Construcción del modelo 3D mediante una nube de puntos

Case study research lends itself extremely well to mixed methods research, as many approaches to research design, data analysis and data interpretation are possible (Kitchenham, 2010). A case study is described as “a variation of an ethnography in that the researcher provides an in-depth exploration of a bounded system (e.g. an activity, an event, a process, or an individual) based on extensive data collection” (Creswell, 2012, p. 476). Miles and Huberman (1994) relate “boundedness” to some special features such as: temporal characteristics, geographical parameters, inbuilt boundaries, a particular context at a point in time, group characteristics, role or function and organizational or institutional arrangements.

Yin (2009) considers case study the preferred strategy when “how” or “why” questions are being posed, when the investigator has little control over events, and when the focus is on a contemporary phenomenon within some real-life situation because this method allows the researcher to gain insights into the holistic and meaningful characteristics of real-life events. According to Cohen, Manion, and Morrison (2007), in the case study approach, the emphasis is on the depth rather than the breadth of the study. Case study analysis is also a very useful research methodology when there is an appropriate rationale for selecting cases. In this instance, case studies are chosen to capture the heterogeneity in the population, to explore cases that are critical for the theories being examined, and to establish particular reasons to pinpoint reasons for differences between settings or individuals (Maxwell, 2005). The current study is an exploration of a pedagogical phenomenon in its natural context, i.e., the teaching practicum. The cases in this study are three institutions in HCMC in Vietnam offering English language teacher training programs. Data collection in the case studies focused on areas identified in the review of current literature as important to the development of pre-service English language teachers such as the support for mentors and trainee teachers, the extent to which the practicum prepares them for real teaching, the relationship that the trainee teachers have in the school community, the assessment practice, and the overall effectiveness of the teaching practicum. In addition to the three institutions, twelve English trainee teachers together with their six school mentors and six university mentors were selected as case studies to ensure that a range of different trainee teachers and mentors from the three universities in HCMC could be involved so as to construct an in-depth account of what happens (Yin, 2009).

3.3.3.2. Case selection

The first and most influential decision made by researchers is choosing the setting, population and phenomenon of interest (Marshall & Rossman, 2006). The criteria that helped the researcher choose the case study institutions were the ranking of the institutions based on the entrance requirements for

undergraduate English language teachers and the place of the practicum in the teacher training curriculum.

Three types of information sources were relied on to gain data required for case selection: (i) MOET documents provided a list of various English teacher training institutions within HCMC and the number in the student intakes for each; (ii) the web pages of individual institutions provided data on EFL teacher program requirements; and (iii) phone conversations with staff members of the institution provided information on the design of the program, especially regarding the teaching practicum. Factors in areas other than the institutional context were also taken into account. For example, the selected English teacher training programs have been in place for a minimum of three years. This criterion was necessary to ensure the trainee teacher and the teacher trainer participants had sufficient time to go through the learning and teaching in the practicum. Based on the above selection criteria, the researcher identified the three universities in HCMC that best suited the purposes of this research. To maintain the anonymity of the universities and for reasons of confidentiality, the universities will be referred to as University One (U1), University Two (U2) and University Three (U3) in this thesis.

There are three main reasons behind the selection of these three participating universities. First, with 350 universities and colleges spread across Vietnam, it was neither realistic nor feasible for the researcher to approach universities in many different regions. Second, HCMC is considered the learning hub of Vietnam with more than 50 universities and colleges scattered across its urban and suburban areas. Third, HCMC itself is home to various higher education providers offering undergraduate EFL teacher education programs representing the top, average and below average- ranked Vietnamese universities, which was helpful in soliciting a much wider range of perceptions for the study. The assumption was that participants might offer diverse ideas and insights due to the status of the university, the teacher trainers’ experience, the trainee teachers’ English language proficiency, and the institutions’ facilities and support.

This sample was found to be adequately representative because the three institutions had characteristics of both public and private universities as well as specialized teacher-training institutions and multidisciplinary institutions. At these universities, English teacher education is the responsibility of the department of English. The trainee teachers from U1, U2 and U3 are sent to more than 30 different high schools in HCMC to do their placement. The schools can be public or private, consisting of grades 10, 11 and 12 (see Table 3.2).

Table 3.2. Details of the three participating institutions

Institutions Type Teaching Practicum

Number Length Year Placement

U1 Private (multi-disciplinary) 1 7 weeks 4 HCM City

U2 Public (teacher training) 2 4 + 7

weeks 3+4 HCM City

U3 Public (multi-disciplinary) 2 4 + 8

weeks 3+4 HCM City

The two public universities have two practicums, the first of four weeks in the third year and the second of seven or eight weeks in the final year, while the private university has only one practicum in its EFL teacher training program in the final year of study.

3.3.3.3. Case description

The three universities were selected from 15 higher education providers offering English language education in HCMC because their differences in terms of university status, number of student enrolment as well as in English language teacher training programs would enrich the data collected. The findings, therefore, could be used to draw implications for a wider context of English language teacher education in Vietnam.

Case 1: University One

U1 was founded in 1994 according to Decision No 616/Ttg by the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and was among the first private universities in HCMC with seven departments giving training in areas such as foreign languages, hospitality and management, information technology, international relations and business administration. The greatest objective of the university is to offer tertiary education to help students gain knowledge and professional skills that meet the needs of the market economy. The University Committee is trying to reach the vision that it will soon become a private, not-for-profit university in Vietnam. U1 is also well recognized for its speedy adaptation to the changes in higher education with the adoption of English as the medium of instruction and the use of technology as an educational tool.

At U1, the undergraduate programs at the department of foreign languages (also known as the English department) are divided into two tracks: English and Chinese specialization. For the English sector, the department offers a four-year degree leading to the Bachelor of Arts in three majors, namely Teaching English, English for Translation-Interpretation and English for Administration. In 2012, the English department had a total of 30 full-time teaching staff, more than 50 visiting lecturers, 300 students majoring in English language teaching, 300 in English for Translation-Interpretation and 400 in English for Administration. The department was run by a Dean and three Vice Deans who were responsible for the representation of the department within the university, the coordination of the

teaching, the organization of the exams, as well as the administration of staff and funds. The department has four academic divisions for English teaching specialization: English skills, Linguistics-Literature-Culture, English Language Teaching Methodology and English-Technology. The entry requirement for students undertaking Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) at U1 has been relatively low from 13 to 13.5 out of 30 in the past four years, which is among the lowest in Vietnam. Students only needed to achieve an average of 4.5 in each subject to pass the entrance exam. Therefore, U1 could be categorized as a "lower status university" in providing English teachers education.

Case 2: University Two

U2 is a specialized teacher training institution established in 1976 by Decision No 426/Ttg signed by the Prime Minister and has become one of the two key universities of pedagogy in Vietnam. Through its diverse teacher education programs, U2 seeks to train qualified teachers with Bachelor’s degrees for a variety of schools from kindergarten to primary, secondary and high school for the South and the whole country. It also provides in-service teacher education. The university has 19 academic departments which are currently offering 20 specialized teacher training programs varying from Education Management, Early Childhood Education, Primary Education to Physics Teacher Education, Geography Teacher Education, and so on. Apart from teacher education, U2 also provides training leading to degrees in 11 non-pedagogical majors such as English language, French language, Japanese language and Information Technology.

The English department is one of the largest departments in U2. It offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in TEFL, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in English (either a Business or Translation-Interpretation major). In 2012, the department had a total of 35 full-time teaching staff, 25 visiting lecturers, 500 students majoring in English language teaching and 600 in the English language. The department was managed by a Dean and two Vice Deans as key executive staff. This executive Board was responsible for the representation of the department within the university, the coordination of the teaching, the organization of the exams, as well as the administration of staff and funds. The department has five academic divisions: English skills, Linguistics, Literature-Culture, English Language Teaching Methodology and Business English. The entry requirement for students undertaking TEFL at the English department at U2 has ranged from 24.5 to 30 out of 40 in the past four years (the English subject score is multiplied by two). Students needed to achieve an average of 6.5 to 7.5 in each subject to pass the entrance exam. It has remained the highest requirement for students pursuing careers in English Teaching throughout the country. Therefore, U2 is categorized as a "top status university" in providing English teacher education.

Case 3: University Three

U3 was established in 2007 by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung under the control of the People's Committee in HCMC. The university was founded on the basis of a former teacher training college, which had been in operation from 1977 to 2007. U3 has defined itself as a multi-disciplinary institution with 19 academic departments providing education in both teacher training and in many other scientific and professional study programs at all levels of higher education. It currently offers more than 30 undergraduate programs in areas varying from natural science and technology to social sciences, commerce, business and pedagogy.

At U3, the English department manages two undergraduate English-majored programs, one in English for Business and Tourism and one in TEFL. In 2012, the department had a total of 20 full-time teaching staff, 15 visiting lecturers, 300 students majoring in TEFL and 400 in English for Business and Tourism. The department was run by a Dean and two Vice Deans who were responsible for the representation of the department within the university, the coordination of the teaching, the organization of the exams, as well as the administration of staff and funds. The department has two academic divisions: English majors and non-English majors. The entry requirement for students undertaking TEFL at U3 has ranged from 15.5 to 18.5 out of 30 in the past four years. Students needed to achieve an average of 5.5 to 6.5 in each subject to pass the entrance exam. U3 could be categorized as a "university with normal ranking" in providing English teacher education.

3.4. Research participants