Problems and Obstacles in Learning Basic Vietnamese Among Thai University Students in Large Classrooms

Vietnamese is commonly taught to beginners in large classes at Thai universities. Little is known about how this context affects learners’ difficulties. This study examined Thai learners’ problems in learning basic Vietnamese in large classes and the factors behind them. Four theoretical perspectives relevant to second language learning were used to analyze the findings, including the affective filter hypothesis, the output hypothesis, the interaction hypothesis, and cognitive load theory. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. A questionnaire covering six problem dimensions derived from the four theories was administered to 226 students at a university in northeastern Thailand, followed by semi-structured interviews with fifteen students representing three achievement levels. Learners reported an overall low level of problems (M = 2.00). Communication skills emerged as the most problematic dimension (M = 2.62), while tone pronunciation was the greatest individual difficulty (M = 2.77). Interview data revealed three closely related sources of difficulty: structural differences between Thai and Vietnamese, speaking anxiety in front of peers, and limited opportunities for speaking and interaction. The analysis distinguished learner-related from classroom-related difficulties. Several of the most prominent problems stemmed from how the classroom was organized, not from its size. Better opportunities for speaking and interaction may do more to address these problems than having smaller classes. Affective factors and classroom conditions also appear to interact, extending the relevance of the affective filter hypothesis. The six-dimension framework may be useful for examining learner difficulties in other large foreign-language classrooms, tonal and nontonal.