Internet use in the teaching of english a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts (tesol)

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES  INTERNET USE IN THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (TESOL) SUBMITTED BY PHAN THỊ BÍCH NGỌC SUPERVISOR: DENNIS F BERG, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY, APRIL 2010 i i ABSTRACT Nowadays, the Internet is gradually gaining its popularity in Vietnamese universities Although the rapid increase of Internet availability has generated great interest in using it as a tool of teaching and learning among teachers and students, little is known at present about EFL teachers and students’ use of the Internet This research was conducted in the International Faculty (IF) of the HCM City University of Industry (HUI) to investigate the potentials of the Internet to support teachers and students in their teaching and learning The study was done at the IF from September 5, 2009 to January 29, 2010 Questionnaires were delivered to 145 second year students of preintermediate level; 126 responses were collected Later, a list of interview questions was sent to 14 teachers, who were also researchers’ colleagues, via e-mail Finally, 14 semi-structured interviews with 14 teachers were conducted individually due to appointments between the researcher and the participants Outcomes of the research revealed that both teachers and students had positive attitudes towards the use of the Internet for their English teaching and learning although they faced many difficulties relating to technological facilities, English ability, computers and Internet skills The results of the study posed a question of how to apply the Internet into EFL classroom in current teaching context of Vietnam Some recommendations were suggested for enhancing the use of the Internet in English teaching and learning ii STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that the thesis entitled “INTERNET USE IN THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH ” is my own work Any help received in this research work and the preparation of the thesis itself, and all information resources and literature used in the thesis have been acknowledged I also certify that this thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other institution Ho Chi Minh City, April 27, 2010 PHAN THỊ BÍCH NGỌC iii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Phan Thị Bích Ngọc, being candidate for the degree of Master of TESOL, 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 purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the library for care, loan, and reproduction of theses Ho Chi Minh City, April 27, 2010 PHAN THỊ BÍCH NGỌC iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I express my gratitude to the teachers and students of the International Faculty at HCM City University of Industry who took part in this research Without their participation, this research would have not been carried out I express my deep gratitude to my supervisors Dr Dennis F.Berg and Mr Nguyen Hoang Linh for their constructive encouragement and suggestions Particularly I thank Dr Dennis F.Berg for his enthusiastic guidance at the initial stage I am also grateful to Mr Nguyen Hoang Linh for his devotion I could not have finished my thesis without his valuable support and careful review of the draft I am greatly indebted to the Dean of the International Faculty, who provided me useful statistical data on teacher and student subjects, course information as well as IT facilities I also express my thanks to my colleagues and friends, who helped me greatly with the data collection for the study, in particular, Ms Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, Ms Chau Thi Bich Van, Ms Doan Phan Phuong Dung, and Ms Nguyen Thi Nhat Phuong Finally, my deepest thanks go to my family for their immense support, constant encouragement and great sacrifice during the lengthy period of carrying out this research I dedicate this thesis to my parents, my husband, my lovely 5-month son and my siblings, as all of them would have great pleasure with my study success v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CALL Computer-Assisted Language Learning CMC Computer–Mediated Communication EFL English as a Foreign Language ESL English as a Second Language ELT English Language Teaching HUI Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry ICT Information and Communication Technology IELTS International English Language Testing System IT Information Technology MOET Ministry of Education and Training TEFL Teaching English as a Foreign Language TESOL Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language TOEIC Test of English for International Communication vi LIST OF CHARTS AND FIGURES Figure 2.1: Sample Internet Connection Figure 2.2: Number of Internet Users Figure 2.3: Internet user ratio Chart 4.1: Time when students started using the Internet Chart 4.2: Students’ devices to access the Internet Chart 4.3: The amount of time students used the Internet every day Chart 4.4: Students’ online activities for English practice Chart 4.5: Skills that students benefit from the Internet Chart 4.6: Students’ Internet-related issues Chart 4.7: Is the Internet an indispensable tool of teaching? vii LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Characteristics of student subjects Table 3.2: Characteristics of teacher subjects Table 4.1: Places where students access the Internet Table 4.2: Students’ purposes of using the internet Table 4.3: Students’ online activities for English practice Table 4.4: Students’ evaluation on the effectiveness of the Internet Table 4.5: How teachers learned about the Internet Table 4.6: Teachers’ online activities for teaching purpose Table 4.7: How teachers encouraged students to use the Internet Table 4.8: Teachers’ evaluation on Students’ assignments Table 5.1: E-mail activities viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract i Statement of Authorship ii Retention and Use of the Thesis iii Acknowledgements iv List of abbreviations v List of Charts and Figures vi List of Tables vii Table of Contents viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Institutional Background 1.4 Significance of the study 1.5 Organization of the study 1.6 Limitations CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Computer-Assisted Language Learning 2.2 The Internet 2.2.1 The Internet and language training 2.2.1.1 Why use the Internet for language training 2.2.1.2 The Impact of the Internet on language training .10 2.1.1.3 Internet as a teaching and learning tool 11 2.3 Internet use in Viet Nam .12 2.3.1 Internet growth in Vietnam 13 2.3.2 Internet use in Education 14 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 16 3.1 Research questions 16 3.2 Research design 16 3.3 Setting 18 ix 3.4 Characteristics of the subjects .19 3.4.1 Student subjects 19 3.4.2 Teacher subjects 21 3.5 Instruments 21 3.5.1 Students’ questionnaire 21 3.5.2 Teacher interviews .23 3.6 Data collection procedures 24 3.7 Summary 24 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .25 4.1 Students’ Internet Experience and Practices 25 4.2 Students’ perceptions and attitudes towards the Internet 30 4.3 Teachers’ use of the Internet 34 4.4 Teachers’ attitudes towards the effectiveness of the Internet as a tool of teaching and learning 37 4.5 Discussion of the findings .40 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 44 5.1 Conclusion 42 5.2 Recommendations .44 5.2.1 Recommendations for teachers 44 5.2.2 Recommendations for students 51 5.2.3 Recommendations for HUI .51 5.2.4 Recommendations for further research .51 5.3 Summary 52 BIBLIOGRAPHY 53 APPENDIX 1: Questionnaire for Students (English version) .58 APPENDIX 2: Questionnaire for Students (Vietnamese version) .63 APPENDIX 3: Interview checklist .68 APPENDIX 4: Useful Links and Resources 71 61 12 Do you agree with the following statements? Please tick one that applies for each statement Strongly agree I am motivated to learn English by the use of the Internet Internet helps me homework, assignments, and projects better I can improve my English skills through the use of the Internet I can improve my communication skills by emailing or chatting with native speakers of English online Internet resources can replace textbooks I trust every kind of information on Web I would be eager to study in an Internet-assisted English language teaching class if it is available Agree Disagree Strongly No disagree ideas 62 13 What are your problems of using the Internet for English learning? (Please tick any that applies) Time-consuming Fee for online services Low speed/ narrow bandwidth Filtration of relevant information Limited English vocabulary Limited computer facilities Limited computer skills Others (please specify)……… ………… 14 What are your suggestions for improving the use of the Internet as a tool of learning English? Thank you very much for your cooperation! 63 APPENDIX 2: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS (Vietnamese version) PHIẾU THĂM DÒ Ý KIẾN Mã số:…… Thân chào bạn sinh viên, Bảng câu hỏi nhằm thu nhập liệu cho đề tài nghiên cứu khoa học “Sử dụng Internet việc dạy học tiếng Anh” Rất mong bạn bớt chút thời gian, vui lòng đọc kỹ câu hỏi đánh dấu vào thích hợp với lựa chọn Những câu trả lời bạn quan trọng thành công đề tài Tôi sử dụng thơng tin vào mục đích nghiên cứu khơng dùng vào mục đích khác.Xin chân thành cảm ơn bạn Phần I: THÔNG TIN CÁ NHÂN Tên:……………………… Giới tính: Sinh năm:…… Nam Nữ Bạn học chuyên ngành: Công nghệ thông tin Quản trị kinh doanh Tài ngân hàng Ngành khác Chỗ tại: Tại nhà thuê nhà / phòng trọ Ở nhà người thân Ký túc xá Khác:……… Phần II: KINH NGHIỆM SỬ DỤNG INTERNET NÓI CHUNG Bạn biết sử dụng Internet từ nào? từ tiểu học (cấp 1) từ trung học sở (cấp 2) từ trung học phổ thông (cấp 3) lúc vào đại học 64 Bạn sử dụng phương tiện để truy cập Internet? (Có thể chọn MỘT hay NHIỀU câu trả lời với bạn) Máy vi tính để bàn Máy tính xách tay (Laptop) Điện thoại di động Phương tiện khác(Xin ghi rõ……) Bạn thường truy cập Internet đâu? (Có thể chọn MỘT hay NHIỀU câu trả lời với bạn ) Tại nhà Tại thư viện trường Ở quán cà phê / nhà hàng nơi có kết nối Wifi Ở cửa hàng cho thuê dịch vụ Internet Nơi khác (xin ghi rõ):………………… Bạn sử dụng Internet tiếng ngày? Dưới tiếng – tiếng – tiếng tiếng trở lên Mục đích sử dụng Internet bạn gì? Và mục đích quan trọng nhất? (Hãy đánh số 1, 2, 3…theo thứ tự quan trọng giảm dần, = mục đích quan trọng nhất) Cập nhật thơng tin nói chung (đọc báo, tin tức trực tuyến,…) Học tập (tìm tài liệu làm tập nhà, làm báo cáo, dự án…) Giải trí (nghe nhạc, chơi game, xem phim…) Giao tiếp (E-mail, chat, Blog, mạng xã hội Facebook, Myspace) Mục đích khác (xin ghi rõ)………………… 65 Phần III: SỬ DỤNG INTERNET TRONG VIỆC HỌC TIẾNG ANH 10 Bạn có thường làm việc sau sử dụng Internet hay không? Đọc báo / tin tức online viết tiếng Anh Luyện nghe tiếng Anh online (nghe nhạc, tin tức, xem phim tiếng Anh, …) Giao tiếp tiếng Anh với người xứ, người nước Tham gia mạng xã hội viết nhật ký, Blog,Facebook,Myspace, tiếng Anh Luyện thi tiếng Anh online (IELTS,TOEFL, ) Tìm kiếm phần mềm hay trang Web chuyên học tiếng Anh Tham gia diễn đàn (forum) thảo luận việc học tiếng Anh Tra từ điển trực tuyến Luôn Thường Thỉnh Hiếm Chưa xuyên thoảng 66 11 Theo bạn, Internet giúp bạn nâng cao kỹ sau học tiếng Anh? (Có thể chọn MỘT hây NHIỀU câu trả lời) Nghe Nói Đọc Viết Ngữ pháp Từ vựng Kỹ khác (Xin ghi rõ):…………………… 12 Hãy cho biết ý kiến bạn câu nhận định sau đây: Rất đồng ý Internet tạo động lực cho học tiếng Anh Internet giúp làm tập nhà, luận, dự án tốt Internet giúp cải thiện kỹ tiếng Anh Internet giúp cải thiện kỹ giao tiếp nhờ e-mail hay chat với người xứ Nguồn tài liệu Internet thay sách giáo khoa Tôi tin tưởng vào tất thông tin mạng Tôi háo hức tham gia vào lớp học tiếng Anh có hỗ trợ Internet Đồng ý Phản đối Rất Không phản có ý đối kiến 67 13 Những vấn đề sau bạn thường gặp sử dụng Internet để học tiếng Anh? (Có thể chọn MỘT hây NHIỀU câu trả lời) Tốn nhiều thời gian phải trả phí cho dịch vụ online Tốc độ đường truyền Internet khó khăn việc chọn lọc thơng tin phù hợp Vốn từ vựng tiếng Anh có giới hạn trang thiết bị kết nối (máy tính, internet) có giới hạn Kỹ sử dụng máy vi tính có giới hạn Vấn đề khác (xin ghi rõ):………………………………………… 14 Xin cho biết ý kiến đóng góp khác bạn nhằm nâng cao kỹ sử dụng Internet vào việc học tiếng Anh? Xin chân thành cảm ơn đóng góp bạn! 68 APPENDIX 3: INTERVIEW CHECKLIST Teacher’s name: …………………………… Gender:  Male Age:  under 30 Teaching experience:  under years Degree:  BA  Female  30-40 years 5-10 years  MA GUIDED QUESTIONS I Internet Experience and Practice 1.1 How long have you used the Internet? under years – years Over years 1.2 How did you learn about computers and the Internet? self-educated from family / friends / colleagues from university training courses Others …………………………………… 1.3 How you make use of the Internet for your teaching? search for lesson plan search for testing materials search for EFL/ESL websites or forums communicate with colleagues/students receive students’ homework / assignments / projects Others: ………………………………………………… 1.4 What are challenges /difficulties you face when using the Internet as a teaching tool? ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………  over 40 over 10 year  PhD NOTES 69 II Teachers’ attitudes towards the use of the Internet as a tool of teaching and learning 2.1 Is the Internet an indispensable tool to your teaching? Why/Why not? Yes No Why (Why not) ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… 2.2 Do you think Internet is useful to your student to learn English? Why? Do you encourage your students to use the Internet as a learning tool? How? / Why not? Yes No How (Why not) ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… 2.3 Could you evaluate your students’ homework, assignments, projects which information searched from the Internet resources? Please explain Very good Fairly good Not very good Bad Very bad Explain: ……………………………………… 2.4 Do you think it is possible to integrate the Internet into English language course at present? Why/ Why not? Yes No Why (Why not) ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… 70 OPEN QUESTIONS III Spontaneous questions following the teachers’ areas of interest ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… COMMENT 71 APPENDIX 4: Useful Links and Resources [Source: http://www.englishwithjennifer.com/teacher_useful_links.html] About.com: English as a 2nd Language http://esl.about.com/ Kenneth Beare’s provides explanations and interactive quizzes for learners There is material for all levels on many different topics, from general grammar to Business English The site could certainly be a recommended resource for your students Also, take a look at his suggested lesson plans and creative grammar chants Activities for ESL Students http://a4esl.org/ Very large collection of exercises at all levels for grammar and vocabulary There are bilingual quizzes, too This collection has contributions from many different teachers The Daily English Show http://www.youtube.com/user/thedailyenglishshow Probably the largest collection of videos made by a single English language teacher! Sarah Lilburn is from New Zealand and was one of the first to start making instructional videos on YouTube to help viewers learn English Although the videos target the independent learner, the collection is so extensive that there are certainly possibilities to make use of the material as supplement for classroom instruction English Pronunciation Made Simple Dale and Poms A pronunciation textbook with CDs Easy to follow because it’s well organized This was the first printed material I worked with as a teacher in the pronunciation classroom EnglishCafe http://www.englishcafe.com/ A very supportive and welcoming online community for English language learners and teachers You can recommend this site to students as a form of support outside the classroom You can use this site to connect with other teachers Some groups within EC are for teachers only and serve as 72 professional support Try your hand at materials writing and contribute content to the community, from interactive quizzes and lessons to blog postings with multimedia You can also use EC as the platform for teaching online lessons I choose to collaborate with EC because of their professionalism and continual effort to improve the site as a resource for students and teachers EnglishMeeting / EnglishMeeting on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/EnglishMeeting Dave Sconda’s YouTube channel has a similar aim as mine: to provide quality instruction for independent learners His videos can also be used to supplement classroom instruction Visit his site for more useful links EnglishRyan / EnglishRyan on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/EnglishRyan An experienced teacher originally from Canada, Ryan teaches abroad and posts videos on YouTube to teach academic writing skills Although he focuses on the IELTS, his lessons would prove useful to upper levels students simply wishing to improve their essay writing skills EnglishwithStacy http://www.youtube.com/user/EnglishwithStacy A welcomed addition to YouTube’s growing ESL/ EFL crowd Stacy Hagen is a reputable author who is sharing her instruction and talent with ELLs online Watching her videos can help teachers prepare for their own lessons on the same topics The videos could also nicely supplement a lesson you teach ESLnotes.com http://www.eslnotes.com/ The English Learner Movie Guides Raymond Weschler has compiled a list of films her recommends for English language instruction His notes are helpful in choosing a film or recalling what a film is about Each guide is a time-saver for classroom teachers and includes a plot summary, list of characters, and teaching notes (e.g discussion questions) ESLVideo.com http://www.eslvideo.com/ Video-based quizzes for ELLs that make us of authentic commercials, music vids, and more Recommend the site for independent study or use existing 73 quizzes (beginner to high-intermediate) that tie in to your lesson plan Take it a step further and create your own quizzes The site allows you to build your own quizzes and share them with your students Even cooler – you can see your students results on your teacher’s account Guide to Grammar & Writing http://www.eslvideo.com/ A non-profit site with great information for teachers and plenty of material you could recommend to students How to Teach English Harmer, Jeremy Solid and practical information for beginner teachers Even experienced teachers would enjoy and benefit from Harmer’s discussion of English language teaching He also has a blog that’s worth visiting (See the link in my own blogroll.) Look, Think & Write: Using pictures to stimulate thinking and improve your writing Leavitt and Sohn A useful paperback book that can inspire you when you teach writing skills My copy is from 1996 Principles of Language Learning and Teaching Brown, H Douglas Much essential information packed into this book I recommend it for any teacher who needs to bulk up on theory Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab http://www.esl-lab.com/index.htm A large collection of listening quizzes for general and academic study at all levels The quizzes come with transcripts Real English / Real English on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/realenglish1 Mike Marzio is the founder of this project, and it’s an interesting, unique, and valuable resource to use both in and out of the classroom The range of speakers will expose students to varieties of English The intelligent editing makes the authentic speech comprehensible to learners Quizzes on the actual Real English site are categorized by grammar level 74 A Student’s Grammar of the English Language Greenbaum and Quirk An oldie but goodie I love the copy a colleague passed on to me I use often use it to solve tricky grammar questions At times there’s probably more information than students actually need to know, but it helps sort everything in a teacher’s mind Super Simple Songs / Super Simple Songs on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/SuperSimpleSongs Absolutely wonderful material for young English language learners and children in general I’ve shared these super songs with my own children, and they love them We know that adults can learn through music, too, so why not share some of the videos with adult learners? Learning the days of the week or numbers can be more memorable and enjoyable through a song Devon, the creative master behind the music, also offers teaching tips on his site Tefclips.com http://www.teflclips.com/ Jamie Keddie offers lesson plans and useful teaching ideas for classroom use of YouTube clips Very creative! TEFLVideos.com http://www.teflvideos.com/ A well-made collection of videos that offers practical advice on teaching EFL in the classroom The Idiom Connection http://www.idiomconnection.com/ A resource with explanations and interactive quizzes on idioms I prefer to list this as a teacher’s resource rather than one for students As the teacher, you can select which ones and how many to present within the framework of a single lesson The Week: The Best of the U.S and International Media My favorite magazine for teaching and personal use 75 The World Clock http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html When I began to teach private lessons online, I quickly learned about the necessity of using a time zone converter Always double check the time difference! USA Learns http://usalearns.org/ Funded by the U.S Dept of Education Amazing resource for beginners and intermediate students studying independently, but there’s also potential for this site to supplement classroom instruction Videos and readings could be worked into your lesson plans, and the quizzes could be done in a school lab as homework