Using digital stories to teach english listening skill at thai binh duong primary schoolefl teachers’ perceptions and difficulties

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY PHAM THI THANH THUY USING DIGITAL STORIES TO TEACH ENGLISH LISTENING SKILL AT THAI BINH DUONG PRIMARY SCHOOL: EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND DIFFICULTIES Major: English Language Course code: 80220201 HO CHI MINH CITY, SEPTEMBER 2021 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY USING DIGITAL STORIES TO TEACH ENGLISH LISTENING SKILL AT THAI BINH DUONG PRIMARY SCHOOL: EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND DIFFICULTIES Submitted to the Faculty of English Language in partial fulfillment of the master’s degree in English Language Course code: 80220201 By PHAM THI THANH THUY Supervised by DUONG MY THAM, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY, SEPTEMBER 2021 The thesis entitled “Using Digital Stories to Teach English Listening Skill at Thai Binh Duong Primary School: EFL Teachers’ Perceptions and Difficulties” was successfully defended and approved on 20/03/2021 at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH) Academic supervisor: Duong My Tham, Ph D Examination Committee Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, Ph D Chair Trinh Ngoc Thanh, Ph D Reader Tran Quoc Thao, Ph D Reader Nguyen Ngoc Tran Chau, Ph D Member Nguyen Thi Thu, Ph D Secretary Member On behalf of the Examination Committee CHAIR NGUYEN THI KIEU THU, Ph D HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE HCMC, 31/10/2022 MASTER’S THESIS REPORT Student’s name: PHAM THI THANH THUY Sex: Female DOB: 07/04/1996 POB: Dong Nai Major: English Language Student code: 1941900047 I Thesis title: USING DIGITAL STORIES TO TEACH ENGLISH LISTENING SKILL AT THAI BINH DUONG PRIMARY SCHOOL: EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND DIFFICULTIES II Objectives and contents: The purpose of this study is to investigate how the Vietnamese and foreign teachers at Thai Binh Duong Primary School perceives the effectiveness of the digital story adaptation on the listening skill teaching and their difficulties during the adaptation The results of this research indicate that digital stories have a significant influence on the development of the students’ listening skills at various aspects The study also shows several difficulties that the teachers have been facing and thereby recommending several possible solutions III Starting date: July 01st, 2021 IV Completing date: October 10th, 2022 V Academic supervisor: Duong My Tham, Ph D ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR FACULTY DEAN i CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled: “USING DIGITAL STORIES TO TEACH ENGLISH LISTENING SKILL AT THAI BINH DUONG PRIMARY SCHOOL: EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND DIFFICULTIES” 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 Bien Hoa City, September 2021 PHAM THI THANH THUY ii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, PHAM THI THANH THUY, 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 Bien Hoa City, October 2022 PHAM THI THANH THUY iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly, I would like to express my grateful gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Duong My Tham, who has been constantly and patiently given guidance, instruction, insightful advice and encouragement during the research process It is impossible for this thesis to be completed without her enthusiastic consultancy Secondly, I would like to show my gratefulness to Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH), especially the Institute of Postgraduate Studies and the Faculty of English Language for the opportunity to pursue my higher education and the support I have been offered whenever problems arising Thirdly, I would like to send my special thanks to Dr Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, Dean of the Faculty of English Language, for the kind benefits my classmate and I have received the whole time Without her constant support, we could not finish all the assignments on time during the learning process Finally, I am really grateful to the board of directors and the teachers at Thai Binh Duong Primary School for the permission and the support to successfully conduct my study Without their assistance, I could not complete my thesis as expected PHAM THI THANH THUY iv ABSTRACT The digital story has emerged as a new method to teach language skills to various types of learners from different backgrounds due to its flexibility, engaging aspects, and linguistic features Even though it has been widely used in various countries, including EFL, and ESL, it has not been given deserved studies for what it offers, especially in the regions where residents treat English as a foreign language This study aimed to investigate the efficiency of the digital story in enhancing students’ listening skills in an international school, Thai Binh Duong Primary School, with the hope that the study can provide data on the teachers’ perspectives on the application of digital stories Furthermore, the study investigates possible difficulties in the teaching process in which digital stories were employed as a learning tool The findings indicated that digital stories were positively perceived as an effective tool to teach listening skills Particularly, the digital story-based class offered several effective factors to the students’ listening skill development in terms of language knowledge, the listening sub-skills, and the learning environment Furthermore, the study revealed several difficulties that the teachers have faced such as technical issues, the influence of the content upon the young learners, and the complication of the linguistic features Finally, the study states some limitations and recommendations for future research as it should be done with different approaches and with different subjects to ensure the variousness of the research topic in the field Keywords: EFL teachers, digital story, listening skill, primary education v TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ABSTRACT iv CHAPTER 1 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 Statement of the problem 1.3 Research objectives 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Significance of the study 1.7 Definition of the key terms 1.8 Organization of the Study CHAPTER 2.1 Listening skills 2.1.1 Definition 2.1.2 Role of listening in language education 10 2.1.3 Models of listening process 11 2.2 2.1.3.1 Decoding process 11 2.1.3.2 Meaning-building process 14 Digital stories 15 2.2.1 Definition 15 2.2.2 Benefits of using digital stories in EFL education 16 2.2.2.1 Rich knowledgeable content provision 16 2.2.2.2 Language skill enhancement 16 2.2.2.3 Collaboration and communication 17 2.2.3 Difficulties of applying digital stories/technology-based learning tools in English Language Teaching 17 vi 2.2.3.1 Technical issues 17 2.2.3.2 Learning styles and motivation 18 2.3 Previous studies 18 2.4 Research gaps 22 2.5 Conceptual Framework of the Study 22 2.6 Chapter Summary 24 CHAPTER 25 3.1 Research Questions 25 3.2 Research design 25 3.3 Research site 27 3.4 Sample and sampling procedures 28 3.5 Research instruments 29 3.5.1 Questionnaire 29 3.5.2 Semi-structured interview 31 3.6 Pilot study 34 3.7 Data collection and analysis procedures 35 3.7.1 The questionnaire 36 3.7.2 The semi-structured interview 37 3.8 38 Validity and Reliability 3.8.1 Questionnaire 38 3.8.2 Interview questions 39 3.9 Ethical Issues 39 3.10 Summary 40 CHAPTER 41 4.1 41 Results 4.1.1 Teachers’ perceptions of the benefits of the application of the digital stories in teaching 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You can choose more than one option ◻ The stories about figured characters ◻The stories about historical events ◻The stories about daily lives ◻The stories about discovery Part 2: The implementation of digital stories in teaching listening skills Please give your opinion about the statements below by ticking ( ✔) ONE answer for each 1=Strongly disagree 2=Disagree 3=Neutral agree 70 4=Agree 5=Strongly Item Feature How you think digital stories can benefit students’ listening skills development? The language knowledge Digital stories provide useful vocabulary Digital stories help to identify key structures Digital stories help to identify words’ pronunciation The listening sub-skills Digital stories help students with general information clarification Digital stories help students to identify details in texts Digital stories provide tips to identify speakers’ tones Digital stories help to clarify stress and linking sounds Digital stories help to determine listening tasks’ requirement The learning environment Digital stories provide the communicative environment helping students to practice listening authentically 10 11 Digital stories provide collaborative environment helping students to work with peers Digital stories provide a non-threatening learning environment 71 12 13 14 Digital stories provide listening source for further study Digital stories provide appropriate learning sources for the listening learning process Digital stories provide an active learning environment Thank you for your cooperation! 72 APPENDIX B QUESTIONNAIRE (VIETNAMESE VERSION) BẢNG CÂU HỎI Bảng khảo sát nhằm mục đích thu thập liệu nhận thức giáo viên Tiếng Anh trường tiểu học Thái Bình Dương việc áp dụng câu chuyện số giảng dạy kĩ nghe khó khăn gặp phải trình áp dụng câu chuyện số dạy học Tơi biết ơn bạn trả lời câu hỏi phía Dữ liệu thu thập được dùng cho mục đích nghiên cứu, khơng sử dụng mục đích hay hình thức khác Trân trọng cám ơn hợp tác bạn Phần 1: Thông tin cá nhân Đánh dấu (✓) vào lựa chọn Giới tính: Nam Quốc tịch: …………… Nữ Bạn ứng dụng câu chuyện số việc giảng dạy kĩ nghe bao lâu? Ít tháng 2 tháng đến tháng Hơn tháng Thể loại digital stories mà bạn nghĩ đáp ứng tốt việc phát triển kĩ nghe cho học sinh? Bạn chọn nhiều đáp án Những câu chuyện nhân vật biểu tượng Những câu chuyện kiện lịch sử Những câu chuyện sống đời thường Những câu chuyện trình khám phá Phần 2: Việc áp dụng câu chuyện số việc giảng dạy kĩ nghe Cho ý kiến bạn câu cách đánh dấu ( ✓) vào ô lựa chọn Chỉ đánh dấu MỘT lựa chọn cho câu 1=Hồn tồn khơng đồng ý 2=Khơng đồng ý 3=Trung lập 5=Hồn tồn đồng ý 4=Đồng ý 73 Đặc điểm Mục Bạn nghĩ câu chuyện số giúp ích việc phát triển kĩ nghe học sinh nào? Kiến thức ngôn ngữ Câu chuyện số cung cấp từ vựng hữu ích Câu chuyện số giúp ích việc nhận biết cấu trúc ngữ pháp quan trọng Câu chuyện số giúp ích việc nhận biết phát âm từ vựng Kĩ nghe Câu chuyện số giúp cải thiện kĩ làm rõ thông tin chung Câu chuyện số giúp cải thiện kĩ xác định thông tin chi tiết Câu chuyện số giúp cải thiện kĩ xác định giọng đọc người nói Câu chuyện số giúp cải thiện kĩ xác định âm nhấn âm nối Câu chuyện số giúp cải thiện kĩ xác định yêu cầu nghe Môi trường học Câu chuyện số cung cấp mơi trường học tập mang tính giao tiếp giúp ích cho học sinh việc thực hành nghe thực tế 74 Câu chuyện số cung cấp mơi trường học tập mang 10 tính hợp tác giúp ích cho học sinh việc đưa tiếp thu ý kiến từ bạn 11 12 13 14 Câu chuyện số cung cấp môi trường học tập thoải mái không áp lực Câu chuyện số cung cấp tư liệu nghe cho trình học sau Câu chuyện số cung cấp tư liệu học tập phù hợp cho q trình học nghe Câu chuyện số cung cấp mơi trường học tập động Xin chân thành cám ơn hợp tác bạn! 75 APPENDIX C INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (ENGLISH VERSION) I The perception on the use of digital stories What you think about the implementation of the digital stories to teach listening skills? Which factor of the digital stories (e.g., language knowledge, listening sub-skills, & leanring environment) can be most beneficial to the students’ listening skill development? Why? II The difficulties with the use of digital stories What challenges have you faced when teaching listening skills with digital stories? What is the most challenging factor when you teach listening skills using digital stories? Thank you for your cooperation! 76 APPENDIX D INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (VIETNAMESE VERSION) CÂU HỎI PHỎNG VẤN I Nhận thức việc áp dụng câu chuyện số Bạn nghĩ việc áp dụng câu chuyện số vào dạy kỹ nghe? Bạn nghĩ yếu tố câu chuyện số (kiến thức ngôn ngữ, kỹ nghe phụ mơi trường học tập) hữu ích việc phát triển kỹ nghe cho học sinh? Tại sao? II Khó khăn Bạn gặp khó khăn dạy với câu chuyện số? Bạn nghĩ nhân tố khó khăn giảng dạy với câu chuyện số? Xin chân thành cám ơn hợp tác bạn! 77