Grade 5 learners in selected public schools in Vietnam: Their exposure to foreign teachers of English and their oral reading fluency

This study examined the relationship between Grade 5 learners’ exposure to foreign teachers of English and their oral reading fluency in selected public schools in Vietnam. Anchored on input theory and fluency development frameworks, the research investigated whether structured exposure to foreign English teachers significantly correlates with learners’ oral reading rate, accuracy, and prosody. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed. Exposure to foreign teachers was measured using frequency indicators and a structured survey instrument, while oral reading fluency was assessed through Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) procedures. Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficient was utilized to determine the strength and direction of the relationship between exposure and fluency components.
Findings revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between exposure to foreign teachers and overall oral reading fluency. Reading rate and prosody demonstrated notable associations with exposure, while accuracy showed a moderate but meaningful relationship. The results suggest that increased interaction with foreign English teachers may contribute to improved fluency development through authentic pronunciation modeling and interactive language input.
The study highlights the pedagogical value of structured foreign teacher exposure in elementary EFL contexts and recommends strengthening collaborative instructional models in Vietnamese public schools.