From Classroom to Community: Enhancing Cultural Competence of Vietnamese Students through Service-Learning Projects

Thi Ngoc Le Phan

doi:10.29333/ejecs/2126

Authors

Thi Ngoc Le Phan VNU University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2337-9135

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/2126

Keywords:

service learning, culture, cultural competence, community activity, Vietnamese students

Abstract

Community service-learning is an educational method that creates conditions for students to participate in an organized community activity and then reflect the benefits that activity brings to them. One of the factors to conduct successful community activities is that students need to understand the culture of the local areas where the students come to work on the project. From these perspectives, this research was conducted to explore the effectiveness of service-learning to cultural competence of Vietnamese students. The study involved 30 students, who participated in a community learning project, also known as a project to improve the quality of English teaching and learning in the local provinces. I used quantitative and qualitative methods to collect and analyze data through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to investigate whether students' cultural competence would increase or not after participating in community service activities. The results highlighted the feasibility of community service-learning in enhancing students' cultural competence, especially in aspects such as cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, and cultural desire. From this, I also proposed some solutions for integrating service-learning projects into the curriculum to be appropriate for the current teaching and learning context.

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Author Biography

Thi Ngoc Le Phan, VNU University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

Dr. Phan Thi Ngoc Le is currently an English lecturer at VNU University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam. Her research interests include English Linguistics, World Englishes, L1 transfer to L2, English as a medium of instruction, English for specific purposes, and cultural studies. She has contributed to numerous publications covering diverse topics with her works appearing in various journals such as Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning, Journal of Mekong Societies, Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, Journal of Indian and Asian Studies, among others.

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