Attitudes towards and perceptions of the use edtech apps in english language learning among efl students at dinh tien hoang high school masters thesis

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY - NGUYEN THI HONG DUNG ATTITUDES TOWARDS AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE USE OF EDTECH APPS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AMONG EFL STUDENTS AT DINH TIEN HOANG HIGH SCHOOL MASTER’S THESIS Ba Ria - Vung Tau, March 2023 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY - NGUYEN THI HONG DUNG ATTITUDES TOWARDS AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE USE OF EDTECH APPS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AMONG EFL STUDENTS AT DINH TIEN HOANG HIGH SCHOOL MASTER’S THESIS Submitted to the Postgraduate Institute in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL Course code: 8140111 Supervisor’s name: Dr TRAN QUOC THAO Ba Ria - Vung Tau, March 2023 i CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled: ATTITUDES TOWARDS AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE USE OF EDTECH APPS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AMONG EFL STUDENTS AT DINH TIEN HOANG HIGH SCHOOL In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s programs issued by Higher Degree Committee of Postgraduate Institute, Ba Ria Vung Tau University Ba Ria- Vung Tau, March 2023 NGUYEN THI HONG DUNG ii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Nguyen Thi Hong Dung, being a candidate for the degree 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 Master’s Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan, and reproduction for thesis Ba Ria - Vung Tau, March 2023 Nguyen Thi Hong Dung iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere thanks to those who have supported, encouraged and assisted me in my thesis completion First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Tran Quoc Thao for his great patience, professional guidance, efforts and support he gave me through the whole research process I was very lucky to work on my research under his supervision and constant encouragement which inspired me to greater efforts Without his support and guidance, this thesis would never have been completed Secondly, I am grateful for the assistance and support of the school board staff including the principal and the Postgraduate Institute of the University of Ba Ria - Vung Tau in Vung Tau City, who have helped me greatly to complete this M.A course Thirdly, I would like to take the opportunity to thank examiners for reading my proposal for their in-depth comments and suggesting future steps they gave during the thesis defense I am also deeply grateful for the support of administrators, teachers and students at Dinh Tien Hoang High School, the enthusiastic participation of the students in this research project This study would not have been possible without the valuable data they provided Last but not least, I owe my family wholehearted thanks for the everlasting support and encouragement I received I might not have gone that far on my academic path without them iv ABSTRACT Technology has grown to be a crucial component in education overall and in English language learning in particular The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in online teaching over the past few years in order to track the learning process Thus, educational technology apps (Edtech Apps), namely Nearpod, Quizizz and Padlet, are supposed to be essential during lockdown restrictions and social distancing This study aims to explore students’ attitudes toward the use of Edtech Apps as well as their perceptions of the effectiveness of Edtech Apps in the context of Dinh Tien Hoang High School In the academic year 2021-2022, a total of 122 students conveniently chosen from grade 10 to grade 12 at Dinh Tien Hoang High School, Vung Tau City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, participated in the study To gather the data, the researcher used both quantitative and qualitative methods The study used questionnaire and semi-structured interview as its two primary instruments SPSS was used to process the quantitative data from the questionnaire, while the qualitative data from interviews were analyzed using the content analysis approach Using SPSS 20, Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient was determined to assess the validity and reliability From the results of the data processing, it was found that the research participants had positive attitudes and perceptions towards the use of Edtech Apps in English language learning Among the three components of attitudes, research participants showed better attitudes in the aspect of affective They had a strong understanding of how Edtech Apps could help them improve their vocabulary, grammar and reading skills (cognitive attitudes), and they would like to continue using Edtech Apps for their future language learning (behavioral attitudes) The findings also showed that the majority of research participants perceived the effectiveness of Edtech Apps Students agreed that the use of Edtech Apps helped to enhance their English skills and knowledge (usefulness) They felt convenient, confident and enjoyable to engage in learning activities with Edtech Apps (ease of use) The findings of the study indicated that Edtech Apps such as Nearpod, Quizizz and Padlet not only have improved students to formulate their positive learning habits but also have promoted their motivation v Additional pedagogical recommendations have been made for administrators, teachers and students to improve teaching quality in the best possible methods Keywords: attitude; perception; EFL students ; technology; Edtech Apps vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ABSTRACT iv TABLE OF CONTENTS vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix LIST OF APPENDICES x LIST OF TABLES xi LIST OF FIGURES .xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 Statement of the problem 1.3 Aims and objectives of the study 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Scope of the study 6 Significance of the study 1.7 Definitions of the Terms 1.8 Organization of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 10 2.1 Introduction 10 2.2 The use of EdTech Apps in English language learning .10 2.2.1 Definitions 10 2.2.2 Characteristics 10 2.2.3.Types .12 2.2.4 Effectiveness of the use of Edtech Apps in English language learning in the World and Vietnam 16 2.3 Students’ attitudes towards the use of Edtech Apps in learning English 18 vii 2.3.1 Definitions of attitudes 18 2.3.2 The components of attitudes 20 2.4 Students’ perceptions of the use of Edtech Apps in learning English 22 2.4.1 Definitions of perceptions 22 2.4.2 The perceptions of the use of Edtech Apps in English language learning 23 2.5 Conceptual framework 24 2.6 Previous studies 25 2.7 Research gaps 31 2.8 Summary .31 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 32 3.1 Introduction 32 3.2 Research design 32 3.3 Research site 33 3.4 Sample and sampling procedures 34 3.5 Research instruments 39 3.5.1 Questionnaire 39 3.5.2 Semi-structured interview 40 3.6 Data collection procedure .41 3.7 Data analysis procedure 41 3.8 Validity and Reliability 42 3.9 Summary .43 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 44 4.1 Introduction 44 4.2 Results 44 4.2.1 Students’ perceptions of the use of Edtech Apps in English language learning 44 4.2.2 Students’ attitudes towards the use of Edtech Apps in English language learning 49 viii 4.3 Discussion .54 4.4 Summary .56 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 58 5.1 Introduction 58 5.2 Conclusions 58 5.3 Pedagogical implications 59 5.3.1 Implications for the administrators of Dinh Tien Hoang High School 59 5.3.2 Implications for the teachers of Dinh Tien Hoang High School 59 5.3.3 Implications for the students of Dinh Tien Hoang High School 60 5.4 Limitations 60 5.5 Recommendations for the further research 61 REFERENCES 62 APPENDICES 72 19 I can work harder whenever I use Edtech Apps to study 20 I feel great after using Edtech Apps because they provide many forms of non-judgemental feedback Part C: STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE USE OF EDTECH APPS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING Please rate how much you think these statements are true about you by putting a cross  (1) Strongly disagree (2) Disagree (3) Neutral (4) Agree Cognitive attitudes Learning English with Edtech Apps helps me to enrich my vocabulary Learning English with Edtech Apps helps me to improve my English grammar Learning English with Edtech Apps helps me to exchange English knowledge in Speaking class Learning English with Edtech Apps helps me to improve my listening skills Learning English with Edtech Apps helps me to improve my writing skills Learning English with Edtech Apps helps me to pronounce correctly Learning English with Edtech Apps helps me to improve my reading skills Affective attitudes I enjoy learning English with Edtech Apps because they are easy to use (5) Strongly agree I enjoy learning English with Edtech Apps because they are convenient 10 I feel more relaxed to engage classroom activities when teachers use Edtech Apps 11 I feel confident in learning English with Edtech Apps 12 Using Edtech Apps to test my English language is less stressful 13 I feel more confident doing tests with Edtech Apps Behavioral attitudes 14 I would like to continue learning English with Edtech Apps 15 I would like to interact with my classmates more by Edtech Apps 16 I would like to introduce Edtech Apps to my friends 17 I would like my teacher to use more Edtech Apps in the class 18 I would like to take part in games that teacher creates with Edtech Apps THANK YOU APPENDIX B BẢNG KHẢO SÁT SINH VIÊN (Vietnamese Version) Các bạn học sinh thân mến, Tôi tên Nguyễn Thị Hồng Dung Tôi thực nghiên cứu “Thái độ nhận thức học sinh Trung học việc sử dụng phần mềm công nghệ giáo dục (Edtech Apps) việc học tiếng Anh Trường THPT Đinh Tiên Hồng” Hãy vui lịng dành thời gian hoàn thành bảng Câu hỏi Câu trả lời bạn đóng góp nhiều vào việc nghiên cứu cách cung cấp cho liệu cần để điều tra hiệu chủ đề nghiên cứu Thông tin cá nhân bạn giữ ẩn danh bí mật Cảm ơn hợp tác bạn Trân trọng, Hồng Dung PHẦN A: THƠNG TIN CÁ NHÂN Giới tính:  Nam Khối:  Nữ  10  11  12 Trình độ Tiếng Anh:   Bắt đầu  Sơ cấp  Trung cấp  Nâng cao Bạn học Tiếng Anh bao lâu:  Dưới năm  Từ năm đến năm   Hơn năm Bạn thường sử dụng Edtech Apps để học tiếng Anh? (Bạn chọn nhiều một)  Azota  Quizizz  Padlet  Quizlet  Nearpod Bạn sử dụng Edtech Apps ( Nearpod, Quizizz, Padlet) thiết bị nào? (Bạn chọn nhiều một)  Máy tính xách tay máy tính để bàn  Điện thoại di động  Máy tính bảng  TV Bạn thường sử dụng Edtech Apps (Nearpod, Quizizz, Padlet) để làm gì? (Bạn chọn nhiều một)  Chơi game  Ôn tập  Làm tập nhà  Làm kiểm tra  Thuyết trình  Học online Tần suất sử dụng Edtech Apps (Nearpod, Quizizz, Padlet) để cải thiện kiến thức kĩ việc học tiếng Anh nào? Edtech Apps Hàng ngày Một vài lần Một vài lần Không tuần tháng Nearpod Quizizz[ Padlet PHẦN B: NHẬN THỨC CỦA HỌC SINH VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG EDTECH APPS TRONG VIỆC HỌC TIẾNG ANH Vui lòng chọn xem bạn thực không đồng ý (1), không đồng ý (2) trung lập (3), đồng ý (4), hoàn toàn đồng ý (5) với nhận định sau: Sự hữu ích Kết việc học tiếng Anh cải thiện sau sử dụng Edtech Apps Edtech Apps làm tăng kiến thức tiếng Anh Edtech Apps làm tăng kĩ tiếng Anh Edtech Apps giúp tơi hồn thành tập cách nhanh chóng 5 Edtech Apps giúp tơi mở rộng giao tiếp xã hội với giáo viên Edtech Apps giúp mở rộng giao tiếp xã hội với bạn lớp Edtech Apps làm cho việc học dễ dàng Edtech Apps làm cho việc học linh hoạt Tôi luyện tập tiếng Anh cách tự cách sử dụng Edtech Apps 10 Tơi luyện tập tiếng Anh cách tự chủ cách sử dụng Edtech Apps Dễ dàng sử dụng 11 Tôi nhận thấy Edtech Apps dễ sử dụng 12 Edtech Apps dễ dàng tải xuống nhiều thiết bị 13 Edtech Apps dễ dàng cài đặt nhiều thiết bị 14 Tơi khơng gặp khó khăn sử dụng Edtech Apps 15 Tơi sử dụng Edtech Apps để kiểm tra trình độ tiếng Anh cách dễ dàng Động lực 16 Edtech Apps thúc đẩy tơi học tiếng Anh chúng thú vị 17 Tơi thấy vui học tiếng Anh có sử dụng Edtech Apps 18 Edtech Apps giúp luyện tập tốt cách chơi trò chơi 19 Tơi học tập chăm sử dụng Edtech Apps cho việc học 20 Tôi cảm thấy tuyệt vời sử dụng Edtech Apps chúng cung cấp nhiều dạng phản hồi khơng có PHẦN C: THÁI ĐỘ CỦA HỌC SINH VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG EDTECH APPS TRONG VIỆC HỌC TIẾNG ANH Vui lòng chọn xem bạn thực không đồng ý (1), không đồng ý (2) trung lập (3), đồng ý (4), hoàn toàn đồng ý (5) với nhận định sau: Nhận thức Học tiếng Anh với Edtech Apps giúp tơi mở rộng vốn từ vựng Học tiếng Anh với Edtech Apps giúp cải thiện ngữ pháp tiếng Anh Học tiếng Anh với Edtech Apps giúp trao đổi kiến thức tiếng Anh tiết học Nói Học tiếng Anh với Edtech Apps giúp cải thiện kĩ nghe Học tiếng Anh với Edtech Apps giúp tơi cải thiện kĩ viết Học tiếng Anh với Edtech Apps giúp phát âm cách xác Học tiếng Anh với Edtech Apps giúp tơi cải thiện kĩ đọc hiểu Cảm xúc Tơi thích học tiếng Anh với Edtech Apps chúng dễ dàng sử dụng Tơi thích học tiếng Anh với Edtech Apps chúng tiện lợi 10 Tôi cảm thấy thoải mái tham gia hoạt động lớp giáo viên sử dụng Edtech Apps 11 Tôi cảm thấy tự tin học tiếng Anh với Edtech Apps 12 Sử dụng Edtech Apps để kiểm tra tiếng Anh gây căng thẳng 13 Tôi cảm thấy tự tin làm kiểm tra với Edtech Apps Hành vi 14 Tôi muốn tiếp tục học tiếng Anh với Edtech Apps 15 Tôi muốn tương tác với bạn lớp với Edtech Apps 16 Tôi muốn giới thiệu Edtech Apps với bạn 17 Tôi muốn giáo viên sử dụng Edtech Apps nhiều lớp 18 Tôi muốn tham gia vào trò chơi giáo viên tạo với Edtech Apps CẢM ƠN CÁC BẠN APPENDIX C INTERVIEW PROTOCOL Guidelines for Interview (ENGLISH) Date: Location: Time to start: Time to finish: _ Introduction: My name is Nguyen Thi Hong Dung I am conducting a study about “Attitudes towards and perceptions of the use of Edtech Apps in English language learning among EFL students at Dinh Tien Hoang High School” Thank you for your participation This interview is expected to last for about 15 minutes You will answer some questions and you may wish to stop the interview at any time The purpose of this interview is to understand EFL learners’ attitudes towards and perceptions of the use of Edtech Apps in English language learning With your permission, the interview will be audio-recorded All your information you share with me is confidentially and anonymously treated If there are no further questions, let’s get started A Interviewee’s background Full name: Class: _ Age: How long have you been learning English: B Questions for interviewee Please answer these questions: Have you ever used any kinds of Edtech Apps ? What are they? What are your favourite Edtech Apps? Why you like them? How often you use Edtech Apps for your English learning? What advantages and disadvantages you see in  NearPod?  Padlet?  Quizizz? Do you think Edtech Apps (Nearpod, Padlet, Quizizz) are effective for improving your English learning? Please give specific reasons to support your ideas THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION APPENDIX D MẪU PHỎNG VẤN (TIẾNG VIỆT) Ngày: Địa điểm: Thời gian bắt đầu: Thời gian kết thúc: _ Giới thiệu: Tôi tên Nguyễn Thị Hồng Dung Tôi thực nghiên cứu “Thái độ nhận thức học sinh Trung học việc sử dụng phần mềm công nghệ giáo dục (Edtech Apps) việc học tiếng Anh Trường THPT Đinh Tiên Hồng.” Cảm ơn tham gia bạn Cuộc vấn dự định kéo dài khoảng 15 phút Bạn trả lời số câu hỏi bạn có quyền dừng lại Mục đích vấn để tìm hiểu thái độ nhận thức học sinh Trung học việc sử dụng phần mềm công nghệ giáo dục (Edtech Apps) việc học tiếng Anh Với cho phép bạn, vấn ghi âm Tất thông tin bạn giữ ẩn danh bí mật Nếu bạn khơng cịn câu hỏi nào, bắt đầu A Thông tin người vấn Họ tên: Lớp: _ Tuổi: Bạn học tiếng Anh bao lâu: B Câu hỏi cho người vấn Hãy trả lời câu hỏi sau: Bạn sử dụng Edtech Apps chưa? Hãy kể tên? Edtech Apps yêu thích bạn gì? Tại bạn lại thích chúng? Tần suất bạn sử dụng Edtech Apps cho việc học tiếng Anh nào? Những mặt tốt không tốt bạn nhận thấy sử dụng:  NearPod?  Padlet?  Quizizz? Bạn có nghĩ Edtech Apps (Nearpod, Padlet, Quizizz) hiệu cho việc học tiếng Anh bạn khơng? Hãy đưa lí cụ thể để giải thích ý kiến CẢM ƠN CÁC BẠN ĐÃ HỢP TÁC APPENDIX E SAMPLE OF INTERVIEW DATA ANALYSIS CODE Have you What ever used your any of are How often What kinds favourite Edtech Edtech Apps? What they? you you use advantages think Edtech Edtech Apps Apps and for disadvantages (Nearpod, Apps? Why your you see in are you like English them? Do Padlet,  NearPod? Quizizz) are learning?  Padlet? effective for  Quizizz? improving your English learning? Please give specific reasons to support your ideas S1 Yes Nearpod, Quizlet, Quizlet Sometimes Edtech Apps Yes Edtech are easy to Apps make Quizizz, use and my learning Nearpod convenient interesting and less stressful S2 Yes, Quizizz A Padlet, I can learn times Quizizz new week few I think Edtech Yes Edtech a Apps are easy Apps to join, no motivate me knowledge fees, and easy to through to use They English doing tests help me can learn I learn exchange more information vocabulary with S3 Daily teacher and and peers my lesson Quizizz, Yes Yes, Kahoot, Kahoot canva, Padlet Canva, Quizlet Nearpod look Padlet, Apps looks review and very Quizizz, … eye-catching, eye-catching innovative, with the color and schemes, funk attractive or EDM music in the background creates a comfortable atmosphere and make the lessons more intriguing for us students S8 Yes, Elsa Mochi mochi Once week a On the good Yes Edtech speak, because Duolingo, Through change Mochi App, I can usual way of relaxed and mochi enrich teaching and active when my side, apps can Apps make the me vocabulary they are easy learning by to use… playing games English feel S9 Yes, Quizizz A few They are Yes Edtech Quizizz, Because It times a useful apps Apps Padlet, has many week which help quite Azota modes such students effective for as: multiple succeed in my English questions, online Flashcard…I education and can explore can practice can tests, improve review… quality are learning I easily questions to the practice and of better my future English courses knowledge Multiple choices and flashcards on Quizizz help students get familiar with and memorize information as well as test their factual knowledge With you create Padlet can an online post-it board or ideas that you can share with any student or teacher want you by Padlet so that you open easily and learn whenever you want