Teachers’ and students’ appraisal of the ITEC English curriculum: A comparative study

Abstract

With the holistic purpose of improving the language teaching and learning quality at the ITEC center of University of Science (Ho Chi Minh City), the paper focused on the students’ and teachers’ appraisal towards the current ITEC English curriculum. The survey study was conducted at the ITEC center of University of Science (Ho Chi Minh City) with the participation of 82 students and 20 teachers. The instruments included the questionnaires and the semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed by SPSS version 20.0, while the qualitative data obtained from the interviews were thematically analyzed. The findings show that both the students and the teachers concurrently showed their positive affection and cognition towards the clear objectives, reasonable assessment modes, effective instructional materials, and helpful extensive practice. In addition, content of the ITEC English curriculum was emotionally and cognitively approved by both the teachers and the students; however, some students thought that the content lacked an emphasis of culture elements and updated realistic situations. Furthermore, while the teachers seemed to prefer the time allotment of the courses of the curriculum, many students did not express their favor or approval. Besides, a big proportion of the target students liked its instructional methods and believed in the usefulness of the instructional methods and delivery techniques, especially in developing and sharpening their language skills and test-taking skills as well. Nonetheless, some of the teachers did not feel these instructional methods impressive and were not compatible with their preferential styles.