A survey on the use of smartphone in learning english speaking skills of english majors at the vietnam national university of agriculture

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES BA THESIS A SURVEY ON THE USE OF SMARTPHONE IN LEARNING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS OF ENGLISH MAJORS AT THE VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE KHẢO SÁT VIỆC SỬ DỤNG ĐIỆN THOẠI THÔNG MINH TRONG VIỆC HỌC KỸ NĂNG NĨI TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN CHUN NGÀNH NGƠN NGỮ ANH TẠI HỌC VIỆN NÔNG NGHIỆP VIỆT NAM Student: VU THI MO Major: ENGLISH Supervisor: TRAN THANH PHUONG, MA Hanoi – 2021 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify that the work in this thesis has not previously been submitted for a degree nor has it been submitted as part of requirements for a degree except as fully acknowledged within the text I also certify that the thesis has been written by me Any help that I have received in my research work and the preparation of the thesis itself has been acknowledged In addition, I certify that all information sources and literature used are indicated in the thesis Hanoi, 2021 Vu Thi Mo Approved by SUPERVISOR (Signature and full name) Date:…………………… i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Throughout the process of writing this research paper, I have received a great deal of assistance, guidance, and encouragement from many teachers, friends, and family members First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Ms Tran Thanh Phuong, one of my supervisors, for her consistent and unwavering support throughout this study Next, I want to thank Ms Nguyen Thu Thuy for her helpful advice and ideas My heartfelt gratitude also goes to the other teachers in the Foreign Language Department for their lectures and instructions over the past four years, which have greatly aided me in completing this study Thank you to the 120 English majors from K63 who assisted me in completing the questionnaires and interviews Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who gave me advice and helped me find sources while I was writing this thesis Thank you very much Sincerely ii TABLE OF CONTENT CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii TABLE OF CONTENT iii TABLE OF CHARTS v ABSTRACT vi PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale for the study 1.2 Aims and objectives of the study 1.2.1 Aims of the study 1.2.2 Objectives of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Design of the study PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITURATURE REVIEW 1.1 Review of the previous studies (at home & abroad) 1.1.1 Related to the previous studies (At home) 1.1.2 Related to the previous studies (Abroad) 1.2 Review of theoretical background (depends on what the study is about) 1.2.1 What is speaking skills? .6 1.2.2 The importance of speaking skills 1.2.3 Types of speaking skills 1.2.4 Characteristics of speaking 10 1.2.5 Smartphones in learning English speaking skills 11 iii CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY 13 2.1 Research methodology 13 2.2 Research setting/context 13 2.3 Data collecting procedures 13 2.4 The data analysis 14 CHAPTER III FINDING AND DISCUSSION 15 3.1 Smartphones and activities aimed to learn english speaking skills 15 3.2 Summary 22 3.3 Suggest some effective methods of learning english speaking skills through smartphone 23 3.3.1 Learn English speaking skills through Youtube 23 3.3.2 Learn English speaking skills through websites 25 3.3.3 Learning English speaking skills through applications 26 3.3.4 Leaning English speaking skills through social networks 27 PART III: CONCLUSION 28 Recapitulation 28 Limitation of the current research 29 Recommendations/implications/suggestions for further research 29 REFERENCES 31 SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE 32 iv TABLE OF CHARTS Chart 1: Using smartphones in students' English speaking skills learning 15 Chart 2: Students' time using smartphones to study English every day 16 Chart 3: Methods of using smartphones to learn English speaking skills 17 Chart 4: Apps/websites to learn english speaking skills on smartphones 18 Chart 5: Effective methods when using smartphones for learning English speaking skills? 19 Chart 6: Advantages of learning English on smartphone 20 Chart 7: The effect of using smartphones to learn English speaking skills 21 v ABSTRACT It is a fact that speaking is a necessary skill in any language However, in practice, learning English speaking skills are still far from satisfactory The research focuses on the use of smartphones by English majors at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture to improve their English speaking skills The thesis is divided into three sections: the introduction, the development, and the conclusion The introduction explains the rationale for the study and establishes the study's goals, scope, and methods The development - which is considered the most important part of the study - consists of three chapters with distinct functions The first chapter covers all of the theoretical groundwork for speaking skills The second chapter investigates the current learning English speaking to the English majored students at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture This chapter also deals with the research methodology which includes participants, the settings of the study, the data collection methods, the data analysis Chapter is the findings and discussions Chapter also provides some possible suggestions for improving English speaking learning for English majors at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture Part three, the conclusion, summarizes the issues discussed and suggests some key points for future research vi PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY Language enables us to interact with people The importance of the English language cannot be ignored, due to its role in social, political-economic, and environmental development English language functions as a vehicle of interaction and an instrument of communication According to Muhammad, Sani Ya’u, Aliya, Hassan (2018) English is the lingua franca for most parts of the world The need to communicate effectively in the modern world is inarguable and in this context, the demand for learning English as an international language among the non-native speakers of English is growing daily (Richards, 2006 as quoted in Rahman, Singh, & Pandian, 2018) English is considered an international language, the need for mastery and use is greater and greater Understanding its importance, Vietnam - a country in the stage of development, opening the door to the outside world, since then learning and using English is more and more necessary than ever, especially speaking skills English is the most commonly used common language for communication Specially, speaking skills are important for career success, it can be said that nowadays, when applying for a job, good English is an important factor in getting a good job In interviews, we must use our speaking skills fluently; the better our speaking skills, the better the results Speaking skills can enhance one’s personal life and thereby bring about the well-rounded growth that we should all seek Smartphones are now not only used for the basic purpose of communication but also as an effective learning tool as they have all the features of computers inbuilt in them This study explores students’ perspective about learning English via smartphone at the university level as perception reflect people’s attitude and acceptability towards something and affects their decisions too Smartphones are very effective tools for students to learn English speaking skills because they have many features that can help us improve this skill We will achieve high learning efficiency if we know how to use smartphones to learn English speaking skills Studies are already conducted to investigate smartphone features for learning English speaking skills of English majors at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture 1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 1.2.1 Aims of the study When writing this research paper, I set a primary goal of assisting students understand the current state of students' learning English speaking skills through the use of smartphones, thereby introducing students to some effective methods of learning English speaking skills through smartphones 1.2.2 Objectives of the study I have divided my study into main objectives: The first one was investigating the impact of smartphones in learning English speaking skills of English majors at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture I conducted a survey to better understand the status of students' English speaking skills and how they use their smartphones to learn this skill in order to determine the impact of smartphones on their English speaking skills And the second one was suggesting English majors at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture how to use smartphones to learn English effectively Following the completion of the survey data analysis I would like to offer tips on how to effectively learn English speaking skills on smartphones 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS Two research questions were posed base on the study's purpose: What were the impact of smartphones in learning English speaking skills of English majors at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture What were suggestions for the effective use of smartphone to learn English speaking skills of English majors at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture? In turn, the research paper's content would provide answers to the research questions 1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY The study was about a survey on the use of smartphone in learning English speaking skills of English majors at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture The study was focus on English speaking skills The scope of the study included 120 English majors (Random 120 students of K63 at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, 25 students from K63ENGA, 25 students from K63ENGB, 25 students from K63ENGC, 20 students from K63ENGD and 25 students from K63ENGE) The study began on 01/03/2021 and finished on 30/06/2021 1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Research was carried out to help English majors at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture know how to use smartphones to improve speaking skills Perhaps students did not know how to use smartphones to improve their English speaking skills previously This research was carried out in order for all students to be aware of this method and to be able to apply it to the learning process 1.6 DESIGN OF THE STUDY Except for the acknowledgement, abstract, references, and appendices, this research was conducted in three main parts: the introduction, the development and the discussion Part 1: INTRODUCTION: It explains why this thesis' topic was chosen, as well as the study's aims, scope, methods, research questions, and design Part 2: DEVELOPMENT: which consists of three chapters: Chapter 1: Literature Review - presents the theoretical background related to the definition of listening, the importance of listening skills and types of listening Chapter 2: Methodology – gives the research methods, research setting/ context, data collection, and data analysis Chapter 3: Findings and Discussion - presents the survey's complete results as well as a detailed analysis of the data collected many sources of reference materials that must still be paid to view or that they would have to pay for online classes, according to 57.9% of those polled Finally, using smartphones to learn English speaking skills you could study and have fun at the same time accounted for 51,2% of the total In conclusion, the advantages of learning English through smartphones were enormous Not to mention the convenience of being able to use it at any time and from any location; additionally, you saved a lot of money on textbooks and materials The internet had a wealth of resources that you could easily look up and view There were also programs that were both educational and entertaining Chart 7: The effect of using smartphones to learn English speaking skills Looking at the chart, it was clear that more than half of the students (51.9 %) believed that using smartphones to learn English speaking skills was an effective method This method of learning was very effective for 33.2 % of students These two figures were quite large, indicating that the effectiveness of this learning method for students was undeniable It aided students in their studies of this subject 21 Furthermore, 12.6 % of students found this method to be quite effective This method was deemed ineffective by only 2.6 % of the remaining students As shown above, this method was a very effective learning method for students So, based on the results of the survey, I could recommend the best method for learning English speaking skills on smartphones, so that everyone could see the effectiveness of this method 3.2 SUMMARY The survey was responded by 120 English majors of K63 at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, which could partially useful to give some suggestions on using some techniques in studying English speaking skills In 2021, the entire world is living in the 4.0 era Smartphones have become essential items in our lives beyond the ability to contact people People's entertainment needs can also be met by smartphones People can use it anywhere because of its convenient design People spend a significant amount of time each day on their smartphones When we go out, we frequently see people with smartphones (be it walking while listening to music, watching phones while waiting for someone or waiting for the bus, using smartphones while sitting at restaurants, cafes, etc.) Furthermore, smartphones help us a lot with work, but for students like us, they also help us with learning, especially learning English In general, K63 students understood how to use smartphones to learn English and, in particular, English speaking skills Furthermore, students devoted a significant amount of time each day to improving their English speaking skills The majority of them ware already aware of and employ the methods I mentioned in the survey question They have demonstrated the methods that they believed were the most effective for learning English speaking skills on smartphones However, not all students were familiar with such techniques Most students, however, believed that learning English speaking skills through smartphones was an effective method 22 Finally, based on a survey on the use of smartphones to learn English speaking skills of K63 English majors at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture I discovered some of the most effective methods for learning English speaking skills via smartphone As I finished this research thesis, I would like to make some helpful suggestions to help students progress in learning English speaking skills, with the hope that this research would contribute effective techniques for learning English speaking skills As a result, this chapter serves as the foundation for me to identify the appropriate techniques for carrying out this research 3.3 SUGGEST SOME EFFECTIVE METHODS OF LEARNING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS THROUGH SMARTPHONE 3.3.1 Learn English speaking skills through Youtube As you know Youtube is the largest video sharing social network in the world There are many free English learning programs available on Youtube You can practice and improve your English speaking skills by subscribing to YouTube channels Here, I will introduce you to some YouTube channels where you can effectively learn English speaking skills Speak English With Mr Duncan Self-proclaimed English addict, Mr Duncan is passionate about the English language Through his YouTube channel – Speak English with Mr Duncan – he teaches English to the world for free, three days a week, life from his home in England You will get a lot out of his lessons; the videos are fun, easy to watch and focus more on practical language and how the language is spoken, rather than getting into the nitty-gritty of grammar His entertaining lessons cover a variety of topics throughout the week, from nature, slang, news, fashion, and even survival instinct BBC Learning English The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is a British institution – you will be hard-pressed to find a better place to learn British English Every day, a new 23 lesson is published on the BBC Learning English channel, each one designed to help you learn English effectively using a variety of different formats There’s also a super informative feature called BBC News Review, where reporters discuss topical subjects and stories and show you how to use the language from the latest news items in your everyday English The BBC Learning English website offers some fantastic resources for learners of all ages too, including children Jennifer ESL Jennifer is the kind of English teacher you wish you had; she’s patient, clear and very knowledgeable She teaches American English and regularly publishes lessons and resources grouped into easy-to-use, comprehensive playlists on her channel – Jennifer ESL Lessons cover all essential elements of language learning: listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and American culture You will also learn alongside her students, which gives lessons an intimate, class-feeling What marks them out as a cut above the rest is the fresh and simple presentation and the special focus on pronunciation There are no scripts and no actors, just real, natural English language speaking In common with many other language learning channels, there is interactivity as well Learn English with Misterduncan This is one of the most popular YouTube channels for English learning videos It is easy to see why Misterduncan is passionate about his topic He is excited about English and you can feel it in these well-made videos He uses humor a lot of the time to help you learn Misterduncan teaches English to the world for free and has had a channel on YouTube since 2006 There are many lessons on topics like the senses, slang, news, fashion and money They are easy to watch and are about how the language is spoken instead of grammar 24 3.3.2 Learn English speaking skills through websites Here are some websites to help you learn English speaking skills effectively: http://englishtopic.net/ This is one of the most straightforward websites for learning English for people of all levels Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing as well as a good source of Grammar and Vocabulary You can navigate easily through the websites and learn the updated lessons Furthermore, the website also offers online teachers You can contact directly to the teachers and ask for teaching the English lessons that you request, at any levels It also the good site for making friends of English around the world You can sign in and talk with other students at the same English level as you https://successwithielts.com/ How you website is an amazing idea to study IELTS for your test It is simple, and it is FREE, and once again, it is really simple This site has many sample writing tests, real speaking tests and up to date IELTS exam questions from all over the world This website will be extremely beneficial to you if you want to learn IELTS without having to pay for expensive tuition http://learnenglish.vn/ A super interactive English learning website It has 100 lessons of speaking topics for you to learn everyday English conversation to improve your speaking skills as well as to speak English fluently You can study all the lessons one by one There is an English conversation with audio in each lesson The Language Note is useful for you to understand the use of English in each conversation You should the exercise at the end of the lesson to check how much you understand it And you can also learn thousands of useful English phrases for daily conversation Learning English with phrases is now known as the best way to 25 improve your spoken English Check the website start to speak English fluently and effectively https://coeffee.com/login Coeffee is a welcoming and diverse language exchange community You can log in using one of the many available social accounts and then select your speaking companions When you log in, you will see online friends from many different countries on the homepage This is especially useful when we practice speaking English because we can learn many different intonations This website is very interesting because, in addition to speaking English with foreigners or exchanging languages, you can also play fun games and take tests to improve your vocabulary and pronunciation You can test your language skills against friends from all over the world 3.3.3 Learning English speaking skills through applications I would like to introduce some apps that you can install on your smartphone to help you improve your English speaking skills Elsa Speak This standard English transcription software allows you to practice English pronunciation through speech recognition and analysis, increasing real-world interaction with learners Sentences on a variety of topics can be practiced You first let the English pronunciation software ELSA read it, then click the microphone icon to record your voice The ELSA test will tell you what percentage of words you have pronounced correctly as a native speaker and your level Higher levels, such as stressing words, stressing sentences, and correctly pronouncing sounds, will be provided, and the exercises will become increasingly difficult BBC Learning English This is a free program for practicing English speaking This English speaking learning software gives users the opportunity to practice all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing Listening and speaking abilities, on the other hand, 26 are superior This is regarded as a high-quality standard and free English speaking practice software Because of its slow pace, BBC Learning English is ideal for beginners Because of its slow and easy-to-understand voice, BBC Learning English is ideal for beginners Hello English Hello English has received over 25 million downloads on Google Play to date This English speaking practice app provides 475 free lessons on basic English conversations, grammar, and vocabulary In addition, you can combine English learning with fun games Apps4Speaking This is English speaking practice software that allows you to have an interactive conversation with a video character in order to practice your English speaking skills even when you not have anyone to practice with The app combines the most advanced speech recognition technologies with video, allowing you to converse with the characters as if you were in a real conversation The constant feedback you get as you progress is what Step Up enjoys the most about this app Points will be awarded base on your performance at any time, just like in a video game 3.3.4 Leaning English speaking skills through social networks We must all have at least one social networking account One of the most appealing aspects of social networks is the ability to make friends with people from all over the world As a result, you can easily make friends with foreigners and chat with them on a daily basis, or you can join groups to practice speaking English with others Furthermore, on these social networking sites, you can follow the livestreams to learn English speaking skills, or you can follow the English speaking skill pages to learn English speaking skills together The most popular social networking used by young people today are: Facebook Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter… 27 PART III: CONCLUSION 1.RECAPITULATION The study was about a survey on the use of smartphone in learning English speaking skills of English majors at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture When writing this research paper, I set a primary goal of assisting students understand the current state of students' learning English speaking skills through the use of smartphones, thereby introducing students to some effective methods of learning English speaking skills through smartphones The study was carried out with the objectives of investigating the impact of smartphones in learning English speaking skills of English majors at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture and suggesting English majors at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture how to use smartphones to learn English effectively In this thesis, I examined a variety of documents in order to determine the most effective method of learning English speaking skills through smartphones Overview, the first chapter I have outlined domestic and foreign studies related to the topic of using smartphones to learn English speaking skills, particularly theories related to English speaking skills so that people can better understand this skill The methods used to research this topic were explained in Chapter Following that, a 7-question survey was used to assess students' English learning in general, English speaking skills in particular, and their use of smartphones to learn this skill This chapter also included an analysis of survey data The survey was conducted with 120 K63 English majors at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture to help complete the research, and I could provide the most useful suggestions to help you learn English speaking skills effectively Base on the survey results, I suggested in Chapter III how to use smartphones to effectively learn English speaking skills by introducing students to various methods of using smartphones After completing the research, I have a better understanding of the status of K63 English majors' learning English speaking skills at the Vietnam National 28 University of Agriculture Since then, I have given advice on how to improve your English speaking skills using smartphones The suggestions I have made are intended to assist students in learning and practicing English speaking skills LIMITATION OF THE CURRENT RESEARCH Although the study had many positive elements, such as data collection techniques such as interviews and student survey questionnaires, it was clear that the study had a lot of flaws due to time limitations, a lack of sources, the researcher's skill, and other unforeseen factors First and foremost, due to a lack of time and experience, the researcher was unable to use alternative approaches, such as classroom observation and interviewing teachers, to increase the data's reliability Second, due to the study's scope limitations, the researcher focused mainly on K63 students in English majors, which account for a small percentage of Vietnam National University of Agriculture students As a result, the study's findings could not be generalized Furthermore, the researcher was unable to cover all parts of the solutions In addition, due to limited time, I did this research in a short time, so the research was still sketchy and not detailed The time to collect and analyze data was short, so errors are inevitable However, due to time constraints, knowledge limitations, and experience limitations, errors in this paper are possible As a result, I would like to solicit feedback from my teachers and friends RECOMMENDATIONS/IMPLICATIONS/SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Because the scope of this study is still limited I hope that researchers will try to improve and broaden the scope of their research in future studies The studies will be carried out in greater depth In addition to speaking skills, researchers should 29 investigate other abilities in order to develop effective English learning methods that are accessible to all 30 REFERENCE Shahida, N., Memona, R., Tahir, R (2019) The Role of Smartphones in Learning English: A Study of Learners’ Perspectives Hong, L.T., (2009) A study on how to improve English speaking skills through extra- activities for the first year English non- major students in Hai Phong private university David, S., (2009) Developing speaking skills Collins, C., (2007) English for advanced learner 4th edition Morgan, E.F., & Bismark, M (2020) The impact of smartphones on student’s learning in Ghanaian universities, a case study on college of technology education, Kumasi Parupalli, S.R., (2019) The importance of speaking skills in English classrooms Huyen, L.T., (2019) How to improve English skill for the first year English majors in Hai Phong private university Thu, H.M., (2011) How to improve students’ English speaking skills Hang V.T., Top 16 effective English speaking practice websites at home https://toplist.vn/top-list/trang-web-luyen-noi-tieng-anh-hieu-qua-tai-nha20084.htm 10 Chelsea (2021) 11 of the best YouTube channels to help you learn English at home https://www.ef.com/wwen/blog/language/best-youtube-channels-to- learn-english-at-home/ 31 SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE A SURVEY ON THE USE OF SMARTPHONE IN LEARNING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS OF ENGLISH MAJORS AT THE VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE” This survey questionnaire is designed to collect the data for my MA thesis “A SURVEY ON THE USE OF SMARTPHONE IN LEARNING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS OF ENGLISH MAJORS AT THE VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE” Your answers will be highly appreciated All the information provided will be used for this study only, not for any other purposes Thanks for your cooperation! Put  in front of your answers Smartphones and activities aimed at learning Question 1: Do you use smartphone to learn English speaking skills? 󠇀 Very often 󠇀 Often 󠇀 Sometimes 󠇀 Rarely 󠇀 Never Question 2: How many hours a day you use smartphone to learn English speaking skills? 󠇀 Don’t use smartphone to learn 󠇀 Less than 30 minutes 󠇀 30 minutes – hour 󠇀 hour – 1,5 hours 󠇀 1,5 hours - hours 󠇀 More than hours Question 3: How you use your smartphone to learn English speaking skills? 󠇀 Use some apps/ websites to learn English speaking skills 32 󠇀 Learn English speaking skills through videos 󠇀 Practice exams or topics in the IELTS, TOEIC test… 󠇀 Chat with native speakers through online programs 󠇀 Use social network Others……………………………………………………………………… Question 4: What apps/ websites you often use to learn English speaking skills? 󠇀 󠇀 Tflat, Cambridge, oxford dictionary 󠇀 Duolingo 󠇀 ELSA Practice Speaking English 󠇀 Hello English: Learn English 󠇀 BBC Learning English 󠇀 Youtube 󠇀 Social network (Facebook Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter… ) 󠇀 https://www.talkenglish.com 󠇀 https://coeffee.com/login Others……………………………………………………………………… Question 5: In your opinion, what are some effective methods when using smartphones for learning English speaking skills? 󠇀 Use English applications 󠇀 Make friends with native English speakers 󠇀 Use the dictionary 󠇀 Take part in online English language course 󠇀 Learn from many resources freely available in Internet 󠇀 Learn from some programs (BBC, VOA, Anime, CNN, etc.) 󠇀 Watch movies, listen to music in English Others ………………………………………………………………………………… Question 6: What you think about the advantages of learning English on smartphone? 33 󠇀 Using smartphones to learn English makes it easy for you to learn anytime, anywhere 󠇀 Using smartphones to learn English speaking skills helps you save learning costs (textbooks, books, references ) 󠇀 Using smartphones to learn English speaking skills helps you find documents faster and easier (especially it's free) 󠇀 Using smart phones to learn English speaking skills you can study and have fun at the same time 󠇀 Others Question 7: Do you feel it is effective to learn English speaking skills through smartpho? 󠇀 Inefficient 󠇀 Quite effective 󠇀 Very effective Thanks for your help.! 34 Approved by supervisor(s) , date …month…year…… Supervisor (Signature and full name) Hanoi, date 27 month year 2021 Student (Signature and full name) Mo Vu Thi Mo Certified by Department of Professional English 35