A study on efl teachers’ perceptions of the use of quizlet in teaching vocabulary to young learners at an english center

Trang 1 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY PHAN MỸ LINH A STUDY ON EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE USE OF QUIZLET IN TEACHING VOCABULARY TO YOUNG LEARNERS AT AN ENGL

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY PHAN MỸ LINH A STUDY ON EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE USE OF QUIZLET IN TEACHING VOCABULARY TO YOUNG LEARNERS AT AN ENGLISH CENTER Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching Code: 8140111 Supervisor: TRUONG VAN DINH, Ph.D Binh Dinh - 2023 BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN PHAN MỸ LINH NHẬN THỨC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TIẾNG ANH VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG QUIZLET ĐỂ DẠY TỪ VỰNG CHO TRẺ EM Ở TRUNG TÂM ANH NGỮ Ngành: Lý luận và phương pháp dạy học bộ môn Tiếng Anh Mã số: 8140111 Người hướng dẫn: TS TRƯƠNG VĂN ĐỊNH Bình Định - 2023 i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP The thesis entitled “A study on EFL teachers’ perceptions of the use of Quizlet in teaching vocabulary to young learners at an English center” is conducted under the direction of Truong Van Dinh, Ph.D at Quy Nhon University I declare that the information reported in this study is the result of my own work and effort, except where due reference is made This thesis has not been submitted to any university for the award of a degree Binh Dinh, 2023 PHAN MY LINH ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The total completion of this scientific research project is the result of not only my efforts but also the precious assistance of those to whom I would like to express my sincere gratitude First of all, I am really grateful to my supervisor, Dr Truong Van Dinh, for her great instruction, encouragement, patience, and vital assistance He has always been available to support me not only academically but also spiritually Secondly, I would like to thank the primary teachers and English center teachers who participated in this study for their willingness to contribute useful thoughts and experiences about teaching English to young learners through questionnaires and interviews Thirdly, my heartfelt thanks also go to the Department of English teachers for the invaluable knowledge they shared with me during my M.A program I would also like to thank all of the librarians at Quy Nhon University for allowing me to find and borrow valuable documents Furthermore, my greatest gratitude is also sent to my loving family, which includes my parents, younger sister, and older brother I dedicate this thesis to my family because of their constant support and unconditional love Their love drives me to finish this degree Finally, I would like to show my gratitude and blessings to everyone who assisted me in completing my thesis iii ABSTRACT Vocabulary is at the heart of developing proficiency and achieving competency in any language learning skill Moreover, as technology advances, the process of incorporating technology with education has become increasingly necessary Therefore, this study aimed to explore teachers’ perceptions of using Quizlet to teach vocabulary to young learners This study used a descriptive quantitative and qualitative approach, collecting data via questionnaires and interviews The research was conducted at an English center in Gia Lai Province with the participation of 17 EFL teachers The findings of the study revealed that the majority of teachers had positive attitudes of using Quizlet in teaching vocabulary to young learners The teachers said that using Quizlet helped their students acquire new vocabulary quickly, remember vocabulary longer and draw young learners’ greater attention However, there are also some difficulties that EFL teachers face with Quizlet such as limited time, controlling classrooms, Internet connection The researcher suggests that further studies in this area should consider a bigger sample size as well as use a variety of instruments to get a deeper understanding of EFL teachers’ perceptions of teaching vocabulary with Quizlet iv TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii LIST OF TABLES ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Rationale 1 1.2 Aim and Objectives of the Study 2 1.2.1 Aim of the Study 2 1.2.2 Objectives of the Study 2 1.3 Research Questions 3 1.4 Scope of the Study 3 1.5 Significance of the Study 3 1.6 Organization of the Study 4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 6 2.1 Vocabulary 6 2.1.1 Definition of Vocabulary .6 2.1.2 Importance of Vocabulary 6 2.1.3 Types of Vocabulary 9 v 2.1.4 Vocabulary Teaching and Learning 9 2.1.5 Teaching vocabulary to young learners 11 2.2 Young Learners 12 2.2.1 Definition of Young Learner .12 2.2.2 Characteristics of Young Learners 13 2.2.2.1 Intellectual development 12 2.2.2.2 Attention span 13 2.2.2.3 Sensory input 13 2.2.2.4 Affective factors 14 2.2.2.5 Authentic, meaningful language 14 2.3 Quizlet 15 2.3.1 Definition of Quizlet 15 2.3.2 Application of Quizlet to Teaching and Learning Vocabulary 16 2.3.3 Benefits of Quizlet in Teaching and Learning Vocabulary 18 2.3.4 Use of Quizlet 19 2.4 Teachers’ perceptions 19 2.4.1 Definition of teachers’ perceptions 19 2.4.2 Types of Perception 20 2.5 Previous Studies 20 2.6 Summary 24 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 25 3.1 Research Design 25 vi 3.2 Research Setting 26 3.3 Participants 26 3.4 Materials 28 3.5 Research Instruments 29 3.5.1 Questionnaire 29 3.5.2 Interview 30 3.5.3 Data Analysis .31 3.6 Summary Error! Bookmark not defined CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 33 4.1 Findings from Questionnaire 33 4.1.1 EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Importance and Necessity of Quizlet 34 4.1.2 EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Benefits of Quizlet 36 4.1.3 EFL Teacher’s Perceptions of Disadvantages of Quizlet 39 4.2 Findings from Interview 38 4.2.1 A Useful App for EFL Teachers’ Vocabulary Teaching 39 4.2.2 Least Useful Aspects of Quizlet in Teaching 40 4.2.3 Some Useful Aspects of Quizlet in Teaching Vocabulary 44 4.2.4 EFL Teachers’ Difficulties in Using Quizlet to Teach Vocabulary 45 4.2.5 EFL Teachers’ Suggestions for Using Quizlet more vii Effectively 46 4.2.6 EFL Teachers’ Future Intentions of Teaching Vocabulary with Quizlet 47 4.3 Summary 47 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 49 5.1 Conclusion 49 5.2 Implications of the Study 51 5.3 Limitations of the Study and Suggestions for Further Research 48 5.3.1 Limitations of the Study 48 5.2.2 Suggestions for Further Research 49 REFERENCES 53 APPENDICES viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS A Agree App Application D Disagree EFL English as a Foreign Language ICT Information and Communication Technology MALL Mobile-assisted Language Learning PC Personal Computer R Researcher SA Strongly Agree SD Strongly Disagree T Teacher U Unsure YL Young Learner