Aviation English Curriculum in Vietnam

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Summary

Aviation English is useful to ensure linear communication and information flow in the aviation industry. Therefore, the school curriculum needs to incorporate aviation uses of English in areas where it is not the first language. Every industry has a communication context that must be followed to ensure there is a transformation of information (Phuong, 2018). Thus, aviation English has become the de facto international mode of communication in civil aviation.

The 1977 two Boeing 747 passenger jets’ accident on a runway on the Spanish island was due to barriers and miscommunications. The use of non-standardized aviation language ought to be replaced by the use of aviation English not only in Vietnam but also in other parts of the world (Górska-Poręcka, 2013). With Vietnam being a country that majorly speaks the Vietnamese language as the official way to communicate; English has, however, increased the favor as it is used as the second language in that country (Albarracin et al., 2019). This section presents a literature review on the aviation English curriculum in Vietnam.

Conceptualization of Teaching English for International Aviation

Curriculum

Curriculum in education means the standards-based metrics that are planned for the experience of education where learners practice proficiency in applied skills in various disciplines. The curriculum acts as the central guide that is essential in delivering content that helps students to get the relevant abilities in learning institutions (Cruickshank et al., 2003). Like any other country, Vietnam has borrowed the idea of global educational policies that can help them adapt to local and international settings. According to Van Huy and Hamid (2015), the urge to develop and promote global efficiency has led the Asian-based country to adopt a global language policy to enhance the quality of knowledge of English to their citizens.

The Vietnamese government started educational reforms to have in place the international language standards in their country’s curriculum. Being a growing country, Vietnam faced enormous challenges when developing its human capital that would compete with global ambitions (Van Huy & Hamid, 2015). Before embracing that measure, it was a challenge for the country to have workers who would meet global demand in various sectors of employment, aviation being one of them. Vietnam decided to introduce moves that would address some aviation crises in the country (Górska-Poręcka, 2013). In 2008, the country introduced the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), intending to restructure the foreign language education system to international levels

The practice for CEFR has led to the observation of emerging opportunities for teachers and learners. For instance, blended learning demands learners to have a maximum of 400 hours to attain the first level of international standards in communicating English. The access to blended learning has led to many teachers in school to engage in developed school series with textbooks that expand more on English (Barkhuizen et al., 2013). The challenges that were witnessed included overreliance on Western textbooks and testing materials that appeared rapid and consequential to a significant level.

Pedagogy

Pedagogy refers to the art and science that is applied in teaching, more so in education. It means the modes of teaching are the major components when talking about pedagogy in education (Cruickshank et al., 2003). Pedagogy includes aspects of styles in learning, feedback from learners, and assessment of teaching efficiency and students’ needs. English being a key lingua franca of the world, it has been accepted as the international language for aviation. The majority of aviation personnel globally speak English as a foreign or second language in the environment of work (Kim & Elder, 2009). There has been a set of requirements for pilots and air traffic controllers to communicate effectively during work (Pittenger et al., 2004). In many countries, there are forms for pilots to fill by answering basic questions such as ‘Do you speak English?’, whereby they have to answer with simple answers such as ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (Ölmezer-Öztürk & Aydın, 2019). The pilots are required to have quality English that can be recognized worldwide.

Assessment

Assessment in education, commonly referred to as assessment for learning (AFL), is a framework of teaching and learning that necessitates feedback that is utilized to improve various aspects of education paraphernalia. Thus, students are involved in learning procedures, and that makes them obtain what they are required to learn as per the education’s standards (Cruickshank et al., 2003). The ICAO mandate was to raise overall English proficiency levels of pilots and air traffic controllers globally hence reducing communication-related aviation accidents. In aviation courses, the body ensures that public safety when flying is at an optimum level for the students, trainees, and other private developers in the aviation industry (Cruickshank et al., 2003). The body launched training that was essentially to improve the levels of English in employment areas for all aviation-related industries in all UN member states.

The Vietnamese government, through the colleges and universities, is checking the efficiency of the desire to have aviation English learned for bettering their careers. There are many available flight options in Vietnam that trainees can choose from after they get enough skills in their relevant specifications. Thus, anyone willing to obtain a private pilot license (PPL) or Commercial Pilot License (CPL) can be sorted with the necessary guidelines that are important in leveraging aviation matters (Elder et al., 2002). Villa, with collaborative bases with other aviation English training companies, has faced immediate challenges in determining how ICAO leveraged English proficiency. Many guidelines were given to describe linguistic skills that would be met by all aviation trainees (Karimi et al., 2019). Vietnam has adopted the ideas, especially the levels of understanding, recognizing, reading, and phrasing the English language in the aviation sector (Strother, 2019). Villa recommended that aviation training should be in acquiring English-based communication in special industries.

To evaluate the potential effectiveness, the development of language in the aviation sector has been key to ensure that the materials can be written by proficient people. The content that has been given as course books for this type of occasion is enough to give an individual an advanced level in boosting their careers (Biggs, 1996). Any college that was imposed to include aviation courses was supposed to ensure that trainees have specific radiotelephony skills that are recommended in blended learning and that is what Vietnam wished to have in place (Ellis, 2010). The trainees were given the practicability to address various Emerging Business Systems (EBS), Inc. of Springfield, Virginia in the US.

Policy Analysis for Aviation Education

Kaplan and Baldauf Model

Language policies can be in various forms depending on the people behind them. As per Kaplan and Baldauf (1997), ‘A language policy is a body of ideas, laws, regulations, rules and practices intended to achieve the planned language, change in societies, group or system’ (p. xi). The choices that are deliberately made by authorities in regard to language and social life can be under this paraphernalia. The place of method in language-in-policy is articulated in a raft of perceptions that exist in teaching and solving problems in class. For instance, there is a movement that has supported communicative language teaching in Vietnam. The push is intended to raise the standards that are not widespread in terms of English in many industrial areas in Vietnam. There is a notable element regarding the language policy as articulated by Kaplan and Baldauf (1997). The authors have divided the language-in-education policy into various elements.

First is the access policy that gives way forward in terms of when languages can be studied and at which level of education. Secondly, there is a personnel policy that involves teacher hiring, professional learning and standards in the curriculum (Kaplan & Baldauf, 1997). The other important focus in their work is curriculum and community policy that issue ways in which teaching will be offered and organized, including the assessment and outcomes of the matters. Additionally, there is another item on methods and material policy that prescribes the methodology and the texts to be used during such studies (Kaplan & Baldauf, 1997). Furthermore, there is an evaluation policy that would work in showing the language-in-education policy that can be measured on the effectiveness and implementation of the matter.

The Four Pillars

ICAO’s aviation training policy is based on TRAINAIR program, recognition by ICAO of aviation training activities, ICA-developed aviation training activities, and cooperation and partnership agreements (Harden, 2009). First, TRAINAIR encompasses training on matters to do with safety and air navigation. The policy is effective since it is one of the key features in developing air transport and environmental protection. Compliance is important because it gives consideration to specific aviation activities. Programs such as regional training centers have been on the verge of making education have the best possible aspect of controlling the aviation industry. The policy-centric measures have ensured there are capable long-term goals that can sustain the aviation industry (Kettle, 2010). The training courses and trainers complement the entire matter hence making it a perfect feature in the industry. The financial policies that have been put in place ensure that the activities in the policy programs are successful. The technical cooperation financed by Vietnam is managed by the bureaus that are cost-effective and recover in the aviation industry.

Vietnam has been effective in international cooperation in civil aviation. With the country having about 20 air services agreements (ASA) from 1993, other countries and territories, such as North America, have followed suit to sign the ASA policies (Kim & Elder, 2009). Under this matter, Vietnam has relaxed tariff controls in the direction of dual disapproval in filing the required intervention by all the training elements in government and other private stakeholders (Lee, 2020). Vietnam has ensured that training aviation programs must be in line with ICAO so that the current trends in aviation can be well regulated and given the relevant course of action. While teaching English in aviation, Vietnam has ensured that any member who undergoes all the requirements will be likely to assist in developing the market for the industry (Moder, 2013). The arrangements were English to penetrate all sections of the industry so that it would be a way of leveraging any framework that is officially towards enlightening everyone about safety, networking, and modifying the necessary ways in undertaking the matter.

The training policy on aviation English is the new international standard of communicating while working. Most policies behind training English in the Vietnamese region when it comes to aviation were to bar most of the accidents that were witnessed due to faulty communication errors and behavioral misconduct (Jenkins et al., 2003). The important aspect of complying with the ICAO guidelines on communication is to ensure that the ethics on the safety of flight personnel are properly utilized (Bystrova et al., 2019). The criteria for professional readiness in administering English to institutions offering aviation was to have a cognitive, functional, and operational ability that can apply plain English as a standard way of information transformation in the line of duty. Bystrova et al (2019) leverages why the method of teaching English for future air traffic controllers is a required routine for Vietnam and any other willing country. When the aviation industry is streamlined to have proper communication channels, many features of safety and management of metrics in Vietnamese airline companies

Alignment In ESP Teaching, Especially Aviation English for Air Traffic Controllers

It is important to consider teaching aviation English in Vietnam by using specific measures such as English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Thus, there will be minimal qualification metrics for one to undertake this kind of program in the aviation industry (Albarracin et al., 2019). Aviation tutors may be tasked with choosing wisely because they may be teaching a chemical engineer at a particular time, while next, they teach air traffic controllers.

Importance of Alignment in Curriculum, Assessment, and Pedagogy

The reason why it is important to align curriculum, assessment and pedagogy is to have conforming perspectives to the globalization aspects that have changed education in the 21^st century as compared to previous eras. There is a need to change in the landscape in which individuals gain concepts of knowledge through education (Jenkins et al., 2003). Aligning the three elements enables students or learners to have the required learning objectives through assessment as seen in Figure 1 below. Additionally, a reflection of classroom activities and strategies that are taken as pedagogy prepare the learners for the relevant assessment.

Figure 1: Aligning the components in education (Sirikanjanawong & Wasanasomsithi, 2018).

John Bigg’s Theory of Alignment

Developed by Professor John Biggs, the theory of constructive alignment is a principle applied for devising teaching and learning events as well as assessment activities. The theory involves the application of activities that address the intended learning outcomes (ILOS) as shown in figure 2 below. According to the theory, alignment in education may not be achieved by utilizing the traditional way of lecturing, examinations or tutorial classes. The theory presents the integration between constructivist cognitive abilities and the nature of teaching and learning (Biggs, 2003). Constructive alignment is the conceptualization of requirements for program specializations such as aviation English in the Vietnam context.

Figure 2: Major elements in constructive alignment (Biggs, 2003).

Constructive alignment has got two concepts that can be involved to get the inner and outer understanding of education-related matters in various domains. First, learners have to construct meaning by doing something while learning. In this case, the cognitive power and constructivist power that embrace the essence of linking new resources of materials in the mind of the learner for a long-term basis (Biggs, 2003). The explanation of possible occasions in the working line is put in place through reflection and abstraction of common principles in learning English.

The second basic principle in constructive theory is the teacher making deliberate alignment between what they plan to teach, the learning tasks and the outcome of the matter. Under this mannerism, the learner is provided with a specific way to have goals while in the training session based on the targeted language, in this case, English. The teacher will use the appropriate activity, such as flight instructions with the air controllers. The assessment criteria will be based on how the feedback is received from the learner during the training activity.

Studies Conducted in Aviation English Regarding Alignment

English for specific purposes is said to start in early 1960 and 1970 in China. According to Albarracin et al. (2019)The reason why there is a need to have alignment in aviation language is to enable the professionals in the industries to have efficiency in speaking English while working. There is a need to have conscious command in the aviation profession (Sahin et al., 2016). Due to international airports that have different groups of people who may not be conversant with the local languages, English as a foreign language would serve to settle any form of miscommunication during work (Looney et al., 2017). Thus, in aviation, English is recognized as the de facto means of communication for professionals.

Need analysis is the basis of alignment in the aviation context. Mell (2002), notes that ESP works towards proper application of the language in the aviation industry. The attention for this matter is on the construction of basic terms that can be well understood in the current language paraphernalia (Jenkins et al., 2003). Any framework on alignment for ESP in matters to do with aviation English is directed to meet the current trends in communication patterns where many people are conversant with slang and unofficial use of languages (Elder et al., 2002). Therefore, Vietnam training institutions can align this matter for ESP concept in curriculum, assessment and pedagogy in aviation English matters.

References

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