Page 1
Faculty of Arts, Education & Human Development
ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET Family Name: Phan
First Name: Đình Tuấn
Student ID Number: 3902491
Unit Code: AED5009 Unit Title: INNOVATION
Assignment Title: THE TEACHER USE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY FOR MOTIVATING ENGLISH MAJORS IN EFL SPEAKING CLASSES AT BENTRE COLLEGE IN VIETNAM: A CASE STUDY
Name of Lecturer: Marilyn Hubner
Tutorial Group (Day & Time):
Date Submitted: 3. 1. 2012
Student Contact Telephone No./Student Email Address: Telephone No. +84908.999.466 Email address: [email protected]
PLAGIARISM AND COLLUSION
Plagiarism is a practice that involves the using of another person’s intellectual output and presenting it as one’s own’. This includes the presentation of work that has been copied, in whole or part, from other sources (including other students’ work, published books or periodicals, or unpublished works or unauthorized collaboration with other persons), without due acknowledgement.
CONSEQUENCES OF PLAGIARISM AND COLLUSION
A student found guilty of plagiarism will be subject to some or all of the following: Referral to Course Coordinator for: counseling; submission of further work; use of the services of Student Learning Unit; the placing of a record of the alleged infringement on the student’s file. Referral of the matter to the Head of School for: issuing of written warning; re-submission of work for assessment or the undertaking of another form of assessment such as an oral or unseen examination; allocation of a fail grade to part or all of the assessment; allocation a fail grade to the subject. Referral of the matter to the Dean for: suspension from the course; official disciplinary action by the University Disciplinary Committee
STUDENT DECLARATION
I DECLARE THAT THIS ASSIGNMENT IS ORIGINAL AND HAS NOT BEEN SUBMITTED FOR ASSESSMENT ELSEWHERE.
I DECLARE THAT THIS ASSIGNMENT IS MY OWN WORK AND DOES NOT INVOLVE PLAGIARISM OR COLLUSION.
I GIVE MY CONSENT FOR THE ELECTRONIC VERSION TO BE EXAMINED BY RELEVANT PLAGIARISM SOFTWARE PROGRAMS.
I HAVE MADE A PHOTOCOPY OR ELECTRONIC COPY OF MY ASSIGNMENT, WHICH I CAN PRODUCE IF THE ORIGINAL IS LOST FOR ANY
REASON.
SIGNED: DATED: 3. 1. 2012
Page 2
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ……..……………………….……………………..………...…….. 5
INTRODUCTION ……………………….……………………..………...…….. 6
LITERATURE REVIEW.………………….….…………………………....….. 8
What is ET? ………………………………………………….……………..... 8
How does ET affect EFL teaching and learning? ………...…………..…… 9
1. Positive Et impacts on EFL learner learning ………….……………..….. 10
2. Positive Et impacts on EFL learner speaking skill …….….……………...12
3. Challenges to EFL teachers and students …………………………….…. 15
METHODOLOGY ……………………………………………………..………16
Participants …………………………………..…………………..……..……. 16
Instruments and Procedures …………………………………….….………. 17
Data Analysis …………………………………………….……..……….…… 19
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ………………………………………………. 19
Classroom Observations…………………………………………….……….. 19
1. Student Attitudes in EFL Speaking Classes……………………………... 20
2. The Effectiveness of ET Teaching Tools in EFL Speaking Classes…….. 20
3. ET challenges to EFL teachers and learners………………………………21
A Beneficial Motivation for English Majors in EFL Speaking Classes..…. 21
1. Have better speaking outcomes ………….………………………….…... 21
2. Change in student learning attitudes and roles ………………...….…….. 24
3. Create a new learning environment ………………………………….…. 28
Page 3
3
Challenges to EFL Learners and Teachers ………………………………... 30
CONCLUSION …………….……………………………………..…………… 32
REFERENCE …………………………………………….……………………. 34
APPENDICES………………………………………………………………….. 37
Appendix 1: Questionnaire Form…………..…………………..……..…….. 37
Appendix 2: Scanned Student Answer Sheets……………………………….39
Appendix 3: Questions for the Interviews……………….……..……….….. 69
Appendix 4: Notes on the Interviews ……………………………………….. 70
Appendix 5: Pictures ………………………………………………………… 73
1. Pictures of the trip to Cambodia ………………………………………….. 73
2. Pictures of the trip to Singapore ………………………………………….. 75
3. Pictures of the participants from Class K7 ……………………………….. 76
Page 4
4
THE TEACHER USE
OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
FOR MOTIVATING ENGLISH MAJORS
IN EFL SPEAKING CLASSES
AT BENTRE COLLEGE IN VIETNAM:
A CASE STUDY
Page 5
5
ABSTRACT
Much has been said about the educational technology (ET). Jhurree (2005,
p. 468) points out that both developed and developing countries are aiming their
efforts at education reforms by applying technology in education and training in
order to gain greater economic, social, educational achievements. Vietnam is not
an exception. Education reforms in Vietnam make positive changes. In parallel
with recent changes in course books, teacher training, testing systems and
evaluations, great changes in teaching methods by using ET are considered as key
strategies.
This research aims at obtaining an in – depth understanding of ET
advantages and disadvantages of teaching and learning English as a foreign
language (EFL). This paper is a qualitative case study carried out at Bentre
College in Bentre Province, Vietnam. It is based on data collected through
surveys, research reviews, observations and discussions. The data are qualitatively
analyzed to show how ET affects EFL teaching and learning, especially English
majors’ speaking skill at Bentre College. Indications are given with regard to EFL
teaching and learning at Bentre College.
Page 6
6
INTRODUCTION
Education is the motivation and goal for development. Most countries in the world
would like to boost their social and economic developments through education
reforms. Like other countries, Vietnam has confirmed the roles of education in the
society, especially, in the period of global integration and development. It has
been realized that the national growth, prosperity and glory derive from
innovations in education. That is why Vietnam has been carrying out reforms in
education to meet these new requirements.
In Vietnam educational reforms, educational technology (ET) has played a bigger
and bigger role in teaching and learning English as foreign language (EFL). To
integrate itself into this trend in the national education, Bentre College of Bentre
Province has made special efforts to implement ET as one of the key strategies to
upgrade the provincial educational outcomes. However, the benefits of ET in EFL
teaching and learning at Bentre College have not been seen clearly and have not
been convincing enough for further investment in new ET. Some teachers who
apply ET in their teaching call for more attention to ET and ask for more
technological facilities. Some others who do not use ET hold the view that ET is
quite useful but expensive. Others who lack skills and knowledge of ET think it a
waste of time and money while administrators prefer building more new
Page 7
7
classrooms to equipping the old ones with modern technologies due to the
increasing number of new students and financial difficulties. All of them seem
partially rational and logical and thus leave a gap for arguments for or against the
use of ET at Bentre College. It is also because there has not been any research on
this in the context of Bentre Province, one of the poorest provinces in Vietnam.
And even though much research on ET impacts, EFL learning and teaching, and
their relationship has been carried out all over the world, researchers have still had
points of difference in pedagogical benefits (Jhurree, 2005, p. 467). Some claim
that ET has shed light on these positive changes which improves EFL students
learning outcomes (Dix, 2005, p. 15). Others, however, think ET may hinder EFL
teaching and learning on account of students’ stress and the lack of technological
tools such as computers, relevant hardware and software, and overhead projectors
(Abbas, Z. & Abbas, S., 2010, p. 14).
Attempts to make these clear and to reach a public agreement about the teacher
use of ET in the Vietnamese context of EFL classrooms at Bentre College have led
me to a study on the ET impacts on EFL learning, particularly on students’
speaking skill, and some possible challenges which EFL teachers and students
may face due to the lack and weakness of facilities, technological infrastructures,
knowledge of information and communication technology (ICT)…. In this paper,
however, I would like to deal with only two questions:
Page 8
8
a. How does the teacher use of ET motivate English majors in EFL speaking
classes at Bentre College; and
b. What do the results of this study imply for teachers of EFL, English majors,
and administrators at Bentre College?
In order to unpack the two research questions above, I would like to get a full
understanding of the research questions and useful methods which are often
employed in a qualitative case study. This paper is based on data collected through
surveys, research reviews, classroom observations and discussions. The data are
qualitatively analysed to show how ET affects EFL teaching and learning,
especially English majors’ speaking skill and some possible ET challenges to EFL
teachers and learners at Bentre College. Finally, suggestions are given to improve
the EFL teaching and learning at Bentre College.
LITERATURE REVIEW
What is ET?
There are various definitions of ET. According to Wikipedia (2011), a free
encyclopedia, ET is
“… most simply and comfortably defined as an array of tools that might prove
helpful in advancing student learning and may be measured in how and why
individuals behave. Educational Technology relies on a broad definition of the
word "technology." Technology can refer to material objects of use to
humanity, such as machines or hardware, but it can also encompass broader
Page 9
9
themes, including systems, methods of organization, and techniques.”
(retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_technology on 5th
August, 2011)
Besides, Abbas, Z. and Abbas, S. (2010, p. 14) consider it as a set of
educational tools used in the classroom. They go into details that ET relatively
represents new electronic media such as computers, overhead projectors, internet,
hardware and software.
In different study areas of technology in education, other researchers use other
words such as new technology (García, 2009), ICT (Eng, 2005), computer –
assisted language learning (CALL) (AbuSeileek, 2007), information technology
(IT) (Anderson, 2005), multimedia (Liu, 2010), artificial intelligence (Yang,
2007), or learning technology (Dix, 2005) to refer to the integration of technology
inside and outside the classrooms at different levels.
In brief, ET is a set of tools of technologies used inside and outside classrooms.
Some of them are computers, hardware, software, websites, wikis, wireless
classroom microphones, mobile devices, interactive whiteboards, LCD or
overhead projectors, online media, digital games, and podcasts.
How does ET Affect EFL Teaching and Learning?
Anderson (2005, p. 1) and Bahrani (2011, p. 162) state that technology has
changed the world considerably for some last decades. In the field of education,
though some researchers have doubts about the effectiveness of ET, most
researchers agree that ET has good effects on EFL teaching and learning (Abbas,
Page 10
10
Z. & Abbas, S., 2010, p. 13). In particular, ET has positive impacts on EFL
student learning (Dix, 2005, pp. 15-17; Eng, 2005, p. 635) and especially learner
speaking skill (Bahrani, 2011, p. 162; Yang, 2007, p. 5) in a new learning
environment (Jhurree, 2005, p. 467; AbuSeileek, 2007, p. 510). However, ET has
brought EFL teachers and students some challenges which may hinder learner
learning (Liu, 2010, p. 193).
1. Positive ET impacts on EFL learner learning
Most researchers conclude that ET has positive impacts on EFL learner learning.
They have points of similarity and difference in the level of the impacts of ET on
EFL learner learning, in study areas and in study scales.
The levels of ET impacts on EFL learner learning are reported differently.
Some previous works show that the use of ET is “something vital” in the English
classroom (García, 2009, p. 84), main educational investment in improving student
learning outcomes (Dix, 2005) and “a need for a change” in language teaching -
leaning methods (García, 2009, p.90; Anderson, 2005, p. 3). They all explain that
ET is a key educational tool of innovation which makes great progress in learner
learning. However, some others downgrade the effects. Eng (2005, pp. 646-648)
has found that ET has “a positive although small effect on the learning of
students” because, in the conclusion, he emphasizes the fact that
Page 11
11
“There will be a time of adjustment and adaptation by the principals, teachers
and students as each seeks to find its place in the new learning environment
and interacts with the new technology.” (p. 649)
The focuses on study areas of ET are various. Dix (2005) has a more particular
look at changes in learning attitudes that ET brings to learners. These learning
attitudes are towards school and school learning, motivation, gender differences,
computers… Whereas, Anderson (2005) focuses on how each type of IT plays its
role in teaching – learning. By analyzing the changes in learning attitudes and IT
roles into their related parts which are explained and proved with diagrams and
minute detail evidently, Dix (2005) and Anderson (2005) make ET effects on
student learning clearer and more specific. In other words, their different focuses
and approaches make the understanding of good ET impacts on learning complete.
Researchers do their studies on different scales. Bahrani (2011) compares ET
roles in ESL context with ET roles in EFL one. AbuSeileek (2007) notices the
individual versus cooperative learning in one ET setting. Moreover, Bahrani
(2011), Yang (2007) and AbuSeileek (2007) centre their studies on particular ET
effects on student learning such as good ET effects on speaking fluency, oral
skills whereas Eng (2005) centres his study on a general one such as ICT impacts
on learning. In spite of these differences, all of them come to the same conclusion:
ET benefits EFL learner learning.
Page 12
12
In brief, these differences in choosing the study areas or scales and in
evaluating the levels of ET impacts on EFL learning result from researchers’
different methods and educational settings of research including time, places,
technical infrastructures, the degree of ET integration, and the amount and
frequency of ET use in teaching and learning process.
2. Positive ET impacts on EFL learner speaking skill
One of the biggest problems that EFL learners face is how to improve speaking
fluency in the EFL context where English is not spoken dominantly and where the
EFL students lack motivation and social interaction (Bahrani, 2011, pp. 162-164).
Researchers admit that speaking skill is difficult to be acquired due to the lack of
practice time, materials... With the teacher use of technology, EFL leaner speaking
skill is promoted. Findings prove that ET helps motivate and develop EFL learner
speaking skill.
First, the EFL learning environment can be changed by the use of ET. Rogers
claims that in English as a second language (ESL) context, English is “the official
language where language learners acquire English through social interaction”, that
there is not such social interaction in the EFL context, and that thanks to ET, EFL
learners have this kind of interaction (2004 cited in Bahrani, 2011, pp. 162-163).
Therefore, ET brings EFL learners a new EFL context with another language
input. Social interaction through the use of different technologies has positive
influences on English speaking fluency. It encourages informal language learning.
Page 13
13
This kind of language input enhances speaking fluency and motivates EFL
learners to speak English freely in different social contexts (Bahrani, 2011).
AbuSeileek (2007), second, reports that students’ speaking ability are
motivated and improved as a result of the teacher use of ET in EFL classrooms. In
his view, ET provides learners with a plenty of chances to “use language
interactively in authentic situations such as watching movies, listening to and
chatting to native speakers”. In this case, EFL learner speaking skill is
significantly motivated. They are more involved in language practice than usual
because most of their EFL teachers are non – native speakers. This is one of
Yang’s strongest findings (2007).
Third, ET offers EFL learners psychological benefits. Hata notices some
students are shy, passive and afraid to speak in class (2003 cited in AbuSeileek,
2007, p.495). Language learners of this kind need a friendlier environment which
motivates learners to express orally in English without the fear that their identities
are uncovered. In this case, a computer is an excellent tool which gives immediate
feedback and which is more patient and non – judgmental. This makes EFL
learners feel free from fear of teacher and peer judgment when they make
mistakes, and thus enhance their motivation and engagement. AbuSeileek (2007)
stresses that students can get help electronically and that they are “not worried in
face to face debate” (p. 495).
Page 14
14
“Thus, students would be less embarrassed to participate or ask because their
identities are not disclosed. Using this technique would provide the learners
the opportunity to interact in a non – threatening atmosphere.” (p.495)
This ethic impact is always highly appreciated. Not every researcher cares for that
matter. Furthermore, ET is not only important to shy learners’ speaking skill but
also to all learners’ one. ET creates a new cooperative environment enabling all
learners to work in pairs and in groups of different learners interactively. When
other kinds of learners work interactively in an ET environment, “the effectiveness
of performing a language task” upgrades (AbuSeileek, 2007, p.494). All learners
equal in ET benefits in a particular way.
ET, finally, contributes to teacher development leading to an innovative
teaching methodology. EFL teachers need to update their teaching methodology.
And there is evidence that EFL learners need their teachers to change teaching
methods. Obviously, the student need for new teaching methods is appropriate not
only because
“The traditional methods are not very motivating for present – students, since
they have grown up surrounded by ICT” (García, 2009, p. 84)
but also because
“Present – day teenagers are so stimulated by all kinds of means of
communication that we need to adapt our methods to this fact, if we, as
teachers, want to motivate them.” (García, 2009, p. 90)
The teacher use of ET which shifts pedagogical methods from teacher –
centredness to student – centredness (Anderson, 2007) meets this learner need.
Page 15
15
From that, learners are provided with more opportunities, time, learning activities,
resources available online and interact computer programs to boost their speaking
skill in a communicative way (Yang, 2007, p. 5).
3. Challenges to EFL teachers and students
Although ET does help EFL learners facilitate their learning and gain much
progress, ET challenges EFL teaching – learning process. ET challenges to EFL
teachers and students are visible and sometimes negative effects have been found
(Eng, 2007, p. 648).
The lack of teacher training is a real challenge. Teachers do not have enough
proper training of ICT, technical support, and computer lab technicians (Abbas, Z.
& Abbas, S., 2010, p. 14). This results in the lack of ET skills and knowledge of
ICT which may decrease the effectiveness of teacher use of ET and hinder student
learning.
One difficulty of the use of ET is the lack of a good infrastructure. Schools do
not have enough software, hardware, keyboarding, computer labs, and
projectors… due to the high cost of technology (Abbas, Z. & Abbas, S., 2010, p.
14 & Wikipeadia, 2011). This affects the amount and frequency of teacher ET use,
and thus limit student learning.
Page 16
16
Another disadvantage is the cause of both physical and mental health
problems. Long hours of focusing on the screen with pictures, graphics, video
clips, sound and animation tire students’ eyes and stress them (Liu, 2010, p. 193).
These health problems also result from the overuse of ET.
Finally, with the support of the electronic resources from the internet, both
teachers and learners seem to lose their direction. They feel lost or do not know
what to choose (Liu, 2010, p. 193). He explains that the teachers make lesson
plans or compile the teaching materials according to their interests and thus the
learners turn out to be rather passive in the so – called new learning environment.
METHODOLOGY
Participants
The participants of this study were 15 English second – year - students of a three –
year – college and one speaking teacher in the Social Sciences and Humanities
Department of Bentre College in Bentre Province, Vietnam. Most of them lived
and finished their high school in rural districts where the living conditions were
difficult and ET was not applied much in education. The students were from class
K8 of 42 students. They were studying English speaking skill in the third semester
(Speaking 3), using a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation in group of five every
week to talk about one topic in the textbook “Well Spoken”. It is written by
Gaynor Ramsey and Hilary Rees – Parnall and published by Longman Singapore
Page 17
17
Publishers Pte Ltd. in 1992. In the classroom, there was a computer, an overhead
projector, speakers, and internet access. Specific ways in which ET was used in
speaking classes at Bentre College include: making teacher or student Microsoft
PowerPoint presentations, watching films in the target language and showing
images to prompt discussion. These students had spent the first year studying their
speaking skill without ET tools.
Another participant was a speaking teacher who was teaching English majors
from many different speaking classes including the first, the second and the last
year students at Bentre College. Each class was held three 45 - minute - periods a
week. Each semester lasts 15 weeks and each course has six semesters. The
speaking skill is taught from semester 1 to semester 5 called Speaking 1, 2, 3, 4
and 5 respectively.
Instruments and Procedures
First, a questionnaire was handed out to each student to get the students’
information and ideas about the teacher use of ET in teaching EFL at Bentre
College. It was conducted after they started Speaking 3 for ten weeks. The
questionnaire with nine questions (see Appendix 1) focuses on what is their need
for motivating their speaking skill and how they think of the teacher use of ET in
speaking class. These questions are of both open – ended and close – ended ones
such as multiple choice, Wh-questions and short answer questions.
Page 18
18
To make sure that the students had enough time to think of the answers well,
the questionnaire would be returned three days later. Moreover, because I wanted
to encourage the students to present all what they know and they feel, I asked them
to write the answers in either English or Vietnamese or both. And in order to
increase the participants’ motivation and honesty, I copied Gracía’s lines (2009) in
a questionnaire:
In this questionnaire there are not correct or incorrect questions. It is completely
anonymous. Please answer with honesty. (Gracía, 2009, p.86)
In the context of Bentre College, this statement, which helps the participants
feel free, is considered ethical. It is completely comfortable when respondents
know they are safe, free and unviolated.
The interviews, secondly, with the speaking teacher were carried out twice in the
fifth and the tenth week of the third semester. Besides the questions (see Appendix
3), we shared almost everything about teaching speaking classes with and without
ET tools at Bentre College. We also discussed the ways to motivate English
majors to speak English more and more in the class. Because both of us have been
working at Bentre College for years, the conversations are open and comfortable.
Last, I paid a practical trip to Singapore for 4 days (from 24th to 27th November
2011) to see the SFL context where English is the official language and the
applied technology in life and education in this high technology country. From
Page 19
19
that, it helps me appreciate the difficulties of EFL context of Vietnam. The
knowledge from this trip and another one to Cambodia in July, 2011 has greatly
affected my view on EFL teaching and learning, especially the EFL teaching and
learning environment in Vietnam.
Data Analysis
After collecting all the data, I grouped the answers of the student questionnaire
into two groups to serve the two research questions. In that way, answers to
question 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9 were mainly for the first research question. The
other answers and the findings from the first research question were basically for
the second one. All the answer sheets were marked from student 1 to student 15 in
which some phrases were translated into English because most of the participants
preferred Vietnamese in their answers. Information of the interviews was done in
the same way. The raw data from the questionnaire, interviews and my
observation were carefully scanned and typed into a file and analyzed
qualitatively.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Classroom Observations
Page 20
20
I had many chances to observe English speaking classes because I was teaching
speaking skill to the first and second year English majors. I have experienced these
following things:
1. Student Attitudes in EFL Speaking Classes
I asked myself whether my students were passive or not. Sometimes, I would say
“No, they were absolutely not passive”. On some days, students were eager,
active, and energetic. Other days, it seemed like nothing I did could get students to
willingly participate in class. I asked a question, and no one was willing to answer.
However, if I called on a specific student, he or she was often more than able to
provide a thorough reply. This gave me the impression that students were perhaps
not used to being expected to participate voluntarily, and were instead only used to
being called on by teachers.
2. The Effectiveness of ET Teaching Tools in EFL Speaking Classes
In some periods, what was seen and heard indicated that ET tools motivated every
single student to speak and got the students engaged in speaking activities through
video clips or pictures. They were willing to do that. But in some other periods,
because the topics might be out of student interest or there was nothing impressive
to show on the screen, they kept silent or reverted to using Vietnamese during
group activities. They used Vietnamese as a crutch rather than built their English
communication skills. It might be difficult for them to express what they wanted in
Page 21
21
English at that time. But, surely, it would not get any easier if they continued to
avoid the challenge.
3. ET challenges to EFL teachers and learners
I do not perceive any specific difficulties related to language education with ET.
However, if students are expected to generate materials using ET, like
presentations, it may be challenging for students with minimal knowledge of or
access to the necessary technologies. Regarding student presentations using ET, if
their presentations have grammatical errors, it may reinforce the same errors in
their peers’ English.
A Beneficial Motivation for English Majors in EFL Speaking Classes
According to the survey results and my classroom observations, the teacher use of
ET does motivate English majors in EFL speaking classes greatly because ET
helps students:
1. Have better speaking outcomes
Firstly, there is a need for ET tools to improve English majors’ speaking
outcomes. All of the answers to question 1 are yes. The students needed the
teacher use of ET in speaking classes. They explained in the answer to question 2
that ET generally made their learning outcome better and motivated them to speak
Page 22
22
English more. What the participants thought about the teacher use of ET in EFL
speaking classes were as follows:
Student 2: ET motivates me to speak more. We can find information by
ourselves. All group members can speak more confidently.
Student 4: Many things are improved.
Student 7: ET helps students learn more in speaking classes. With ET, students
can widen their knowledge much more than usual (with textbooks).
Student 8: We know how to learn by ourselves.
Student 10: ET can help students speak more because they can learn and play
at the same time.
…
Based on the answers to question 1, 2 and 3 (see Table 1 below), therefore, the
finding is that ET tools help the students learn better because they are motivated so
much to engage more in the EFL speaking classes. In other words, the teacher use
of ET is necessary and helpful.
Table 1: The importance of ET in improving English majors’ speaking skill
Question 3 How important is ET in improving your speaking skill?
Answer A. Very important B. Important C. Not important
Results 53,3% 40% 6,7%
Page 23
23
Secondly, the speaking teacher who I interviewed was also sure about many
visible advantages of ET in EFL speaking classes. When “Is it better to teach
speaking skill with ET tools than without ET tools?” was asked, she emphasized
the importance of language sources, saying that “I think ET can only help
language education. The more resources at a teacher’s and student’s disposal, the
better.” She also claimed that ET facilitated the incorporation of teaching aids
such as presentations, visual aids, and videos, which could increase student
interest and participation, and enabled the teacher to expose students to a variety
of language resources.
From what I observed the class, thirdly, I have recognized that students made good
progress in their pronunciation and intonation. They could speak English with
accuracy and fluency due to authentic language input through watching videos and
listening to native speakers. In other words, learning EFL with native – speakers
through ET also renews their long – term motivation and helps EFL learners keep
and adjust it for a long time. Yang (2007) emphasizes the importance of keeping
the motivation going. He believes that it is easy to see how to motivate learners,
but it is a big problem for teachers to maintain the motivation. In EFL teaching
process, to motivate learners is an important element and to keep motivating them
is a decisive one.
In brief, the teacher use of ET brings EFL learners enough good conditions so that
they can develop their speaking skill well.
Page 24
24
2. Change Student Learning Attitudes and Roles
All students agreed that students at Bentre College are passive ( see Table 2)
due to two main reasons:
1. They are shy, unconfident and uncomfortable to present their ideas in
English in class or to communicate with others.
2. They think that they are not good enough at speaking, scared of making
mistakes and lacking vocabulary to express ideas in English.
Table 2: The teacher use of ET makes students more active
Question
4. Are Bentre College students
passive?
5. Does the teacher use of ET make
you more active?
Answer Yes No Yes No
Results 100% 0% 93,3 6,7
Student 14 added that Bentre College students were quite passive, but it was a
common characteristic of all Vietnamese students. These reasons are relevant to
what I have learned about Vietnamese culture in general. As far as I know though
Vietnam is a place where many cultures from east to west meet, the Vietnamese
are most strongly influenced by the Confucian code of ethics and Buddhism. For
Confucianism, the man - to - man relationship is based on five bonds in which the
seniors are the decision - makers:
Page 25
25
1. Ruler to Ruled
2. Father to Son
3. Husband to Wife
4. Elder Brother to Younger Brother
5. Friend to Friend (“Confucianism”, 2011)
Today, Vietnamese people in some big cities like Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh are
not influenced very much by Confucianism any more because here traditional
values have been mixed with western ones. However, Confucianism in other
places like Bentre Province – a province of three islets in a rural place is still
strong. That is why the following things usually happen in Vietnamese classes:
Influenced by Confucianism, students feel rude if they interrupt,
question, or argue with their teacher. Language activities like role plays,
problem solving tasks, or information gap activities are strange to their
culture. When they fail to understand something, they are not daring
enough to ask for clarification in public for fear of losing their face.
They are not pro – active enough to initiate reaction, either. In the
classroom, they are expected to sit in silence unless the teacher calls
them individually to speak. When a particular student is called upon to
speak in class, her response tends to be very brief in the form of either a
phrase or a short sentence…If the student makes a mistake, the teacher
intervenes immediately because she has to make sure that the students
do not make mistakes. (Le, 1999)
For Buddhism, the five precepts below are training rules for a better life in
which people can have happiness and meditate well:
1. To refrain from taking life (non-violence towards sentient life
forms).
Page 26
26
2. To refrain from taking that which is not given (not committing
theft).
3. To refrain from sensual (including sexual) misconduct.
4. To refrain from lying (speaking truth always).
5. To refrain from intoxicants which lead to loss of mindfulness
(drugs and alcohol…) (“Buddhism”, 2011)
Both Confucian and Buddhist beliefs encourage Vietnamese people to be shy,
passive and modest. These are truly traditional values which have been shared
from one generation to another. And this can hinder learners much from being
active.
These religious concepts and beliefs have been transmitted through the
generations to produce an attitude towards life that may be perceived as
passive. Self-control is another traditional value of the Vietnamese.
Emotions are typically kept to oneself. They may be painful, distraught
and unhappy, yet they suffer in silence and in privacy and rarely
complain except perhaps to friends or relatives (Nguyen, D. 1985, p.
410).
The teacher use of ET made a change in student attitudes and roles. The teacher
participant agreed to this view and almost all of the participants confirmed that ET
made them more active (see Table 2). In the answers to question 2 and 9, the
participants clarified this.
Student 2: All group members can speak more confidently.
Student 3: Because the use of ET is new and interesting, all students support it.
Student 6: It makes us feel interested in studying more.
Student 8: ET helps me show what I know and how I learn to work in a group.
Page 27
27
Student 9: We are more creative.
Student 14: ET shifts student roles from passive to active ones. We are self -
confident.
Dix (2005, p. 16) also demonstrates that ET makes positive changes in student
attitudes towards school learning and school motivation. These changes make
students arouse their interests, increase their motivation and adjust their learning
attitudes in a progressive way. In other words, the EFL learner roles change
resulting from ET integration. They shift from teacher – centredness to learner
centredness (Anderson, 2005). He describes the change in the following summary
(2005, p. 3):
Teacher – centred Learner – centred
Student role Passive recipient of
information Reproduces knowledge Learns as a solitary
activity
Student role Active participant in the
learning process Produces knowledge,
participates as at times expert Learns collaboratively with
others
Moreover, “The real potential of ICT is the way it changes learners”
(Anderson, 2005, p.4). As presented above, the learners are more active. One of
things EFL teachers should remember to do in order to develop student oral
communication skills is to encourage the learners to “open up and participate in
the classroom activities” (Vitthal, 2010, p. 9).
Page 28
28
In the past, I thought the best ways to get students engaged were first to create a
lesson plan with an exciting topic and, second, to make activities that could force
students to participate. Now, in summary, the teacher use of ET is a real
innovation at Bentre College. With the use of ET, every single student speaks
English willingly, and they speak naturally and organically rather than read or
memorize some prepared reply. I do not force them to do it any longer. ET has
made positive changes in student learning attitudes and roles.
Create a New Learning Environment
All participants pointed out that ET created a new learning environment. This new
learning environment allowed them space and time and supplied them with new
and wider material resources to interact during the process of English learning and
teaching. It also made English learners become independent and active. With ET,
EFL students at Bentre College are in such a supportive environment.
Student 1: ET makes students feel comfortable, creative and confident.
Student 2: There are various pictures.
Student 8: ET widens students’ knowledge.
Student 10: ET creates an interesting learning environment.
Student 12: I spend more time studying and get more information.
Without ET tools, the EFL context of Bentre Province would be not supportive.
Under my observation, EFL students at Bentre College only spoke English in
Page 29
29
class. Students would be said to be ridiculous and stupid if they spoke English in
public places where there were not any foreigners. English songs were rarely
heard. There were no local TV programs and newspapers in English. A few
posters, banners and electronic signs were in English. No social interactions were
surely in English.
According to Dang (2006, p. 599), EFL instruction must be in such a large
context from “the physical environment, the emotional environment”, and “the
whole school ethos”, to “the wider social environment, the political environment
and the cultural setting”. Dix (2007, p. 117) confirms that “The context included
all those factors outside the classroom that might influence teaching and learning.”
(See Figure 1)
Figure 1. The transactional model of the teaching and learning process
(McIlrath and Huitt, 1995, as cited in Dix, 2007, p. 117)
Page 30
30
If we regard to the history of Vietnam wars, the current political system,
Confucius influences as presented above…, the EFL context of Vietnam does not
bring EFL learners as many advantages as the one of the neighboring country –
Cambodia where US dollars are used popularly and most of the signs, posters, and
banners include English.
Thanks to ET, the EFL context of Bentre Province is improved. ET can create
a virtual learning environment where EFL learners can enjoy psychological
benefits, social interaction and a friendlier learning atmosphere as the literature
review has stated above. It is proved that ET helps EFL students at Bentre College
spend more time studying and be active. When I asked them to make questions or
give their ideas about a topic in class, they kept silent. But when I asked them to
send their questions and ideas via email, half of the class did it. ET enhanced the
EFL context of Bentre Province.
Challenges to EFL Learners and Teachers
The ET challenges to EFL learners and teachers at Bentre College mainly result
rather from the lack of ET tools and of knowledge of computer science than the
use of ET tools.
Six English classes at Bentre College have one room equipped with one
overhead projector, one desktop computer with internet access and two speakers.
Page 31
31
The participants explained that they did not have computers and each class needed
more ET tools.
Student 1: The College should provide more equipment such as TV, overhead
projectors.
Student 4: There should be one computer for each student.
Student 5: There should be one desktop computer for the teacher in the
classroom
The result also showed that ET implementation at Bentre College was hard due
to the lack of knowledge of ICT. Students did not have enough practice time with
computers when they were asked to make student PowerPoint presentation.
Teachers were not well – trained. The interviewee claimed that “ET is as effective
as the teacher makes it. In other words, it depends on the teacher.” Therefore,
lacking proper training of ET is serious because ET training is essential.
“Similar to learning a new task or trade, special training is vital to ensuring
the effective integration of classroom technology. Since technology is not
the end goal of education, but rather a means by which it can be
accomplished, educators must have a good grasp of the technology being
used and its advantages over more traditional methods.” (Wikipedia, 2011)
Besides, learning how to use ET effectively takes a lot of time, especially,
when ET is changing rapidly. If the teacher is not well – trained in using ET, the
Page 32
32
teacher use of ET will have negative effects such as wasting time, causing
technical problems, decreasing student learning outcomes…
These difficulties may hinder EFL learner learning, but they also imply another
thing: if ET preparations are made properly, it will work.
CONCLUSION
Doherty (2011) states that “There are many approaches to educational research”
and that researchers use various methodological approaches to serve different aims
of the study (p.381). Among educational research methodologies is a case study
proven to be effective for the research purposes. I have found this truth in my
research on ET impacts in the context of Bentre Province.
What I have also found are relevant to the previous research. The findings are not
surprising but convincing enough for teachers and administrators to pay more
attention and to invest more ET tools in teaching and learning EFL at Bentre
College.
ET is shown to improve more educational goals. In my study, I can see that the
teacher use of ET motivates Bentre College English majors in EFL speaking
classes greatly because it helps students gain better student learning outcomes,
especially, EFL speaking outcomes, a new learning environment, and positive
changes in student learning attitudes, in the student roles, and in an EFL learning
Page 33
33
context. Although there are still difficulties of ET use at Bentre College, I agree to
what Jhurree (2005) confirms
Hence, it is no longer a question of if technology should be integrated in the
school setting, but a question of when and how to integrate technology so that
it benefits all the parties concerned – students, teachers, administrators,
parents and the community. (p. 468)
From that point of view, I would like to give some suggestions. First, the College
should have a systematic plan for ET integration at “the strategic, management
and operational levels” (Jhurree, 2005, p. 476) based on student real needs and the
College funds. This ensures there will be gradual and well - planned ET
integration. To change a current teaching and learning practice takes a lot of time
and teachers and learners need time to get used to it. Short and long term goals of
the ET uses should be distinguished clearly and considered carefully.
Second, the College should have good policies to support the plan for ET
integration such as policies on supporting teachers and students in buying
computers, appraising and motivating teachers for their ET uses at work, building
an e – library for the College... In order to have good policies, other research
should be done. There will be plenty of room for further research on student needs,
the levels of ET impacts on EFL learning and teaching.
Jhurree (2005), finally, emphasizes that “It is not technology that
revolutionizes education, but rather the way in which it is used by teachers and
students.” Thus, ET training is very important. Then, teachers and students can
make further and more effective uses of ET tools.
Page 34
34
REFERENCE
Abbas, Z. & Abbas, S., 2010. Comparative Study of ICT in English Teaching-
Learning Processes. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, vol. 11,
no. 2, pp.13-22.
AbuSeileek, A.F., 2007. Cooperative vs. Individual Learning of Oral Skills in a
CALL Environment. Computer Assisted Language Teaching, vol. 20, no. 5,
pp. 493-514.
Ahmed, M., Alginahi, Y. M., Tayan, O., Siddiqi, A.A., Sharif, L., Alharby, A., &
Nour, R., 2009. ICT Students, Stress and Coping Strategies: English
Perspective – A Case Study of Midsize Middle Eastern University. Trends in
Informatiom Management (TRIM), 5(2), pp. 111-127.
Anderson, J., 2005. IT, E-learning and Teacher Development. International
Education Journal, 5(5), pp. 1-14.
Bahrani, T., 2011. Speaking Fluency: Technology in EFL Context or Social
Interaction in ESL Context? Studies in Literature and Language, vol. 2, no.
2, pp.162-168.
Dang, H.V., 2006. Learner-centeredness and EFL instruction in Vietnam: A case
study. International Education Journal, 7 (4), 598-610.
Dix, K., 2005. Are Learning Technologies Making a Difference? A Longitudinal
Perspective of Attitudes. International Education Journal, 5(5), pp. 15-28.
Page 35
35
Dix, K., 2007. DBRIEF: A Research Paradigm for ITC Adoption. International
Education Journal, 8(2), pp. 113-124.
Doherty, I., 2011. Evaluating the Impact of Educational Technology Professional
Development upon Adoption of Web 2.0 Tools in Teaching. Australasian
Journal of Educational Technology, 27(3), pp. 381-396.
Eng, T.S., 2005. The Impact of ICT on Learning: A Review of Research.
International Education Journal, 6(5), pp. 635-650.
García, C. I. L., 2009. The New Technology in the ESL Classroom: Some
Evidence from Spain. Annals of Language and Learning: Proceeding of The
2009 International Online Language Conference, pp. 84-90. Florida, USA:
Universal Publishers.
Jhurree, V., 2005. Technology Integration in Education in Developing Countries:
Guidelines to Policy Makers. International Education Journal, 6(4), pp.
467-483.
Le, C.V., 1999. Language & Vietnamese pedagogical contexts. AIT Hannoi.
Liu, J., 2010. An Experimental Study on the Effectiveness of Multimedia in
College English Teaching. English Language Teaching, vol. 3, no. 1, pp.
191-194.
Nguyen, D., 1985. Culture shock: A review of Vietnamese culture and its concepts
of health and disease. West J Med, 142:409-412
Page 36
36
Pinar, K., 2010. Using Educational Technology Tools to Improvre Language and
Communication Skills of ESL Students. Research on Youth and Language,
4(2), pp. 225-241.
Vitthal, G., 2010. Techniques for Developing Speaking Skills and Fluency. The
IUP Journal of Soft Skills, vol. 5, nos. 1-2, pp. 7-17.
Wikipedia, 2011. Buddhism, retrieved on 19th November 2011, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism
Wikipedia, 2011. Case study, retrieved on 5th September 2011 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_study.
Wikipedia, 2011. Confucianism, retrieved on 19th November 2011, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism
Wikipedia, 2011. Educational technology, retrieved on 5th August 2011 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_technology
Wikipedia, 2011. Questionnaire, retrieved on 5th September 2011 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Questionnaire.
Yang, S., 2007. Artificial Intelligence for Integrating English Oral Practice and
Writing Skills. Sino-US English Teaching, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 1-6.
Page 37
37
APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE FORM
QUESTIONNAIRE
In this questionnaire, there are not correct or incorrect questions.
It is completely anonymous. Please answer with honesty.
1. Should teachers apply educational technology (ET) in speaking classes?
A. Yes B. No
2. What do you think about the teacher use of ET in EFL speaking classes in
Bentre College? (Does it motivate you to speak more? How does it motivate you?)
…………………………………………………………………………………...
……………………………………………………………………….…………..
……………………………………………………………………….…………..
3. How important is ET in improving your speaking skill?
A. Very important B. Important C. Not important
4. Are Bentre College students passive? Why or why not?
…………………………………………………………………………………...
……………………………………………………………………….…………..
……………………………………………………………………….…………..
5. Does the teacher use of ET make you more active?
A. Yes B. No
6. What difficulties do you have when you learn English with ET tools?
…………………………………………………………………………………...
……………………………………………………………………….…………..
Page 38
38
……………………………………………………………………….…………..
7. What are ET tools that you want to have in EFL speaking classrooms?
…………………………………………………………………………………...
……………………………………………………………………….…………..
……………………………………………………………………….…………..
8. Does ET create a new learning environment?
A. Yes B. No
9. If yes, how does it change your way of learning English?
…………………………………………………………………………………...
……………………………………………………………………….…………..
……………………………………………………………………….…………..
THANK YOU!
Page 39
39
APPENDIX 2: SCANNED STUDENT ANSWER SHEETS
Page 69
69
APPENDIX 3: QUESTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEWS
1. Should teachers apply educational technology (ET) in speaking classes to
motivate students to speak English in the classroom?
2. What do you think about the teacher use of ET in speaking classes at Bentre
College?
3. What (other) changes should teachers at Bentre College make to motivate
English majors to speak English in the classroom?
4. Are Bentre College students passive? Why or why not?
5. How effective is ET in teaching and learning speaking skill?
6. What difficulties do students have when they learn English with ET tools?
7. Can you see any differences between class K8 (learning with ET tools) and
another class (not using ET tools) in the speaking subject? What are they?
8. What should the college do to improve the technical infrastructure at Bentre
College?
9. Is it better to teach speaking skill with ET tools than without ET tools?
Page 70
70
APPENDIX 4: NOTES ON INTERVIEWS
1. Should teachers apply educational technology (ET) to motivate
students in speaking classes?
Yes, of course.
2. What do you think about the teacher use of ET in speaking classes at Bentre
College?
I think the uses of ET are effective. However, some examples of ET use in
language classes includes: making student presentations and showing videos. In
my Russian class the professor would give us the transcript of a short video clip,
and we would read along while we watched the video. At the bottom of the
transcript she would often include definitions of new words. We would watch,
listen, and read several times until we understood the clip. Outside of the
classroom, we had a language lab, a computer lab dedicated solely to language
learning, where students were required to spend a certain number of hours per
semester practicing their listening and speaking skills using specialized computer
programs. I think the use of ET in language classes in Ben Tre and my experiences
in the Russian class are quite similar.
3. What (other) changes should teachers at Bentre College make to motivate
English majors in speaking classes?
Class sizes should be smaller to make it both easier and more necessary for
the entire class to participate. The ideal class size for a language class (or any
Page 71
71
other participation-based teaching) is under 20 students. As it is at present, if each
student is given equal speaking time in a 135 minute class, that amounts to just
over 3 minutes per student. When you factor in teaching time and student
preparation, that amount of time is significantly reduced. A student can not
develop speaking skills when he or she speaks English for one minute per week.
It is excellent that English teachers teach almost exclusively in English, rarely
using Vietnamese for clarifications, but students should also be required to only
speak English during English class.
4. Are Bentre College students passive? Why or why not?
Yes, they are. It may be because the relationship between teachers and
learners are so formal. The students need more activities. One of my most
successful lessons was when I had the students interview each other. Half of the
class was assigned the role of interviewer, and the other half of the class was
assigned a character, such as a tourist or chef or doctor, etc. Interviewers had to
prepare questions and characters had to think about their character’s history.
However, they didn’t know what questions they would be asked. Then, each pair
of interviewer and character came to the front of the class to conduct the
interview.
5. How effective is ET in teaching and learning speaking skill?
I think ET is as effective as the teacher makes it. In other words, it depends on
the teacher.
Page 72
72
6. What difficulties do students have when they learn English with ET tools?
Lack of knowledge of ICT and lack of modern equipment and software.
7. Can you see any differences between class K8 (learning with ET tools) and
another class (not using ET tools) in the speaking subject? What are they?
K7 students presumably already had the same experiences as the current K8
students. Naturally, the K7 students are more advanced than the K8, but this is
because they have been studying English longer. I think a more adequate analysis,
which I cannot provide, would be to compare two classes at equal levels, but
where only one has been taught using ET tools.
8. What should the college do to improve the technical infrastructure at Bentre
College?
Every classroom should be set up with a projector so that teachers can make
use of the many ET teaching tools. Students have mentioned to me that there
should be more language labs where students can use computer programs that help
them practice their listening and speaking.
9. Is it better to teach speaking skill with ET tools than without ET tools?
I think ET can only help language education. The more resources at a
teacher’s and student’s disposal, the better.
Page 73
73
APPENDIX 5: PICTURES
1. Pictures of the trip to Cambodia
Page 75
75
2. Pictures of the trip to Singapore
Page 76
76
3. Pictures of the participants from Class K11