieve excellent results in their studies in order to develop
their aptitudes in a number of subjects on the basis of ensure comprehensive general education,
create a source of talent training, meet the development requirements of the country”.
(Giaoduc24h, 2022). Thus, gifted students in Vietnam are developed in terms of talent but still
based on subjects in the general education curriculum.

According to the Regulation of Organization and Operation of Gifted High Schools (Ministry
of Education and Training, 2012), students are recruited into gifted EFL classes based on test
results of three subject areas: English, Vietnamese literature and Mathematics. As for English
subject, students are required to sit for two tests (one general English test and one advanced
English test). Scores of the advanced English test are doubled before being added to the scores
of the other three tests to calculate the sum scores, which would then be used as a basis in the
selection process (MOET, 2012).

Vietnam is still developing subject-based curricula that stresses topic knowledge rather than
more contemporary initiatives like individualized learning, learner-centered approaches, or
problem-based learning. Even though those specialized disciplines only support a small
number of university-level subjects, there is absolutely no justification for claiming that this
sort of institution will be the first to supply the nation with high-quality human resources.

2.2.4. Meeting the needs of gifted students in Vietnam

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Regarding the need to learn foreign languages of gifted students in Vietnam, Dr. Do Tuan
Minh - Rector of University of Foreign Languages – VNU – Hanoi expressed that learning
foreign languages is a common trend of the times. Not only students majoring in foreign
languages are increasing, but also other technical, economic or social students have the need to
learn more foreign languages. Knowing a foreign language helps students have greater
opportunities in jobs after graduation, especially for students who want to work in a foreign
environment or want to have a higher income than their peers (ULIS, 2018). When
recognizing the importance of English, high school students in specialized schools may pay
more attention to learn English as well as fluently use this language in normal communication.

However, according to MOET (2012), schools or individual instructors that deal with these
students autonomously construct their own gifted education programs rather than having them
implemented across the nation. Meanwhile, there are no official or specialized teacher
education and training programs in Vietnam's colleges for individuals who wish to instruct and
teach students majoring in English. After having passed the entrance exam to enter the high
school, there is hardly any guidance or instruction regarding what level of output (based on
CEFR level) that gifted students will be able to achieve, so students normally do not have a
clear orientation on what they want and need to learn to achieve this output. Moreover, despite
Vietnam's relatively long history of gifted education, little is known about the learning
requirements of gifted EFL students. Thus, studies that focus on learning needs of gifted EFL
students in Vietnam is scarce. Besides, the absence of standardized training programs for
instructors of talented EFL students as well as unified learning curricula for students suggests
that the educational requirements of gifted EFL students may not be effectively met.

It can be said that in addition to applying foreign languages to teaching, the school also
focuses on developing activities to promote students' creativity and self-research capacity for
natural and scientific subjects, social studies - using teaching methods of schools for gifted
students in developed countries. (FLSS, 2022).

Therefore, this paper adopts the learner-centered approach (Berwick & Brindley, 1989 and
Dudley-Evans & St. John, 2009) the task-based approach (Long, 2005) to identify the
subjective and objective needs of these gifted EFL students in light of the comparison of

22
various approaches to learner needs analysis in the preceding sections and the assumption that
gifted EFL students may have distinctive cognitive and affective needs in a communicative
context. In order to examine whether there is any disagreement between felt needs and
perceived needs, these needs are also examined from the viewpoints of both teachers and
gifted students.

2.3. Defining what and how to teach in English language teaching

To address research question 2, it is necessary to get a clear insight into the definition of
English language teaching in general as well as the methods that teachers apply in teaching
and assessing gifted high school students based on the CEFR framework.

2.3.1. What to teach in English language teaching

2.3.1.1. English for academic specific purposes

English for academic specific purpose (ESP) has many definitions. It is described in terms of
qualities by Strevens (1988), who suggests two types: absolute and variable. The four absolute
characteristics of ESP are: (1) designed to meet specific learner needs; (2) related to contents
(in themes or topics) to specific specializations, occupations, or activities; (3) focused on
language appropriate for those activities in syntax, discourse, semantics, and discourse
analysis; and (4) not "general English" in nature. The variable characteristics are two: First,
learning ESP may be restricted to a few specific skills (reading, for example); second, it may
not be taught using any pre-established system.

Robinson (1991) based his description on two crucial factors and two traits. The two
requirements are that ESP is "normally goal-oriented" (p. 3) and that ESP programs use needs
analyses to identify the precise tasks that students must perform using the English language.
By doing so, Robinson affirms the significance of needs analysis and concurs with Hutchinson
and Waters (1987). ESP classes are comprised of groups of adult learners with the same job or
area of specialization and are taught during a brief period during which course objectives
should be met (Robinson, 1991).

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) are the
two core classes that make up ESP (EOP). According to Hyland (2006), the high proportion of

23
international students attending British and American colleges is to blame for the growing
popularity of EAP. To help students meet the standards necessary for admission to colleges
where English is the primary language of teaching, these universities offer EAP courses (pre-
sessional and in-sessional). The students in this study also studies EAP courses and many of
them wish to study in English speaking countries later in their life.

In recent years, the investment boom of foreign companies in Vietnam has created more and
more opportunities and challenges for the people, especially students, or furthermore, for high
school students. These people represent the future generation of people working in Vietnam,
so the need to communicate and use specialized English in the workplace has increased
significantly.

2.3.1.2. English proficiency

In theory, communicative language competence, according to Freeman (2004), is one

approach that places an emphasis on learning linguistic structure and vocabulary. She claims
that when individuals speak, they use the language in order to carry out a specific task, such as
arguing, persuading, or promising in a social environment. Longman Dictionary of Language
Teaching and Applied Linguistics (Richards, 1992) defines that the communicative language
competency approach of teaching foreign or second languages stresses that communicative
competence is the end aim of language acquisition. Hymes coined the phrase "communication
competence" in 1972, and he described it as essential grammatical skills along with the
capability of using those skills in a variety of communicative contexts. He claims that a child
“...acquires competence as to when to speak, when not, and as to what to talk about with
whom, when, where, in what manner. In short, a child becomes able to accomplish a
repertoire of speech acts, to take part in speech events, and to evaluate their accomplishment
by others.” (Hymes, 1972, p. 277).

In attempt to summarize the main ideas of the above mentioned and some other theoreticians,
Bagarić and Mihaljević say that “the nature of communicative language competence is not
static but dynamic, it is more interpersonal than intrapersonal and relative rather than
absolute.” (Bagarić and Mihaljević, 2007, p.96)

24
In practice, the development of communicative language competence is a crucial part of
educational area called Language and Language Communication which comprises of both,
mother tongue and foreign language. The Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages (CEFR) is widely known as an international standard for describing language
ability, because the CEFR “provides a common basis for the elaboration of language
syllabuses, curriculum guidelines, examinations, textbooks, etc. across Europe” (Council of
Europe, 2001, p.1). It thoroughly explains what language learners need to learn in order to use
a language for communication as well as the knowledge and abilities they need to acquire in
order to be able to function effectively (Yamat, Umar & Mahmood, 2014). The CEFR
describes language proficiency in six levels, from A1 level for beginners, up to C2 level for
those already proficient in a language. This makes it easier for anyone involved in language
teaching and assessment, such as teachers or learners, to see the different levels of proficiency.
It also means that employers and educational institutions can easily compare our qualifications
with other exams in their countries. (Cambridge, 2022). It comes with a general framework
which indicates what language learners need to learn to be able to use a foreign language
effectively in practice.

25
 Table 1. Reference the CEFR scale for each certificate type

In Vietnam, the government has proposed a project on the ability of employees to use English
fluently to a level according to CEFR standards. This is to improve the ability to use foreign
languages of workers in Vietnam in the context of integration with the world. Accordingly, by
2025, the standards set will be as follows:

• Organize training to improve foreign language ability for 50% of cadres and civil
servants at the central level (focusing on leading officials and civil servants from
departmental level and above under 40 years old), 25% of cadres and civil servants
at provincial and district levels in the locality (focusing on leading civil servants and
managers from departmental level upwards, under 40 years old)
• 60% of officials and 50% of officials holding leadership and management positions
have achieved level 4 foreign language (equivalent to a B2 certificate in English)
• 20% of commune cadres and civil servants and 15% of commune leaders and
managers under 40 years of age have attained Level 3 foreign language proficiency
(equivalent to B1 English certificate) (VIVIAN, 2022)

According to the “Specialized curriculum for High school for the gifted” (MOET, 2009), the
requirements for foreign-language education are based on the Common European Framework
of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the aim for gifted high school students is normally to
reach B2+ level, which can be demonstrated that students are able to use English as a means of
communication at a high level of proficiency in four macro-skills (listening, speaking, reading,
and writing) as well as have mastered advanced English phonetics and grammar, and acquired
the minimum of around 1000 advanced vocabulary items of English (MOET, 2009). Hence,
this study utilizes the CEFR framework, which is considered as the foundation for the gifted
students’ needs because through "can-do" descriptions, the levels are described. Based on all
of these accomplishments, the CEFR has created a description of the steps involved in
acquiring a foreign language by types of competence and sub-competence, utilizing
descriptors for each competence or sub-competence. These descriptors were developed
independently of any particular language, ensuring their application in all contexts. The CEFR
is derived from the international global scales where it distinguishes five communication

26
skills, including listening, reading, spoken interaction, spoken production, and writing, which
is graded on a six-level scale (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).

2.3.2. How to teach in English language teaching

Teaching English has been a major concern in language education due to the rising demand for
English on a worldwide scale and the fact that teaching involves more than just the transfer of
information and skills. The management and interaction of the classroom, methodology-
method-post method, learners, and the frameworks of the social and institutional setting of
ELT are considered as four of the main areas to be concerned in the implementation of ELT
(Hall, 2017). Regarding this claim, it is undeniable that there have been significant
improvements in how English instructors teach and how students learn. As for the pedagogies
and methodologies in language acquisition in the 19 th century until now, according to Lin
(2010), there have been at least eleven approaches that should be taken into consideration,
which are:

a. The method of grammar translation

b. Natural approach
c. Direct method
d. Situational Language Teaching (SLT)
e. Constructive analysis
f. Method of audio-lingual
g. Total physical response (TPR)
h. Student-centered learning
i. Communicative approach
j. Interactive approach
k. Computer assisted language learning (CALL)

Teaching foreign languages is made more difficult by the growing need for proficient
communication abilities in today's society. Students must be provided a proper foundational of
communication skills that are necessary in a variety of real-world settings outside of the
classroom. The focus should be to prepare students, even with the gifted students, for real-life
situations rather than merely getting them to pass a superficial paper exam. Besides, the

27
availability of technology developments nowadays has supported English teaching and
learning significantly. The technology that is readily available to students, such as a
smartphone and portable computer, allows them to study and even acquire English (through
reading, listening, speaking, and writing) anywhere and at any time. Therefore, due to the high
demands in English language teaching nowadays, this study mainly put attention to student-
centered learning, communicative approach, interactive approach along with computer assisted
language learning to apply in teaching gifted high school students (Lin, 2011).

In more details, some activities corresponded to four types of learning styles can be listed as:
Visual, Auditory, Reading/ Writing, and Kinesthetic (The VARK model; Fleming and Mills,
1992). There are numerous learning styles models, yet this classification seems to reflect the
experiences of both teachers and gifted students. Fleming claimed that visual learners [V] have
a preference for seeing (visual aids that represent ideas such as pictures, charts, diagrams,
symbols, etc.). Auditory learners [A] best learn through listening (films, discussions, tapes,
etc.), reading/writing type of learners [R] have a strong preference for text-based inputs and
outputs such as books, dictionaries and manuals. Meanwhile, kinesthetic learners [K] prefer to
learn via experience - moving, touching, and doing projects. Among those types, most
common activities in classroom settings for the gifted are: mind-maps, watching videos,
lecture, listening to podcasts, group-discussion, reading books, using wordlists, role-play, or
doing projects, which can also be integrated in each macro skill (Harding, 2007).

Furthermore, having highlighted the techniques and learning styles used in ELT, it is also
important to consider the teaching materials or lessons, especially for gifted students. In terms
of the lesson being taught, it often relates to what English language learners themselves must
learn in order to be proficient in the language. A student, especially the talented, is supposed to
master speaking, listening, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar or structure in order to
become competent in English. Back to the definition of ESP, Gillet (2015) also employ
absolute characteristics, which are: (a) ESP is developed to cater to certain needs of the
learner, (b) it uses the methodology and the tasks of the field it serves, and (c) it focuses on the
language (grammar, lexis, and registers), skills, discourse, and genres suitable for these tasks.
Therefore, the following is the review of the six English competencies:

28
 a. Speaking

Gudu (2015) conducted an intriguing study in Kenya to reveal that there were various ways in
which classroom activities were used such as: speaking formally in English with native
speakers, asking and answering questions in class, carrying out discussion, making
presentation, speaking accurately and fluently, etc. However, discussion was the most
frequently used activity while oral drill was the least. The study then makes three
recommendations: first, teachers should include a variety of activities in a lesson to meet
students' needs; second, learners should have opportunities to practice authentic English
language in context; and third, curricula should acknowledge students' cultural backgrounds to
maximize their learning outcomes.

b. Listening

According to Mee (2017), adequate preparation, sufficient support, and the guidance of
appropriate tasks are crucial factors in actually teaching effective listening. Some of the sub-
skills that the author puts into consideration could be illustrated as: listening in lectures, in
seminars and discussions, listening to sources related course, or listening to get specific
information, to understand main points or answer questions, etc. (Mee, 2017). However,
identifying error patterns and taking corrective action, along with receiving encouraging
feedback, are equally important in the teaching of listening.

c. Reading

A study by Venezky (2019) demonstrates that how reading should be taught, especially to the
gifted students, depends on four factors: the skill that learners possess for the reading
activities, the learners' learning capacities, the teaching environment, which at least consists of
teachers, resources, and the community in which the school is placed, and the connection
between language and writing. Gillet (2015) also lists some sub-skills that gifted students
should acquire to be proficient in English reading, such as: reading textbooks related to the
course, reading journal articles, reading novels for pleasure, reading to get specific
information, reading quickly and efficiently or reading to take notes and understand
vocabulary.

d. Writing

29
In the past few decades, there have been significant advancements in the teaching of writing in
ELT, leading to paradigm shifts in this field. There are many sub-skills in writing that should
be focused on, for example: making summary from written source, responding to exam
questions, creating well-structured paragraphs, organizing and planning writing, using
appropriated advanced vocabulary, writing an essay on social issue or writing in the suitable
time allocated (Gillet, 2015). Thus, to master these sub-skills, three main approaches that have
received a lot of attention and discussion in recent years, according to Nordin (2017), should
be adopted, including genre-based, process-based, and product-based.

e. Vocabulary

Vocabulary is a crucial component of understanding any language, particularly reading. In

order to foster students' lexical growth, a variety of approaches have been used in vocabulary
teaching. Pan (2017, p.38) points out that lexical transfer is helpful when translating words
into a second language. Additionally, by creating connections between letters and meanings
and imprinting enduring images in students' minds, the words instruction in their specific
context could activate their schemas. Aside from that, when idioms and collocations that are
difficult to understand from their surface meanings appeared in the text, the instructions for
idioms and collocations act as a gateway to both the expansion of vocabularies and the
improvement of reading comprehension.

f. Grammar

Larse-Freeman (2015, p. 263) suggests that in order to solve the problem of stagnant
knowledge, in contrast to traditional approaches to teaching, which position grammar as a
static, finite system leads to a linear path to increase control of such system. Grammar should
be viewed in more progressive terms, since students have to think beyond the input because in
the end, learning a language is not about conformity to uniformity (Larsen-Freeman, 2015). As
a result, the grammar system is not rigid but rather constantly evolving because of the learners’
creativity as they generate new meanings, making it impossible to distinguish errors from
linguistic innovations without a consideration to authoritative factors.

Another concern that is often raised among researchers is how to assess the gifted students. In
determining and evaluating the level of the gifted, Bracken (2006, p.112) highlights the need

30
for equity in the administering of gifted identification practices and triangulated data from a
variety of sources in order to make informed decisions. According to the National Association
for Gifted Children (NAGC, 2015), two main categories for gifted assessment are quantitative
and qualitative assessment. To be more specific, in terms of quantitative assessment, testing is
known as an objective and consistent way to identify giftedness, and tests are often used as
benchmarks for entrance into specific educational programs (Jarosewich, & Morris, 2002).
Hence, tests should be reflective of the specific area that the students display characteristics in.
Achievement tests assess the skills and knowledge already learned by the student, whereas
ability tests apply to the intellectual prowess of children and measure cognitive skills and IQ,
but both will provide scores to describe how a student performs relative to other students.
Qualitative assessment, on the other hand, based on Pfeiffer’s handbook (2008) is utilized to
monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by teachers to improve
their teaching and by students to improve their learning. Overall, test scores, including raw
scores, percentile ranks, grade-equivalent scores and standard scores should all be measured
against current norms and be non-biased. They also need to reflect the local demographic, not
only state or national norms and be specific to an area of giftedness or talent (Pfeiffer, 2008).

However, a number of issues, particularly for the gifted high school English learners, have
arisen as a result of the English language's rapid growth in Vietnam. First, there is a
disproportionate demand-supply. With a high population of gifted students, of whom a
sizeable proportion have a strong desire to learn English, the demand for English language
teaching far outstrips the supply of native speaker and competent non-native speaker teachers.
Secondly, textbook writing and teacher retraining are the two important aspects to implement
its curriculum. Textbook writing has been completed, yet to apply it in teaching for the gifted
and do massive and long-term retraining of teachers in English competence would demand
manpower and logistic resources beyond the capacity of the system at present. Thirdly, despite
the significance of English in the new context of integration and globalization, English
language teaching in Vietnam, due to its poor quality, has not been able to meet the demand
for competent English-speaking people. Although the rhetoric of the Vietnamese Ministry of
Education and Training frequently emphasizes the development of practical communication
skills, this is rarely reflected at the classroom level, where the focus is instead on the

31
development of writing skills, reading comprehension and advanced vocabulary for the
purposes of getting high award in the National English Competition for the gifted. Lastly,
there is a mismatch between testing and teaching in English language teaching in Vietnam.
While teaching follows the communicative approach, testing appears to be geared toward
gauging students' academic knowledge (Crystal 2003, Nunan 2013).

The CEFR framework, the methodology and some problems in English language teaching for
the gifted mentioned above serve as the theoretical base for this study to be conducted as it
helps to answer the research questions of both students and teachers and to have a more
thorough understanding towards gifted high school students’ needs.

2.4. Relevant studies on gifted students’ needs

In the thesis of Kaimuddin (1999), titled "Need Analysis of Technical English for the gifted
high school students," he discovered the issue that students perceived when studying advanced
English. The benefits that students attain from their technical English knowledge are that they
are able to function effectively in real-world situations.

Prachanant (2013) in her journal entitled “Needs Analysis on English Language Use for high
school students” stated that needs analysis plays a vital role in developing English proficiency
for specific purposes. This study surveyed the needs, functions and problems of English
language use by 40 high school students. Findings revealed that speaking is the most
important, then listening, reading and writing. The three most relevant functions in using the
English language were giving information, followed by providing services, and offering help.
English use problems included inability inappropriate words and expressions, inadequate
vocabulary, and lack of grammar knowledge.

Besides, in a study on the needs of students majoring in English for tourism at Constanta
University, Lavinia (2017) showed that 92.6% of students study English to serve their future
careers. The surveyed students show that they are well aware of the need to develop English
skills to meet the needs of the labor market. In a study on motivations for learning English by
Navickiene, Kavaliauskiene, and Pevceviciute (2015) on motivations for learning English -
specifically, specialized English at the University of Klaipeda, the author surveyed up to 95%
of students study English as a major because it is necessary for their future career and to

32
improve their proficiency. Lan, Khaun, and Singh (2011) researched determining the language
competencies and skills university students need to meet in the workplace. Research results
show that English is widely used in workplaces because most specific tasks are done in
English.

Gifted students in Vietnam are still trained according to the common standards in the general
education curriculum, so their needs also revolve around self-development through learning
outcomes. Based on the research of Vietnam Journal of Educational sciences (2022), the needs
of gifted school students in Vietnam are expressed through various surveys:

- Expectations from being educated in a special environment: When one-third of students

believed that specialized schools would help students develop their interests and skills in the
subject, the tendency of students to select specialized schools initially reflected the goal of
specialized schools, which is to provide intensive programs to "develop students' aptitudes for
each subject". Additionally, a quarter of kids chose specialist institutions due to the
atmosphere for choosing from the beginning. That demonstrates a strong desire to learn in a
competitive environment that attracts many talented individuals with complementary talents of
particularly talented pupils in specific topics. In addition to information that is readily
available through parents, instructors, and friends, these children have a tendency to actively
seek out information about the school, such as extracurricular activities and fostering. It is
clear that for this particular group of students, things such as culture, tradition, and
extracurricular activities are equally as significant as the classroom environment.
- Level of student participation in life skills development activities: Gifted students also
regularly participate in extra-curricular activities of the school. However, the issue of daily
sports practice and participation in art clubs/classes are hardly interested by students. Up to
33.5% of students "almost never" participate in gifted and artistic activities. This low rate may
be explained by the excessive amount of time spent on specialized subjects in and out of the
classroom and by the excessive length of the curriculum. Students cannot have time for clubs.
In addition, another reason is that the specialized program is not spending time on content
related to talent and art

Summary

33
In summary, this chapter has delineated the importance of learner needs investigation in
general and the significance of identifying Vietnamese gifted high school students’ needs in
particular. Different models or approaches to learner needs analysis were reviewed and
evaluated to select the most appropriate framework for investigating learning needs of gifted
EFL students. Additionally, the methodologies, the issues appeared in English language
teaching and the CEFR framework were also highlighted to shed light for answering the
research questions. Next, the methodologies and strategies used to identify these needs are
presented in the following chapter.

34
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, the research design as well as the methods of data collection and data analysis
are provided. The researcher describes these processes of each method first and later explains
why particular methods were chosen and how they were carried out.

As previously mentioned, this study aimed to discover the English learning needs of gifted
high school students. Specifically, it sought answers for the following research questions:

(1) What are the English gifted students’ needs in learning English in a gifted high school?

1.1. What are the gifted students’ needs in English proficiency?

1.2. What are the gifted students’ need in English learning method and environment?

(2) What and how do teachers think English gifted students need to study in a gifted high
school?

In the current research, those questions were examined through both students’ and teachers’
perspectives, with the first question for students and the second one for teachers. Findings
were then compared and contrasted to acquire a profound understanding of learning needs of
gifted high school students.

3.1. Settings of the study

The study was conducted at a public high school for the gifted students, which is situated in
the north of Vietnam. The students who graduated from secondary school have to attend an
entrance exam with advanced level of knowledge and fulfill school’s requirements to be
officially admitted in this school. Apart from that, this high school shares the similar system as
other high schools for the gifted in other regions. Firstly, the number of students does not
exceed 35 students per class. Secondly, there are 2 academic semesters for schools and the
research was conducted during the second one. Last but not least, students at this school have
5 English periods per week with the same curriculum, which are totally taught by non-native
speaker teachers of English.

3.2. Sampling and participations

35
The target participants are 10 English teachers who have at least one bachelor degree in
Vietnam and gifted students, who have to pass an entrance exam to be admitted in specialized
English classes in a high school for the gifted in the north of Vietnam.

To be more specific, the research was divided into two phases. In the first phase, the research
population involved 210 students in two classes majoring in English from a high school for the
gifted in the local area. Their ages range from 15 to 18, which are from grade 10 to 12. The
majority of participants were female students, with nearly 75%. It can be observed that there is
not much difference among students from different grades or different classes. Therefore, the
student population as a whole could be considered homogenous. All of the participants in this
phase had to fill in the questionnaire to answer questions related to their needs towards English
learning.

In the second phase, which conducted semi-structured interviews, 10 English teachers were
included to answer questions about their perceptions towards students’ leaning needs. As the
researcher wanted to identify the similarity and discrepancy between teachers’ and students’
perceptions, choosing teachers who were directly working with survey participants best
facilitated the comparison in the next stages. Besides, to be qualified to teach at high schools
for the gifted, all teachers are required to achieve level C1 in Vietnamese Common European
Framework of Reference for Language Proficiency. These respondents in this interview were
all experienced teachers who had at least three years of working with high school gifted
students. Five out of ten teachers hold a master's degree. With that amount of time, it was
expected that these teachers had gained proper understanding of their students’ characteristics
and needs. To keep participants’ identity confidential, each teacher has been presented using
the letter “T” accompanied by a number from 1 to 10 (e.g., T1, T2, T3…). Below is the
descriptive information about the participants’ experiences:

Participant Years of teaching gifted Years of managing gifted

students classes
T1 25 years 20 years
T2 24 years 20 years
T3 24 years 18 years

36
 T4 19 years 15 years
T5 15 years 12 years
T6 9 years 5 years
T7 7 years 4 years
T8 5 years no
T9 3 years no
T10 3 years no
Table 2. Interview participants’ experiences
3.3. Data collection

3.3.1. Data collection instruments

To address the aforementioned research issues, mixed method design, which is a process
including collecting, examining, analyzing the related literature, and integrating both
quantitative and qualitative data (Tashakkori and Teddlie, 2003; Creswell, 2005), was
employed. The primary justification for combining both of quantitative and qualitative method
in this study was that it would be more effective for the researcher to take benefits from each
approach's advantages, triangulate the findings, and subsequently offer a more comprehensive
understanding of the (Green & Caracelli, 1997; Tashakkori & Teddlie, 1998; Creswell &
Plano Clark, 2012). To collect quantitative data, questionnaires were designed to obtain
information about teachers’ perceptions. It is undeniably that questionnaire is one of the
primary sources for obtaining data in any research endeavor. On the other hand, for qualitative
data, semi-structured interview was chosen in order to give more insights into English learning
needs of gifted high school students.

The figure below is the flowchart of the mixed-method research process, which is also known
as the graphic design of the study:

37
 Figure 2. Flowchart of the mixed-method research process

3.3.1.1. Quantitative method

The quantitative approach is an approach that involves the systematic empirical study of
quantitative properties, phenomena and their relationships. Markey & Gass (2005, p.92) regard
questionnaire as “one of the most common methods of collecting data on attitudes and
opinions from a large group of participants”. Sharing the same idea, Dornyei (2007) states
questionnaires’ results would ensure a large number of responses in a short period of time as
well as the generalization of the study.

In this research, questionnaire was chosen as one of the data collection instruments as it
allowed the researcher to collect straight information about the learning needs of gifted
students, specifically their needs towards learning priorities, purposes and needs towards
schools. The questionnaire was carefully designed based on the literature review. After
constructing a full questionnaire, the author experienced two rounds of piloting to examine its
reliability and validity. In the first round, the researcher consulted the supervisor for comments
and further refinement. In the second round, the questionnaire was piloted with two high
school teachers to identify potential problems before being sent to prospective participants.
Once receiving comments and suggestions, the research redefined the questionnaire and its
final version was made.

38
The questionnaire begins with a brief overview of research title, the purpose of conducting the
questionnaire, the desire for participants’ cooperation as well as the confirmation of data’s
confidentiality. The main part of questionnaire consists of three sections (A to C), which
respectively aimed to discover three domains of students’ learning needs. For the three
sections (A, B and C) of the questionnaire, a four-point Likert-type scale was utilized (refer to
Appendix 1).

 In section A, namely Learning priorities sub-scale, there are 7 items, which request
students to rate the level of importance of those English components and skills to themselves.
The rate is a 4-point Likert-scale with “1” being “not important at all” and “4” being “very
important”
 Then, in section B, 4 sub-skills priorities, including 9 items for writing sub-skills, 8
items for listening sub-skills, 11 items for writing sub-skills and 7 items for speaking ones, are
presented on a 4-point Likert-scale with “1” being “not important at all” and “4” being “very
important”, to gain more understandings about the students’ needs for each sub-skill. At the
same time, this part is also applied CEFR framework (including B2 – C1 – C2). If students rate
in frame 3 or 4 as “important” and “very important”, they will then rate the next frame to
what level they want to learn.
 Section C includes nine items to dig deeply into the students’ needs towards their
schools in terms of methodology, assessment, learning styles, techniques along with
opportunities for out-of-class activities, materials, teachers, the time and the frequency spent
on learning English at class. The indicator of this part is indicated through their level of
agreement to these items on a 4-point Likert-scale, and participants were requested to rate the
level of these items on this scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree).

The frameworks used to build the questionnaires are listed in Table 3.

Phase/ Dimension Section Framework

Learning priorities (in general) A Kaharuddin et al. (2014)

Sub-skills priorities B Gillet (2015)

39
  Writing sub-skills
Kayaoglu, Akba (2016)
 Listening sub-skills
MOET
 Reading sub-skills
CEFR level
 Speaking sub-skills

Hutchinson & Waters (1987)

Fleming and Mills (1992)

Needs towards school Nunan (1999)

C
(Learning needs) Reis and Renzulli (2010)

Neihart and Tan (2015)

MOET

Table 3. The frameworks used in the questionnaires

3.3.1.2. Qualitative method

According to Kvale (1996), a qualitative approach is an approach in which the researcher

investigates the behavior, motivations, and intentions of the research subject and the reasons
driving those behaviors. Using interviews allows respondents and the researcher to move back
and forth in time, to reconstruct what happened in the past and to predict the future. This
advantage, in fact, coincided with the researcher’s intention. Therefore, the researcher decided
to include the use of face-to-face, in-depth interviews (Appendix 2) with a view to identifying
teachers’ perceptions towards their gifted students’ needs. It also addressed the themes
previously covered in the questionnaires for the students (e.g., students’ learning priorities for
each skill and needs towards schools).

Based on the research question 2 and three sections in the questionnaire, an interview protocol
adopted from Khanza (2015) with eight structured questions as well as unstructured questions
was created for interviewing teachers (refer to Appendix 2). Each question was normally
followed by two probes such as “why” or “how” questions. To ensure intelligibility, the
interview protocol, after developed, was piloted with one potential participant (Barriball &
While, 1994; Chenail, 2011). After the pilot test, some questions were rearranged or

40
reformulated to make sure their applicability (Krauss et al., 2009; Chenail, 2011) and were
capable of eliciting various perceptions and experiences of teachers (Barriball & While, 1994;
Chenail, 2011).

There were 10 interviewees participating in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were also

tape-recorded, with full permission and consent from the participants, to ensure that important
information was not omitted.

3.3.2. Data collection procedure

3.3.2.1. Data from the questionnaires

 Step 1: Prepare beforehand and ask for consent: After finalizing a full questionnaire, the
researcher contacted 6 head teachers from 6 English classes in a high school for the gifted to
ask for permission to directly collect data. Researcher also asked for these students’ agreement
to partake in the survey.
 Step 2: Collect the data: A link to an online survey using Google Forms was sent to
potential student participants. Before filling the questionnaire, participants were instructed and
explained carefully for the clarity and authority as well as encouraged to contact the researcher
via email if any further clarifications on the items and the study were needed.
 Step 3: Evaluate the data collection process: Through this data collection process, 210
responses from the data collection process were recorded using Google Forms and
automatically exported to an Excel sheet. Once the data had been cleaned, it was immediately
imported into SPSS (Version 20.0) for additional analysis. After that, a report about the
achievement and shortcoming of the process was developed. Since all the items were
designated as compulsory for the submission, 100% of responses were completed and there
existed no missing values.

An overview of different steps in quantitative method used and expected outcomes are
provided in Figure 3.

41
 Figure 3. Quantitative method procedure

3.3.2.2. Data from the interviews

 Step 1: Contact: The researcher made contact with 10 teachers to confirm their
agreement on semi-structured interviews. After that, detailed information about time and place
for interviews was provided.
 Step 2: Interview: The interview with each teacher was conducted face-to-face but
separately and recorded to support data analysis. Each interview was about 15 to 20 minutes.
Note-taking was also utilized during the interviews and might be used for further analysis if
any errors occurred with the recordings.
 Step 3: Collect data: After having interviewed the teacher, the recording and the notes
were transcribed for data, which was ready to be analyzed.

Details of the research procedure and expected outcomes are presented in Figure 4 below:

42
 Figure 4. Qualitative method procedure

3.4. Data analysis methods

3.4.1. Quantitative data analysis

When receiving the questionnaires, the researcher carefully examined whether (1) the
questionnaire was completed; (2) the answers given were valid and simple to understand; (3)
the given data answered the questions. After ensuring the questionnaires fulfilled all those
three criteria, the researcher analyzed and synthesized all data from 210 surveys according to
each section in the questionnaire. As mentioned previously, the Statistical Package for the
Social Sciences (SPSS version 20.0) was employed to analyze data from questionnaires.
Specifically, the following analyses were attempted: Descriptive statistics (mean score and
standard deviation), Assessment of scale reliability and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA)

 Descriptive statistics method

Descriptive statistics is a process of quantitative description or features summary from a

collection of information. Descriptive statistics method is used to compare related factors in
order to highlight the characteristics of each group on the factors affecting the decision of the
research sample through frequency table that combines many variables, graphs and descriptive

43
statistics. Among those calculations, mean (M) and standard deviation (SD) are most
commonly used (Manikandan, 2011). Mean is the single value that is most representative of
the collected data. Meanwhile, standard deviation aimed to measure confidence in statistical
conclusions. A low standard deviation indicates that the values tend to be close to the mean of
the set, while a high one indicates that the values are spread out over a wider range (Logan &
Murray, 2010). In the current quantitative component, the descriptive statistics using M and
SD were adopted to summarize distinctive features of the data set.

 Assessment of reliability

Reliability, in its simplest sense, refers to the consistency of a measure (Tavakol & Dennick,
2011). For a multi-item measure, assessment of scale reliability is especially important as it
helps to ensure that all items on such measure reflect the same underlying construct (Tavakol
& Dennick, 2011). Among many methods of reliability assessment, Cronbach’s alpha value is
the most commonly used (Tavakol & Dennick, 2011). Sharing the same idea, Gliem (2003)
states that when using Likert-type scales, it is imperative to calculate and report Cronbach’s
alpha coefficient for internal consistency reliability for any scales or subscales one may be
using. For this reason, the researcher used Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient to assess the
reliability of the questionnaire survey. A commonly accepted rule of thumb for describing
internal consistency is as follows (George & Mallery, 2003):

Cronbach’s alpha Internal Consistency

α ≥ 0.9 Excellent
0.9 ≥ α ≥ 0.8 Good
0.8 > α ≥ 0.7 Acceptable
0.7 > α ≥ 0.6 Questionable
0.6 > α ≥ 0.5 Poor
0.5 > α Unacceptable

Table 4. Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient

It is essential to have “Cronbach’s alpha” value equal or greater than 0.7 and “Corrected
Item-Total Correlation” value is equal to or greater than 0.3 for each item. If the “Corrected

44
Item-Total Correlation” value of any question item is below 0.3, this might lead the researcher
to consider removing this item from the questionnaire (Pallant, 2005). According to George
and Marley (2003, as cited in Gliem, 2003), the reasonable goal is noted to be an alpha of 0.80.

3.4.2. Qualitative data analysis

As for the interview, after being transcribed into written form, the teachers’ response
information will be analyzed using thematic content analysis. According to Anderson (2007),
thematic content analysis is the foundation of qualitative analytic procedures, which allow
researchers to put participants’ voices to a particular issue into groups of central themes of
meaning. In other words, this method allows the researcher to investigate the commonality of
interviewees’ viewpoints based on their direct experiences concerning the issues proposed by
researchers in the study (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). Hence, only data which could help to
answer the second research question were selected for in-depth analysis.

This type of data analysis was conducted following the suggestion of Braun and Clarke (2012).
As such, each interview transcript was read and re-read several times, then annotated to
generate a list of initial codes. These codes were collated across participants to find similar
patterns in their answers, and if a pattern appeared among more than 50% of the participants, it
would be considered a theme. Those themes together with participants’ exemplifying
quotations were also reviewed for further explanation of the problems from quantitative
surveys. These findings from the interviews were then compared to findings from the
questionnaires of the students to have a more comprehensive picture of the English learning
needs of gifted high school students.

Summary

In summary, this chapter has justified the research methodology of the study by starting with
presenting the research settings and participants who are 10 high school teachers and 210
English majored students in a high school for the gifted in the north of Vietnam. After that,
information about the instruments, data collection and data analysis has also been discussed. In
details, a questionnaire survey, with the participation of 210 gifted students, was conducted to
identify of gifted students’ learning needs from their own perspectives. The qualitative semi-
structured interviews with 10 teachers were then carried out to explore their perceptions of

45
gifted students’ learning needs. The data was then analyzed using thematic analysis to find
commonalities and patterns, and finally compared and contrasted with findings from the
surveys.

46
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

In this chapter, the results from the questionnaires with gifted high school students as well as
the interviews with teachers of these gifted students are presented and analyzed to provide
answers for two research questions. Information collected from questionnaires is used to
address the first question; meanwhile, the second question is answered based on the finding
from the interviews. Moreover, data from questionnaires and interviews are shown in
succession and sometimes discussed together in order to make comparison with those from
relevant literature, with an aim to providing insights into the research topic

4.1. Descriptive Statistics

4.1.1. Descriptive Statistics of Section A

Descriptive Statistics

N MinimumMaximumMean Std.
Deviation

Vocabulary 210 1 4 2,89 ,900

Grammar 210 1 4 2,73 ,977

Pronunciation 210 1 4 2,62 ,991

Reading 210 1 4 2,58 1,066

Listening 210 1 4 2,58 1,056

Speaking 210 1 4 2,61 1,039

Writing 210 1 4 2,57 ,987

Valid N
210
(listwise)

4.1.2. Descriptive Statistics of Section B1

47
Descriptive Statistics

N MinimumMaximumMean Std.
Deviation

Expressing news and

views effectively in
210 1 4 2,54 1,017
writing, and relate to
those of others

Writing letters and

highlighting the
210 1 4 2,64 ,994
personal significance
of events

Summarizing long,
210 1 4 2,51 ,994
demanding texts

Expanding and
supporting ideas with
subsidiary points,210 1 4 2,53 1,017
reasons and relevant
examples

Writing clear, well-

structured texts of210 1 4 2,55 ,998
complex subjects

Writing an essay or
report that develops an
210 1 4 2,52 1,036
argument
systematically

48
Organizing and
planning ideas in210 1 4 2,52 ,999
writing effectively

Avoiding plagiarism 210 1 4 2,56 1,044

Illustrating tables,
210 1 4 2,62 1,006
graphs and diagrams

Consistently correct
and appropriate use of210 1 4 2,55 1,021
vocabulary

Writing in the suitable

time allocated for each210 1 4 2,56 1,067
task (punctuality)

Maintaining a high
degree of grammatical210 1 4 2,55 1,002
accuracy

Listening for the main

ideas and gist in210 1 4 2,53 1,036
complex speech

Listening in lectures,
discussions and
210 1 4 2,54 1,040
debates with relative
ease

Listening in a wide
range of recorded and
210 1 4 2,52 1,013
broadcast audio
material

49
Listening to extract
specific information
210 1 4 2,49 1,064
from public
announcements

Listening to get
specific information
210 1 4 2,59 1,060
for completing
assignments

Listening to most TV
news and current210 1 4 2,46 1,045
affairs programmes

Listening to take note

210 1 4 2,57 1,075
effectively

Listening to
210 1 4 2,53 ,998
understand vocabulary

Reading to obtain a
broad active reading210 1 4 2,55 1,058
vocabulary

Reading
straightforward factual
texts on subjects210 1 4 2,55 ,993
related to the course
books

50
Reading
correspondence
relating to the field of
210 1 4 2,60 1,059
interest and readily
grasp the essential
meaning

Scanning quickly
through long and
210 1 4 2,53 1,054
complex texts, locating
relevant details

Identifying the content

and relevance of news
210 1 4 2,56 1,025
items, articles and
reports

Obtaining information,
ideas and opinions
210 1 4 2,51 1,013
from highly specialised
sources

Reading quickly and

210 1 4 2,53 1,040
efficiently

Reading to get specific

details to answer
210 1 4 2,55 1,058
questions in
assignments

51
Performing oral
presentation in the
debate, even on210 1 4 2,61 1,040
complex and
unfamiliar topics

Giving feedback on
and follow up
statements to help the210 1 4 2,54 ,998
development of the
discussion

Planning and
organizing what is to
210 1 4 2,52 1,008
be said and the means
to say it

Using the language

flexibly, accurately and
effectively on a wide
210 1 4 2,62 ,986
range of general,
academic, or leisure
topics.

Delivering speech with

a degree of clarity,
210 1 4 2,58 1,015
fluency and
spontaneity

Delivering speech
using appropriate210 1 4 2,47 ,959
stress and intonation

52
Using advanced
grammatical structures
210 1 4 2,63 1,019
to infer attitude, mood
and intentions

Having a good
command of a broad210 1 4 2,58 1,047
lexical items

Valid N (listwise) 210

4.1.3. Descriptive Statistics of Section B2

Descriptive Statistics

N MinimumMaximumMean Std.
Deviation

Expressing news and

views effectively in
107 1 3 2,02 ,739
writing, and relate to
those of others

Writing letters and

highlighting the
115 1 3 2,09 ,732
personal significance
of events

Summarizing long,
112 1 3 2,07 ,694
demanding texts

53
Expanding and
supporting ideas with
subsidiary points,107 1 3 2,04 ,713
reasons and relevant
examples

Writing clear, well-

structured texts of103 1 3 2,03 ,720
complex subjects

Writing an essay or
report that develops an
107 1 3 2,04 ,713
argument
systematically

Organizing and
planning ideas in106 1 3 2,09 ,655
writing effectively

Avoiding plagiarism 105 1 3 1,97 ,727

Illustrating tables,
107 1 3 2,07 ,749
graphs and diagrams

Consistently correct
and appropriate use of111 1 3 2,07 ,723
vocabulary

Writing in the suitable

time allocated for each112 1 3 1,93 ,813
task (punctuality)

Maintaining a high
degree of grammatical109 1 3 2,06 ,768
accuracy

54
Listening for the main
ideas and gist in107 1 3 2,01 ,694
complex speech

Listening in lectures,
discussions and
110 1 3 1,96 ,741
debates with relative
ease

Listening in a wide
range of recorded and
106 1 3 2,05 ,748
broadcast audio
material

Listening to extract
specific information
108 1 3 2,04 ,748
from public
announcements

Listening to get
specific information
113 1 3 2,09 ,751
for completing
assignments

Listening to most TV
news and current111 1 3 1,99 ,707
affairs programmes

Listening to take note

112 1 3 2,04 ,709
effectively

Listening to
105 1 3 1,97 ,765
understand vocabulary

55
Reading to obtain a
broad active reading107 1 3 2,10 ,739
vocabulary

Reading
straightforward factual
texts on subjects110 1 3 2,05 ,752
related to the course
books

Reading
correspondence
relating to the field of
105 1 3 2,01 ,727
interest and readily
grasp the essential
meaning

Scanning quickly
through long and
106 1 3 2,04 ,755
complex texts, locating
relevant details

Identifying the content

and relevance of news
112 1 3 2,03 ,729
items, articles and
reports

Obtaining information,
ideas and opinions
106 1 3 1,96 ,755
from highly specialised
sources

Reading quickly and

109 1 3 2,01 ,799
efficiently

56
Reading to get specific
details to answer
108 1 3 1,97 ,716
questions in
assignments

Performing oral
presentation in the
debate, even on112 1 3 2,02 ,771
complex and
unfamiliar topics

Giving feedback on
and follow up
statements to help the111 1 3 2,02 ,774
development of the
discussion

Planning and
organizing what is to
106 1 3 2,00 ,756
be said and the means
to say it

Using the language

flexibly, accurately and
effectively on a wide
114 1 3 2,03 ,722
range of general,
academic, or leisure
topics.

Delivering speech with

a degree of clarity,
106 1 3 2,04 ,755
fluency and
spontaneity

57
Delivering speech
using appropriate103 1 3 2,09 ,702
stress and intonation

Using advanced
grammatical structures
114 1 3 2,02 ,741
to infer attitude, mood
and intentions

Having a good
command of a broad108 1 3 1,91 ,730
lexical items

Valid N (listwise) 103

4.1.4. Descriptive Statistics of Section C

Descriptive Statistics

N MinimumMaximumMean Std.
Deviation

Specialized school
should teach me the
knowledge that could210 1 4 2,54 1,017
be useful in my future
study/ work.

58
Specialized school
needs to help me
develop some soft210 1 4 2,56 1,140
skills (e.g. discipline,
team-work skill…)

Specialized school
needs to help me
improve the ability to210 1 4 2,58 1,005
overcome pressure in
the exam.

Specialized school
should help me prepare
210 1 4 2,50 1,055
for studying abroad or
tertiary education.

Specialized school
should create
opportunities for gifted
students to attend out-210 1 4 2,53 1,059
of-class activities to
communicate with
native speakers.

Specialized school
should create some
210 1 4 2,54 ,984
exchange programs for
us to study abroad.

59
Specialized school
should create some
competitions for the
210 1 4 2,54 1,072
gifted to interact with
each other within
country.

Specialized school
should provide
opportunities for the
gifted to approach the210 1 4 2,51 1,032
top teachers and
professors within the
nation.

Specialized school
should give me enough
knowledge to attend
210 1 4 2,59 ,975
the English tests and
National English
competition.

Specialized school
should help me
improve English
210 1 4 2,43 1,034
proficiency and
communicate in all
four macro-skills.

60
Specialized school
should provide
sufficient opportunities210 1 4 2,49 ,979
for the gifted to
practice English.

Students should be the

center of the classroom
210 1 4 2,49 1,050
in English classes in
specialized schools.

Communicative
activities, such as:
role-plays, interviews,
mind-maps, projects,210 1 4 2,55 1,054
pair and group work
are the important
activities for the gifted.

I often want to
improve English skills
by doing more210 1 4 2,59 ,990
exercises and further
drill practices.

Following teacher-led
and teacher-centred
lectures are the most210 1 4 2,61 ,978
helpful way for me to
learn English.

61
English teachers
should speak native210 1 4 2,50 1,041
English.

English teachers
should have at least C1
210 1 4 2,51 1,036
English proficiency
(CEFR).

The English learning

time (approximately 15
hours/ week) at class is210 1 4 2,59 1,073
suitable for the gifted
students.

Specialized school
should inform students
of clear assessment210 1 4 2,53 1,085
targets and criteria for
each semester.

Specialized school
should inform students
of clear assessment210 1 4 2,58 1,047
targets and criteria for
each semester.

62
Specialized school
should give me more
chances to do
performance-based 210 1 4 2,53 1,036
assessment (such as
presentation, projects
or portfolios).

Specialized school
provides many types of
ability tests to measure210 1 4 2,49 ,945
my cognitive skills and
IQ.

Specialized school
provides frequent
ongoing and detailed210 1 4 2,58 1,019
final feedback (not
only scores).

Specialized school
should integrate
computers and
210 1 4 2,58 1,029
technology into
teaching English at
school.

The school should

provide modern
facilities to learn210 1 4 2,50 1,046
English (projectors,
wireless network, etc.).

63
Specialized school
should have a wide
variety of sources and
210 1 4 2,58 1,038
reference materials
related to the gifted for
self-learning.

Valid N (listwise) 210

4.2. Analyze the reliability of the scale by Cronbach's Alpha coefficient

4.2.1. Section A: Learning priorities scale result:

Reliability Statistics

Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha

,846 7

Item-Total Statistics

Scale Mean ifScale Corrected Cronbach's

Item Deleted Variance ifItem-Total Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Correlation Deleted

Vocabulary 15,69 21,325 ,420 ,849

Grammar 15,85 21,039 ,405 ,852

Pronunciation 15,95 19,232 ,622 ,821

Reading 16,00 18,019 ,715 ,806

64
Listening 16,00 18,038 ,721 ,805

Speaking 15,96 18,755 ,643 ,818

Writing 16,00 18,761 ,689 ,811

Regarding “Section A: Learning priorities”, there are 7 variables in all: Vocabulary, Grammar,
Pronunciation, Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. After we test, it shows that the final
result has Cronbach's Alpha coefficient = 0.846, equivalent to 0.8 < α < 0.9 , indicating that
this result is “Good”. Out of 7 variables, 2 are Vocabulary and Grammar is < 0.5, so these 2
are Unacceptable. The remaining 5 variables all have a total correlation coefficient greater than
0.5, and if we remove any observed variables, Cronbach's Alpha coefficients are all less than
0.846, so we can give these 5 observed variables to be used for other variables next analysis.

4.2.2. Section B: Sub-skills Learning priorities scale result:

4.2.2.1.Section B1: How important is each of the following language sub-skills for you?

4.2.2.1.1.Writing Sub-skills scale result:

Reliability Statistics

Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha

,936 12

Item-Total Statistics

Scale Mean ifScale Corrected Cronbach's

Item Deleted Variance ifItem-Total Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Correlation Deleted

65
Expressing news and
views effectively in
28,10 73,405 ,735 ,930
writing, and relate to
those of others

Writing letters and

highlighting the
28,00 74,244 ,702 ,931
personal significance
of events

Summarizing long,
28,13 73,647 ,740 ,930
demanding texts

Expanding and
supporting ideas with
subsidiary points,28,11 73,776 ,712 ,931
reasons and relevant
examples

Writing clear, well-

structured texts of28,10 73,790 ,727 ,930
complex subjects

Writing an essay or
report that develops an
28,12 73,726 ,700 ,931
argument
systematically

Organizing and
planning ideas in28,12 74,287 ,695 ,931
writing effectively

Avoiding plagiarism 28,09 73,533 ,705 ,931

66
Illustrating tables,
28,02 74,081 ,702 ,931
graphs and diagrams

Consistently correct
and appropriate use of28,09 73,250 ,742 ,929
vocabulary

Writing in the suitable

time allocated for each28,09 72,835 ,729 ,930
task (punctuality)

Maintaining a high
degree of grammatical28,09 74,370 ,687 ,931
accuracy

The results of the “Writing Sub-skills” scale include 12 variables in all: Expressing news and
views effectively in writing, and related to those of others, Writing letters and highlighting the
personal significance of events, Summarizing long, demanding texts, Expanding and
supporting ideas with subsidiary points, reasons and relevant, Writing clear, well-structured
texts of complex subjects, Writing an essay or report that develop an argument system,
Organizing and planning ideas in writing effectively, Avoiding plagiarism, Illustrating tables,
graphs and diagrams, Consistently correct and appropriate use of vocabulary, Writing in the
suitable time allocated for each task (punctuality), Maintaining a high degree of grammatical
accuracy. After checking, it shows that Cronbach's Alpha coefficient = 0.936>0.9 shows that
this is an "Excellent" result. In all 12 variables, all are > 0.5, and if we remove any observed
variables, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient is less than 0.936, so all these variables are used for
the next analysis.

4.2.2.1.2. Listening Sub-skills scale result:

Reliability Statistics

67
Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha

,918 8

Item-Total Statistics

Scale Mean ifScale Corrected Cronbach's

Item Deleted Variance ifItem-Total Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Correlation Deleted

Listening for the main

ideas and gist in17,69 34,322 ,724 ,908
complex speech

Listening in lectures,
discussions and
17,68 34,057 ,744 ,906
debates with relative
ease

Listening in a wide
range of recorded and
17,70 34,232 ,753 ,906
broadcast audio
material

Listening to extract
specific information
17,73 33,979 ,731 ,907
from public
announcements

68
Listening to get
specific information
17,63 34,330 ,702 ,910
for completing
assignments

Listening to most TV
news and current17,75 34,369 ,712 ,909
affairs programmes

Listening to take note

17,65 33,559 ,760 ,905
effectively

Listening to
17,69 34,906 ,702 ,910
understand vocabulary

Regarding the results of “Listening Sub skills”, we have 8 variables, including: Listening for
the main ideas and gist in complex speech, Listening in lectures, discussions and discussions
with relative ease, Listening in a wide range of recorded and broadcast audio material,
Listening to extract specific information from public announcements, Listening to get specific
information for completing assignments, Listening to most TV news and current affairs
programs, Listening to take note effectively, Listening to understand vocabulary. After testing,
Cronbach's Alpha coefficient gives the result "Excellent": 0.918 > 0.9. For all the remaining 8
variables, the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient after testing all gives results above 0.5, and if we
remove any observed variables, the coefficient is still less than 0.918, so all these 8 variables
are satisfied for subsequent analysis.

69
4.2.2.1.3.Reading Sub-skills scale result:

Reliability Statistics

Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha

,914 8

Item-Total Statistics

Scale Mean ifScale Corrected Cronbach's

Item Deleted Variance ifItem-Total Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Correlation Deleted

Reading to obtain a
broad active reading17,83 33,234 ,705 ,903
vocabulary

Reading
straightforward factual
texts on subjects17,83 33,444 ,742 ,900
related to the course
books

Reading
correspondence
relating to the field of
17,78 33,301 ,698 ,904
interest and readily
grasp the essential
meaning

70
Scanning quickly
through long and
17,84 33,578 ,676 ,906
complex texts, locating
relevant details

Identifying the content

and relevance of news
17,81 32,937 ,762 ,899
items, articles and
reports

Obtaining information,
ideas and opinions
17,87 33,446 ,724 ,902
from highly specialised
sources

Reading quickly and

17,84 33,205 ,723 ,902
efficiently

Reading to get specific

details to answer
17,83 33,195 ,708 ,903
questions in
assignments

For the result of “Reading Sub skills”, there are 8 variables in all: Reading to obtain a broad
active reading vocabulary, Reading straightforward factual texts on subjects related to the
course books, Reading correspondence to the field of interest and readily grasp the essential
meaning, Scanning quickly through long and complex texts, locating relevant details,
Identifying the content and relevance of news items, articles and reports, Obtaining
information, ideas and opinions from highly specialised sources, Reading quickly and
efficiently, Reading to get specific details to answer questions in assignments. After statistics,
we get the result that Cronbach's Alpha coefficient is 0.914 > 0.9, at the "Excellent" level. All
of the variables in this article are greater than 0.5, and if you omit any of the variables, the

71
Cronbach's Alpha coefficients of the variables are still less than 0.914, so all eight variables
are available for different variables. future analysis.

4.2.2.1.4. Speaking Sub skills scale results:

Reliability Statistics

Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha

,907 8

Item-Total Statistics

Scale Mean ifScale Corrected Cronbach's

Item Deleted Variance ifItem-Total Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Correlation Deleted

Performing oral
presentation in the
debate, even on17,94 30,278 ,708 ,894
complex and
unfamiliar topics

Giving feedback on
and follow up
statements to help the18,01 30,354 ,738 ,892
development of the
discussion

Planning and
organizing what is to
18,02 30,731 ,690 ,896
be said and the means
to say it

72
Using the language
flexibly, accurately and
effectively on a wide
17,92 31,190 ,663 ,898
range of general,
academic, or leisure
topics.

Delivering speech with

a degree of clarity,
17,97 30,822 ,675 ,897
fluency and
spontaneity

Delivering speech
using appropriate18,08 31,200 ,685 ,896
stress and intonation

Using advanced
grammatical structures
17,92 30,525 ,702 ,895
to infer attitude, mood
and intentions

Having a good
command of a broad17,97 29,837 ,746 ,891
lexical items

For the results of “Speaking Sub skills”, there are 8 variables in total: Performing oral
presentation in the debate, even on complex and unfamiliar topics, Giving feedback on and
follow up statements to help the development of the discussion, Planning and organizing what
is to be said and the means to say it, Using the language flexibly, accurately and effectively on
a wide range of general, academic, or leisure topics, Delivering speech with a degree of clarity,
fluency and spontaneity, Delivering speech using appropriate stress and intonation, Using
advanced grammatical structures to infer attitude, mood and intentions, Having a good

73
command of a broad lexical items. After statistics, we get the result that Cronbach's Alpha
coefficient is 0.907 > 0.9, at the "Excellent" level. All the variables in this section are greater
than 0.5, and if any of the variables are omitted, the Cronbach's Alpha coefficients of the
variables are still less than 0.907, so all eight variables are available for the analysis
accumulate in the future.

4.2.2.2. Section B2: What level of proficiency do you want to learn, according to CEFR?

4.2.2.2.1. Writing Sub-skills

After summarizing, in Wrting Sub-skills, the number of people who chose milestones 3 and 4
respectively were: Expressing news and views effectively in writing, and related to those of
others had 107 people, Writing letters and highlighting the personal of events had 115 people
selected, Summarizing long, demanding texts selected by 112 people, Expanding and
supporting ideas with subsidiary points, reasons and relevant examples selected by 107 people,
Writing clear, well-structured texts of complex subjects selected by 103 people, Writing an
essay or report that develops an argument systematic has 107 selectors, Organizing and
planning ideas in writing has 106 selects, Avoiding plagiarism has 105 selects, Illustrating
tables, graphs and diagrams has 107 selects, Consistently correct and appropriate use of has
111 selected, Writing in the suitable time allocated for each task (punctuality) has 112 people,
Maintaining a high degree of grammatical accuracy has 109 people.

Case Processing Summary

N %

Valid 103 89,6

Cases Excludeda 12 10,4

Total 115 100,0

a. Listwise deletion based on all

variables in the procedure.

74
Reliability Statistics

Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha

,904 12

Item-Total Statistics

Scale Mean ifScale Corrected Cronbach's

Item Deleted Variance ifItem-Total Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Correlation Deleted

Expressing news and

views effectively in
22,96 32,038 ,518 ,902
writing, and relate to
those of others

Writing letters and

highlighting the
22,91 30,865 ,621 ,897
personal significance
of events

Summarizing long,
22,99 30,990 ,653 ,895
demanding texts

Expanding and
supporting ideas with
subsidiary points,22,92 30,935 ,645 ,896
reasons and relevant
examples

75
Writing clear, well-
structured texts of22,99 29,912 ,696 ,893
complex subjects

Writing an essay or
report that develops an
22,93 30,986 ,615 ,897
argument
systematically

Organizing and
planning ideas in22,95 30,654 ,657 ,895
writing effectively

Avoiding plagiarism 22,94 31,526 ,591 ,898

Illustrating tables,
22,89 30,449 ,665 ,895
graphs and diagrams

Consistently correct
and appropriate use of22,90 30,441 ,686 ,894
vocabulary

Writing in the suitable

time allocated for each22,99 31,657 ,575 ,899
task (punctuality)

Maintaining a high
degree of grammatical22,93 31,378 ,620 ,897
accuracy

The results of the “Writing Sub-skills” scale include 12 variables in all: Expressing news and
views effectively in writing, and related to those of others, Writing letters and highlighting the
personal significance of events, Summarizing long, demanding texts, Expanding and
supporting ideas with subsidiary points, reasons and relevant, Writing clear, well-structured

76
texts of complex subjects, Writing an essay or report that develop an argument system,
Organizing and planning ideas in writing effectively, Avoiding plagiarism, Illustrating tables,
graphs and diagrams, Consistently correct and appropriate use of vocabulary, Writing in the
suitable time allocated for each task (punctuality), Maintaining a high degree of grammatical
accuracy. After checking, it shows that Cronbach's Alpha coefficient = 0.904>0.9 shows that
this is an "Excellent" result. In all 12 variables, all are > 0.5, and if we remove any observed
variables, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient is less than 0.904, so all these variables are used for
the next analysis.

4.2.2.2.2. Listening Sub-skills

After summarizing, in Listening Sub-skills, the number of people who chose milestones 3 and
4 respectively were: Listening for the main ideas and gist in complex speech 107 people chose,
Listening in lectures, discussions and debates with relative ease 110 people chose, Listening in
a wide range of recorded and broadcast audio material 106 selected, Listening to extract
specific information from public announcements 108 selected, Listening to get specific
information for completing assignments 113 selected, Listening to most TV news and current
affairs programs 111 selected choose, Listening to take note effectively 112 people choose,
Listening to understand vocabulary 105 people choose.

Case Processing Summary

N %

Valid 105 92,9

Cases Excludeda 8 7,1

Total 113 100,0

a. Listwise deletion based on all

variables in the procedure.

77
Reliability Statistics

Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha

,820 8

Item-Total Statistics

Scale Mean ifScale Corrected Cronbach's

Item Deleted Variance ifItem-Total Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Correlation Deleted

Listening for the main

ideas and gist in14,10 12,325 ,458 ,810
complex speech

Listening in lectures,
discussions and
14,14 12,181 ,478 ,807
debates with relative
ease

Listening in a wide
range of recorded and
14,11 11,833 ,535 ,800
broadcast audio
material

Listening to extract
specific information
14,11 11,602 ,559 ,796
from public
announcements

78
Listening to get
specific information
14,10 11,549 ,616 ,788
for completing
assignments

Listening to most TV
news and current14,09 11,425 ,579 ,793
affairs programmes

Listening to take note

14,05 11,777 ,531 ,800
effectively

Listening to
14,10 11,587 ,550 ,797
understand vocabulary

Regarding the results of “Listening Sub skills”, we have 8 variables, including: Listening for
the main ideas and gist in complex speech, Listening in lectures, discussions and discussions
with relative ease, Listening in a wide range of recorded and broadcast audio material ,
Listening to extract specific information from public announcements, Listening to get specific
information for completing assignments, Listening to most TV news and current affairs
programs, Listening to take note effectively, Listening to understand vocabulary. After testing,
Cronbach's Alpha coefficient gives the result "Good": 0.8 < 0.820 < 0.9. For 8 variables, there
are 2 variables, Listening for the main ideas and gist in complex speech and Listening in
lectures, discussions and discussions with relative ease, which give Cronbach's Alpha < 0.5, so
those 2 variables are excluded. The remaining 6 variables all have coefficients > 0.5 and after
removing any variable, the coefficient is still less than 0.820, so all 6 variables are valid and
can be used for later analysis.

4.2.2.2.3. Reading Sub-skills

After summarizing, in Reading Sub-skills, the number of people who chose milestone 3 and 4
respectively were: Reading to obtain a broad active reading vocabulary 107 selected, Reading
straightforward factual texts on subjects related to the course books 110 selected, Reading

79
correspondence related to the field of interest and readily grasp the essential meaning 105
selectors, Scanning quickly through long and complex texts, locating relevant details 106
selectors, Identifying the content and relevance of news items, articles and reports 112
selectors, Obtaining information , ideas and opinions from highly specialised sources 106
selected, Reading quickly and efficiently 109 selected, Reading to get specific details to
answer questions in assignments 108 selected.

Case Processing Summary

N %

Valid 105 93,8

Cases Excludeda 7 6,3

Total 112 100,0

a. Listwise deletion based on all

variables in the procedure.

Reliability Statistics

Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha

,830 8

Item-Total Statistics

80
 Scale Mean ifScale Corrected Cronbach's
Item Deleted Variance ifItem-Total Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Correlation Deleted

Reading to obtain a
broad active reading16,18 9,303 ,583 ,806
vocabulary

Reading
straightforward factual
texts on subjects16,20 9,681 ,499 ,817
related to the course
books

Reading
correspondence
relating to the field of
16,16 9,002 ,627 ,800
interest and readily
grasp the essential
meaning

Scanning quickly
through long and
16,15 9,265 ,586 ,806
complex texts, locating
relevant details

Identifying the content

and relevance of news
16,22 9,327 ,554 ,810
items, articles and
reports

81
Obtaining information,
ideas and opinions
16,23 9,736 ,494 ,818
from highly specialised
sources

Reading quickly and

16,21 9,783 ,456 ,823
efficiently

Reading to get specific

details to answer
16,25 8,842 ,631 ,799
questions in
assignments

For the result of “Reading Sub skills”, there are 8 variables in all: Reading to obtain an active
reading vocabulary, Reading straightforward factual texts on subjects related to the course
books, Reading correspondence to the field of interest and readily grasp the essentials
Scanning quickly through long and complex texts, locating relevant details, Identifying the
content and relevance of news items, articles and reports, Obtaining information, ideas and
opinions from highly specialised sources, Reading quickly and efficiently, Reading to get
specific details to answer questions in assignments. After statistics, we get the result that
Cronbach's Alpha coefficient is 0.8 < 0.830 < 0.9, at the "Good" level. Of the 8 variables
above, 3 are Reading straightforward factual texts on subjects related to the course books,
Obtaining information, ideas and opinions from highly specialised sources, Reading quickly
and efficiently have Cronbach's Alpha coefficient less than 0.5, so 3 variables is disqualified.
The remaining 5 variables all have Cronbach's Alpha coefficient satisfying the condition, in
addition, if you remove any variable, the coefficient is still < 0.830, so these 5 variables are
valid and can be used for later analysis.

4.2.2.2.4. Speaking Sub-skills

After summarizing, in Speaking Sub-skills, the number of people who chose milestones 3 and
4 were: Performing oral presentation in the debate, even on complex and unfamiliar topics

82
with 112 people selected, Giving feedback on and follow up statements to help the
development of the discussion has 111 selected, Planning and organizing what is to be said
and the means to say it has 106 selected, Using the language flexibly, accurately and
effectively on a wide range of general, academic, or leisure topics has 114 Delivering speech
with a degree of clarity, fluency and spontaneity has 107 selectors, Delivering speech using
appropriate stress and intonation has 101 selects, Using advanced grammatical structures to
infer attitude, mood and intentions has 114 selects, Having a good command of a broad lexical
items has 108 selectors.

Case Processing Summary

N %

Valid 101 88,6

Cases Excludeda 13 11,4

Total 114 100,0

a. Listwise deletion based on all

variables in the procedure.

Reliability Statistics

Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha

,848 8

Item-Total Statistics

83
 Scale Mean ifScale Corrected Cronbach's
Item Deleted Variance ifItem-Total Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Correlation Deleted

Performing oral
presentation in the
debate, even on14,56 13,168 ,606 ,827
complex and
unfamiliar topics

Giving feedback on
and follow up
statements to help the14,60 13,342 ,611 ,826
development of the
discussion

Planning and
organizing what is to
14,43 14,247 ,474 ,842
be said and the means
to say it

Using the language

flexibly, accurately and
effectively on a wide
14,54 13,390 ,603 ,827
range of general,
academic, or leisure
topics.

Delivering speech with

a degree of clarity,
14,49 13,392 ,610 ,826
fluency and
spontaneity

84
Delivering speech
using appropriate14,57 14,087 ,495 ,840
stress and intonation

Using advanced
grammatical structures
14,43 12,867 ,686 ,816
to infer attitude, mood
and intentions

Having a good
command of a broad14,53 13,671 ,583 ,830
lexical items

For the results of “Speaking Sub skills”, there are 8 variables in total: Performing oral
presentation in the debate, even on complex and unfamiliar topics, Giving feedback on and
follow up statements to help the development of the discussion, Planning and organizing what
is to be said and the means to say it, Using the language flexibly, accurately and effectively on
a wide range of general, academic, or leisure topics, Delivering speech with a degree of clarity,
fluency and spontaneity, Delivering speech using appropriate stress and intonation, Using
advanced grammatical structures to infer attitude, mood and intentions, Having a good
command of a broad lexical items. After statistics, we get the result that Cronbach's Alpha
coefficient is 0.8 < 0.848 < 0.9, at the "Good" level. Among the above variables, there are 2
variables, Planning and organizing what is to be said and the means to say it and Delivering
speech with a degree of clarity, which have Cronbach's Alpha coefficient values < 0.5, so these
two variables will be excluded. , and the remaining 6 variables all have Cronbach's Alpha
coefficient > 0.5, and if you remove any variable, the coefficient is still < 0.848, so these 6
variables are valid and can be used in other analyses.

4.2.3. Section C: Student’s needs toward schools scale result:

4.2.3.1. Needs about school missions scale result:

85
Reliability Statistics

Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha

,922 8

Item-Total Statistics

Scale Mean ifScale Corrected Cronbach's

Item Deleted Variance ifItem-Total Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Correlation Deleted

Specialized school
should teach me the
knowledge that could17,75 35,661 ,703 ,914
be useful in my future
study/ work.

Specialized school
needs to help me
develop some soft17,73 33,651 ,777 ,908
skills (e.g. discipline,
team-work skill…)

Specialized school
needs to help me
improve the ability to17,71 35,497 ,728 ,912
overcome pressure in
the exam.

86
Specialized school
should help me prepare
17,80 35,101 ,722 ,912
for studying abroad or
tertiary education.

Specialized school
should create
opportunities for gifted
students to attend out-17,76 34,826 ,743 ,911
of-class activities to
communicate with
native speakers.

Specialized school
should create some
17,75 35,661 ,732 ,912
exchange programs for
us to study abroad.

Specialized school
should create some
competitions for the
17,75 34,847 ,730 ,912
gifted to interact with
each other within
country.

Specialized school
should provide
opportunities for the
gifted to approach the17,78 34,902 ,760 ,909
top teachers and
professors within the
nation.

87
For the results of “Needs about school missions”, there are 8 variables in total: Specialized
school should teach me the knowledge that could be useful in my future study/ work,
Specialized school needs to help me develop some soft skills (e.g. discipline, team-work
skill…), Specialized school needs to help me improve the ability to overcome pressure in the
exam, Specialized school should help me prepare for studying abroad or tertiary education,
Specialized school should create opportunities for gifted students to attend out-of- class
activities to communicate with native speakers, Specialized school should create some
exchange programs for us to study abroad, Specialized school should create some competitions
for the gifted to interact with each other within country, Specialized school should provide
opportunities for the gifted to approach the top teachers and professors within the nation. After
statistics, we get the result that Cronbach's Alpha coefficient is 0.922> 0.9, at the level of
“Excellent”. All the variables in this section are greater than 0.5, and if any of the variables are
omitted, the Cronbach's Alpha coefficients of the variables are still less than 0.922, so all eight
variables are available for the analysis accumulate in the future.

88
4.2.3.2. Needs about English teaching contents and methods scale result:

Reliability Statistics

Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha

,927 10

Item-Total Statistics

Scale Mean ifScale Corrected Cronbach's

Item Deleted Variance ifItem-Total Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Correlation Deleted

Specialized school
should give me enough
knowledge to attend
22,75 52,522 ,676 ,922
the English tests and
National English
competition.

Specialized school
should help me
improve English
22,91 50,930 ,747 ,918
proficiency and
communicate in all
four macro-skills.

89
Specialized school
should provide
sufficient opportunities22,85 52,356 ,685 ,921
for the gifted to
practice English.

Students should be the

center of the classroom
22,86 50,927 ,734 ,919
in English classes in
specialized schools.

Communicative
activities, such as:
role-plays, interviews,
mind-maps, projects,22,80 50,977 ,727 ,919
pair and group work
are the important
activities for the gifted.

I often want to
improve English skills
by doing more22,76 52,099 ,696 ,921
exercises and further
drill practices.

Following teacher-led
and teacher-centred
lectures are the most22,73 51,804 ,729 ,919
helpful way for me to
learn English.

90
English teachers
should speak native22,84 51,160 ,724 ,919
English.

English teachers
should have at least C1
22,83 51,230 ,723 ,919
English proficiency
(CEFR).

The English learning

time (approximately 15
hours/ week) at class is22,75 50,675 ,733 ,919
suitable for the gifted
students.

For the results of “Needs about English teaching contents and methods”, there are 10 variables
in total: Specialized school should give me enough knowledge to attend the English tests and
National English competition, Specialized school should help me improve English proficiency
and communicate in all four macro-skills, Specialized school should provide sufficient
opportunities for the gifted to practice English, Students should be the center of the classroom
in English classes in specialized schools, Communicative activities, such as: role-plays,
interviews, mind-maps, projects , pair and group work are the important activities for the
gifted, I often want to improve English skills by doing more exercises and further drill
practices, Following teacher-led and teacher-centred lectures are the most helpful way for me
to learn English, English teachers should speak native English, English teachers should have at
least C1 English proficiency (CEFR), The English learning time (approximately 15 hours/ we
ek) at class is suitable for the gifted students. After statistics, we get the result that Cronbach's
Alpha coefficient is 0.927 > 0.9, at the "Excellent" level. All the variables in this section are
greater than 0.5, and if you omit any of the variables, the Cronbach's Alpha coefficients of the
variables are still less than 0.927, so all 10 variables are available for the analysis accumulate
in the future.

91
4.2.3.3. Needs about assessment scale result:

Reliability Statistics

Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha

,866 5

Item-Total Statistics

Scale Mean ifScale Corrected Cronbach's

Item Deleted Variance ifItem-Total Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Correlation Deleted

Specialized school
should inform students
of clear assessment10,17 10,966 ,703 ,835
targets and criteria for
each semester.

Specialized school
should inform students
of clear assessment10,13 11,184 ,701 ,835
targets and criteria for
each semester.

92
Specialized school
should give me more
chances to do
performance-based 10,18 11,371 ,680 ,840
assessment (such as
presentation, projects
or portfolios).

Specialized school
provides many types of
ability tests to measure10,22 12,028 ,652 ,847
my cognitive skills and
IQ.

Specialized school
provides frequent
ongoing and detailed10,12 11,315 ,706 ,834
final feedback (not
only scores).

For the results of “Needs about assessment”, there are 5 variables in total: Specialized school
should inform students of clear assessment targets and criteria for each semester, Specialized
school should provide multiple types of achievement assessment before any official tests,
Specialized school should give me more chances to do performance-based assessment (such as
presentation, projects or portfolios), Specialized school provides many types of ability tests to
measure my cognitive skills and IQ, Specialized school provides frequent ongoing and detailed
final feedback (not only scores). After statistics, we get the result that Cronbach's Alpha
coefficient is 0.866, 0.8 < α < 0.9 at the "Good" level. All the variables in this section are
greater than 0.5, and if you omit any of the variables, the Cronbach's Alpha coefficients of the
variables are still less than 0.866, so all five variables are available for the analysis next
accumulation.

93
4.2.3.4.Needs about school facilities:

Reliability Statistics

Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha

,776 3

Item-Total Statistics

Scale Mean ifScale Corrected Cronbach's

Item Deleted Variance ifItem-Total Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Correlation Deleted

Specialized school
should integrate
computers and
5,08 3,376 ,598 ,714
technology into
teaching English at
school.

The school should

provide modern
facilities to learn5,16 3,329 ,595 ,717
English (projectors,
wireless network, etc.).

94
Specialized school
should have a wide
variety of sources and
5,09 3,217 ,644 ,663
reference materials
related to the gifted for
self-learning.

For the “Needs about school facilities” result, there are all 3 variables: Specialized school
should integrate computers and technology into teaching English at school, The school should
provide modern facilities to learn English (projectors, wireless network, etc.), Specialized
school should have a wide variety of sources and reference materials related to the gifted for
self-learning . After statistics, we get the result that Cronbach's Alpha coefficient is 0.776, 0.7
< α < 0.8 at the "Acceptable" level. All the variables in this section are greater than 0.5, and if
you omit any of the variables, the Cronbach's Alpha coefficients of the variables are still less
than 0.776, so all three are available for the analysis accumulate in the future.

95
4.3. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA):

KMO and Bartlett's Test

Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling

,973
Adequacy.

Approx. Chi-Square 12780,964

Bartlett's Test of
df 2211
Sphericity
Sig. ,000

- Factor analysis with independent variables: The results show that the coefficient KMO =
0.973 (> 0.5) and the Sig significance level. = .000 is smaller than the requirement 0.05, so it
can be seen that the observed variables are correlated with each other, so the above factor
analysis is completely appropriate.

96
Total Variance Explained

Compone Initial Eigenvalues Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings Rotation Sums of Squar
nt
Total % ofCumulat Total % ofCumulative % Total % ofC
Variance ive % Variance Variance

1 38,268 57,116 57,116 38,268 57,116 57,116 8,037 11,995 1

2 1,290 1,925 59,041 1,290 1,925 59,041 7,852 11,719 2

3 1,185 1,768 60,809 1,185 1,768 60,809 7,720 11,523 3

4 1,152 1,720 62,528 1,152 1,720 62,528 7,058 10,534 4

5 1,072 1,600 64,128 1,072 1,600 64,128 6,842 10,212 5

6 1,009 1,505 65,634 1,009 1,505 65,634 6,466 9,650 6

7 ,960 1,433 67,066

8 ,918 1,370 68,436

9 ,897 1,339 69,775

10 ,827 1,234 71,009

11 ,819 1,222 72,230

12 ,770 1,150 73,380

13 ,753 1,123 74,503

14 ,732 1,093 75,596

15 ,712 1,062 76,659

16 ,700 1,045 77,704

17 ,647 ,966 78,670

18 ,613 ,915 79,585

19 ,567 ,846 80,431

97
20 ,557 ,831 81,262

21 ,547 ,816 82,078

22 ,539 ,805 82,882

23 ,503 ,751 83,634

24 ,491 ,733 84,367

25 ,487 ,726 85,093

26 ,474 ,707 85,800

27 ,454 ,678 86,478

28 ,445 ,664 87,142

29 ,418 ,625 87,767

30 ,392 ,585 88,352

31 ,388 ,580 88,931

32 ,375 ,559 89,491

33 ,366 ,547 90,037

34 ,354 ,528 90,566

35 ,347 ,518 91,084

36 ,328 ,490 91,574

37 ,316 ,472 92,045

38 ,301 ,449 92,494

39 ,286 ,426 92,921

40 ,280 ,418 93,338

41 ,274 ,409 93,747

42 ,264 ,395 94,142

98
43 ,254 ,380 94,521

44 ,241 ,360 94,881

45 ,223 ,334 95,215

46 ,217 ,324 95,538

47 ,208 ,310 95,849

48 ,203 ,303 96,151

49 ,197 ,294 96,445

50 ,193 ,288 96,734

51 ,186 ,278 97,011

52 ,176 ,263 97,274

53 ,175 ,261 97,535

54 ,157 ,235 97,770

55 ,156 ,232 98,002

56 ,146 ,218 98,220

57 ,143 ,214 98,434

58 ,131 ,195 98,629

59 ,124 ,185 98,814

60 ,119 ,177 98,991

61 ,114 ,170 99,161

62 ,109 ,163 99,324

63 ,100 ,149 99,473

64 ,100 ,149 99,622

65 ,093 ,139 99,761

99
66 ,081 ,121 99,882

67 ,079 ,118 100,000

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

Rotated Component Matrixa

Component

1 2 3 4 5 6

Specialized school should create opportunities

for gifted students to attend out-of-class,606
activities to communicate with native speakers.

Obtaining information, ideas and opinions from

,593
highly specialised sources

Specialized school provides many types of

ability tests to measure my cognitive skills and ,582
IQ.

Identifying the content and relevance of news

,527
items, articles and reports

Specialized school should have a wide variety of

sources and reference materials related to the ,501
gifted for self-learning.

Expanding and supporting ideas with subsidiary

points, reasons and relevant examples

Reading quickly and efficiently

Consistently correct and appropriate use of

vocabulary

100
Specialized school needs to help me develop
some soft skills (e.g. discipline, team-work
skill…)

Specialized school should provide sufficient

opportunities for the gifted to practice English.

Listening in lectures, discussions and debates

with relative ease

Specialized school should help me improve

English proficiency and communicate in all four
macro-skills.

Specialized school should provide opportunities

for the gifted to approach the top teachers and
professors within the nation.

Writing in the suitable time allocated for each

,620
task (punctuality)

Listening ,556

Listening to take note effectively ,543

Listening to extract specific information from

,537
public announcements

Listening in a wide range of recorded and

,534
broadcast audio material

Students should be the center of the classroom in

,525
English classes in specialized schools.

Listening to most TV news and current affairs

,510
programmes

Having a good command of a broad lexical items ,510

101
Maintaining a high degree of grammatical
,509
accuracy

Expressing news and views effectively in

writing, and relate to those of others

Specialized school should help me prepare for

studying abroad or tertiary education.

The school should provide modern facilities to

learn English (projectors, wireless network, etc.).

Listening for the main ideas and gist in complex

speech

Organizing and planning ideas in writing

,645
effectively

Listening to get specific information for

,575
completing assignments

Specialized school should create some exchange

,572
programs for us to study abroad.

Delivering speech with a degree of clarity,

,559
fluency and spontaneity

Listening to understand vocabulary ,532

Specialized school provides frequent ongoing

,525
and detailed final feedback (not only scores).

Writing an essay or report that develops an

,522
argument systematically

Using advanced grammatical structures to infer

attitude, mood and intentions

102
Reading correspondence relating to the field of
interest and readily grasp the essential meaning

Specialized school should create some

competitions for the gifted to interact with each
other within country.

Using the language flexibly, accurately and

effectively on a wide range of general, academic,
or leisure topics.

Giving feedback on and follow up statements to

help the development of the discussion

Specialized school should inform students of

clear assessment targets and criteria for each
semester.

Writing

Following teacher-led and teacher-centred

lectures are the most helpful way for me to learn ,670
English.

Scanning quickly through long and complex

,632
texts, locating relevant details

Specialized school should inform students of

clear assessment targets and criteria for each ,510
semester.

Performing oral presentation in the debate, even

on complex and unfamiliar topics

Specialized school needs to help me improve the

ability to overcome pressure in the exam.

103
Illustrating tables, graphs and diagrams

Speaking

Reading

The English learning time (approximately 15

hours/ week) at class is suitable for the gifted
students.

Specialized school should teach me the

knowledge that could be useful in my future ,621
study/ work.

Specialized school should give me enough

knowledge to attend the English tests and ,596
National English competition.

Specialized school should integrate computers

,570
and technology into teaching English at school.

Writing clear, well-structured texts of complex

,540
subjects

Avoiding plagiarism ,510

Planning and organizing what is to be said and

,501
the means to say it

Reading straightforward factual texts on subjects

,501
related to the course books

Reading to obtain a broad active reading

vocabulary

Specialized school should give me more chances

to do performance-based assessment (such as
presentation, projects or portfolios).

104
Communicative activities, such as: role-plays,
interviews, mind-maps, projects, pair and group ,558
work are the important activities for the gifted.

English teachers should speak native English. ,539

English teachers should have at least C1 English

,531
proficiency (CEFR).

Summarizing long, demanding texts

I often want to improve English skills by doing

more exercises and further drill practices.

Reading to get specific details to answer

questions in assignments

Pronunciation

Delivering speech using appropriate stress and

intonation

Writing letters and highlighting the personal

significance of events

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.

a. Rotation converged in 25 iterations.

With the Principal Components extraction method and Varimax rotation, the factor analysis
obtained 6 factors from 67 observed variables with a total variance extracted 65,634% (>50%)
satisfactory, high factor loading coefficient ranging from 0.501 to 0.670 and both greater than

105
0.5. The drawn scales are accepted. The total variance extracted is 65.634%, indicating that
these three factors explain 65.634% of the variation of the data. Through rotating the factors,
the factor matrix will become simpler, easier to interpret.

From the results of the rotation matrix, variable Expanding and supporting ideas with
subsidiary points, reasons and relevant examples, Reading quickly and efficiently,
Consistently correct and appropriate use of vocabulary, Specialized school needs to help me
develop some soft skills (e.g. discipline, team- work skill…), Specialized school should
provide sufficient opportunities for the gifted to practice English, Listening in lectures,
discussions and debates with relative ease, Specialized school should help me improve English
proficiency and communicate in all four macro-skills, Specialized school should provide
opportunities for the gifted to approach the top teachers and professors within the nation,
Expressing news and views effectively in writing, and related to those of others, Specialized
school should help me prepare for studying abroad or tertiary education, The school should
provide modern facilities to learn English (projectors, wireless network, etc.), Listening for the
main ideas and gist in complex speech, Using advanced grammatical structures to infer
attitude, mood and intentions, Reading correspondence relating to the field of interest and
readily grasp the essential meaning, Specialized school should create some competitions for
the gifted to interact with each other within country, Using the language flexibly, accurately
and effectively on a wide range of general, academic, or leisure topics, Giving feedback on
and follow up statements to help the development of the discussion, Specialized school should
inform students of clear assessment targets and criteria for each semester, Writing, Performing
oral presentation in the debate, even on complex and unfamiliar topics, Specialized school
needs to help me improve the ability to overcome pressure in the exam, Illustrating tables,
graphs and diagrams, Speaking, Reading, The English learning time (approximately 15/ week)
at class is suitable for the gifted students, Reading to obtain a broad active reading vocabula
ry, Specialized school should give me more chances to do performance-based assessment
(such as presentation, projects or portfolios), Summarizing long, demanding texts, I often want
to improve English skills by doing more exercises and further drill practices., Reading to get
specific details to answer questions in assignments, Pronunciation ,Delivering speech using
appropriate stress and intonation ,Writing letters and highlighting the personal significance of

106
events are variables that are excluded because they have a load factor less than 0.5, do not
upload any factors any.

4.4. Results of interview questions

Question 1: Most teachers think that their students need to learn more about pronunciation
skills and listening and speaking skills. Most of these students are quite good in skills related
to reading and writing, as well as grammar and vocabulary, but when they really come into
contact with speaking skills classes, they don't seem to be too good. strong in this area.
Students are focusing too much on reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary skills, because
their current English education is still very theoretical, so they are often very good at these
skills. such as scoring high on a test related to theory but often quite poor in pronunciation and
basic English communication.

Question 2: As mentioned above, it is very important to develop listening and speaking skills,
or in short, to improve students' English communication skills. For the most part, for gifted
students, they are usually very good at researching and learning theory from books, but their
soft skills are usually not too strong.

Question 3: Usually, students face difficulties when participating in practical skills lessons in
class. To be able to help children overcome difficulties, teachers will often prepare interesting
practice plans, assign them to learn at home, and give small rewards. In addition, it is
necessary to carefully supervise and coordinate groups between the good students and the
inferior students instead of letting them choose their own groups.

Question 4: You should be able to participate in more practice sessions, organize more review
sessions, and change the previous generation's approach to dry English. In addition, one
teacher also said that it is possible to try the presentation model like in college today, helping
students have more playgrounds to express themselves, thereby creating motivation for them.
In addition, a teacher suggested that it is possible to organize some extracurricular activities
for students, through that extracurricular session, they will divide the group to give
presentations on a pre-distributed place, then create Make a video clip, post it and compete to
see which group has the best results to receive a reward from the school.

107
Question 5: For this question, the older group of teachers often use the grammar translation
method, combined with the reading comprehension method, while the younger group of
teachers apply additional methods such as direct teaching method. and project-based teaching
methods. As for the older teachers, they say that students need to know the basics of English,
with an emphasis on writing skills and test-taking skills, and this learning will help. for
studying research papers, as well as when students master reading skills will help them have a
solid foundation, but for young teachers, they apply direct teaching methods. Communicative
English, along with samples of questions related to daily life, thereby helping students to have
interest and get acquainted, gradually approaching English in a closer direction. With this,
students can apply the language they have learned to real-life situations. However, this
requires teachers to be dedicated to their profession and really care about their students,
wanting to help students develop comprehensively.

Question 6: To assess student progress, in addition to grades, every few months students
should self-assess their learning by trying a face-to-face interview with their teacher or friends.
, or through some online applications to connect with foreigners, and at the same time try
reading a new text to fully review your skills. For this generation of young people, applying
technology to learning is very easy, students can try their hands through online testing
platforms, more connected to improve their skills. In addition, one teacher suggested that
students could try recording the same talk every 1 month, to see if their speaking skills had
improved, or if there were any points in the speech that students could not use. need further
improvement.

Question 7: To learn English in particular and good for learning in general, students need a
dynamic environment where they can freely express themselves, an environment where
teachers not only focus on theory but also need to be linked with practice. Only then can
students develop comprehensively.

Question 8: Compared with English majors and non-specialists, the most obvious thing that
can be noticed is their sensitivity to language. They often tend to like to learn new things, and
are very sensitive when approaching new methods of learning and teaching. In addition, their
attitude when approaching the lesson is often faster and more enthusiastic than non-specialized

108
students. For the group of specialized students, it is often possible to use more theory-heavy
teaching methods, helping them to further improve their grammar and vocabulary skills,
because often they already have their sensitivity, so their listening and speaking is generally
better than other students.

Question 9: In order to improve the quality of teaching English for specialized students,
teachers said that it is necessary to constantly update according to the trend of the new era.
Regarding the content of the program, especially English, there is a constant change, so it is
required that the teacher must have good adaptation, and must be an open person. If teaching
English is old-fashioned or does not want to change, it will be easy to be eliminated. With
teaching methods, teachers can try to learn new methods, and interact more with students so
they can see that the teacher really cares about them, in addition to conducting surveys. closely
with students after each term, to improve the teacher's own weaknesses and promote the
strengths, with the ultimate aim of helping the students improve and develop.

109
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION
After conducting the research, it can be seen that the majority of current major students in
general expect an improvement in teaching methods, and have great interest in their English
learning. Along with that, they also tend to pay attention to the high requirements of their
degrees and want to improve their skills at levels B2, C1, and C2 according to the CEFR
competency assessment framework. In addition, they also want the school to pay more
attention to the further development of both knowledge and soft skills, as well as create more
exchange programs so that they can have the most wonderful and worthy environment for you.
In addition, when conducting interviews with teachers who directly taught them, the results
were almost consistent with what the children left in the survey. They are usually more
interested in theory, vocabulary, and grammar, but still need to improve their listening skills,
and teachers also say that they will try to change and update constantly to help their students
thrive. This research has helped answer the initial questions about the needs of gifted students
in terms of English proficiency and what gifted students need about their learning environment
and English learning methods, as well as helping teachers have a more specific view of what
they need to improve.

110
 APPENDIX 1

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

My name is Nguyen Thi Thao Vy and I am conducting a study for my MA thesis, entitled: The
needs towards English learning of students majoring in English in a high school for the
gifted in the north of Vietnam. I would like to invite you to participate in my study by
answering this questionnaire. Your responses are important to my thesis.
Please kindly read the situations carefully and answer honestly. There are two parts in the
questionnaire and it should take you about 15 minutes to complete. All your information will
be kept confidential and purely used for data analysis purposes only.
Should you have any questions, please contact me at thaovynguyen98@gmail.com.
Sincerely thank you for your cooperation

SECTION A: Learning priorities

How important is each of the following language components/ skills for you?

Rate them according to the level of importance by ticking the appropriate column.

1 = not important 2 = less important 3 = important 4 = very important

1 2 3 4

A1. Vocabulary

A2. Grammar

A3. Pronunciation

A4. Reading

A5. Listening

111
 A6. Speaking

A7. Writing

SECTION B: Sub-skills Learning priorities

B1. How important is each of the following language sub-skills for you?

Rate them according to the level of importance by ticking the appropriate column.

1 = not important 2 = less important 3 = important 4 = very important

B2. What level of proficiency do you want to learn, according to CEFR?

Rate them according to the level of language proficiency by ticking the appropriate column.

B2 C1 C2

If you rate in frame 3 or 4 as “important” and “very important” in question B1, then
immediately turn to the next column for question B2 related to the CEFR level to rate the level
of language proficiency you want to learn for each sub-skill.

How important? What level?

1 2 3 4 B2 C1 C2

Writing Sub-skills

Expressing news and views effectively

W1.
in writing, and relate to those of others

Writing letters and highlighting the

W2.
personal significance of events

W3. Summarizing long, demanding texts

W4. Expanding and supporting ideas with

subsidiary points, reasons and relevant

112
 examples

Writing clear, well-structured texts of

W5.
complex subjects

Writing an essay or report that develops

W6.
an argument systematically

Organizing and planning ideas in

W7.
writing effectively

W8. Avoiding plagiarism

W9. Illustrating tables, graphs and diagrams

Consistently correct and appropriate use

W10.
of vocabulary

Writing in the suitable time allocated

W11.
for each task (punctuality)

Maintaining a high degree of

W12.
grammatical accuracy

Listening Sub-skills

Listening for the main ideas and gist in

L1.
complex speech

Listening in lectures, discussions and

L2.
debates with relative ease

Listening in a wide range of recorded

L3.
and broadcast audio material

Listening to extract specific information

L4.
from public announcements

Listening to get specific information for

L5.
completing assignments

113
 Listening to most TV news and current
L6.
affairs programmes

L7. Listening to take note effectively

L8. Listening to understand vocabulary

Reading Sub-skills

Reading to obtain a broad active

R1.
reading vocabulary

Reading straightforward factual texts on

R2.
subjects related to the course books

Reading correspondence relating to the

R3. field of interest and readily grasp the
essential meaning

Scanning quickly through long and

R4.
complex texts, locating relevant details

Identifying the content and relevance of

R5.
news items, articles and reports

Obtaining information, ideas and

R6. opinions from highly specialised
sources

R7. Reading quickly and efficiently

Reading to get specific details to

R8.
answer questions in assignments

Speaking Sub-skills

Performing oral presentation in the

S1. debate, even on complex and unfamiliar
topics

114
 Giving feedback on and follow up
S2. statements to help the development of
the discussion

Planning and organizing what is to be

S3.
said and the means to say it

Using the language flexibly, accurately

S4. and effectively on a wide range of
general, academic, or leisure topics.

Delivering speech with a degree of

S5.
clarity, fluency and spontaneity

Delivering speech using appropriate

S6.
stress and intonation

Using advanced grammatical structures

S7.
to infer attitude, mood and intentions

Having a good command of a broad

S8.
lexical items

SECTION C: Students’ needs towards schools

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Please tick the appropriate column.

1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly Agree

1 2 3 4

Needs about school missions

Specialized school should teach me the knowledge that

C1.
could be useful in my future study/ work.

115
 Specialized school needs to help me develop some soft
C2.
skills (e.g. discipline, team-work skill…)

Specialized school needs to help me improve the ability

C3.
to overcome pressure in the exam.

Specialized school should help me prepare for studying

C4.
abroad or tertiary education.

Specialized school should create opportunities for

C5. gifted students to attend out-of-class activities to
communicate with native speakers.

Specialized school should create some exchange

C6.
programs for us to study abroad.

Specialized school should create some competitions for

C7.
the gifted to interact with each other within country.

Specialized school should provide opportunities for the

C8. gifted to approach the top teachers and professors
within the nation.

Needs about English teaching contents and methods

Specialized school should give me enough knowledge

C9. to attend the English tests and National English
competition.

Specialized school should help me improve English

C10.
proficiency and communicate in all four macro-skills.

Specialized school should provide sufficient

C11.
opportunities for the gifted to practice English.

Students should be the center of the classroom in

C12.
English classes in specialized schools.

C13. Communicative activities, such as: role-plays,

116
 interviews, mind-maps, projects, pair and group work
are the important activities for the gifted.

I often want to improve English skills by doing more

C14.
exercises and further drill practices.

Following teacher-led and teacher-centred lectures are

C15.
the most helpful way for me to learn English.

C16. English teachers should speak native English.

English teachers should have at least C1 English

C17.
proficiency (CEFR).

The English learning time (approximately 15 hours/

C18.
week) at class is suitable for the gifted students.

Needs about assessment

Specialized school should inform students of clear

C19.
assessment targets and criteria for each semester.

Specialized school should provide multiple types of

C20.
achievement assessment before any official tests.

Specialized school should give me more chances to do

C21. performance-based assessment (such as presentation,
projects or portfolios).

Specialized school provides many types of ability tests

C22.
to measure my cognitive skills and IQ.

Specialized school provides frequent ongoing and

C23.
detailed final feedback (not only scores).

Needs about school facilities

Specialized school should integrate computers and

C24.
technology into teaching English at school.

117
 The school should provide modern facilities to learn
C25.
English (projectors, wireless network, etc.).

Specialized school should have a wide variety of

C26. sources and reference materials related to the gifted for
self-learning.

--- THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR CORPORATION ---

118
Vietnamese version

PHẦN A: Kỹ năng ưu tiên

Mỗi thành phần/kỹ năng ngôn ngữ sau đây quan trọng như thế nào đối với em?

Đánh giá chúng theo mức độ quan trọng bằng cách đánh dấu vào cột thích hợp.

1 = không quan trọng 2 = ít quan trọng 3 = quan trọng 4 = rất quan trọng

1 2 3 4

A1. Từ vựng

A2. Ngữ pháp

A3. Phát âm

A4. Kĩ năng đọc

A5. Kĩ năng nghe

A6. Kĩ năng nói

A7. Kĩ năng viết

PHẦN B: Các kỹ năng phụ ưu tiên

B1. Mỗi kỹ năng phụ sau đây quan trọng như thế nào đối với em?

Đánh giá chúng theo mức độ quan trọng bằng cách đánh dấu vào cột thích hợp.

1 = không quan trọng 2 = ít quan trọng 3 = quan trọng 4 = rất quan trọng

B2. Em muốn học ở mức độ nào, theo khung đánh giá năng lực CEFR?

Đánh giá theo mức độ thành thạo ngôn ngữ bằng cách đánh dấu vào cột thích hợp.

B2 C1 C2

119
Nếu em đánh giá ở khung 3 hoặc 4 là “quan trọng” và “rất quan trọng” ở câu B1, thì hãy
chuyển ngay sang cột tiếp theo cho câu hỏi B2 liên quan đến khung CEFR để đánh giá mức độ
thông thạo ngôn ngữ mà em muốn học cho từng kĩ năng phụ này.

Mức độ quan trọng Cấp độ

1 2 3 4 B2 C1 C2

Kĩ năng Nói

Thể hiện tin tức và các quan điểm một

W1.
cách hiệu quả trong bài viết và

Viết thư và nhấn mạnh ý nghĩa cá nhân

W2.
của các sự kiện

W3. Tóm tắt các văn bản dài và khó

Mở rộng và củng cố ý tưởng bài viết

W4. với các điểm phụ, lý do và các ví dụ có
liên quan

Viết rõ ràng, có cấu trúc tốt về các chủ

W5.
đề phức tạp

Viết một bài luận hoặc báo cáo phát

W6.
triển lập luận một cách có hệ thống

Tổ chức và lập kế hoạch lên ý tưởng

W7.
viết một cách hiệu quả

W8. Cách để tránh đạo văn

W9. Miêu tả bảng, biểu đồ và sơ đồ

Sử dụng từ vựng cao một cách chính

W10.
xác và phù hợp

Viết trong thời gian phù hợp được phân

W11.
bổ cho từng nhiệm vụ (đúng giờ)

120
W12. Duy trì mức độ chính xác ngữ pháp cao

Listening Sub-skills

L1. Nghe ý chính trong bài nói phức tạp

Nghe các bài giảng, thảo luận và tranh

L2.
luận tương đối dễ dàng

Nghe nhiều loại tài liệu âm thanh được

L3.
ghi và phát sóng

Nghe để lấy thông tin chi tiết từ các

L4.
thông báo công khai

Nghe để lấy thông tin chi tiết để hoàn

L5.
thành bài tập trên lớp

Nghe hiểu hầu hết các tin tức truyền

L6.
hình và các chương trình thời sự

L7. Nghe để ghi chú lại

L8. Nghe hiểu từ vựng

Reading Sub-skills

R1. Đọc để nắm được vốn từ vựng cao

Đọc hiểu các bài đọc về các chủ đề liên

R2.
quan đến các tài liệu học ở trường

Đọc liên quan đến lĩnh vực quan tâm và

R3.
dễ dàng nắm bắt ý thiết yếu

Đọc lướt các văn bản dài và phức tạp,

R4.
định vị các chi tiết liên quan

Xác định nội dung liên quan của tin, bài

R5.
hoặc phóng sự

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 Thu thập thông tin, ý tưởng và ý kiến từ
R6.
các nguồn đọc chuyên ngành phức tạp

R7. Đọc nhanh và hiệu quả

Đọc để lấy chi tiết cụ thể để trả lời các

R8.
câu hỏi trong bài tập

Speaking Sub-skills

Có thể tranh luận, ngay cả về các chủ

S1.
đề phức tạp và xa lạ

Đưa ra nhận xét và các câu hỏi liên

S2.
quan để giúp phát triển cuộc thảo luận

Lập kế hoạch và tổ chức những gì sẽ

S3.
được nói và phương tiện để nói điều đó

Sử dụng ngôn ngữ linh hoạt, chính xác

S4. và hiệu quả trong nhiều chủ đề từ tổng
quát, học thuật đến giải trí.

Phát biểu với mức độ rõ ràng, lưu loát

S5.
và tự nhiên

Phát biểu bằng cách sử dụng trọng âm

S6.
và ngữ điệu phù hợp

Sử dụng các cấu trúc ngữ pháp nâng

S7. cao để suy ra thái độ, tâm trạng và ý
định

Có khả năng sử dụng tốt các mục từ

S8.
vựng rộng

PHẦN C: Nhu cầu của học sinh đối với trường học

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Em đồng ý hay không đồng ý với những nhận định sau?

Vui lòng đánh dấu vào cột thích hợp.

1 = Rất không đồng ý 2 = Không đồng ý 3 = Đồng ý 4 = Rất đồng ý

1 2 3 4

Nhu cầu về nhiệm vụ của trường

Trường chuyên cần dạy những kiến thức có thể hữu ích
C1.
trong học tập/công việc sau này của tôi.

Trường chuyên cần giúp phát triển một số kỹ năng

C2.
mềm (ví dụ: kỷ luật, kỹ năng làm việc nhóm…)

Trường chuyên cần giúp em nâng cao khả năng vượt

C3.
qua áp lực trong kỳ thi.

Trường chuyên cần giúp em chuẩn bị cho việc du học

C4.
hoặc giáo dục đại học.

Trường chuyên cần tạo cơ hội cho học sinh chuyên

C5. tham gia các hoạt động ngoài giờ lên lớp để giao tiếp
với người bản xứ.

Trường chuyên nên tạo ra một số chương trình trao đổi

C6.
để giao lưu, học tập ở nước ngoài.

Trường chuyên nên tổ chức một số cuộc thi để các học

C7.
sinh chuyên giao lưu với nhau.

Trường chuyên cần tạo cơ hội cho học sinh chuyên tiếp
C8.
cận với những giáo viên, giáo sư hàng đầu trong nước.

Nhu cầu về nội dung và phương pháp giảng dạy tiếng Anh

Trường chuyên cần cung cấp cho em đủ kiến thức để

C9. tham dự các kỳ thi tiếng Anh và cuộc thi HSG tiếng
Anh Quốc gia.

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 Trường chuyên cần giúp em cải thiện trình độ tiếng
C10.
Anh và giao tiếp ở cả bốn kỹ năng.

Trường chuyên cần tạo đủ cơ hội và môi trường để học

C11.
sinh chuyên rèn luyện tiếng Anh.

Học sinh phải là trung tâm của lớp học trong giờ học
C12.
tiếng Anh ở trường chuyên.

Các hoạt động giao tiếp, chẳng hạn như: đóng vai,
phỏng vấn, sơ đồ tư duy, dự án, làm việc theo cặp và
C13.
theo nhóm là những hoạt động quan trọng đối với học
sinh chuyên Anh.

Em thường muốn cải thiện các kỹ năng tiếng Anh bằng

C14.
cách làm nhiều bài tập hơn và luyện tập thêm.

Theo dõi các bài giảng do giáo viên hướng dẫn và lấy
C15. giáo viên làm trung tâm là cách hữu ích nhất để em học
tiếng Anh.

C16. Giáo viên tiếng Anh nên nói tiếng Anh trong giờ học.

Giáo viên tiếng Anh phải có trình độ tiếng Anh tối

C17.
thiểu C1 (CEFR).

Thời lượng học tiếng Anh (khoảng 15 giờ/tuần) trên

C18.
lớp phù hợp với đối tượng học sinh chuyên.

Nhu cầu về kiểm tra đánh giá

Trường chuyên cần thông báo cho học sinh mục tiêu,
C19.
tiêu chí đánh giá rõ ràng theo từng học kỳ.

Trường chuyên nên cung cấp nhiều loại đánh giá trước
C20.
bất kỳ kỳ kiểm tra chính thức nào.

C21. Trường chuyên nên cho em nhiều cơ hội hơn để đánh

giá dựa trên thành tích (chẳng hạn như thuyết trình, dự

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 án hoặc danh mục đầu tư).

Trường chuyên cần cung cấp nhiều loại bài kiểm tra
C22.
năng lực để đo kỹ năng nhận thức và chỉ số IQ của tôi.

Trường chuyên cần có sự phản hồi cuối kỳ thường

C23.
xuyên và chi tiết (không chỉ điểm số).

Nhu cầu về cơ sở vật chất trường học

Trường chuyên nên tích hợp máy tính và công nghệ

C24.
vào dạy tiếng Anh ở trường.

Nhà trường nên cung cấp cơ sở vật chất hiện đại để học
C25.
tiếng Anh (máy chiếu, mạng không dây...).

Trường chuyên nên có nguồn tài liệu tham khảo phong

C26.
phú, đa dạng liên quan đến chuyên để tự học.

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 APPENDIX 2

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

I am Nguyen Thi Thao Vy, and I am conducting a study entitled: The needs towards English
learning of students majoring in English in a high school for the gifted in the north of
Vietnam. With your prior agreement, today I am conducting this interview to collect data for
my study.

Personal questions

1. What is your highest school level, your academic qualification?

2. How many years have you been teaching English in general and English for gifted students?

Questions related to the study

1. What language components and skills, including: vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, as

well as listening, speaking, reading, and writing, do you think your students need to learn
more? Why?

2. What sub-skills do you think your students need to learn more? Why?

3. When teaching, what difficulties do you think your students often face? What solutions do
you have to help students overcome such difficulties?

4. When teaching students majoring in English, what teaching activities do you think these
students need to learn?

5. When teaching students majoring in English, what methods do you think students need to be
taught? (communicative language teaching approach, blended learning approach, etc.)

6. When teaching students majoring in English, what kinds of assessment tasks (tests, projects,
portfolios, debates, presentations, etc.) do you think are necessary for these students?

7. In your opinion, what do students need about the learning environment (including facilities,
materials, exchange programs, out-of-class activities, etc.) at specialized high schools in
general and in English classes in particular?

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8. Compared with students in non-English-specialized classes, what are the special
characteristics of students majoring in English (in terms of perception, personality,
psychology, emotions, etc.) that you need to pay attention to when teaching?

9. From the above experiences, what suggestions can you share to improve the quality of
teaching English for specialized students? (In terms of program contents, materials, teaching
methods, learning environment, etc.)

Vietnamese version

Câu hỏi phỏng vấn

1. Những thành phần và kỹ năng ngôn ngữ nào, bao gồm: từ vựng, ngữ pháp, phát âm, cũng
như nghe, nói, đọc và viết, thầy/cô nghĩ học sinh của mình cần học thêm? Tại sao?

2. Thầy/cô nghĩ sinh viên của mình cần học thêm những kỹ năng phụ nào trong 4 kĩ năng
nghe, nói, đọc, viêt? Tại sao?

3. Khi giảng dạy, thầy/cô thấy học sinh của mình thường gặp những khó khăn gì? Thầy/cô có
giải pháp gì để giúp học sinh vượt qua khó khăn đó?

4. Khi giảng dạy cho học sinh chuyên Anh, thầy/cô thấy học sinh cần được tham gia vào
những hoạt động giảng dạy nào?

5. Khi giảng dạy cho học sinh chuyên Anh, thầy/cô thường sử dụng những phương pháp nào?

6. Khi giảng dạy cho học sinh chuyên Anh, thầy/cô nghĩ học sinh cần sử dụng những hình thức
đánh giá như thế nào để đánh giá sự tiến bộ của học sinh?

7. Theo thầy/cô, học sinh cần học trong môi trường học tập như thế nào tại các trường THPT
chuyên nói chung và lớp chuyên Anh nói riêng?

8. So với học sinh các lớp không chuyên tiếng Anh, học sinh chuyên tiếng Anh có những đặc
điểm gì (về nhận thức, tính cách, tâm lý, tình cảm,…) mà thầy/cô cần lưu ý khi giảng dạy?

9. Từ những kinh nghiệm trên, thầy/cô có thể chia sẻ những đề xuất gì để nâng cao chất lượng
dạy học môn Tiếng Anh cho học sinh chuyên? (về nội dung chương trình, tài liệu, phương
pháp giảng dạy, môi trường học tập…)

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