A study on the use of mobile language learning applications adopted by second year english majors at vietnam national university of agriculture

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES BA THESIS A STUDY ON THE USE OF MOBILE LANGUAGE LEARNING APPLICATIONS ADOPTED BY SECONDYEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG CÁC ỨNG DỤNG HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ TRÊN THIẾT BỊ DI ĐỘNG CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ HAI NGÀNH NGÔN NGỮ ANH TẠI HỌC VIỆN NÔNG NGHIỆP VIỆT NAM Student : LE THI AN Student code : 621212 Major : ENGLISH Supervisor : NGUYEN THI HOAI, M.A Hanoi – 2021 VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES BA THESIS A STUDY ON THE USE OF MOBILE LANGUAGE LEARNING APPLICATIONS ADOPTED BY SECONDYEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG CÁC ỨNG DỤNG HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ TRÊN THIẾT BỊ DI ĐỘNG CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ HAI NGÀNH NGÔN NGỮ ANH TẠI HỌC VIỆN NÔNG NGHIỆP VIỆT NAM Student : LE THI AN Student code : 621212 Major : ENGLISH Supervisor : NGUYEN THI HOAI, M.A Hanoi – 2021 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT In order to complete the graduation thesis with the topic " A study on the use of mobile language learning applications adopted by second – year English majors at Vietnam National University of Agriculture ”, besides my own constant efforts, I have received a lot of attention and support from teachers, family and friends I would like to express my sincerest thanks to the teachers in the Faculty of Education and Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University of Agriculture In particular, I would like to express my sincerest and deepest thanks to M.A Nguyen Thi Hoai for her enthusiastic guidance and support during the process of completing my graduation thesis I would like to thank my family and friends who always encouraged and helped me when I faced some difficulties During the process of doing my graduation thesis, I feel that I have learned and experienced many useful things From there, let me learn and draw experience for my future working process My thesis will not be able to avoid limitations and shortcomings I look forward to receiving comments and suggestions from teachers and classmates to help improve the thesis i CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled A study on the use of mobile language learning applications adopted by second – year English majors at Vietnam National University of Agriculture submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor in English Language Except where the reference is indicated, no other person‟s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis Hanoi, 2021 Le Thi An Approved by SUPERVISOR (Signature and full name) Date:…………………… ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii ABSTRACT v LIST OF ABBREVIATION vi LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vii Part I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY 1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTION 1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 1.6 DESIGN OF THE STUDY Part II: DEVELOPMENT Chapter I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 THE CONCEPT OF MOBILE LEARNING 1.2 LEARNING THEORIES IN RELATION TO MOBILE LEARNING 1.3 FEATURES OF MOBILE LANGUAGE LEARNING 10 1.4 PREVIOUS STUDIES 12 1.5 SUMMARY 13 Chapter II: METHODOLOGY 14 2.1 RESEARCH GOVERNING ORIENTATION 14 2.2 RESEARCH METHODS 14 2.2.1 Research context 14 2.2.2 Data collecting procedures 14 2.2.3 Description of the questionnaire 15 2.2.4 Description of the interview questions 16 iii 2.2.5 Data analysis 16 2.3 SUMMARY 18 Chapter III: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 19 3.1 RESEARCH QUESTION 1: TO WHAT EXTENT DO SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT VNUA USE FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING APPS? 19 3.1.1 General situation of using foreign language learning applications on mobile devices 19 3.1.2 The Frequency of using foreign language learning applications on mobile devices 20 3.2 RESEARCH QUESTION 2: TO WHAT EXTENT DO SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT VNUA USE DIFFERENT FEATURES OF MOBILE LANGUAGE LEARNING APPLICATIONS? 24 3.3 RESEARCH QUESTION : WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON REASONS WHY SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT VNUA USE MOBILE LANGUAGE LEARNING APPS? 26 3.4 RESEARCH QUESTION 4: WHAT ARE STUDENTS‟ SUGGESTIONS FOR EFFECTIVE USE OF MOBILE LANGUAGE LEARNING APPS? 28 3.5 DISCUSTION 29 3.6 SUMMARY 31 Part III: CONCLUSION 32 Recapitulation 32 Concluding remarks 32 Limitations of the study 32 Recommendations/ Suggestions for further study 33 REFERENCES 34 Appendix 37 Appendix 46 iv ABSTRACT This study investigate the student's usage of differnt apps., how often the apps is used, and what Suggestions are there for more effectiveness of mobile learning apps for English learning The survey consisted of closed-ended and open-ended questions and was analyzed using descriptive statistics In addition, the researcher conducts interviews so that the report is authentic and trustworthy This study investigates students' use of different apps, how often they use the apps, and what recommendations are there for making mobile English learning apps more effective The survey consisted of closed-ended and open-ended questions and was analyzed using descriptive statistics In addition, the researcher conducts the interviews so that the report is authentic and reliable The results show that the majority of students use Tflat and Oxford dictionary applications for the purpose of developing vocabulary knowledge Using a combination of multiple applications is more efficient than using only one In addition, a clear study plan is essential for students v LIST OF ABBREVIATION VNUA : Vietnam National University of Agriculture Apps : applications M : Mean SD : Standard deviation vi LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1.1: Participants‟ classes Table 1.2: Genders Table 1.3: English proficiency levels Table 3.1: Popular mobile language learning apps among the students 21 Table 3.2: Some less popular applications 23 Table 3.3: Features of mobile applications 25 Table 3.4: Reasons for using 27 Figure 1: The frequency of using foreign language learning apps on mobile devices 19 vii Part I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY We have entered the Technology 4.0 era With the widespread popularity of phones, computers, and mobile devices now in our pockets, connecting to various information sources and communicating with anyone at any time and from anywhere has become very easy For teachers, they can innovate their teaching methods so that students are interested in learning For students, they can adjust their learning methods to improve their English level Because of the mobility, availability, and flexibility of these devices, students can study at any time and from any location, even if they not have access to computers or study materials As a result, a more personalized and learner-centered experience is possible Mobile devices give users control over content and pace, which makes them appealing to people who want to take control of their own learning by setting goals and taking the initiative to plan learning activities Furthermore, mobile devices can strengthen user connections, create favorable conditions for everyone to exchange and learn from each other‟s knowledge and experience A mobile application is a piece of software designed to run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets They transform them into minienvironments for study, entertainment, shopping, etc Foreign language learning apps entail learning, cultivating, and practicing languages A large number of learning applications are designed and developed as a result of the need to integrate into the community According to Jolin (2017), the Apple App Store alone contains more than 350 language-related apps, including TFLAT, DUOLINGO, MEMRISE, OXFORD DICTIONARY, etc Most lecturers at Vietnam National University of Agriculture have directed their students to use technology to learn English to make their learning easier and to save time Also, due to the current complicated situation of the Covid-19 epidemic, students have to study online at home, so the use of limitations of this data collection tool as simplicity and superficiality have been widely acknowledged Limitations when completing research are unavoidable However, the researcher did her best to minimize those shortcomings and produce useful findings Recommendations/ Suggestions for further study In fact, students know the correct and effective learning methods mainly through the guidance of teachers during class hours In the process of teaching the content of different knowledge and skills, lecturers also need to pay attention to introducing mobile language learning apps, providing and suggesting to students learning methods or techniques as well as some principles corresponding to the content to be learned, from which students can get the best out of mobile language learning For students, it is necessary to plan specific studies, maintain motivation to study every day to get good results Also, don't overdo it on mobile apps That makes the self-learning process passive Future studies can investigate the effectiveness of different applications for students' language learning as well as some disadvantages of learning with mobile language apps 33 REFERENCES Cakir, I (2015) Opinions and Attitudes of Prospective Teachers for the Use of Mobile Phones in Foreign Language Learning Online Submission, 6(3), 239-255 Chang, C C., Yan, C F., & Tseng, J S (2012) Perceived convenience in an extended technology acceptance model: Mobile technology and English learning for college students Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 28(5) Chinnery, G M (2006) Going to the MALL: Mobile assisted language learning Language learning & technology, 10(1), 9-16 Ching-Kun Hsu, Gwo-Jen Hwang, Chih-Kai Chang (2013) A personalized recommendation-based mobile learning approach to improving the reading performance of EFL students Computers & Education, 63(1), 327-336 El Hariry, N A 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An actornetwork theory critique of „affordances‟ in research on mobile learning Research in Learning Technology, 19(3) 36 Appendix SURVEY ABOUT THE USE OF MOBILE LANGUAGE LEARNING APPLICATIONS ADOPTED BY SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE I am Le Thi An, from Class K62ENGA I am conducting a study on the use of mobile language learning applications adopted by second-year English majors at Vietnam National University of Agriculture This study investigates the situation of using mobile applications for learning English by second-year English majors at VNUA Results of this study would be used to propose some measures for more effective use of foreign language learning applications among English majors at VNUA Your responses are appreciated and are of much importance to my study‟s results Therefore, I hope that your responses best reflect your practice of using mobile language learning apps The survey only takes - 10 minutes to complete, thank you for your time! All of your information will be kept confidential Definition of foreign language learning application on mobile devices: In our study, a foreign language learning application on mobile devices is understood as a language learning application downloaded to your mobile phone Part 1: Biography information Q1: Full name: _ Q2: Class: K64ENGA Q3: Gender: Q4: Age: 20 K64ENGB Male K64ENGC Female 21 22 K64ENGD K64ENGE Other 23 more than 23 Q5: How many years have you been learning English: 1-5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years More than 15 years Q6: What is your English proficiency level? A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 37 Part 2: Q7 How often are you using mobile language learning apps? A Never B Rarely, every now and then C At least once a month D At least once a week E At least once a day Q8 How often you use mobile language learning apps? (choose multiple answers) Applications Never 1-2 time/ week 3-5 time/ week 6-7 times/ week 8-10 time/ week >10 time/ week 1.Tflat 2.Memrise 3.Duolingo 4.Oxford dictionary 5.Quizlet 6.Cake 7.Busuu 8.Mochimochi 9.Elsa Speak 10.Other apps (please call the name) …………… 38 Q9: When you use mobile language learning apps, to what extent you use different features of mobile language learning applications? (You can choose multiple answers) Features Never (0%) Sometimes ( 20-40%) Often (~50%) Usually (60-90%) Always (100%) Listening to the audio Doing exercises grammar Reading texts Vocabulary flashcards Dictionary Pronunciation exercises Answering tests Translation Writing 10 Watching videos 11 Speaking by recording own voice 12 Playing games 13.Communicating with other users through audio/video or written chat 14 Other features 39 10 Why you use mobile language learning apps? (You can choose multiple answers) a) To develop vocabulary knowledge b) develop speaking skill c) To develop listening skill d) To develop writing skill e) To develop reading skill f) To develop pronunciation g) To use the target language in professional life h) To learn grammar rules i) To prepare for a foreign language exam j) To use the language abroad k) For academic studies Thank you for completing this survey! Last, we may invite you to participate in an interview later, so we would like you to provide us with your phone number All of the answers from this questionnaire and the interview will be used for the study purpose only Your name will not be used in any reports Phone number: 40 Vietnamese questionnaire BẢN KHẢO SÁT VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG ỨNG DỤNG HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM HAI NGÀNH NGÔN NGỮ ANH TẠI HỌC VIỆN NÔNG NGHIỆP VIỆT NAM Mình Lê Thị An, sinh viên lớp K62ENGA Mình thực nghiên cứu việc sử dụng ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ thiết bị di động sinh viên năm thứ ngành Ngôn ngữ Anh Học viện Nông nghiệp Việt Nam Khảo sát mục đích để tìm hiểu thực trạng vủa việc sử dụng ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ thiết bị di động bạn Kết nghiên cứu dùng để đề xuất số biện pháp sử dụng hiệu việc sử dụng ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ thiết bị di động sinh viên năm thứ hai ngành Ngôn ngữ Anh VNUA Phản hồi bạn đánh giá cao có tầm quan trọng nghiên cứu Do đó, hi vọng câu trả lời bạn phản ánh việcsử dụng ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ thiết bị di động bạn Khảo sát khoảng 7-10 phút để hoàn thiện Cảm ơn bạn dành thời gian! Tất thông tin mà bạn cung cấp sử dụng cho mục đích nghiên cứu Định nghĩa Ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ thiết bị di động : Trong nghiên cứu tôi, ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ thiết bị di động ứng dụng ngoại ngữ tải điện thoại di động bạn Phần 1: Thông tin cá nhân Họ tên : Lớp : K64ENGA K64ENGB K64ENGC K64ENGD K64ENGE Giới tính : Nam Tuổi : 20 21 Nữ 22 Khác 23 5.Bạn học tiếng Anh rồi: Trên 23 1-5 năm 6-10 năm 11-15 năm Trên 15 năm Trình độ tiếng Anh bạn ? A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 41 Phần 2: Tần suất sử dụng ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ thiết bị di động bạn nào? Khoanh trịn vào phương án phù hợp a) Khơng b) Hiếm khi, c) Ít lần tháng d) Ít lần tuần e) Ít lần ngày Tần suất bạn sử dụng ứng dụng ngoại ngữ ? ( chọn nhiều lựa chọn – Vui lịng đánh dấu X vào ô trống tương ứng tần suất ứng dụng ngoại ngữ Applications Never 1-2 3-5 6-7 8-10 >10 times/we times/we times/we times/we times/we ek ek ek ek ek Tflat Memrise Duolingo Oxford dictionary Quizlet Cake Busuu Mochimoc hi Elsa Speak 10 Ứng dụng khác (vui lòng viết rõ tên ứng dụng) 42 Khi bạn sử dụng ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ, mức độ sử dụng tính bạn mức nào? Tính Never Sometimes Often Usually Always (~0%) ( ~20- (~50%) (~60-90%) (~100%) 40%) Nghe audio tiếng Anh Làm tập ngữ pháp Đọc văn (bài đọc ngắn, truyện, báo…) Thẻ từ vựng (Flashcards, wordcards) Từ điển Các luyện Phát âm 43 Trả lời kiểm tra Dịch Viết 10 Xem video 11 Thực hành kỹ nói cách thu âm giọng nói 12 Chơi trị chơi ngơn ngữ 13 Giao tiếp với người dùng khác thông qua gõ tin nhắn, gửi audio video tiếng Anh 14 Tính khác (vui lịng viết rõ tính nào) 44 10.Tại bạn sử dụng ứng dụng để học ngoại ngữ thiết bị di động? ( chọn nhiều lựa chọn – Khoanh tròn vào phương án phù hợp) a) Tăng vốn từ vụng b) Phát triển kỹ nói c) Phát triển kỹ nghe d) Phát triển kỹ đọc e) Phát triển kỹ viết f) Cải thiện phát âm g) Để sử dụng tiếng Anh công việc h) Để học quy tắc ngữ pháp i) Để chuẩn bị cho kiểm tra ngoại ngữ j) Sử dụng ngoại ngữ nước k) Vì mục đích học thuật(đọc luận, viết báo,…) Cuối cùng, chúng tơi mời bạn tham gia vấn sau đó, chúng tơi muốn bạn cung cấp cho số điện thoại bạn Tất câu trả lời từ bảng câu hỏi vấn sử dụng cho mục đích nghiên cứu Tên bạn không sử dụng báo cáo Số điện thoại: _ Cảm ơn bạn hoàn thành khảo sát ! 45 Appendix Interview questions: Through the questionnaire, I see that you use Oxford Dictionary, Google Translate, Tflat, Memrise very often, so what you think are the advantages and disadvantages (if any) of this application? Why? With the disadvantages of the application you mentioned above, you have any suggestions to overcome them? In your survey, I see you use the dictionary lookup feature, watch the video, listen to audio, look up phonetics, and translate very often, so you can have an idea why you use this feature more without using many other features? Based on your experience with the above features, (watching videos, language games, looking up the dictionary), you have any tips for making the learning experience more effective for learners? According to the results of the survey, I think you want to use the application to learn more awkward words, improve your listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, use it in academia, to prepare for the test, so according to you, Is the app you're using effectively for that purpose? Why? From your experience with your language learning apps, what suggestions can you make for those of you with the same goals as you to improve your learning with the use of language learning apps? Do you have any experience using foreign language learning apps effectively? What specifically? How to not become too dependent on apps? Would you like to add any ideas to the questions above? 46 Vietnamese interview questions Qua bảng hỏi, thấy bạn hay sử dụng Oxford Dictionary, Google Translate, Tflat, Memrise, bạn thấy ýu nhýợc ðiểm (nếu có) ứng dụng gì? Tại sao? Với nhýợc ðiểm ứng dụng nêu trên, bạn có ðề xuất ðể khắc phục không? Trong khảo sát bạn, tơi thấy bạn hay sử dụng tính nãng tra từ ðiển, xem video, nghe âm thanh, tra ngữ âm dịch thuật, bạn có cho biết bạn lại sử dụng tính nãng nhiều hõn mà khơng cần sử dụng nhiều tính nãng khác? Dựa kinh nghiệm bạn với tính nãng trên, (xem video, trị chõi ngơn ngữ, tra từ ðiển), bạn có mẹo ðể làm cho trải nghiệm học tập hiệu hõn cho ngýời học không? Theo kết khảo sát, nghĩ bạn muốn sử dụng ứng dụng ðể học thêm từ vựng, cải thiện kỹ nãng nghe, nói, ðọc viết, sử dụng học thuật, ðể chuẩn bị cho kiểm tra, theo bạn ứng dụng bạn ðang sử dụng có hiệu cho mục ðích ðó khơng? Tại sao? Từ trải nghiệm bạn với ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ, bạn ðýa ðề xuất cho ngýời có mục tiêu với bạn ðể cải thiện việc học cách sử dụng ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ? Bạn có kinh nghiệm sử dụng ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ hiệu quả? Cụ thể gì? Làm ðể không phụ thuộc vào ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ thiết bị di ðộng? Bạn có muốn thêm ý týởng cho câu hỏi không? 47