A study on the application of technology into studying english (3)

DECLARATION I certify the study report entitled “A study on the application of technology into studying English” I certify that this thesis is the result of my own research and the substance of this thesis has not been submitted for a degree to any other universities or institutions and that if this declaration is found to be false, disciplinary measures and penalties can be taken and imposed in accordance with university policies and rules Signature Chu Thị Hướng ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First of all, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor Mr Pham Ngoc Son, teacher at Faculty of Foreign Languages, who has enthusiastically helped and encouraged me during the period of writing this research paper Without her experienced guidance, valuable comments and tireless help, I cannot complete the study on time My sincere thanks are sent to the teachers in the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education for their useful lessons and hearted advice I am also grateful to all my friends and my beloved family, who gave me useful advice on writing process Finally, I wish to acknowledge the kind help of the second year English major students (K10) at FFL who helped me to collect data, and their valuable support for finishing the study TABLE CONTENTS DECLARATION .1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ABSTRACT LIST OF THE CHARTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study 1.2 Aims of the Study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Method of the study 1.6 Design of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Theoretical background 2.2 Definition of technology .8 2.3 Technology used in studying 2.4 Contribution of technology to English language skills 10 2.4.1 Listening skill 10 2.4.2 Reading skill 11 2.4.3 Speaking skill 11 2.4.4 Writing skill 12 CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY 14 3.1 Background of the study 14 3.1.1 The physical setting 14 3.1.2 Participants of the study 14 3.1.3 Data collection instruments .14 3.1.4 Procedure of data collection .15 3.2 Data analysis 15 3.2.1 Analyzing from the students’ survey questionnaire 15 3.2.2 Analyzing from the teachers’ survey questionnaire 26 3.3 Findings and discussion 31 3.3.1 What is the reality of using technology in teaching English language from teachers? 31 3.3.2 What is the reality of using technology in learning English language from students? 32 3.3.3 Compare teachers and students usage 32 3.4 Recommendations .32 3.4.1 Recommendations for the students 32 3.4.2 Recommendations for the teachers 33 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION 35 4.1 Conclusion .35 4.2 Limitations of the study 35 4.3 Suggestions for further study 35 REFERENCE 37 APPENDIX 40 APPENDIX 42 ABSTRACT LIST OF THE CHARTS Figure 1: Number of years studying English .16 Figure 2: Number of students who used technology in self-learning English .17 Figure 3: Apps and websites used by participants .17 Figure 4: The effect of applying technology in self-learning English 18 Figure 5: Is learning English simple? 19 Figure : Self-study of English through application software helps you be more interested 20 Figure : The difficulty of using technology in learning English is an inappropriate resource 21 Figure 8: The difficulty of using technology in learning English is the lack of self-study time 22 Figure The difficulty of using technology in learning English is that there is no instructor 23 Figure 10 The difficulty of using technology in learning English is dependent on the Internet connection 24 Figure 11 Technology applications help you use English more 25 Figure 12 Technology applications help you use English more 26 Figure 13 Years of teaching English 27 Figure 14 Frequency of using technology in learning English 28 Figure 15 Skills are often carried out on technological applications 28 Figure 16 Difficulties of students when applying technology to self-study English 29 Figure 17 Benefits of students applying technology to self-study English 30 Figure 18 Suggestion 31 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study For many years, English has been the common world-wide language People tend to pay more attention to learn English, so it has become the second language in many countries such as Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore and so on As a result, English is a compulsory subject at schools and colleges, and the number of people learning English is on the rise Technology is now a big part of our society and predictable future There is little room for people who wish to live without technology, and luckily, it is still advancing at a rate that has helped stave off stagnation I believe that for every advantage that technology brings us, we will know how to use and apply it in the best way Articles on using technology in language teaching have seriously been written since 1980’s In all different media, voices raised to attract the attention to the necessity of preparing for the Age of Technology They warned people from being left behind if they would not prepare themselves for the mentioned age; people who not know how to use technology at the year 2000 would be considered illiterate Years quickly passed and the Age of Technology appeared Accordingly, three distinguished groups of people have emerged: the really educated people, fake educated people and uneducated people  The really educated people: They appeared alert working hard to investigate the unknown science The real progress of societies depends on the number and seriousness of this group, and the hard work of its members  Fake educated people: Thinking that the Age of Technology would be only the age of using mobiles and playing games, a group of half-educated people wasted their money and time buying the most expensive mobiles to play the strongest games This group’s members could not have positive contribution to their societies  Uneducated people: They have carelessly continued their life routine trying hard to forbid using any kind of modern technology in order not to be noticed that they are technology illiterate Recognizing the importance of education elevation in general and English as a foreign language in particular to achieve the dreams of accessing the top universities has been the essential impetus to start the present study 1.2 Aims of the Study The aim of the study is to find out the real level of technology usage in teaching and learning English from teachers and students, and comparing the differences between technology use levels between teachers and the students 1.3 Research questions a What is the reality of using technology in teaching English language from teachers? b What is the reality of using technology in learning English language from students? c Compare teachers and students usage 1.4 Scope of the study By the time constraint, making a research with a large number of participants was out of the author‘s reach, the participants for the study was students in class TAK15.1, TAK16.1, TAK17.1 and teachers of English at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education 1.5 Method of the study The present study operates within the following scope: A study on the application of technology into studying English, therefore, in this research, the author presented two forms of questions; one was for instructors and the other was for students After collecting the responses, the author did two preliminary questionnaires for instructors and students Then, they were randomly distributed to selected instructors and students from Hung Yen University of Technology and Education 1.6 Design of the study The study includes four main chapters, organize as follows: Chapter 1: Introduction (states the rationale of the study, the aims of the study, the scope of the study, methods of the study, research question and design of the study) Chapter 2: Literature review (discusses the relevant theories related to technology) Chapter 3: The study (analyzes the data collected in order to find out the ) Chapter 4: Conclusion (summarizes the main and add some suggestions for further studies) CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Theoretical background No doubt, technology has become common in usage; it cannot be excluded from teaching or learning Information and references for both teachers and students are easily accessed In fact, teachers who cannot cope with modern technology lose contact with their students Thus, teachers have to invest technology as much as they can in order to improve themselves as well as the teaching and learning processes Muir-Herzig ( 2004:113 ) states that teaching and learning via technology engage learners in active situations of critical thinking to solve problems, share ideas with others and reflect what they have known Classes which use technology shift from teacher-centered to student-centered classes Pitler et al (2007: 3) refer to the advantages of using technology in classes; they state that it enhances learning and understanding, and it encourages students to take active part in the learning process It also has a positive impact to shift education from being teacher-centered to student-entcered Barron and Copple ( 2011: 3) mention that USA has founded the Digital Age Teacher Preparation Council for teacher improvement In this council, five goals have been set to achieve by 2020 Firstly, creating professional environment of practice for teachers Secondly, training educators to integrate as a resource for teachers Thirdly, expanding the usage of public media as a resource for teachers Fourth, integrating technology into standards, curriculum and teaching Fifth, creating research and development (R and D) partnerships which are suitable for the digital age 2.2 Definition of technology Technology may be defined in multiple ways, depending upon one’s perspective According Dictionaries and scholars have offered a variety of definitions The Merriam- Webster Learner’s Dictionary offers a definition of the term: “the use of science in industry, engineering, etc…, to invent useful things or to solve problems” and “a machine, piece of equipment, method, etc , that is created by technology According, Ursula Franklin, in her 1989 “Real World of Technology” lecture, gave another definition of the concept; it is “ practice, the way we things around here.” The term is Teacher 5 Te ac he r Figure 17 Benefits of students applying technology to self-study English According to the chart above, 100% of the teachers surveyed said that when giving birth to using technology for learning, they will surely find an appropriate learning environment for them and 80% of them will be able to learn Asked think that students will find learning English through technology applications more compelling than traditional learning methods out of teachers surveyed said that the benefit of using technology in learning English is that learners can monitor their self-study One of the five teachers asked that they would spend more time teaching English when applying technology to learning Only one teacher said that students would be more confident in practising the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing English when using technology to self-study English From the survey results show that the benefits of applying technology to learning and the application of technology to education are a necessity and need to be developed in the future 3.2.2.6 Suggestion Question 6: Please list at least websites/software that you have introduced to your students to learn English by themselves? 2.5 2 1.5 1 1 BBC Langmaster 1 1 0.5 VOA Learning English New York times Oxford Teacher Figure 18 Suggestion The teachers participating in the survey are those with more than years of teaching experience Four out of five survey participants answered this question The results of the 6th survey question in the teacher questionnaire are suggestions of the teachers about the websites or software that they think is very good and suitable for students to practice skills in Study English The websites/software that the teachers recommend is all famous and prestigious applications such as VOA, Duolingo, BBC, Youtube, Grammarly, These suggestions are significant to students It is difficult to find a suitable technology environment for them 3.3 Findings and discussion 3.3.1 What is the reality of using technology in teaching English language from teachers? Most of the teachers taking part in the survey have observed the student's learning process since they have found that students are gradually becoming more interested in learning English when applying the tools Turmeric Besides, from the experience of teaching teachers participating in the survey, they are well aware of the benefits that technology brings to students in practising skills in English (listening, speaking, reading) Write) At the same time, teachers also recognize the difficulties students have when applying technology to learning From the survey results, it is shown that teachers have realized the need for implementing technology in teaching, helping students to be more interested, increasing motivation to learn, and then improving skills English skills 3.3.2 What is the reality of using technology in learning English language from students? Most students (98%) used to use technology for learning English and up to 96.4% of students admitted that learning English on a technology platform helps them enjoy More with learning English and helping them use English more than traditional learning methods Besides, they also realize that using technology in learning English also brings them many benefits, such as helping them find the right learning environment for themselves Besides the benefits mentioned above, students also encounter some difficulties in the process of using technology in learning English, such as finding resources at their appropriate learning materials (30.9%), lack of time for self-study ( 11%), without instructors (32.7%), internet connection (78.2%) 3.3.3 Compare teachers and students usage Through the results of the two surveys, questionnaire for students, for teachers We have seen some similarities and differences in the actual use of technology in learning between teachers and students Both teachers and students agree that the use of technology in learning increases their interest in education and helps them use English more Besides, due to the abundance and abundance of learning materials on the internet, making the selection of appropriate materials for learners is the most significant difficulty that learners face when choosing to apply technology in my study However, between teachers and students, there are also many contrary statements The teacher said that when applying technology for self-study, students will have difficulty in arranging self-study time (80%) In comparison, only 11% of the respondents said that they had trouble in self-study This problem, while the majority have no difficulty in arranging study time Teachers think that in the era of 4.0 Internet connection is no longer a complicated task for applying technology to learning However, 78.2% of the students surveyed said it was difficult to maintain an internet connection to use technology to study with them 3.4 Recommendations 3.4.1 Recommendations for the students This research shows that students use a variety of technologies, mainly electronic dictionaries and English self-learning software on the phone Learning activities are not uniform in time and frequency but rich in form, including activities that focus on language and activities that focus on meaning The survey results confirm the attraction of technology thanks to its vibrant and exciting gadgets in terms of time, space, and target language access, and especially in the ability to interact with learning materials However, in general, the time for technology students to study English for themselves is not much, and self-study activities are not associated with the development of knowledge and skills in using foreign languages Students mainly use existing technology to word recognition exercises in games or listen to music It seems to be the result of a lack of self-study skills, requiring the guidance of teachers The fact that students know many types of technology for learning foreign languages but not self-consciously, actively using them poses the requirement to integrate learners' self-learning activities into the curriculum From the above results, the researcher proposed that the solution for students is to spend more time on learning English based on technology, perfecting their self-study skills Selfdiscipline in learning 3.4.2 Recommendations for the teachers The teacher should know the students ownership, accessibility and readiness for ICT and should work on the technology considering the individual differences of the student Studentcentered approach should be focused while using technology The technology use should be planned in such a way that it can provide flow of English learning of students The achievements that students are required to reach in listening, reading, speaking and writing skills, should be identified and technology should be used based on these achievements Technology should be used in such a way that students can use English language creatively and develop basic English skills Students should be encouraged to use technology for learning purposes Technology should provide an environment for using high-level thinking skills such as critical thinking and creative thinking Technology should facilitate students‟ cooperative learning both inside and outside the classroom Technology should facilitate the acquisition of English language skills Technology is a must in the activities related to English language skills Technological environment should be adapted to English teaching and learning and the technology infrastructure should be organized in this direction The teacher should evaluate and improve himself/herself on his/her technological competence and follow up-to-date technologies that can be used in the discipline of English, and should carry out the appropriate ones in the class/curriculum Technology should be used regularly throughout the term in the English language curriculum and ICT tools should be selected for each subject or activity Learning environments should be based on problem-solving, collaborative, active and constructive technology Social interaction design should be developed in the digital environment for basic language skills such as listening, reading, speaking and writing The teacher should integrate the technology in a planned and purposeful manner at the point of acquiring English language skills CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION 4.1 Conclusion In general, the use of technology in learning is essential in the current development context The study was conducted to study the current state of technology use in the teaching of UTEHY teachers and students and many proposed solutions for students and teachers to overcome difficulties and increase effectiveness Consequences of applying technology in education To achieve the primary purpose of the research, the researcher used a combination of methods to conduct research, including questionnaires for teachers and students 55 quizzes were given to English language students at UTEHY and English lecturers The main findings of the study are as follows: Firstly, most of the survey participants have used technology in their studies Secondly, learning English through the use of technology has brought many benefits for learners, such as increasing interest in learning, using English more, monitoring their self-study Thirdly, research has shown the difficulties of learners when using technology in learning Finally, some suggestions are recommended for FFL students and faculty at UTEHY to use technology in learning more effectively 4.2 Limitations of the study The research has focused on the investigation into students’ technology utilization at UTEHY However, the numbers of participants are limited around 55 students Therefore, it may not totally represent the thoughts of other students Moreover, the time spent conducting the research was limited Thus, the study only reflects a part of this issue This research only began to reveal how UTEHY students use technology as well as their attitudes toward it If the research had been conducted in longer time, it would have reflected the issues more detailed Thus, it would be appreciated for those who are interested in the topic if they further research on their study 4.3 Suggestions for further study The following guidelines should be considered in future research: - Research investigating the types of motivation possessed by students in using technology to study - The relationship between academic performance and motivation can also be an investigative topic in the future direction - The present study only studies the status of using technology in learning and proposes some solutions to improve the effectiveness of learning REFERENCE Ahn, T.Y., and Lee, S.M (2016) User experience of a mobile speaking application with automatic speech recognition for EFL learning British Journal of Educational Technology 778–786 Arifah, A (2014) Study on the use of technology in ELT classroom: Teachers’ perspective M.A Thesis, Department of English and Humanities, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh Bachate, A K (2016) Teaching of Communication Skills Using Multimedia and Language Laboratory Journal of Soft Skills Bain, Read (1937) "Technology and State Government" American Sociological Review (860–874) Barron, A.E., Orwig, G.W., Ivers K.S and Lilavois, N.(2001;3) Technologies for Education Greenwood Village, CO: Libraries Unlimited Greenwood Publishing Groups Bialo, E R., and Sivin-Kachala, J (1996) The effectiveness of technology in schools: A summary of recent research School Library Media Quarterly 51-57 Blachowicz, C., Bates, A., Berne, J., Bridgman, T., Chaney, J., and Perney, J (2009) Technology and at-risk young readers and their classrooms Reading Psychology 387-411 Brett, P.(1997) A comparative study of the effects of the use of multimedia on listening comprehension System 39-53 Case, C and Truscott, D (1999) The lure of bells and whistles: Choosing the best software to support reading instruction Reading and Writing Quarterly: Oversoming Learning Difficulties 361-369 10 Costley, K C (2014) The positive effects of technology on teaching and student learning Arkansas Tech University 11 Fidaoui, D., Bahous, R., and Bacha, N N (2009) CALL in Lebanese elementary ESL writing classrooms Computer Assisted Language Learning 151-168 12 Jepson, K (2005) Conversations - and negotiated interaction in text and voice chat rooms Language Learning & Technology 79–98 13 Hoven, D (1999) A model for listening and viewing comprehension in multimedia environments Language Learning & Technology 88-103 14 Hwang, W.Y., Shadiev, R., Hsu, J-L., Huang, Y.M., Hsu, G-L., and Lin, Y-C (2016) Effects of storytelling to facilitate EFL speaking using Web-based multimedia system Computer Assisted Language Learning 15 Kelly, A., and Safford, K (2009) Does teaching complex sentences have to be complicated? Lessons from children‟s online writing Literacy 118-122 16 Kenworthy, R C (2004) Developing writing skills in a foreign language via the internet The Internet TESL Journal 17 Keser, H., Uzunboylu, H., & Ozdamli, F (2012) The trends in technology supported collaborative learning studies in 21st century World Journal on Educational Technology, 3(2), 103-119 18 Lam, F S., and Pennington, M C (1995) The computer vs the pen: A comparative study of word processing in a Hong Kong secondary classroom Computer-Assisted Language Learning 75-92 19 Lenhart, A., Arafeh, S., Smith, A., and Macgill, A R (2008) Writing, Technology and Teens Washington, DC: The Pew Internet & American Life Project 20 Levine, A., Ferenz, O., and Reves, T (2000) EFL academic reading and modern technology: How can we turn our students into independent critical readers? TESLEJ 21 Muir-Herzig, Rozalind G (2004) Technology and Its Impact in the Classroom, Computers and Education, 42, 111-131, USA 22 Murphy, K., DePasquale, R., & McNamara, E (2003) Meaningful Connections: Using Technology in Primary Classrooms Young Children, 58(6), 12-18 23 Nomass, B.B (2013) The Impact of Using Technology in Teaching English as a Second Language English Language And Literature Studies 24 Patel, C (2013) Use of multimedia technology in teaching and learning communication skill: An analysis International Journal of Advancements in Research & Technology, 2(7), 116-123 25 Pitler, H., Hubbell, E R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski (2007) Using technology with classroom instruction that works Virginia: ASCD 26 Pourhossein Gilakjani, A (2014) A detailed analysis over some important issues towards using computer technology into the EFL classrooms Universal Journal of Educational Research, 2(2), 146-153 27 Raihan, M A., & Lock, H S (2010) Technology integration for meaningful learning-the constructivist view Bangladesh Educational Journal, 11(1), 17-37 28 Sun, Z., Lin, C-H., You, J., Shen, H.J., Qi, S., and Luo, L.(2017) Improving the English-speaking skills of young learners through mobile social networking Computer Assisted Language Learning 29 Stiegler, Bernard (1998) Technics and Time, 1: The Fault of Epimetheus Stanford University Press pp 17, 82 30 Susikaran, R S A (2013) The use of multimedia in English language teaching Journal of Technology for ELT, 3(2) 31 Ursula Franklin (1989) The Real World of Technology CBC Massey Lectures 32 West, K.(2008) Weblogs and literary response: Socially situated identities and hybrid social language in English class blogs Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy: 588598 33 Yunus, M M., Nordin, N., Salehi, H., Redzuan, N R., and Embi, M A (2013) A review of advantages and disadvantages of using ICT tools in teaching ESL reading and writing Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS This survey questionnaire is designed for the study on the application of technology into studying English The author would be very grateful to your collaboration and support if you answer the questions honestly The purpose of this survey is to collect information for the research papers, so you not have to worry about any problems Thank you very much Thank you very much for your cooperation! Part 1: Participant’s information Student’s full name: ………………………………………………… Age:……… Gender: Male Female How long have you studied English? ……… years What is your current major in university? Part 2: For each of the statements below, please mark agreement or disagreement in the appreciated box to make clear your opinion Have you ever used technology to learn English for yourself? A Yes B No Please list at least the names of software or websites that you use to learn English yourself? ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… How you feel about applying these technologies to learning English? A Very effective B Effective C Adequate D Inefficient Statements Learning English is not simple for you Self-study of English through application software helps you be more interested The difficulty of using technology in learning English is an inappropriate resource The difficulty of using technology in learning English is the lack of selfstudy time The difficulty of using technology in learning English is that there is no instructor The difficulty of using technology in learning English is dependent on the Internet connection 10 Applying technology helps you feel like learning English more enjoyable 11 Technology applications help you use English more 12 Applying technology to help you find suitable lessons and environments Strongly Disagree Disagree Normal Agree Strongly Agree THANK YOU - APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS This survey questionnaire is conducted to study the status of teaching and to learn English for the research, "A study on the application of technology into studying English." The author would be very grateful to the information that you will provide below The purpose of the survey is none other than the collection of information for our research So not have to enter a name or worry about any problems of information provided Thank you for your cooperation and your precious time! How long have your taugh English? 1-3 year – year 5-7 years More than years How often your students self-study English through technology applications? Everyday Sometimes Rarely Never What skills your students often practice on technology applications? Reading Listening Writing Grammar and Vocabulary In your opinion, what are the difficulties of students when applying technology to self-study English? (can select multiple answers) A Students will have difficulty in choosing appropriate sources B Difficulties without an instructor C No classmates lead to being bored D Internet connection source E Allocate time for self-study English In your opinion, what are the benefits of students applying technology to selfstudy English? (can select multiple answers) A Students will feel more interested in learning English B Spend a lot of time teaching English yourself C Supervise and manage your English self-study D Students will choose a learning environment that is right for them E More confidence in practicing English listening, speaking, reading and writing skills Please list at least websites/software that you have introduced to your students to learn English by themselves? ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… THANK YOU - ... chapter has presented the method of the study which conclude participants, data collection instrument as well as procedure of data collection 3.2 Data analysis Based on the data was analyzed in the. .. skill plays a vital role in language acquisition Listening involves understanding the accent, pronunciations, intonation, meaning of words and meaning of speaking (Saricoban 1999) The audience... etc All of them have MA degrees The Faculty of Foreign Languages consists of 30 teachers including Chinese teachers The majority of them graduated from the faculty of foreign languages of Hanoi