Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Intensive Vietnamese through Preschool Materials for Ethnic Minority Children: A Saussurean Semiotic Perspective

Abstract

In the multilingual context of Vietnam, the national education policy has identified the task of strengthening Vietnamese language proficiency for ethnic minority preschool and primary school children as a top priority to ensure equitable access to education and long-term academic success (Vietnamese Prime Minister 2016). However, the process of teaching and learning Vietnamese as a second language remains challenging due to differences in language, culture, and lived experiences. One of the teaching resources used is Thiết kế các hoạt động giáo dục theo chủ đề – theo định hướng tăng cường tiếng Việt cho trẻ mẫu giáo 5 tuổi (Designing Thematic Educational Activities – With an Orientation Toward Strengthening Vietnamese for Five-Year-Old Preschoolers) by Le Thi Luong et al. (2018), yet few studies have analyzed this material from a semiotic perspective. Drawing on Saussure’s (2011) semiotic theory, this study examines the difficulties arising in teaching and learning Vietnamese through this material. The analysis focuses on the relationship between signifier and signified, the arbitrariness of signs, and their relationality within the language system. Findings reveal significant semiotic discrepancies between the teaching materials and the lived experiences of ethnic minority children, manifested in linguistic gaps, cultural and experiential mismatches, and heavy reliance on teachers’ ability to act as mediators of meaning. The study underscores the need to develop culturally responsive teaching resources and to train teachers in semiotic mediation skills to enhance the effectiveness of Vietnamese language acquisition among ethnic minority preschoolers.

Received: 8^th September, 2025; Revised: 17^th October, 2025; Accepted: 29^th April, 2026