Designing Songs for Teaching and Learning English: A Literature Review

This paper presents the theoretical backgrounds covering the theories of material design, which is useful for understanding of the effective material and the steps to produce it, and mentioning the theories of learning, which include foci on the language, the learners, and learning process. The paper aslo addresses a relationship among factors that contribute to teaching and learning process by using songs as English language teaching material. The authors review the benefits of songs and music under the lights of the cognitive, linguistic, and pedagogical levels through the material design model suggested by Hutchinson and Waters (1987). This paper contributes to the understanding of designing songs as a tool for teaching and learning English. Keywords: Songs, Music, Material design, Cognitive process, Motivation A material design model DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/61-10 Publication date:October 31st 201

Petrographic Characteristics and Depositional Environment Evolution of Middle Miocene Sediments in the Thien Ung - Mang Cau Structure of Nam Con Son Basin

This paper introduces the petrographic characteristics and depositional environment of Middle Miocene rocks of the Thien Ung - Mang Cau structure in the central area of Nam Con Son Basin based on the results of analyzing thin sections and structural characteristics of core samples. Middle Miocene sedimentary rocks in the studied area can be divided into three groups: (1) Group of terrigenous rocks comprising greywacke sandstone, arkosic sandstone, lithic-quartz sandstone, greywacke-lithic sandstone, oligomictic siltstone, and bitumenous claystone; (2) Group of carbonate rocks comprising dolomitic limestone and bituminous limestone; (3) Mixed group comprising calcareous sandstone, calcarinate sandstone, arenaceous limestone, calcareous claystone, calcareous silty claystone, dolomitic limestone containing silt, and bitumen. The depositional environment is expressed through petrographic characteristics and structure of the sedimentary rocks in core samples. The greywacke and arkosic sandstones are of medium grain size, poor sorting and roundness, and siliceous cement characterizing the alluvial and estuarine fan environment expressed by massive structure of core samples. The mixed calcareous limestone, arenaceous dolomitic limestone, and calcareous and bituminous clayey siltstone in the core samples are of turbulent flow structure characterizing shallow bay environment with the action of bottom currents. The dolomitic limestones are of relatively homogeneous, of microgranular and fine-granular texture, precipitated in a weakly reducing, semi-closed, and relatively calm bay environment

Examining the Impact of Mobile Apps on Language Teaching and Learning in a Public University: An Experimental Study

This research article investigates the effects of mobile apps on language teaching and learning in a public university setting. The study focuses on evaluating the effectiveness and practicality of a Mobile Aided Language Learning Portal (MALLP) for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to English Language Learners (ELLs). A total of 186 participants from a pre-intermediate General English course at a university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, were selected using cluster sampling. The study employed a mixed-method design, including needs assessment, pre-examinations, a tryout experiment, post-examinations, and interviews. The findings indicate that a significant proportion of participants (65 percent) had a strong interest in using mobile apps for language learning. The experimental group, which utilized the MALLP, demonstrated a noticeable improvement in language proficiency compared to the control group. The engagement and usage patterns of the experimental group revealed a high level of engagement, with 70 percent regularly using the MALLP. Interviews with the experimental group highlighted their positive perceptions of the MALLP, including its user-friendliness, engaging features, availability of resources, and improvements in language skills and confidence. The post-test results showed that the experimental group achieved higher scores (passing rate of 97.8 percent) compared to the control group (passing rate of 36.6 percent). The experimental group's mean post-test score (33.76 points) was significantly higher than the control group's mean post-test score (28.52 points). These findings suggest that integrating mobile apps, such as the MALLP, in language teaching can lead to improved language learning outcomes and increased student motivation. Further research in public university settings is needed to gain a more precise understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of mobile app-based language learning

A Study on Communication Breakdowns between Native and Non-native Speakers in English Speaking Classes

English majored students have a positive influence on intercultural awareness in learning a foreign language. In their classes, they are often asked to discuss some academic matters in British cultural beliefs. Although they have a high level of proficiency in English communication, there often encountered misunderstandings between them when they interpret things or present academic matters. As a result, students cannot achieve plurilingual and pluricultural competence in the course. This paper was conducted to investigate communication problems between Vietnamese learners of English and Native teachers at HUFI. The data were collected from 28 participants who are third-year students and four different lecturers from different countries. The findings revealed that sources were mainly clustered for the following reasons: perceptual and language differences, information overload, inattention time pressures, distraction/noise emotions, complexity in organizational structure, and poor retention. The perceptual and language differences, information overload, and emotions were mainly responsible for the quality of communication. This paper can help students engage in awareness-raising activities that promote understanding in some contacts and discussions

A Cognitive study of Nonlinguistic Factors Affecting the use of Prepositions by Vietnamese Native Speakers

This article investigates factors that influence the use of English expressions made by Vietnamese native students at Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry (HUFI). The research is conducted to analyze the factors that validly affect the usage of prepositions by EFL learners based on a variety of personal data and background of the participants. It is hypothesized that the application of prepositions is affected by some of geographical and social factors rather than linguistics matters. With the help of the software SPSS, the research took a thorough exploration into certain hindered elements in Vietnamese that may affect the language acquisition through negative interference to EFL learners. The data came from the survey of 141 EFL students at HUFI. A number of factors that appear to influence the use of English prepositions made by EFL learners. The findings discovered that location, favourite colours and negative transfers influenced the use of prepositions rather than the other factors, e.g. gender, reading habits, leisure activities, outdoor activities. The result of the study contributes to the understanding of the hindering factors to the SLA in teaching English prepositions under the light of Cognitive Linguistics. Practical suggestions for EFL pedagogy and research are also included in this paper

Proceedings of the 5th Conference on Language Teaching and Learning

This conference proceedings contains articles on the various research ideas of the academic community and practitioners presented at the 5th Conference on Language Teaching and Learning (LTAL-2023). LTAL2023 was organized by the Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry, Vietnam on May 7, 2023. Conference Title: 5th Conference on Language Teaching and LearningConference Acronym: LTAL-2023Conference Date: 7 May 2023Conference Location: VietnamConference Organizers: Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry, Vietnam. Related Proceedings:  Proceedings of the 4th Conference on Language Teaching and Learnin

Proceedings of the 4th Conference on Language Teaching and Learning

This conference proceedings contains articles on the various research ideas of the academic community and practitioners presented at the 4th Conference on Language Teaching and Learning (LTAL-2022). LTAL2022 was organized by the Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry, Vietnam on June 19-20, 2022. Conference Title: 4th Conference on Language Teaching and LearningConference Acronym: LTAL-2022Conference Date: 19-20 June 2022Conference Location: VietnamConference Organizers: Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry, Vietnam