14 Proceedings of the 6 th International Conference on Educational Reform (ICER 2013) : ASEAN Education in the 21 st Century © Mahasarakham University, 2013 Learning Southeast Asian Literature in Hue University's College of Education Nguyen Anh Dan College of Education, Hue University, Vietnam Abstract Southeast Asian Literature was a wide literary background of the countries in ASEAN which established on the cultural layer of Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, Southeast Asian Literature attracted many researchers’ attention. However, no one set it in a student’s concrete learning condition of Hue University's College of Education (HUCE). The aims of this study are to express the reality of learning Southeast Asian Literature in HUCE. Methods used in this study were questionnaire and interview with 320 students of Literature Department, HUCE. Results of this research expressed a satisfactory situation of learning Southeast Asian Literature in HUCE. However, the investigational data (about Interesting degree, Awareness of importance, Developmental ability and Individual potential of research Southeast Asian Literature) was contradictory to Teachable degree of Southeast Asian Literature lecturer. This is the reason why there was a difference between the researcher’s predictions and the real results. This study also suggested some solutions for improving quality of the learning and developing Vietnamese students’ understanding of ASEAN culture. Keywords : Learning, Southeast Asian, Literature, Education, HUCE Learning Southeast Asian Literature in HUE University’s College of Education Southeast Asian Literature is a term “to show literary countries in this area and there are common cultural backgrounds, specific features between them through their exchanges as a large community” 1 (Duc, Tran, Do, Vo, 2000, p. 16). The literature was one of the important elements and got an essential role in the layer of cultural ASEAN. However, Southeast Asian Literature was considered as a depression of world literature (Phu, 2012). It gained the world researcher’s attention late, as Duc et al. (2000) stated: Southeast Asian Literature began to be researched in the 1950s of the twentieth century. The time before 1960 was period of finding and holding literature of each country in Southeast Asia. There were few sporadic articles about literature of Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Malaysia. (Duc et al., 2000, p. 9) Subject Southeast Asian Literature was established in Vietnam along with the founding of Center of Southeast Asian Studies in 1973. (Nowadays, its name is Institute for Southeast Asian Studies which belonged to Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences). However, until now, achievements of researching Southeast Asian Literature were not remarkable if compared to the other 15 literatures. One of the causes is some Vietnamese scholars have not evaluated Southeast Asian Literature is a significant literature. There were more explorations on Chinese, French, American, Japanese or Indian literature than on literature of ASEAN area. In the past, our researcher only knew about literature of the West, Europe and China… and forgot ourselves, Southeast Asian Literature. This product of literary history made us feel familiar with far owner who was strange us on many aspects; whilst we were ‘unknown’ with our neighbour who was very close and had a strong attachment to us in community zone that we were a member. (Duc et al., 2000, p. 17) The Vietnamese scholar’s frosty attitude was the main cause of the poor condition in studying Southeast Asian Literature. Southeast Asian Literature was a depression of world literature. We could read literature of America, France, Germany, China, Japan, even Korea. However, we did not read our area’s works. We disregarded each other and ourselves. Southeast Asian Literature was considered the peripheral literature of the world. (Phu, 2012, Where is the Literature and Art of Ethnic Minority section, para.1) It was an extreme viewpoint. Although the literary expert (including the theorist, critic and translator) had to be responsible for this but Phu’s (2012) accusation was slight harsh. Published studies about Southeast Asian Literature in Vietnam could be divided into two trends: studying about literature of countries in Southeast Asia (such as, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines…) and studying about general issue of Southeast Asian Literature (Duc et al., 2000). Both results of the tendencies were focused on some books and textbooks which were published in Vietnam (Duc, 2004; Duc et al., 2000; Luu, 2008; Tran, 2007). This study, Learning Southeast Asian Literature in Hue University’s College of Education (HUCE), was placed in the first trend of studying Southeast Asian Literature in Vietnam. In this region, there have been no controlled studies which researched Southeast Asian Literature, especially, learning Southeast Asian Literature in HUCE. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to evaluate the reality of learning Southeast Asian Literature in HUCE. Another aim is to suggest some solutions for improving learning quality and developing Vietnamese student’s understanding of ASEAN culture. Methods Participants in this study were 320 students of Literature Department, HUCE, including both male and female gender. The age of the participants was from 18 - 22. The researcher divided the participants into two groups: the first, Group 1, was students who learnt Southeast Asian Literature (12 male and 148 female students) and the second, Group 2, was students who didn’t learn Southeast Asian Literature before (8 male and 152 female students). The rate of girl and boy was 20/320 (approximately 0.67%). The gap between male and female rate was due to “the tradition” of Literature Department’s entrance exam. There often were more girls than boys who learnt literature and language in this faculty. The basis of separation was based on their learning process in Literature Department where Southeast Asian Literature was one of the compulsory contents for student. It belonged to a larger subject, named “Asian Literature”, which student must study in the third year of the 4 years course. As a result, Group 1 was built by the first and the second year student; the third and the fourth student were in Group 2. The brief questionnaire (with multiple answer choice) and interview were two methods that used in this study. There were five in total of eight questions which paid special attention to: Interesting degree, Awareness of importance, Developmental ability, Teachable degree of lecturer and Individual potential of research Southeast Asian Literature in the future. The investigational data was summarized (with counting the quantity and calculating the 16 percentage). Along with the data table, the researcher analysed and described the reality of learning Southeast Asian literature in HUCE. Results Results of this study described a satisfactory reality of learning Southeast Asian Literature in HUCE. This situation was explained by below tables. The reality of learning Southeast Asian Literature Learning Southeast Asian Literature in Hue University’s College of Education got a bright situation which could explain by four matters in the questionnaire: Interesting degree, Awareness of importance, Developmental ability and Individual potential of research Southeast Asian Literature in the future (Table 1 and Table 2). Table 1. Student’s Interesting and Necessary degree for Southeast Asian Literature, HUCE, 2012 (quantity and percentage) Interesting degree Necessary degree Answers Like Dislike Unknown Necessary Unnecessary Unknown Group 1 122 (76.25%) 8 (5.00%) 30 (18.75%) 154 (96.25%) 0 (0.00%) 6 (3.75%) Group 2 122 (76.25%) 21 (13.125%) 17 (10.625%) 134 (83.75%) 11 (6.875%) 15 (9.375%) Note. Group 1 includes 160 students who learnt Southeast Asian Literature. Group 2 includes 160 students who did not learn Southeast Asian Literature before; Interesting degree is the participants’ evaluation to the amenity of Southeast Asian Literature. Necessary degree is the student’s perception about importance of learning Southeast Asian Literature. The first noticeable aspect of the data is that there was no significant difference between Group 1 and Group 2 in Interesting degree, mentioned by the same 76.25%. They also comprehended that learning Southeast Asian Literature is important for the student (96.25% and 83.75 %, respectively). Furthermore, there was just a tiny part of student who claimed that learning Southeast Asian Literature is not necessary, just about 7% in 320 students (Table 1). The student’s judicious awareness (and their interest) was a fundamental reason which would contribute to the Developmental ability and Research potential for Southeast Asian Literature in in HUCE (Table 2). The number of students who conceded that Southeast Asian Literature should not be taught and learnt in the future was not significant, only approximately 7% for both groups. Investigational result which was achieved from Group 1 also gave a high assent between Interesting degree and Individual potential of research Southeast Asian Literature in the future (there were 15 in 122 students who liked it would not continue to do research on Southeast Asian Literature). Meanwhile, in Group 2, despite the fact that they would have to learn Southeast Asian Literature in Literature Department’s educational program, 28 students did not pay attention to research Southeast Asian Literature in the future. However, the student who would continue to study the literature was a fine reality, quoted by 239/320 students (about 75%). It manifested interests and values of Southeast Asian Literature. 17 Table 2. Developmental ability and Individual potential of research Southeast Asian Literature in the future, HUCE, 2012 (quantity and percentage) Developmental ability Individual potential Answers Yes No Unknown Yes No Unknow n Group 1 154 (96.25%) 0 (0.00%) 6 (3.75%) 107 (66.875%) 15 (9.375%) 38 (23.75% ) Group 2 132 (82.50%) 11 (6.875%) 17 (10.625%) 132 (82.50%) 12 (7.50%) 16 (10.00% ) Note. Group 1 includes 160 students who learnt Southeast Asian Literature. Group 2 includes 160 students who did not learn Southeast Asian Literature before; Developmental ability is the answers for the question of should or should not teach and learn Southeast Asian Literature in the next time. Individual potential is the participants’ intention in researching Southeast Asian Literature in the future. Ability of taking Southeast Asian Literature into the textbook Another striking feature is that, most students gave the same agreement in taking Southeast Asian Literature into the Literature and Language textbook in Vietnamese education system, cited 252/320 student (78.75%). This student’s suggestion also manifested a satisfactory “destiny” of Southeast Asian Literature (Table 3). The Literature and Language textbook, which is used to teach and learn knowledge of literature and language for pupils in Vietnamese high schools, was one of “powers” to “sponsor” literary life, including Southeast Asian Literature. Some lecturers and students in many universities, which belonged to teacher training university, fell into a habit of giving a higher caring to writing-educated in the high school. Unfortunately, there is no work of Southeast Asian Literature in the schoolbooks, obviously, except Vietnamese literature’s writings. Table 3. Ability of taking Southeast Asian Literature into the Literature and Language textbook, HUCE, 2012 (quantity and percentage) Ability Answers Yes No Unknown Group 1 126 (78.75%) 22 (13.75%) 12 (7.50%) Group 2 126 (78.75%) 16 (10.00%) 18 (11.25%) Note. Group 1 includes 160 students who learnt Southeast Asian Literature. Group 2 includes 160 students who did not learn Southeast Asian Literature before. Lecturer and another reality of learning Southeast Asian Literature Lecturer ability of teaching Southeast Asian Literature presented in Table 4. 18 Table 4 Teachable degree of Southeast Asian Literature lecturer, HUCE, 2012 (quantity and percentage) Teachable degree Answers High Medium Low Too low Group 1 22 (78.75%) 96 (6.00%) 27 (16.875%) 15 (9.375%) Group 2 x x x x Note. Group 1 includes 160 students who learnt Southeast Asian Literature. Group 2 includes 160 students who did not learn Southeast Asian Literature before; This rate only for Group 1. Teachable degree is the lecturer’s ability of teaching Southeast Asian Literature. As is illustrated by the Table 4, student’s rate about Teachable degree of Southeast Asian Literature lecturer was not positive. There was only a small part of student who felt satisfied with their lecturer, quoted by 13.75%. Another point worth mentioning is that there were a lot of students who claimed a medium rate for the teacher, mentioned by 60%. A further special feature of the data is that many students evaluated the lecturer’s teaching under medium degree, approximately 27%. These figures were in accordance with difficulties in teaching Southeast Asian Literature which would be mentioned in this study. Discussion Investigational results described a satisfactory situation of learning Southeast Asian Literature in HUCE. However, this bright condition was contradictory with the reality of Southeast Asian Literature, inside and outside Vietnamese educational system. The first noticeable point of this reality is that Southeast Asian Literature was not an independent subject in the educational program of HUCE. It added Japanese and Indian Literature to one module which named “Asian Literature”. It contained two credits, and averagely, the content of Southeast Asian Literature only got 2/3 credit. Total credit per one student of Literature Department was 140 credits (Hue University’s College of Education, 2008). Module Asian Literature (includes Southeast Asian Literature) belonged to “Vocational Training” area which account for 80 credits. As a result, Southeast Asian Literature only gained an inconsiderable credit, 2/80 credit (2.50%). If we compare this credit to the total number, it will be less than, mentioned by 2/140 credit (approximately 1.43%). With a negligible number of credits like that, teaching and learning Southeast Asian Literature were in a difficult situation. In a limited-time, the lecturer had difficulties in providing necessary information of Southeast Asian Literature to student and vice versa. Because Southeast Asian Literature was a complicated compound of many literary layers (Duc et al., 2000). This was one of sources that affected student’s rate about Teachable degree of Southeast Asian Literature lecturer. Difference between investigational results and the reality of teaching and learning Southeast Asian Literature also manifested in Table 1 and Table 2. Although they (Group 2) have not studied Southeast Asian Literature, there were many students who liked Southeast Asian Literature, mentioned by 122 students. Besides, there also were more students who intended to research on Southeast Asian Literature in the future, 132 (difference with Interest degree was 10 students). The reason of this disproportion was originated in the sensibility rate of object. On the other hand, the literary life of 19 Southeast Asian Literature outside school also had some difficulties. Firstly, popular degree of Southeast Asian Literature in Vietnam was not much. For instance, Vietnamese Institute of Literature website 2 from April 5, 2012 (the oldest day still stored writings in website) to December 3, 2012 (the day that the researcher accessed) had 126 writings in total (contained 31 writings in “News”, 21 in “Literary Theory”, 22 in “Literary Criticism”, 30 in “History of Literature” and 22 in “Foreign Literature”). However, there was no any writing which related to Southeast Asian Literature. There was also a surprise statistic in the total index of the year 2010 of Literary Studies Journal, one of the most popular literature journals in Vietnam. The quantity of published-magazine in 2010 was 12 issues with 118 writings (including 6 writings in “General Issues”, 16 in “Literary Theory”, 25 in “Modern Literature”, 14 in “Classic Literature”, 7 in “Folklore Literature” and 50 in “Foreign Literature”). There was just 2/118 writing which related to Southeast Asian Literature 3 . (Index of Journal, 2010) We could type Vietnamese phrase “Văn học Đông Nam Á” (Southeast Asian Literature) into Google searching tool in Vietnam with some other phrases, for example, “Văn học Trung Quốc” (Chinese Literature), “Văn học Nhật Bản” (Japanese Literature), “Văn học Pháp” (French Literature)… and so forth, we would receive searching results, respectively: about 15,300,000 results for “Văn học Trung Quốc”, about 14,600,000 results for “Văn học Anh” (British Literature), about 10,700,000 results for “Văn học Mỹ” (American Literature), about 8,580,000 results for “Văn học Ấn Độ” (Indian Literature), about 4,280,000 results for “Văn học Nhật Bản” (Japanese Literature) and 1.280.000 results for “Văn học Đông Nam Á” (Southeast Asian Literature) 4 . As is illustrated by some above examples, in comparison to some other literatures (as China, Britain, America…and so forth), Southeast Asian Literature was not as popular as they were. One of the reasons belonged to the literature specialist (including literary theorists, critics 5 and translators 6 ). New works of Southeast Asian Literature were introduced and published too little in Vietnam. The literature specialist had to get a big responsibility for this. Weakness of the translation and publishing trade made a gloomy situation of books, schoolbooks which related to Southeast Asian Literature. This is the most important reason which affected teaching and learning Southeast Asian Literature in Vietnam or in HUCE. Despite the reality of Southeast Asian Literature (inside and outside educational system), investigational results of this study still described a nice reality of learning Southeast Asian Literature in HUCE. The results which achieved from this study also contradicted with the prediction. (The researcher hoped that, the data could manifest a negative situation which was suitable for the reality of Southeast Asian Literature in Vietnam). In addition, the major disparity of participant gender was one of the factors which influenced the investigational data. Furthermore, the participants in this study were 320 students, not the total of Literature Department student. These were three limitations in this study. However, this study presumes to suggest some solutions for more improvements of learning Southeast Asian Literature in HUCE. (It also becomes helpful suggestions for some teacher training centers in Vietnam which teach Southeast Asian Literature in their educational structure). These suggestions were also inspired from researching object’s interview in this study. Firstly, we should strengthen the responsibility of the literature specialist. Secondly, it is very essential to promote activities of translation, introduction and 20 publishing works of Southeast Asian Literature; besides, we need to establish some websites or journals of Southeast Asian Literature to provide information widely. Thirdly, the literature specialist should also translate, write, and publish textbooks and reference materials of Southeast Asian Literature. Fourthly, the educator should change the educational structure. It is high time to separate Southeast Asian Literature into an independent subject, at the same time, add more credits for Southeast Asian Literature. Fifthly, the educator should also give Southeast Asian Literature a suitable position in the Literature and Language textbook. Sixthly, nowadays, there are many Southeast Asian students came to study in Hue University, therefore, lecturers can organize some cultural-literary exchange activities between them and Vietnamese students. Sevenly, the learner has to improve their foreign language (for example, English) to strengthen their ability in researching. Besides, they should also cultivate the culture of Southeast Asia. ASEAN should also establish ASEAN Literature Foundation (along with Southeast Asian Writers Award) to fund for researching, teaching and learning Southeast Asian Literature in this area. Literature has their specific role in helping to develop culture, economy and society. If we give them suitable investment, Southeast Asian Literature will show its power. Thus, learning Southeast Asian Literature is very essential. We need to keep it alive and develop more in the future. Nguyen (2004) has written: “In ASEAN, education is a means not only to impart knowledge and train human resources, but also to propagate and maintain national cultural identity” (p. 591). If we would like to “see vibrant and open ASEAN societies consistent with their respective national identities, where all people enjoy equitable access to opportunities for total human development regardless of gender, race, religion, language, or social and cultural background” (Nguyen, 2004, p. 711), we should also try with expanding Southeast Asian Literature as a useful aspect to reach the target. References Duc, N., Tran, T. V., Do, T. H., & Vo, D. H. (2000). Literature of Southeast Asia area. Hanoi, Vietnam: Hanoi National University Press. Index of Journal, Literary Studies Journal. (2010). The total index of literary studies journal 2010. Retrieved from Vietnamese institute of literature website : http://vienvanhoc.org.vn/media/mucluc/815/ 10 December 2010 Nguyen, D. Q. (2004). Towards an ASEAN of peace, stability and sustainable development. Hanoi, Vietnam: Social Science Press. Phu, T. (Inrasara). (2012). Where is the literature and art of ethnic minority? Retrieved from http://inrasara.com/2012/07/23/ghi-chep-thang-7 23 July 2012 . Southeast Asian Literature in Hue University's College of Education Nguyen Anh Dan College of Education, Hue University, Vietnam Abstract Southeast Asian. Vietnamese institute of literature website : http://vienvanhoc.org.vn/media/mucluc/815/ 10 December 2010 Nguyen, D. Q. (2004). Towards an ASEAN of peace, stability