VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE DEVELOPING AN APPROPRIATE PEDAGOGY IN A BLENDED LEARNING ENVIRONME[.]
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE DEVELOPING AN APPROPRIATE PEDAGOGY IN A BLENDED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY IN AN EFL SETTING A Master thesis submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL By TA HUYNH XUAN NGHI Supervised by NGUYEN NHA TRAN, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY, August 2022 DEVELOPING AN APPROPRIATE PEDAGOGY IN A BLENDED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY IN AN EFL SETTING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the immense support with which I have been blessed throughout this journey I would like to express my greatest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms Nha Tran, for the continuous and wholehearted mentorship and support I have received throughout such a long and arduous journey Working with her, I learned not only about research but also about persistence, reflection and growing as a person I am indebted to my family No words can describe the sacrifice I am fortunate for the guidance, support, opportunities, and encouragement of my seniors and colleagues Without them, I would have been lost in the jungle of research and self-doubts These are names I will never forget My sincere thanks to all my friends: Opitemal Péakash, Khả Gia and Lys for motivating and helping me get through speed bumps on the journey; Gia Vĩ, Linh Ngân, Thu Thảo and Nghiêm for the valuable assistance and encouragement I am grateful to Tùng for believing in me and being supportive all throughout the years I spent for this research Finally, I want to thank myself for not giving up and going beyond boundaries to reach this day I am also an outcome of this thesis i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certified that the thesis entitled “Developing an Appropriate Pedagogy in A Blended Learning Environment: An Action Research Study in an EFL Setting” is my original work and has not been published or rewarded elsewhere I certify that all materials used and assistance if any have been indicated and acknowledged Finally, I certify that the work and writing are done by me, the author of the thesis Tạ Huỳnh Xuân Nghi August 2022 ii RETENTION OF USE I, Tạ Huỳnh Xuân Nghi, hereby state that as a candidate for the degree of Master in TESOL, I accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Thesis deposited in the library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the library should be accessible for the purpose of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the library for the care, loan or reproduction of theses Ho Chi Minh city, August 2022 iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BL Blended Learning CALL Computer-Assisted Language Learning EFL English as a Foreign Language ELT English Language Teaching f2f Face-to-face GC Google Classroom GM Google Meet LMS Learning Management System SLA Second Language Acquisition SN TELL Social Network Technology-Enhanced Language Learning TM Technology mediated VLE Virtual Learning Environment iv LIST OF TABLES Table Graham’s (2009) three paths for designing blended learning environments 17 Table Listening stages and suggested activities 32 Table Goals of Action Research and Quality Criteria 60 Table Summary of Artifacts 68 Table Students’ previous online learning experience 82 Table Research and Teaching Timeline for Intervention 87 Table Initial teaching plan 89 Table BL-integrated teaching plan 94 Table Student's opinion on learning activities 102 Table 10 Student's personal practice 104 Table 11 Students' evaluation of online platforms 107 Table 12 Student's general comments and suggestions 110 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Graham’s (2009) three paths for designing blended learning environments 18 Figure Picciano's (2009) Multimodal Model for Blending with Purpose 20 Figure The Dialectic Action Research Spiral 58 Figure Research process 63 Figure Updated BL elements in Multimodal Model for the course 90 Figure Access to Google classroom: Device type and Frequency 101 Figure Sample of Google Classroom interaction 109 vi ABSTRACT The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic made technology a natural part of learning Blended Learning is now considered a “new normal” and many urge for the search for “a right blend” and its pedagogical values As an EFL instructor who is enthusiastic about technology, I have been struggling to find appropriate ways to incorporate technology into my teaching practice This educational action research based on the Multimodal Model to explore the process of (1) designing and (2) application of a Blended Learning course for a tertiary English oral skills class of English-major Vietnamese students The findings of the two cycles suggests that implementation of Blended Learning is flexible by nature This flexibility requires thorough consideration in understanding (1) the learners’ need and experience with educational technology and the learning of the target skills, and (2) the teaching and learning context and should be grounded in pedagogical objectives The implementation yielded positive impacts on (1) students’ learning experience in terms of convenience and increase of practice, and resourcefulness and (2) instructor’s professional development Suggested improvements include enhancing online interaction and increasing in-class practice From the challenges, technological affordances and constructive alignment are some aspects for higher institutions to look into for Blended Learning at program or course level Further studies on Blended Learning implementation in different English courses, sectors or countries could contribute more insights into how to have a successful blend Keywords: Blended Learning, ELT, EFL, listening and speaking, learning experience, professional development vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ii RETENTION OF USE iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv LIST OF TABLES v LIST OF FIGURES vi ABSTRACT vii TABLE OF CONTENTS viii CHAPTER 1.1 INTRODUCTION Background to the study 1.1.1 From a personal background: An ELT teacher trainee’s realizations 1.1.2 To academic context: Confirmations from the literature 1.1.3 COVID-19 and its impact 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Significance of the study 1.5 Organization of the study CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 10 2.1 Technology in ELT 11 2.2 The Concept of Blended Learning 12 2.2.1 What is blended in Blended Learning? 12 2.2.2 Blended Learning Models 16 2.3 Blended Learning Implementation 21 2.3.1 Why Blended Learning? 22 2.3.2 Challenges in practice 24 2.3.3 Research Trends in Blended Learning 25 2.4 2.3.3.1 Blended Learning in ELT 26 2.3.3.2 A look into the local context of Vietnam 29 Teaching English listening and speaking skills 31 2.4.1 Teaching Listening 31 viii Score Reasons/Comments/Suggestions 2.3 Google Classroom (GC) I found GC easy to use I could easily access learning materials on GC I could easily get teacher’s support through GC I could easily track my progress on GC (assignments, scores, etc.) I found the announcements, reminders, tips posted on GC helpful Other comments: 2.4 Online sessions on Google Meet (GM) I found GM easy to use I could easily get the teacher’s support when on GM It was convenient for me to attend online sessions The online sessions were effective I felt comfortable practicing speaking skills during the online sessions 150 Score Reasons/Comments/Suggestions I felt comfortable practicing listening skills during the online sessions Other comments: 2.4 Interaction GC improved offline interaction between other classmates and I GC improved offline interaction between my class and the teacher GC improved online interaction between other classmates and I GC improved online interaction between my class and the teacher Other comments: PART 3: Overall feedback Please write your answer for the questions below Please be as specific as possible 3.1 Did you have any difficulty learning both online and offline in the same course? If yes, please clarify 3.2 What are you most satisfied about your experience with Blended Learning in my class? 151 3.3 What are you least satisfied about your experience with Blended Learning in my class? 3.4 What you want to suggest to improve this course? (what to keep, omit, add or adjust in terms of teaching methods, assessments, activities, etc.) 3.5 What else you want to let me know? (questions, comments, sharing, etc.) Thank you so much for your time! 152 Appendix Information sheet - English INFORMED CONSENT FORM for students This consent form is for students who are invited to participate in the research titled “DEVELOPING AN APPROPRIATE PEDAGOGY IN A BLENDED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY IN AN EFL CLASSROOM” This consent form includes two parts: An information sheet about the study Consent form INFORMATION SHEET I Introduction I am Ta Huynh Xuan Nghi, junior lecturer at the I am doing a research on how to apply Blended Learning (a combination of offline and online learning) into teaching English at the faculty I am going to give you information about my research and invite you to be a participant of this research It is your decision to participate or not and you can talk to anyone about this research before deciding to join This consent form might include words or issues you not understand Please ask me to explain those for you If you have questions later, you can contact me for further explanation II Purpose of the research Under the effects of Covid-19, classes have to move online as a temporary solution to wait until face-to-face classes can be organized again This is a type of Blended Learning and I want to study how to this effectively so that classes will be of at least the same quality as fully face-to-face ones I believe that you as a student can help me by sharing your experience and opinions about Blended Learning during and after you experience it I want to explore the ways I can organize the class both online and offline to help you learn better I also want to know how you feel and benefit from this type of learning because this would help to adjust and develop a better teaching approach III Participant Selection You are being invited to take part in this research as you are directly experiencing Blended Learning and also because I believe your engagement with the course will provide helpful information to my understanding of the situation and my teaching development IV What the research involves By agreeing to participate in this research, the participants agree to the use of data taken from the class’ learning activities These activities include tasks, interaction, individual and group work on Google Classroom and in face-to-face class meetings Participants can choose which type of the following data can be used in the research: email exchanges, interactions on Google Classroom and during online meetings (including the chatbox and recordings), homework and classwork, scores and onsite class meeting recordings 153 Participant’s Rights V Voluntary Participation: Your participation in this research is totally voluntary It is your choice to participate or not Your choice will not affect your learning experience and results of the course Even if you agree earlier to participate, you can stop your participation and request your data be removed from the study before the completion of data collection (within 2-3 weeks after the final results are officially announced by the school’s Office of Academic Affairs and prior to any publication from the research) It is not possible to withdraw your data after this time because it would disrupt the data analysis which will have already been conducted at this point You will not receive any payment for your participation in the study You will receive a small souvenir to thank you for your participation Possible benefits Participation in this study may not provide any personal benefit to you but I hope that it will help provide you with a better learning experience However, the study will benefit the academic community in the following ways: - The study will open discussions on how lecturers in the faculty can apply technology in teaching without overlooking proper teaching techniques - The study will contribute to the teaching culture of the faculty and help in building an up-to-date learning environment within the faculty - The study will help reflect on how teaching theories match with realities in the local English teaching community Possible risks The procedure may cause you to feel pressure to state your true opinion in fear that it may affect your scores I attempt to minimize this risk by making scoring criteria public and make sure your feedback has no impact on your results of the course Apart from that, there is no potential level of inconvenience or discomfort to you as a participant in this research If you think your performance is affected by your participation in this study, you can always contact me, my supervisor or the faculty’s representative who will be listed later Confidentiality I, the researcher, and the other participants will know what your feedback is if it is not made privately However, all information collected from the participants are encrypted so no participant names are associated with the data Your decision on whether to participate will be kept unknown from me until the course is over Your response will be sealed and given to the academic assistant of your program to be securely stored in a locked file cabinet until the final results are submitted Use of data The data collected will be used in an M.A thesis and may be used in conference presentations and publications in books or journal articles 154 Results A summary of the research findings will be given upon request of the participants Questions or Concerns If you have any questions regarding this study or would like to have further information to help you decide whether or not to participate in the study, please contact me, Ta Huynh Xuan Nghi, by email at thxuannghi@ If the study causes you any concern, you can also contact the following personnel: Nguyen Nha Tran, Ph.D Research Supervisor Department of English, International University [Personnel in charge] Language Skills Department, 155 Appendix Information sheet - Vietnamese THƯ GIỚI THIỆU ĐỀ TÀI I.Giới thiệu Tôi Tạ Huỳnh Xuân Nghi, giảng viên Tôi thực nghiên cứu Blended Learning (phương pháp kết hợp việc học lớp học trực tuyến) công tác giảng dạy tiếng Anh khoa Tôi gửi đến anh/chị thông tin nghiên cứu mời anh/chị tham gia vào nghiên cứu Anh/chị có quyền đồng ý từ chối tham gia, trao đổi với trước định Nếu thư giới thiệu phiếu chấp thuận có từ ngữ thơng tin anh/chị chưa hiểu rõ, vui lịng u cầu tơi giải thích rõ Nếu có thắc mắc anh/chị liên hệ với tơi để giải đáp II.Mục đích nghiên cứu Do ảnh hưởng dịch Covid-19 nên lớp học tạm thời chuyển sang hình thức học trực tuyến sinh viên phép trở lại trường Đây dạng phương pháp Blended Learning muốn nghiên cứu cách giảng dạy hiệu cho hình thức để đảm bảo chất lượng dạy học Tơi tin với vai trị sinh viên, anh/chị chia sẻ trải nghiệm, cảm nhận Blended Learning sau học hình thức Tơi mong muốn tìm cách tổ chức học lớp trực tuyến hiệu để giúp anh/chị học tập tốt Tơi có nguyện vọng biết cảm nhận anh/chị, lợi ích mà anh/chị nhận từ hình thức học để điều chỉnh xây dựng phương pháp giảng dạy hiệu III.Tiêu chí lựa chọn người tham gia Anh/chị mời tham gia vào nghiên cứu anh/chị học tập theo phương pháp Blended Learning tham gia anh/chị khóa học giúp tơi hiểu thêm thực trạng áp dụng phương pháp này, kỹ giảng dạy IV.Nội dung nghiên cứu Việc đồng ý tham gia nghiên cứu đồng nghĩa với việc anh/chị đồng ý với việc sử dụng liệu từ hoạt động học tập lớp anh/chị Những hoạt động bao gồm hoạt động học tập Google Classroom trực tiếp lớp Người tham gia chọn liệu phép sử dụng nghiên cứu: trao đổi qua thư điện tử, tương tác Google Classroom buổi học trực tuyến (bao gồm nội dung khung trò chuyện ghi âm lớp học), tập nhà tập lớp, điểm số, ghi âm buổi học trực tiếp lớp V.Quyền người tham gia Tình nguyện tham gia: Việc anh/chị tham gia vào nghiên cứu hoàn toàn tự nguyện Anh/chị có tồn quyền định có tham gia hay không Quyết định anh/chị không ảnh hưởng đến việc học kết học tập anh/chị Nếu đồng ý tham gia, anh/chị kết thúc việc tham gia u cầu xóa liệu liên quan đến khỏi nghiên cứu trễ thời điểm hoàn thành thu thập liệu, tức vòng tuần sau kết mơn học Phịng Đào tạo trường thức cơng bố sau thời hạn phúc khảo điểm thi trước có báo khoa học kết nghiên cứu Sau thời gian này, anh/chị yêu cầu lược bỏ liệu phân tích nhằm tránh gây gián đoạn q trình phân tích liệu Anh/chị khơng nhận thù lao tham gia vào nghiên cứu Anh/chị nhận phần quà lưu niệm nhỏ thay lời cảm ơn Quyền lợi 156 Việc tham gia vào nghiên cứu khơng đem lại lợi ích cá nhân cho anh/chị nghiên cứu kỳ vọng giúp anh/chị có trải nghiệm học tập tốt Tuy vậy, nghiên cứu đóng góp cho cộng đồng học thuật theo khía cạnh sau: - Nghiên cứu mở đề tài thảo luận cách thức giảng viên khoa ứng dụng cơng nghệ vào giảng dạy, kết hợp với kỹ giảng dạy phù hợp - Nghiên cứu đóng góp vào văn hóa giảng dạy giúp xây dựng mơi trường học tập tiến khoa - Nghiên cứu giúp xem xét lại mức độ lý thuyết giảng dạy ứng dụng vào thực tiễn giảng dạy tiếng Anh địa phương đóng góp vào kho tàng kiến thức lĩnh vực giảng dạy tiếng Anh Rủi ro Q trình nghiên cứu làm anh/chị ngại chia sẻ ý kiến thật lịng lo lắng điểm số bị ảnh hưởng Tôi cố gắng hạn chế rủi ro mức tối đa cách (1) xem lựa chọn đồng ý tham gia vào nghiên cứu anh/chị sau môn học kết thúc (2) cơng khai tiêu chí chấm điểm đảm bảo phản hồi anh/chị không ảnh hưởng đến kết mơn học Ngồi vấn đề nghiên cứu không tiềm ẩn nguy gây phiền phức, khó chịu cho người tham gia Nếu cho kết học tập bị ảnh hưởng tham gia vào nghiên cứu, anh/chị liên hệ với tôi, giảng viên hướng dẫn đại diện Khoa vào lúc theo thông tin liên hệ đề cập bên Bảo mật thông tin Tôi, người nghiên cứu, người tham gia khác biết phản hồi anh/chị, ngoại trừ phản hồi riêng tư Tuy nhiên, thông tin thu thập từ người tham gia mã hóa nên liệu khơng liên quan đến cụ thể người tham gia Tôi anh/chị có định tham gia hay khơng môn học kết thúc Câu trả lời anh/chị niêm phong bàn giao cho cán phụ trách Giáo vụ hệ Chính quy để lưu trữ tủ có khóa kết mơn học công bố sau thời hạn phúc khảo điểm thi Sử dụng liệu Dữ liệu thu thập sử dụng cho luận văn Thạc sĩ dùng thuyết trình hội thảo, viết sách báo tạp chí khoa học Kết nghiên cứu Bản tóm tắt kết nghiên cứu gửi cho người tham gia yêu cầu Giải đáp thắc mắc Nếu anh/chị có thắc mắc liên quan đến nghiên cứu cần biết thêm thơng tin để định có tham gia hay khơng, vui lịng liên hệ tơi, Tạ Huỳnh Xuân Nghi, qua email thxuannghi@ Nếu có quan ngại nghiên cứu, anh/chị liên hệ với đại diện phía Khoa: Tiến sĩ Nguyễn Nhã Trân Giảng viên hướng dẫn đề tài Bộ môn Anh ngữ, Đại học Quốc tế [Nhân phụ trách] Bộ môn Kỹ Ngôn ngữ 157 Appendix Consent Form – English Title of the study: DEVELOPING AN APPROPRIATE PEDAGOGY IN A BLENDED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY IN AN EFL CLASSROOM I have read the information sheet about the study conducted by Miss Ta Huynh Xuan Nghi, lecturer at the I have had the chance to ask questions related to the study and have received satisfactory answers I was informed that participation in the study is voluntary and that I can withdraw this consent by informing the researcher within 2-3 weeks after the final results are officially announced by the school’s Office of Academic Affairs and prior to any publication from the research I agree to participate in the research “DEVELOPING AN APPROPRIATE PEDAGOGY IN A BLENDED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY IN AN EFL CLASSROOM” by Miss Ta Huynh Xuan Nghi, lecturer at the I agree to the use of the following data: Yes No Email exchanges on Google Classroom Interactions during online sessions (Google Meet video recordings + chat box) during offline sessions Homework and classwork Scores I agree with my own free will to participate in this research I understand that the participation is totally voluntary and I can withdraw from the research before the completion of data collection (within 2-3 weeks after the final results are officially announced by the school’s Office of Academic Affairs and prior to any publication from research) Date: Participant’s Name: Participant’s Signature: 158 Appendix Consent form – Vietnamese PHIẾU CHẤP THUẬN Đề tài nghiên cứu: Tôi đọc tờ thông tin nghiên cứu Cô Tạ Huỳnh Xuân Nghi, giảng viên Tơi có hội đặt câu hỏi liên quan đến nghiên cứu nhận câu trả lời thỏa đáng Tôi biết việc tham gia hồn tồn tự nguyện tơi rút lại lời chấp thuận cách thơng báo đến người nghiên cứu thời gian 2-3 tuần sau Phịng Đào tạo thức cơng bố kết mơn học trước có cơng bố kết nghiên cứu ⃞ Tôi đồng ý tham gia vào nghiên cứu ‘Nghiên cứu hành động lớp học kỹ tiếng Anh: Phát triển phương pháp giảng dạy phù hợp môi trường học tập kết hợp học lớp học trực tuyến’ Cô Tạ Huỳnh Xuân Nghi, giảng viên Tôi đồng ý với việc sử dụng liệu sau: Đồng ý Không đồng ý Trao đổi thư điện tử Google Classroom thời gian học trực tuyến Tương tác (ghi hình + khung trị chuyện) thời gian học lớp Bài tập nhà tập lớp Điểm số Tôi tự nguyện đồng ý tham gia vào nghiên cứu Tôi biết việc tham gia hồn tồn tự nguyện tơi rút lại lời chấp thuận cách thông báo đến người nghiên cứu thời gian 2-3 tuần sau Phịng Đào tạo thức cơng bố kết mơn học trước có công bố kết nghiên cứu Ngày: Tên người tham gia: _ Chữ ký người tham gia: : 159 Appendix Sample of Field notes and Research Journal A page from my field notes A page from my written research journal A screenshot of my digital research journal 160 Appendix Sample of unit objectives and vocabulary checklist Adapted from Inside Listening and Speaking 2, p.13, by Hamlin, D and Sandoski, S., 2015, Oxford University Press 161 Appendix 10 Students’ product for Unit 162 Appendix 11 Sample of Online Lesson Transcript Session Instructor: Ok, cô để instructions hình cho bạn ha, phần A, bạn tìm partner chọn mà phải nghe cho bạn từ đến 8:10 để bạn nghe Sau quay lại Meet lớp Cô thấy tin nhắn bạn [student’s name] nha Rồi, bạn có thắc mắc cần giúp khơng? Mấy bạn bật mic lên nói cho lẹ được, tin nhắn lúc bị chậm “Làm để ghi âm máy”, bạn tìm ký hiệu ba chấm list ln, có nút để thu âm Instructor: Cơ online nha, để bạn có trục trặc bạn nhắn, nói vào Meet lớp nha, giúp bạn Bạn [student’s name] xin vào pair để thành nhóm ba người Student: Dạ Instructor: Cơ nghe nè Student: Dạ em có bấm vơ chỗ mà ba dấu chấm em khơng thấy nút ghi âm đâu hết trơn Instructor: Khó ta, ra, cô không Nếu mà bạn không thấy bên bạn có nút ghi âm, bạn ghi âm điện thoại bạn dùng thẳng messenger không đâu Student: Dạ em cảm ơn cô Instructor: Alright everyone can we go back, or you need more time for another listen? Instructor: Hello everyone, is everything going well? [Students’ discussion] Instructor: Okay class, please go back to our class’s call Please raise your hand if you can hear me [students clicked on “raise hand” button] Instructor: Alright tell your friend to go back if you don’t see your friend here So as promised, I let you have a break at 8:30 So, I leave the instructions here in case you want to discuss it with your friends Okay, so, we have a break until 9:00, during that break I’m still here so you can ask me any question or if you want to keep working on your discussion with your friend you can feel free to so For those who cannot record your own discussion, don’t worry too much about it as long as you can submit some … example: your notes… your screenshot or something like that I can deal with that Alright, any question before we take a break? Okay please be back at 9:00, there will be a sound to let you know it’s time to go back, … eat your breakfast to make sure you’re not hungry I’m still here if you need to ask any questions or if you need me to help with your pronunciation test Some of you said I can help with that 163 Session 10 Instructor: [student’s name], how did you define ‘retail therapy’ Student: I think it is the link between shopping and mood Instructor: Can you be a little bit clearer? Student: When we feel down, we will be shopping to feel better Instructor: Ok thank you Ok, when I ask you to explain something in your own words, it’ll be better for you to try different phrases or try synonyms Retail therapy is not linked between shopping and your mood, it is an action So, you can say ‘retail therapy’ shows a link between… shopping in the mood but you can't say ‘retail therapy’ is the link There’s a difference between the two, ok? Let’s move on to question number 2, what people in the survey buy? How many people we have in the survey? We have three people, so what did they buy? So, when I ask you… you can type in or you can turn on your mic and speak It’s alright Instructor: [student’s name] Are you there? Can you speak? Student: Yes, I'm here Instructor: Can you choose one phrase in the recording and explain it to the class? Student: sorry I’m… I can't because I don't know how to… nhiên liệu Instructor: Tức hồi recording có phrases mà người ta giải thích nghĩa bạn chọn phrase mà bạn ghi lại được không Student: I’m help Nãy giờ…nãy em cơng chuyện xíu nên em khơng có nghe rõ Instructor: Hồi đầu có nói mà bạn khơng có bạn để tờ giấy lên cho biết để khơng có gọi Can you help me invite someone else Student: Em [the other student’s name] Instructor: Ok [student’s name] Student: Ok ok Can you hear me clearly? Ok in the recording I heard, she mentioned the phrase down in the dumps This phrase means simply unhappy Instructor: Ok, can you put it in a sentence? Student: like When my mother yelled at me, I felt down in the dump Instructor: Ok, thank you So, the phrase down in the dump can be used with the word feel You cannot say I am down in the dump Thank you, [student’s name], can you invite someone else? Student: [the other student’s name] Instructor: Thank you [student’s name], can I hear from you? Student: Yes The phrase I’m going to explain is buyer’s remorse The feeling of regret that you have when you realize that the thing you have bought is actually unnecessary Instructor: Ok thank you, have you ever been in buyer’s remorse? 164