Efl students’ employment of selfregulated learning strategies at han thuyen high school

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY - TA THI HONG LUA EFL STUDENTS’ EMPLOYMENT OF SELFREGULATED LEARNING STRATEGIES AT HAN THUYEN HIGH SCHOOL Major: English Language Course code: 8220201 HO CHI MINH CITY, 04/2022 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY - EFL STUDENTS’ EMPLOYMENT OF SELFREGULATED LEARNING STRATEGIES AT HAN THUYEN HIGH SCHOOL Submitted to the Faculty of English Language in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in English Language (Total number of words: 16836 words) Course code: 8220201 By TA THI HONG LUA Supervised by DUONG MY THAM, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY, 04/2022 ii The thesis entitle EFL students’ employment of self-regulated learning strategies at Han Thuyen High School was successfully defended and approved on July 11, 2022, at Hochiminh City University of Technology (HUTECH) Academic supervisor: Dương Mỹ Thẩm, Ph.D Examination Committee Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, Ph.D Chair Le Van Tuyen, Ph.D Reader Le Thi Thuy Nhung, Ph.D Reader Nguyen Thi Thu, Ph.D Member Tran Quoc Thao, Ph.D Secretary Member On behalf of the Examination Committee Chair (full name, title, signature) iii HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE HCMC, April 2022 MASTER’S THESIS REPORT Student name: TẠ THỊ HỒNG LỤA Sex: Female Date of birth: 04 Nov 1990 Place of birth: Binh Định Major: English Language Student code: 2041900008 I- Thesis title: EFL students’ employment of self-regulated learning strategies at Han Thuyen High School II- Objectives and contents: The objectives of this research study are to explore the extent to which the 12th graders at Han Thuyen high school use self-regulated learning strategies and find out if the students encounter any difficulties in employing self-regulated learning strategies The contents of the study are presented following the literature review of self-regulated learning strategies and difficulties that students encounter when they employ selfregulated learning strategies in onsite learning Research methodology, results of the study and the conclusion of the study are also the main points in the content of study Basing on the results of the study, the implications for teachers, students and school managers about the importance of self-regulated learning strategies are given III- Starting date: 20 Sep 2021 IV- Completing date: April 2022 V- Academic supervisor: Duong My Tham, Ph.D ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR FACULTY DEAN (Full name, signature) (Full name, signature) iv CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled: EFL STUDENTS’ EMPLOYMENT OF SELF-REGULATED LEARNING STRATEGIES AT HAN THUYEN HIGH SCHOOL In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee of Faculty of English Language, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology Ho Chi Minh, April 2022 TA THI HONG LUA v RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, TA THI HONG LUA, being a candidate for the degree of Master of Arts (English Language) accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses 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 theses Ho Chi Minh, April 2022 Signature: TA THI HONG LUA vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to give my deepest and warmest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Duong My Tham who gave valuable guidance and advice for supporting me to complete my thesis Her knowledge, vision, and sincerity have motivated me I could not complete my research without her encouragement She has taught me the research methodology as well as corrected my mistakes in the study with her great patience and sympathy I am extremely grateful for what she had done for me I would like to express my gratitude to The Institute of Postgraduate Studies of HCMC University of Technology (HUTECH) for giving me the opportunity to this research I would like to show my thankfulness to all teachers at the Faculty of English language, especially I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Dr Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu because of their enthusiastically teaching and support during my learning course I would like to show my warmest thanks to my classmate, Ms Mai Thi Tuyet Nga for helping during my process of collecting research data and giving me sincerely advice Also, I express my thanks to all my friends in Class 20SNA11 for creating the friendly studying environment that made me conveniently finish my assignments I am very much thankful to my family (my father, mother, sister, brother, especially my husband and daughter for assisting me during my learning course Their love, caring and understanding have inspired me in my educating process They are always by my side Without my family, I would not have finished this thesis vii ABSTRACT Learning English is necessary for global communication so finding effective learning strategies to promote English skills is very important for students Self-regulated learning strategies (SRLS) is not a strange term referring to learning processes in which students conducts various learning activities independently and purposely such as setting goals, planning, self-motivating, self-monitoring, using flexibly learning strategies, seeking help, controlling attention and self-evaluating This study aims to explore the extent to which the 90 twelfth graders at Han Thuyen high school used selfregulated learning strategies in English language learning and determine whether or not they encountered any difficulties during their SRLS employment The quantitative data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed by SPSS (version 26) and the qualitative data gathered from the semi-structured interviews were measured by using content analysis The results of the study revealed that all of the surveyed students frequently employed SRLS for English learning, and most of the students agreed that there were some difficulties during their SRLS employment More interestingly, the finding of the study also showed that there were two main kinds of difficulties consisting of lack of regulation and external agents antiregulation of learning including studying environment, family-related factors, friend-related factors, health problem and unexpected events Based on the finding of the present study, the pedagogical implications were given for teachers, students and school managers to help students gain the understanding of SRLS and how to make use of SRLS effectively It is hoped that these results of study as well as some recommendations for further studies may practically and theoretically contribute to the research site as well as the field of EFL education (269 words) Keywords: EFL learning, high school students, self-regulated learning, self-regulated learning strategies viii TABLE OF CONTENTS MASTER’S THESIS REPORT iv CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY v RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii ABSTRACT viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xiii LIST OF TABLES xiv LIST OF FIGURES xv CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study .1 1.2 Statement of the problem .2 1.3 Aims and objectives of the study 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Significance of the study .5 1.7 Definition of the key terms 1.8 Organization of the thesis .6 CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW .7 2.1 The concept of onsite learning .7 2.2 Self-regulated learning 2.3 Self-regulated learning strategies 11 2.3.1 Definition of self-regulated learning strategies 11 2.3.2 Categorization of self-regulated learning strategies 14 2.3.2.1 Goal setting 14 2.3.2.2 Planning 14 2.3.2.3 Self-motivation 15 ix 2.3.2.4 Attention control 15 2.3.2.5 Flexible use of learning strategies 15 2.3.2.6 Self-monitoring 16 2.3.2.7 Help seeking 16 2.3.2.8 Self-evaluation 17 2.4 Difficulties students encounter when they employ SRLS 17 2.4.1 Lack of regulation 18 2.4.2 External agents antiregulation of learning 20 2.5 Previous studies 20 2.6 Conceptual framework 23 CHAPTER 27 METHODOLOGY 27 3.1 Research design 27 3.2 Research site 27 3.3 Sample and sampling procedures 28 3.4 Research instruments 30 3.4.1 Students’ questionnaire 31 3.4.2 Semi-structured students’ interview 33 3.5 Data collection procedures 33 3.6 Data analysis procedures 35 3.7 Validity and Reliability 37 3.7.1 The report of pilot questionnaire 38 3.7.2 The report of pilot interview 40 3.7.3 Reliability of survey 40 3.8 Ethical issues 41 3.9 Summary 42 CHAPTER 43 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 43 x ý tưởng mơn học khác 23 Tơi chọn chiến lược phù hợp cho nhiệm vụ học tập Tự giám sát 24 Tôi kiểm tra xem làm tốt giải nhiệm vụ học tập 25 Tôi tự đặt câu hỏi để theo dõi việc làm tập nhà 26 Tơi đánh giá tính đắn phương pháp học 27 Tơi sửa lỗi sai tập 28 Tơi kiểm tra độ xác tơi hồn thành nhiệm vụ học tập Tìm trợ giúp 29 Khi tơi gặp khó khăn với việc học tài liệu lớp Tiếng Anh, cố gắng tự giải trước 30 Tơi nhờ người hướng dẫn làm rõ khái niệm mà chưa hiểu rõ 31 Khi không hiểu nội dung sách giáo khoa, nhờ bạn học lớp giúp đỡ 32 Tôi cố gắng xác định bạn học lớp mà tơi u cầu giúp đỡ cần thiết Tự đánh giá 33 Tôi kiểm tra lại để đảm bảo làm tập 34 Tơi kiểm tra xem câu trẩ lời tơi có khơng 101 35 Tơi xem lại làm quy trình học tập chưa 36 Tơi nhìn lại vấn đề, xem câu trả lời có hợp lý không 37 Tôi suy nghĩ lại bước tơi làm PHẦN III NHỮNG KHĨ KHĂN MÀ NGƯỜI HỌC GẶP PHẢI KHI THỰC HIỆN CHIẾN LƯỢC HỌC TỰ ĐIỀU CHỈNH Bạn có gặp khó khăn thực chiến lược học tự điều chỉnh không?  Có  Khơng Nếu bạn gặp khó khăn, khó khăn gì? Đối với hoạt động này, bạn vui lòng đánh dấu (✓) vào mức nhận định bạn theo thang sau đây: 1=Hồn tồn khơng đồng ý; 4= Đồng ý; 3= Khơng có ý kiến; 5= Hồn tồn đồng ý Những khó khăn gặp phải STT 2= Khơng đồng ý; Tơi có động lực để sử dụng chiến lược học tập tự điều chỉnh Đơi tơi có số cảm xúc tiêu cực (tức giận, sợ hãi, buồn bã, chán nản, tự ý thức, vv…) thực chiến lược học tập tự điều chỉnh Tôi có chút vơ tổ chức việc thiết lập mục tiêu học tập 102 Tơi có chút vô tổ chức việc lập kế hoạch học tập Đơi tơi thiếu hứng thú học tập Tơi khơng thể tìm thấy chiến lược học phù hợp cho việc học Tơi gặp khó khăn mơi trường học tập (thiếu khơng gian, màu sắc, ánh sáng, n tĩnh, khơng khí thơng thống mơi trường, vv…) Tơi gặp số khó khăn yếu tố liên quan đến gia đình (hỗ trợ tài chính, góp ý kiến, v.v.) để thực chiến lược học tập tự điều chỉnh Tơi gặp số khó khăn yếu tố liên quan đến bạn bè (hỗ trợ học tập, chia sẻ thông tin, v.v.) thực chiến lược học tập tự điều chỉnh 10 Đôi gặp số vấn đề sức khỏe (ốm đau mệt mỏi, đau đầu, bệnh tật…) áp dụng chiến lược học tập tự điều chỉnh 11 Tôi gặp số việc không mong đợi thực việc học tự điều chỉnh Cám ơn hợp tác bạn! 103 APPENDIX D – STUDENT’S INTERVIEW QUESTIONS SEMI- STRUCTURED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Do you usually set learning goals or plan for each subject or each learning task? How often you set learning goals or plan for each subject or each learning task? How often you motivate yourself in learning process? Are you easily distracted when learning by noises or factors around you? How often you pay attention in your lesson? How often you use suitable learning strategies? How often you monitor your learning process? How often you ask for help when you need in learning process? How often you evaluate your learning process? 10 Do you got any difficulties when you employ self-regulated learning strategies? 11 If yes, what difficulties you encounter when doing self-regulated learning strategies? 104 APPENDIX E – CÂU HỎI PHỎNG VẤN DÀNH CHO HỌC SINH CÂU HỎI PHỎNG VẤN BÁN CẤU TRÚC CHO HỌC SINH Bạn có thường đặt mục tiêu hay kế hoạch học tập cho môn học nhiệm vụ học tập không? Việc đặt mục tiêu học tập lập kế hoạch cho môn học nhiệm vụ học tập thường xuyên đến mức nào? Bạn có thường tạo động lực cho thân q trình học tập? Bạn bị phân tâm từ tiếng ồn hay yếu tố xung quanh bạn bạn học? Mức độ tập trung bạn vào học nào? Việc sử dụng chiến lược học phù hợp bạn thường xuyên mức độ nào? Bạn giám sát trình học thường xuyên mức độ nào? Bạn có thường yêu cầu giúp đỡ cần q trình học khơng? Bạn có thường xun đánh giá q trình học tập khơng? 10 Bạn có gặp khó khăn thực chiến lược học tự điều chỉnh không? 11 Nếu bạn gặp khó khăn thực chiến lược học tự điều chỉnh khó khăn bạn gì? 105 APPENDIX F – RELIABILITY OF EIGHT CATEGORIES OF SRLS IN QUESTIONNAIRE Goal setting strategies When I study for this class, I set goals for myself to direct my activities in each study period I try to understand the goal of a task before I attempt to answer I figure out my goals to accomplish the tasks Item-Total Statistics Scale Scale Mean if Variance if Item Deleted Item Deleted 8.27 3.142 Corrected Cronbach's Item-Total Alpha if Item Correlation Deleted 714 807 7.97 3.606 740 782 7.99 3.404 723 792 Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha N of Items 852 Planning Strategies I determine how to solve a task before I begin I carefully plan my course of action Item-Total Statistics Scale Cronbach's Scale Mean Variance if Corrected Alpha if if Item Item Item-Total Item Deleted Deleted Correlation Deleted 14.98 7.033 638 817 15.28 8.360 612 818 106 I try to understand tasks before I attempt to solve them I imagine the parts of a task I have to complete I try to determine what the task requires 15.23 7.507 720 788 15.22 7.973 666 804 15.20 8.004 620 816 Reliability Statistics Cronbach's N of Alpha Items 841 Self-motivation strategies I not blame others about my studying I am willing to learn new skills that will help me in my studying I have a strong desire to achieve and excel I am open to criticism from other people about my studying I am willing to acquire new knowledge for my betterment Item-Total Statistics Scale Cronbach's Scale Mean Variance if Corrected Alpha if if Item Item Item-Total Item Deleted Deleted Correlation Deleted 15.17 9.826 469 856 15.09 9.273 604 820 14.93 9.142 738 787 15.16 8.402 713 789 15.03 8.662 728 785 107 Reliability Statistics Cronbach's N of Alpha Items 841 Attention control strategies My concentration is good even if there is music or noises in the room around me When I am studying, I am not easily distracted if there are people talking in the same room When concentrating, I can focus my attention so that I become unaware of what's going on in the room around me I try to coordinate my attention between the listening and writing required when taking notes during lectures After being interrupted or distracted, I can easily shift my attention back to what I was doing before Item-Total Statistics Scale Cronbach's Scale Mean Variance if Corrected Alpha if if Item Item Item-Total Item Deleted Deleted Correlation Deleted 14.43 6.878 478 756 14.47 6.297 568 726 14.41 6.088 624 706 14.21 6.775 508 746 14.21 6.685 561 730 108 Reliability Statistics Cronbach's N of Alpha Items 775 5 Flexible use of learning strategies When I study for my class, I apply different learning strategies for each subject I make lists of important terms for this course to memorize the lists When I study for this class, I pull together information from different sources such as lectures, readings, and discussions I try to relate ideas in this subject to those in other courses when possible I choose appropriate strategies for each task Item-Total Statistics Scale Cronbach's Scale Mean Variance if Corrected Alpha if if Item Item Item-Total Item Deleted Deleted Correlation Deleted 14.26 8.709 743 817 14.79 6.865 734 829 14.20 9.533 613 848 14.42 8.853 650 838 14.38 8.575 723 820 Reliability Statistics 109 Cronbach's Alpha 860 N of Items Self-monitoring strategies Item-Total Statistics Scale Cronbach's Scale Mean Variance if Corrected Alpha if if Item Item Item-Total Item Deleted Deleted Correlation Deleted I check how well I am 14.69 8.307 679 853 doing when I solve a task I ask myself questions 14.68 8.266 675 854 to stay on track as I homework I judge the 14.64 8.074 729 841 correctness of my studying I correct my errors in 14.59 7.773 725 841 exercises I check my accuracy 14.56 8.025 702 847 as I progress through a task Reliability Statistics Cronbach's N of Alpha Items 874 Help seeking strategies Item-Total Statistics Scale Scale Mean Variance if Corrected if Item Item Item-Total Deleted Deleted Correlation Cronbach's Alpha if Item Deleted 110 Even if I have trouble learning the material in this class, I try to the work on my own, without help from anyone I ask the instructor to clarify concepts I don’t understand well When I can’t understand the material in this course, I ask another student in this class for help I try to identify students in this class whom I can ask for help if necessary 11.21 4.326 564 752 11.08 4.028 556 758 11.13 4.162 615 728 11.18 3.788 657 704 Reliability Statistics Cronbach's N of Alpha Items 788 Self-evaluation strategies I double-check to make sure I did my homework right Item-Total Statistics Scale Cronbach's Scale Mean Variance if Corrected Alpha if if Item Item Item-Total Item Deleted Deleted Correlation Deleted 14.34 11.532 759 932 111 I check to see if my calculations are correct I look back to see if I did the correct learning procedures I look back at the problem to see if my answer makes sense I rethink each step I have already done 14.40 11.546 818 920 14.31 11.722 835 918 14.30 10.999 891 906 14.33 11.596 827 919 Reliability Statistics Cronbach's N of Alpha Items 934 112 APPENDIX G- RELIABILITY OF ITEMS OF DIFFICULTIES IN QUESTIONNAIRE I have little motivation to use self-regulated learning strategies I sometimes have some negative emotions (anger, fear, sadness, boredom, self- conscious, etc.…) when doing self-regulated learning strategies I have little disorganization in my study goal setting I have little disorganization in my study planning I sometimes have lack of learning interest I cannot find the suitable strategy enactment for my studying Item-Total Statistics Scale Cronbach's Scale Mean Variance if Corrected Alpha if if Item Item Item-Total Item Deleted Deleted Correlation Deleted 36.36 39.417 684 906 36.19 39.539 749 904 36.25 40.162 692 906 36.32 40.192 682 907 36.32 40.953 616 910 36.85 36.413 739 904 113 I have difficulty of studying environment (lack of space, color, light, quietness, air ventilation of environment, etc.…) I got some difficulties of family-related factors (financial support, giving recommendation, etc.…) to use selfregulated learning strategies I got some difficulties of friend-related factors (learning support, sharing information, etc.…) to use self-regulated learning strategies I sometimes got some health problem (sickness or tiredness, sickness, headache, diseases…) when I employ self-regulated learning strategies I got some unexpected events when I selfregulated learning 36.29 40.604 686 907 37.00 35.211 750 905 36.43 39.404 705 905 36.29 40.548 671 907 36.25 42.444 489 915 Reliability Statistics Cronbach's N of Alpha Items 915 11 114 115