HMông students’ funds of knowledge : a case study of Kinh primary school teachers’ practices

Underachievement and low study engagement by HMông ethnic minority students in disadvantaged primary schools in Việt Nam evidence a need for more effective teaching practices to support these minority students’ learning and reduce inequality within their educational environment. Learning about students’ funds of knowledge (FoK) and incorporation into their learning enables teachers to increase relevant learning experiences, empowering a socio- constructivist approach to teaching and learning (Moll et al., 1990; González et al., 2005) and obviating cultural deficits facing disadvantaged students in school (Rodriguez, 2013). Moll et al. (1992, p. 134) defined FoK as “historically accumulated and culturally-developed bodies of knowledge and skills essential for household or individual functioning and well-being.” This study investigates the potential for using FoK in the education of ethnic minority primary students in Việt Nam. Specifically, the purpose for doing so is to answer the questions as to whether and in what ways Kinh (ethnic majority) primary school teachers use practices related to a FoK approach in serving HMông ethnic minority primary students. The study has produced three key findings. First, Kinh primary teachers identified HMông students’ FoK as an educational resource. Their FoK include their mother tongue, funds of identity, experiences in daily life and cultural artefacts. Second, each group of Kinh teachers interpreted HMông students’ FoK in different ways and introduced various pedagogical practices for the application of FoK in the classroom environment. They included: using the FoK of HMông students as a context during instructional practices; scaffolding their FoK to make better sense of academic knowledge; and employing FoK to enhance teacher-student relationships. Third, there are difficulties and educational potentials for Kinh teachers’ uses of HMông students’ FoK in primary school curricula. However, the difficulties appear to outweigh the advantages that suggest implications for policy and practices improve teachers’ uses of the FoK approach in teaching HMông primary students in Việt Nam. Further research for teaching ethnic minority students toward a FoK approach in Việt Nam are identified