NGHIÊN CỨU SỬ DỤNG BẢNG TƯƠNG TÁC TRONG VIỆC DẠY TIẾNG ANH CHO LỨA TUỔI TIỂU HỌC TẠI MỘT TRUNG TÂM TIẾNG ANH TẠI HÀ NỘI

Technology is an inseparable part of education in the twentyfirst century, especially in teaching and learning English. Therefore, there is an increasing awareness of the importance of technology in English teaching worldwide especially for primary children. Among various technological tools, Interactive Whiteboards appear as useful equipment which is becoming popular. In Vietnam, Interactive Whiteboards are also chosen by many schools and educational centers such as Nguyen Binh Khiem, Le Ngoc Han, Tran Hung Dao, British Council, Apollo English Center, etc. However, the usefulness of this equipment in Vietnamese teaching environment is still a matter of controversy which have been fully develop; thus, it offers an opportunity for the researcher to conduct this study to initially evaluate the use of Interactive Whiteboards in teaching primary students in some Apollo English Centers in Hanoi. The research was carried out in two Apollo English Centers which are Apollo Lieu Giai and Apollo Nguyen Ngoc Vu. The participants are native teachers teaching primary students in three main levels in Apollo which are starter, mover and flyer. Because of that setting, the researcher decided to employ the qualitative multiplecase study approach. Therefore, data were collected through interviews and classroom observations. The data collected were then analyzed to gain the insights and implications of the study. After conducting the study, the researcher found out that the application of Interactive Whiteboards in teaching English to primary students receives the positive attitude from teachers. It is revealed that the equipment can help teachers reduce the burden of planning lesson with various software and provided materials. From that, teachers can have more freedom in using software to access the resources or go on the Internet and to create more interesting activities for students. Moreover, Interactive Whiteboards support the interaction and conversation between teachers and students and the presentation of new linguistic and cultural elements. On the other hand, some minor shortcomings of this equipment are the technical problems in terms of Internet access, the Pen, the Pointing Stick and the projector.

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

University of Languages and international Studies

FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

NGUYỄN HƯƠNG THẢO

USING INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARDS IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO PRIMARY STUDENTS

IN AN ENGLISH CENTER IN HANOI

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE

DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS (TEFL)

SUPERVISOR: PHẠM THỊ THANH THỦY, M.A.

Ha Noi, May 2014

ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮKHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH

KHOÁ LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP

NGHIÊN CỨU SỬ DỤNG BẢNG TƯƠNG TÁC TRONG VIỆC DẠY TIẾNG ANH CHO LỨA TUỔI TIỂU HỌC TẠI MỘT TRUNG TÂM TIẾNG ANH

I hereby state that I: Nguyen Huong Thao, QH2010.E2, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library.

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper.

Signature

May 6th 2014

Secondly, I would like to say the sincerest thanks to the managers of ApolloNguyen Ngoc Vu and Apollo Lieu Giai: Ms Lisa Higgins, Mr James Bruce, Ms.Pham Ngoc Hue and Ms Hoang Anh who support and create favorable conditionsfor me to deliver this study

Thirdly, I also want to thank the participants of this study: native teachersworking at two Apollo English Centers in Hanoi Without their willingness toparticipate in the interviews and let me observe their lessons, this study could nothave been conducted

Fourthly, I am grateful to my beloved family and my friends who constantlyencouraged me during the time of conducting this research and have always been

so helpful

Last but not least, I owe my thanks to the readers for their interests in andfeedback on this thesis

Technology is an inseparable part of education in the twenty-first century,especially in teaching and learning English Therefore, there is an increasingawareness of the importance of technology in English teaching worldwideespecially for primary children Among various technological tools, InteractiveWhiteboards appear as useful equipment which is becoming popular In Vietnam,Interactive Whiteboards are also chosen by many schools and educational centerssuch as Nguyen Binh Khiem, Le Ngoc Han, Tran Hung Dao, British Council,Apollo English Center, etc However, the usefulness of this equipment inVietnamese teaching environment is still a matter of controversy which have beenfully develop; thus, it offers an opportunity for the researcher to conduct this study

to initially evaluate the use of Interactive Whiteboards in teaching primary students

in some Apollo English Centers in Hanoi

The research was carried out in two Apollo English Centers which areApollo Lieu Giai and Apollo Nguyen Ngoc Vu The participants are native teachersteaching primary students in three main levels in Apollo which are starter, moverand flyer Because of that setting, the researcher decided to employ the qualitativemultiple-case study approach Therefore, data were collected through interviewsand classroom observations The data collected were then analyzed to gain theinsights and implications of the study After conducting the study, the researcherfound out that the application of Interactive Whiteboards in teaching English toprimary students receives the positive attitude from teachers It is revealed that theequipment can help teachers reduce the burden of planning lesson with varioussoftware and provided materials From that, teachers can have more freedom inusing software to access the resources or go on the Internet and to create moreinteresting activities for students Moreover, Interactive Whiteboards support theinteraction and conversation between teachers and students and the presentation ofnew linguistic and cultural elements On the other hand, some minor shortcomings

of this equipment are the technical problems in terms of Internet access, the Pen,the Pointing Stick and the projector

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Statement of the problem and rationale for the study………

1.2 Aims of the study and research questions.……… ………

1.3 Significance of the study……… ……… ………

1.4 Scope of the study……… ……… ………

1.5 Methods of the study……… ……… ………

1.6 An overview of the rest of the paper……… ………

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Interactive Whiteboards……… ……… ………

2.1.1 Definition of Interactive Whiteboards……… ………

2.1.2 Interactive Whiteboards in mainstream education………

2.1.3 Interactive Whiteboards in English language teaching…………

2.2 Primary students……… ……… ………

2.2.1 Definition of young learners……… ………

2.2.2 Primary students’ characteristic in language learning………

2.2.3 Teaching English for primary students………

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 3.1 Setting of the study……… ……… ………

3.1.1 Interactive Whiteboards in Apollo English Centers………

3.1.2 Young learners at Apollo English Centers in Ha Noi………

3.2 Participants ………

3.3 Phase 1: Observation ………

3.3.1 Sampling ………

3.3.2 Data collection ………

3.3.2.1 Justification for the use of observation ………

3.3.2.2 Description of observation field note ………

3.3.2.3 Procedure of data collection ………

3.3.3 Data analysis ………

3.4 Phase 2: Interview ………

Page 1 4 5 5 6 6

7 7 8 9 11 11 11 12

14 14 15 17 17 17 17 17 18 19 19 20

3.4.1 Sampling ………

3.4.2 Data collection ………

3.4.2.1 Justification for the use of interview ………

3.4.2.2 Description ob interview schedule ………

3.4.2.3 Data collection procedure………

3.4.3 Data analysis ……… ………

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Findings ……… ……… ………

4.1.1 Research question 1……… ………

4.1.2 Research question 2……… ………

4.1.3 Research question 3……… ………

4.2 Discussion……… ……… ………

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 5.1 Major findings of the study ……… ………

5.2 Pedagogical implications from the findings ………

5.3 Limitations of the study and suggestions for further study………

5.3.1 Limitation of the study ……… ………

5.3.2 Suggestions for further study……… ………

REFERENCES ………

APPENDIX 1 ………

APPENDIX 2 ………

APPENDIX 3 ………

APPENDIX 4………

20 20 20 21 22 22

24 24 31 33 34

36 37 38 38 39

40 45 46 48 65

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Statement of the problem and rationale for the study

Technology is an inseparable part of education in the twenty-firstcentury, especially in teaching and learning English (Rodinadze &Zarbazoia, 2012) When it comes to teaching process, the appropriate use oftechnology can help educational system work better and more effectively(Jonassen & Reeves, 1996; Means, 1994) On the survey delivered byHalderman (1992), when applying technology in teaching, students havemore chance of learning faster and more regularly In another study on “Use

of Technology in English Language Teaching and Learning: An analysis”,Shyamlee and Phil (2012) claim that “technology provides many options asmaking teaching interesting and also making teaching more productive interms of improvements” Besides, technology impulses the learning process

as well Technology makes it more convenient for students to access theknowledge (Rodinadze & Zarbazoia, 2012) These researchers believe thatstudents nowadays can easily grasp and increase knowledge with the support

of online resource such as libraries or dictionaries The two researchers alsostate that technology “enhances the learning experience and equips students

to join an increasingly global workforce” and “makes education available to

a wider range of learners” Through distance learning programs students canuse mobile devices or laptop to finish their assignments online without therequirement of attending the class In addition, audio and video which areused in the lesson can encourage the participation of students as well as raiselevel of understanding

Furthermore, technology can be used as a helpful method in teachingEnglish for primary students Children over the age of three are “extremelyactive and mobile as well as continuing their mastery of language andexploring facets of social behavior” (Wardle, 2000) Young children exhibit

a diversity of learning style (Gardner, 1983) Therefore, with the appropriate

use of technology, teachers can “expand, enrich, implement, individualize,differentiate and extend the overall curriculum” (Wardle, 2000) In the samestudy, Wardle (2000) also states the following:

“Children should first be introduced to computers one at a time, or insmall groups Every child should have an opportunity to experienceample hands-on opportunity to explore 4-5 different softwareprograms Once each child has had this hands-on experience, thecomputer center becomes one of many equally important learningcenters It should have several chairs close by, to encourage children

to work together, and to encourage the more advanced students to act

as peer tutors This also develops cooperative learning activities.”

In summary, technology has a positive impact on children’s social,emotional, language and cognitive development (Haugland 2000; VanScoter, Ellis, & Railsback 2001)

There is an increasing awareness of the importance of technology inEnglish teaching Researchers have explored different kinds of technologycan be used in English classroom such as radio, television, computers and so

on (Bahadur & Oogarah, 2013) Among various technological tools,Interactive Whiteboards appear as useful equipment which is becomingpopular According to Al-Saleem (2012), “Interactive Whiteboard is a veryinnovative and powerful support for language acquisition” which takes fulluse of computers’ features without breaking communication, improves newkinds of learning and applies the internet into every English language class.Derek (2009) finds that when Interactive Whiteboards are used in classroom,both teachers and students are highly enthusiastic He also confirms thatInteractive Whiteboards help teaching process more convenient by quicklydisplaying text, images and accessing to websites whereby teachers can havemore time for instruction Besides, Interactive Whiteboards are becomingpopular in schools In the United Kingdom and the United States, InteractiveWhiteboards are widely used in school, colleges and universities (Isman,

Abanmy, Hussein & Al Saadany, 2012) Moreover, Interactive Whiteboardsare being used beyond UK and US, namely, Saudi Abria, Mauritius, etc.(Bahadur & Oogarah, 2013) In 2011, all primary schools in Mauritius wereequipped with at least one Interactive Whiteboard

The appearance of Interactive Whiteboards has changed the mode ofinstruction (Bahadur & Oogarah, 2013); hence, many previous research havebeen conducted in different countries all over the world to examine theeffects of it in English language teaching Those research are carried onvarious learners and researchers usually attempt to analyze the effects ofInteractive Whiteboards on teaching and learning processes (Yanez &Coyle, 2011) Solvie (2004) reports Interactive Whiteboards encourage herprimary students in literacy learning thanks to its interactive function Theauthor explains that the diagrams, webs and pictures, use of colors andshapes to highlight texts have motivated students in learning andparticipating the class’ activities Another research in U.S which focuses onmiddle school students and teachers indicated that Interactive Whiteboards

is a useful device to increase students’ engagement (Beeland, 2002)

In Vietnam, recently the application of information technology inteaching and learning activities has been becoming increasinglypopular, especially in the economically developed areas like Ho Chi MinhCity, Hanoi and Interactive Whiteboards are chosen by many schoolsand educational centers such as Nguyen Binh Khiem, Le Ngoc Han, TranHung Dao, British Council, Apollo English Center, etc (Le, 2013) Despitethis widespread trend, there are many social controversies over theusefulness of Interactive Whiteboards in teaching According to the ViceChairman of the Education and Training Bureau, District 2, HCM City, Ms PhamThi Thuy Trang (2013), the application of Interactive Whiteboards hasmotivated students in English classes; nevertheless, due to the lack ofessential skills in using this device, many functions have not been fullyactivated Even the parents find it doubtful and unreliable compared to

traditional teaching equipments Unfortunately, there are few systematicstudies on Interactive Whiteboards in Vietnamese teaching environment.Thus, the researchers decide to conduct this study to initially evaluate theuse of Interactive Whiteboards in teaching English to primary students insome Apollo English Centers in Hanoi.

1.2 Aims of the study and research questions

The study aims to illustrate how Interactive Whiteboards are used inEnglish classes for primary students in two Apollo English Centers in Hanoiwhich are Apollo Lieu Giai and Apollo Nguyen Ngoc Vu The researcher isinterested in exploring how Interactive Whiteboards support the teachingprocess and also its shortcoming if any The researcher expects that theoutcome would be a good source for primary English teachers whichprovides information of how to use Interactive Whiteboards effectively.Furthermore, basing on the result, the researcher evaluate whetherInteractive Whiteboards is a suitable tool in teaching English to primarystudents in Vietnamese context These aims can be achieved by findinganswers to the following three research questions:

1 How are Interactive Whiteboards being used in teaching English

to primary students in Apollo English Centers?

2 What are the benefits of Interactive Whiteboards in teachingEnglish to primary students from the perspective of the teachersworking at Apollo English Centers?

3 What are the weaknesses of Interactive Whiteboards in teachingEnglish to primary students as viewed by the teachers at ApolloEnglish Centers?

1.3 Significance of the study

In general, the research could be useful for both primary Englishteachers and researchers working on related studies

Firstly, in Vietnam research on Interactive Whiteboards is quitelimited Therefore, the study would be an official research on this theme.Once completed, the research is expected to be a good source for primaryEnglish teachers in considering the advantages and disadvantages of usingInteractive Whiteboards whereby they can use it more effective

Secondly, the research would solve the controversies over theconformity of using Interactive Whiteboards in teaching English to primarystudents in Vietnamese context Through the result, the authorities andeducators can decide whether English classes for primary students inVietnam should apply this new teaching tool

1.4 Scope of the study

The study was carried out among native teachers who are familiarwith working with Interactive Whiteboards in two centers of Apollo English

in Hanoi which are Apollo Lieu Giai and Apollo Nguyen Ngoc Vu Thisdecision was made based on the fact that Apollo English Center is one of thefirst educational centers applying Interactive Whiteboards in teachingEnglish for primary students in Hanoi, which is the main object of thisresearch Moreover, with the purpose of identifying the advantages anddisadvantages of using Interactive Whiteboards, the native teachers working

at Apollo English Centers are the most suitable participants They haveexperience of working with Interactive Whiteboards as well as have theirown view on how Interactive Whiteboards benefit the teaching and learningEnglish process

1.5 Methods of the study

The research was carried out in two Apollo English Centers, whichare Apollo Lieu Giai and Apollo Nguyen Ngoc Vu The participants arenative teachers teaching primary students in three main levels in Apollowhich are starter, mover and flyer Because of that setting, the researcherdecided to employ the qualitative multiple-case study approach Multiple-case study is a study that contains more than one single case (Baxter & Jack,2008) This approach has many advantages On the one hand, it allows theresearcher to analyze within each setting and across settings On the otherhand, it also can be used to predict similar results (a literal replication) orpredict contrasting results but for predictable reasons (a theoreticalreplication) (Yin, 2003) Moreover, the qualitative method was also applied

to explore the using of Interactive Whiteboards in two Apollo EnglishCenters in Hanoi as well as teachers’ attitude toward them This choice wasmade based on the fact that qualitative method generally aims to understandthe experiences and attitudes of participants (Brikci et al., 2007) Therefore,data were collected through interviews and classroom observations The datacollected were then analyzed to gain the insights and implications of thestudy

1.6 Overview of the rest of the paper

The rest of the paper contains the following chapters:

In chapter two (Literature review) the researcher discusses theliterature review on the key terms of the study with the review of relatedstudies

In chapter three (Methodology), the researcher describes theparticipants and methodology of the study with full details

In chapter four (Findings and discussion), the researcher presents,analyzes and discusses the findings from the collected data

In chapter five (Conclusion), the last chapter, the researchersummarizes the main issues discussed in the paper, suggests severalpedagogical recommendations from the findings, acknowledges thelimitation of the study and elaborate on its contributions

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter includes the review of the literature related to InteractiveWhiteboards and details of primary students In each section, the definition orexplanation of the key terms are presented together with the studies both worldwideand in Vietnam related to the issue

2.1 Interactive Whiteboards

2.1.1 Definition of Interactive Whiteboards

The first Interactive Whiteboard in the world was created by SMARTTechnologies in 1991 (Company overview, n.d.) In his study, Al-Saleem(2012) states that: “Interactive Whiteboard is a touch-sensitive screen thatworks in conjunction with a computer and a projector” It can be eitherhung on the wall or placed on a cart with portable wheels so that it can betransferred anywhere in the classroom or moved from one room to another(Brezinová, 2009) Interactive Whiteboards play the role of presentationdevice since they display images, audios or videos through the projector.Users can control the equipment from both the board and the computer Inaddition, the users can interact with the board by using a pen or their ownfingers as a mouse (Al-Saleem, 2012) Interactive Whiteboards wereavailable for a single user, however, in recent years, the development oftechnologies has allowed for multiple users to interact with them(Bannister, 2010)

Interactive Whiteboards are used for various purposes Most peopleuse Interactive Whiteboards for working, communicating with peoplearound the world Moreover, small children can use them to play games,watch films, listen to songs whereas older children use them for learningpurposes and having access to the Internet (Brezinová, 2009) At schools,Interactive Whiteboards are used for teaching purposes namely enhancing

students’ learning and motivation, and facilitating instruction for teachers(BECTA, 2003; Beeland, 2002; Schmid, 2008; Slay, Siebörger, &HodgkinsonWilliams, 2008; Wall, Higgins, & Smith, 2005).

2.1.2 Interactive Whiteboards in mainstream education

Over the last decade, the Interactive Whiteboards have become apopular device for instructors all over the world (Turel, 2011) Starting inearly 2000s, Interactive Whiteboards appeared in classroom in a largenumber, especially in the United Kingdom In 2003 and 2004, the UKgovernment spent £10 million to support the introduction of InteractiveWhiteboards into primary schools Therefore they promptly became one ofthe first countries to master this new educational technology (Hockly,2013) Recent figure shows that the number of Interactive Whiteboards inprimary and secondary schools in the UK has been over 283,000 in 2009(BESA,2009) taking highest rate (about 73%) of Interactive Whiteboards inclassroom worldwide (Lee, 2010) Besides, other countries includingDenmark (50%), the Netherlands (47%), Australia (45%) and the USA(35%) have also been increasing their Interactive Whiteboards penetrationrates lately (McIntyre-Brown, 2011) Turel (2011) expresses that Italy andTurkey have started their new projects of equipping Interactive Whiteboardsfor primary and secondary schools Beyond, the experts forecast theapplication of Interactive Whiteboards in classroom will continue risingparticularly in Europe and East Asia over the next three years (Lee, 2010) Interactive Whiteboards are applied in different subjects and learningcontexts Essig and Dawn (2011) delivered a study on how InteractiveWhiteboards affect elementary mathematic teachers’ in their pedagogy,technology integration and perceptions of students at those grades Theresults found out that using of Interactive Whiteboards enhanced thelearning experience of the students This research also plays an important

role in identifying a new and effective model of professional presentation.Another research on the application of Interactive Whiteboards was carriedout by Syh-Jong (2010) but in a different context among secondary scienceteachers The results can be listed as follows Firstly, InteractiveWhiteboards help in instructing subject-matter knowledge to students.Secondly, they supplement new instructional strategies for teachers Finally,they develop the technological pedagogical content and knowledge ofscience teacher

2.1.3 Interactive Whiteboards in language teaching

Interactive Whiteboards is one of the technological equipments thatbegan to be used in classroom in the late 1990s (Beeland, 2002) Theappearance of Interactive Whiteboards has changed the mode of instruction,especially in language teaching (Bahadur & Oogarah, 2013) Therefore, anumber of research has been conducted to examine its effects in bothlanguage teaching and learning process

An outstanding research is conducted by Al-Saleem (2012) stated that

an Interactive Whiteboards support the teaching process of foreign language

in three main ways Firstly, Interactive Whiteboards increase the interactionand conversation in classroom since the combination with wireless thekeyboard reduces the time that teachers have to come back and write on theboard; consequently, there would be more chances for teachers to face theirstudents Secondly, Interactive Whiteboards also help with teachers’preparation of new cultural and linguistic elements by providing authenticdocuments Finally, Interactive Whiteboards promote the oral skills throughgroup works, presentation activities which bring people together andencourage communication

In terms of learning, from the perspective of language teachers,Interactive Whiteboards with internet access is a potential utilization in

foreign language learning, especially for the vocabulary memorization sincethe integration among the sound, the written words and the image of objectspresented is considered to raise memorization remarkably (Schmid, 2008).Moreover, Interactive Whiteboards support different learning styles andare used in a variety of learning environments (Chapell, 2003)

Besides, other researchers are interested in investigating the effects ofInteractive Whiteboards in a particular language A recent research wasconducted by Hui Ling and Royn (2011) in Chinese language class in order

to explore teachers and students’ perceptions of learning through InteractiveWhiteboards Two authors discovered that the application of InteractiveWhiteboards enhances various aspects of Chinese language learning Inaddition, the teachers have positive attitude towards the use of InteractiveWhiteboard which led to the effective teaching and learning of Chinese

Additionally, Yanez et al (2011) carried a research on InteractiveWhiteboards in a different context which is an English language class in aBritish primary school in Spain The findings illustrate that the children have

a desire to interact more with the Interactive Whiteboards

Another opinion of theorist, who has the same interest in the issue,claimed that it is convenient for teachers in interacting with the computer

“the touch-sensitive board allows users to interact directly with applicationswithout having to be physically at the computer which is projecting theimage onto the board Elements of text, graphics, sound, animation, andvideo help teachers create lessons that interest and engage students duringthe learning process” (as cited in Beeland, 2008, p 2)

In short, various functions of Interactive Whiteboards allow teachersand students to be more interactive with technology in a manner that was notpreviously possible

2.2 Primary students

2.2.1 Definition of young learners

There are some different definitions of young learners Brezinová(2009) defines young learners as learners aged between 6 to 11 years old.According to Rixon (1999), young learners are defined as children betweenthe ages of about 5 years old to 12 years old Otherwise, young learners arealso recognized as those under 14 years old (Lynne Cameron, 1999).Therefore, in general, the definition of young learners is based on the yearsspent in the primary or elementary stages of formal education before thetransition to secondary school which is the reason why the ages of younglearners are varied from one country to the others

In Vietnam, young learners or primary students are defined aschildren from 6 to 11 years old who attend classes from grade one to gradefive Since the study is carried in Vietnam, the definition of Brezinová is themost suitable, thus the main object of this paper are students from 6 to 11years old

2.2.2 Primary students’ characteristics in learning language

Children are famous for being natural language learners (Curtain,2009) It is undoubtful that they have learned their native language with fewdifficulties and by the time of 6 years old, their proficiency make non-nativespeakers jealous In her book “Languages and Children: Making the Match,New Languages for Young Learners, Grades K-8, 4/E”, Curtain (2009) givesreaders some evidences on the significant linguistic ability of children Shesays that after 6 months letting children to study in a second-languagesetting, parents will be amazed with the level that their children can reachwhich is higher than adults studying in the same period of time

Moreover, children have their own learning style, especially insecond-language learning Unlike adults, children have no real reason forlearning the language and they are unaware of learning a language In otherword, children acquire language, while the adults learn it (Krashen, 1986).Moreover, they are not aware of needs to motivate; their goals are short termand the relations with teachers and taking part in interesting activitiesmotivate them to engage with second-language In addition, Scott and hiscoworkers (1991) also note some characteristics of young learners thatteachers should be aware of They list out as the following: “children arevery curious and active; they have a limited attention span, requireinteraction in learning, prefer physical activities, learn by manipulatingthings, mostly rely on speaking and require praise in any form”.

2.2.3 Teaching English for primary students

Teaching to young learners at primary school is different from that toadults Phillips (1993) claimed that types of activities designed by teachersshould be based on students’ circumstances, attitudes and interests ratherthan the children’s physical age and it is essential for teachers to understandstudents’ characteristics

In the line with mentioned characteristics (in the previous part), somefactors should be considered in teaching English to primary students Firstly,teachers should create the situations in which students can acquire languagenaturally and communicatively since young learners acquire languages bymeans of acquisition rather than learning (Sukarno, 2008) Secondly, Brown(2001) noticed that the attention spans of students of this age are short;hence, it is necessary for teachers to make the lessons interesting, lively andfun He also claimed that the sensory input plays an important role in alesson which helps students feel sufficient for a classroom As a result, thelesson should balance among physical activities, visual and auditory

activities and non-verbal language Thirdly, according to Abe (1991) it isuseful to use media in teaching English to young learners since it helps theclassroom situations to be more alive Additionally, media also helpsteachers render materials and help the students comprehend the givenmaterials.

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, the method employed to answer the research questions would

be described in details The participants, the instruments and the procedure of datacollection and analysis would be justified

3.1 Setting of the study

3.1.1 Interactive Whiteboards in Apollo English Centers

Apollo Vietnam was founded in 1994 It is the first fully foreignowned English language training company in Vietnam Apollo is anaffiliation of International House World Organization which is one of thelargest and oldest groups of language schools in the world In Vietnam,Apollo continues to strive to maintain as the top class English teachingorganization Apollo’s achievements in education and training arerecognized by the Vietnamese Government and the United Kingdom.Apollo is the first foreign organization that has received two campaignmedals for “the Cause of Education” from the Vietnamese Ministry ofEducation and Training In 2008, Apollo’s Chairman of the Board ofDirectors was also awarded the MBE (Member of the British Empire) byQueen Elizabeth II for providing international-standard English training inVietnam

Apollo owns nine modern and international-standard centers all overVietnam in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hai Phong The studywas carried out in two centers of Apollo in Hanoi which are Apollo NguyenNgoc Vu and Apollo Lieu Giai Interactive Whiteboards are equipped inevery class at every level since Apollo believes that Interactive Whiteboardscan enhance students’ learning motivation

Interactive Whiteboards in Apollo are provided by Promethean, afamous provider of the equipment Each Interactive Whiteboard is

accompanied with a projector, a pen or a pointing stick InteractiveWhiteboards in Apollo are installed with various software and programs.Firstly, ActivInspire is known as the basic software in a PrometheanInteractive Whiteboard It plays the role as a traditional whiteboard.Moreover, it enables teachers to lead the lesson on an InteractiveWhiteboard ActivInspire has many features Teachers can use it to createnew lesson filled with rich, powerful activities and support assessment forlearning tasks with students, groups and the whole class With a choice ofage appropriate interfaces, ActivInspire gives teachers the ability to access awealth of teaching activities, tools, images, sounds and templates, with aworld of additional resources available on Promethean Planet (ActivInspiredescription, n.d) Secondly, Apollo use Our Discovery Island textbook asthe main teaching program The program is provided by Pearsonpublication and divided into six levels Each level is accompanied by adigital version which is installed in every Interactive Whiteboards inApollo The digital course book embodies all material available in thetextbook, enriched by interactive exercises, audio and video material,flashcards, story cards and teacher resources Thirdly, the InteractiveWhiteboards in Apollo English Centers are all connected to the Internet andavailable teachers to search for online material during the class

3.1.2 Young learners at Apollo English Centers in Hanoi

Apollo English Centers divide their students into two big types whichare Apollo Junior and Apollo Adult The focus object of this study is ApolloJunior Apollo Junior comprises four levels, namely Kindy (students fromages 4 to 6), Kids (students from ages 6 to 11), Kids plus (students from ages

10 to 12) and Teens (students from ages 12 to 17) Since the researcherwants to explore the use of Interactive Whiteboards in teaching primarystudents, the suitable candidate is the Kids level where attending students arefrom 6 to 11 years old

In Apollo English Centers, the Kids level is evaluated to be equal tothe A1 level of CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference forLanguages) Council of Europe describes A1 level that students canunderstand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrasesaimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type; they can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details;and can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly andclearly and is prepared to help (Council of Europe, 2001)

At Apollo English Centers, Kids level is again split into three smallerlevel which are Starter, Mover and Flyer Beside four English skills, ApolloEnglish Centers incorporate LETSTM method (Learning English ThroughSubjects) which supplements the knowledge of Maths, Science and lifeskills Therefore in each level, students have different targets Firstly,students of Starter level are expected to understand, speak and listen to basicinstruction They should be able to read short sentences and a text, writemissing words (nouns) In term of LETS method, after finishing the course,Starter students would know basic numeracy and simple mathematicaloperations in English, basic awareness of science topics on the naturalworld, social skills such as team work, pair work, sharing, critical thinking(identifying and comparing), art and social sciences, etc Secondly, Moverstudents are expected to have the same skill as Starter but to a higher level.They know how to describe differences between pictures, tell story frompictures, listen for names, spellings and specific information In addition,they can read for specific information and gist, stories and factual texts aswell as write short texts With regard to LETS, students are able to discussand solve simple problems, measure, shapes, life cycles, etc Finally, Flyerstudents are expected to be able to listen for specific and detailedinformation; answer questions with short answers to get information Theyalso can read and understand a short text; write longer standard texts In term

of LETS, Flyer students know food chains, food science, animalidentification, work/jobs, music, arts, environment, ecology andconservation, present in a group (Apollo course description, n.d.)

3.2 Participants

The participants of the study were native English teachers working attwo Apollo English Centers which are Apollo Nguyen Ngoc Vu and ApolloLieu Giai The decision was made based on the fact that those teachers workwith Interactive Whiteboards every day and thus gain their experience inusing them

In each center, the teachers were randomly chosen from thoseteaching three main levels of primary students at Apollo English Centers:starter, mover and flyer Therefore, six teachers involved in the research All

of them have been using Interactive Whiteboards as a tool supporting theirteaching process

3.3 Phase 1: Observation

3.3.1 Sampling

After choosing the participants, the researcher started observing.

In each Apollo English Center, the researcher observed three classes of primary students at starter, mover and flyer levels These classes were taught by the teachers who accepted to be the participants of this study.3.3.2 Data collection

3.3.2.1 Justification for the use of observation

Field observation was chosen to collect the information on the effectiveness and weaknesses of using Interactive Whiteboards in teaching English to primary students Le et al (2012) reported that field observation is the method of watching people or animal in their natural habits In a language study, the researcher can observe the

students and teachers’ behaviors in a language classroom Observation

is more advantageous than questionnaire and interview in enhancing the validity and reliability of the information People do not always give honest answer in doing questionnaire; however, by observing the researcher can watch the natural and true behaviors of the participants (Le, 2012) Therefore, field observation is flawlessly suitable for the current study.

The observation was designed to answer all three research questions By observing, the researcher had a deeper understanding of the usage of Interactive Whiteboards The observation could also reveal students’ reaction to their teachers’ using of Interactive Whiteboards The researcher believes that these reactions could be considered as one of the measurement of the effectiveness of using the equipment to improve students’ engagement Besides, the researcher also focused on finding the drawbacks of using Interactive Whiteboards by observing how the teachers used these tools to support their teaching procedures as well as whether they met difficulties in dealing with Interactive Whiteboards.

3.3.2.2 Description of observation field note

The researcher adopted and modified observation field note created by Wright and Bolitho (2007) in order to create a reliable observation field note The original observation of the authors includes four elements which are time, teacher’s action/talk, students’ action/talk and comments/questions Since one of the focuses of the observation is the usage of Interactive Whiteboards in Apollo English Centers, the researcher added the element of Interactive Whiteboards

where all the tools, software or programs that were used by teachers were noted down The researcher also added some detailed information

of class settings scilicet place, date, teacher, class level, number of students, lesson title, duration and time of using Interactive Whiteboards

The observation focused on how Interactive Whiteboards are used in class and students’ reaction to them, the teachers’ manipulation

in using the tools and any unexpected situations were noted

3.3.2.3 Procedure of data collection

Data collection procedure included two steps as follows:

Step 1: Preparation

After designing the observation field notes as described above, theresearcher contacted the managers of two Apollo English Centers for thepermission for observation Then the participants were informed at leastthree days before the first observation

Step 2: Observation

Observation was conducted as planned During the classes, theresearcher used the prepared observation field note to carefully recordedstudents’ reactions, teachers’ manipulation in using Interactive Whiteboards

as well as any special situations

3.3.3 Data analysis

Qualitative method was used to analyze the observation field note.The results are the answers to all the three research questions

3.4 Phase 2: Interview

3.4.1. Sampling

After observing, the researcher interviewed all the teachersparticipating in the study in order to have a deeper understanding aboutteachers’ manipulation of Interactive Whiteboards and further explanationsfrom them where the researcher felt confused

3.4.2. Data collection

3.4.2.1.Justification for the use of semi-structured interviews

Semi-structured interview is the most suitable type of interview forthis study In general, semi-structured interview is believed to give a betterunderstanding to the researchers since semi-structured questions allow them

to ask about the incomplete or ambiguous answers from participants Thereare more interactions between interviewees and interviewers, thus,researchers can elicit additional data (Mackey & Susan, 2005, 174).Additionally, with the combination of both structured and unstructuredquestions, interviewers and interviewees will be more comfortable in sharingtheir opinions, ideas and attitudes in details but interviewers still can control

to guide the conversations focusing on the main topics

The interviews in this study were conducted for further information.After observing the three classes, the researcher arranged a suitable dayasking participants for unclear information taken from the observation fieldnotes The focus of these interviews is to clarify some confusing details, forexample, teaching techniques, class arrangements or students’ engagement

3.4.2.2.Description of the interview schedule

The interview schedule employed in this study is a semi-structuredtype which is divided into two main parts

The first part focuses on exploring how teachers use InteractiveWhiteboards in teaching English to primary students The answers collectedfrom this part are expected to solve the first research question The first partcontains 14 questions asking about various aspects of the teachers’ using ofInteractive Whiteboards such as frequency, common activities, materials onInteractive Whiteboards and so on Besides, the researcher also prepared thequestions on the attitude of teacher toward software or programs that theyusually use on Interactive Whiteboards In this part there is a difference inthe interview schedule between Lieu Giai and Nguyen Ngoc Vu Centers inquestion number 8 which asks about Point Stick For teachers from NguyenNgoc Vu Center, the question asks their opinions on the need to use PointStick Otherwise, for teachers from Lieu Giai Center, this question wasdesigned to ask whether they would apply a new teaching aid on theirteaching process The decision of building this question is based on the factthat in Lieu Giai Center; the Point Stick is hardly used while some teachers

in Nguyen Ngoc Vu Center still use it

The second part aims at finding teachers’ overall attitude towardInteractive Whiteboards which then support answering the second and thirdresearch questions With this object, the first five questions are adapted fromthe survey on Teachers’ attitude toward using the Interactive Whiteboards as

a means of delivering instruction created by Beeland (2002) The rest of parttwo is built based on the questionnaire of the research “The InteractiveWhiteboard in English as a foreign language classroom” (Al-Saleem, 2012).Those questions are chosen on purpose to reveal as well as bring a deeperinvestigation into advantages and disadvantages of using InteractiveWhiteboards in teaching English to primary students

3.4.2.3 Data collection procedure

The interview was conducted through the two following steps

Step 1: Design and prepare the interview

The interview was designed in semi-structured type which focuses onexploring a deeper understanding of ambiguous details taken from theobservation field notes

The researcher contacted the teachers (as described earlier) to arrangesuitable dates and time for conducting interviews

Step 2: Conduct interviews

Interviews were conducted based on the permission of theparticipants to record and assuring confidentiality The main focus of theinterview was to clarify the advantages and disadvantages the participantsface when using Interactive Whiteboards in teaching English to primarychildren These interviews also helped the researcher to gain a deeperunderstanding of the techniques used by these teachers with the device tosupport for their teaching

3.4.3. Data analysis

Data analysis of the interview was divided into three steps

Step 1: Transcribe the interview

Content of the interviews was transferred into written form to avoidmissing data and helped the researcher has a closer and accurateinvestigation of the information provided by the interviewees

Step 2: Encode the interviewees

After transcribing the interview, the researcher encoded theinterviewees’ name from B1 to B6.

Step 3: Classify the answers

The answers were classified into three groups which are relevant tothe three research questions

Step 4: Render data

After classifying the data, the researcher compared, contrasted to findout the connection among them Then she came to the conclusion of theresearch

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

In this chapter, the findings from the collected data were summarizedand addressed each of the research questions

4.1 Findings

4.1.1 Research Question 1: How are Interactive Whiteboards being used in

teaching English to primary students in Apollo English Centers?

The results from the observation and interview show the frequency,common software and activities used with Interactive Whiteboards which arehelpful to describe the current situation of using Interactive Whiteboards inteaching English to primary students in Apollo English Centers

Frequency of using Interactive Whiteboards

From the results by observation and interview, it is obvious that allteachers use Interactive Whiteboards as a tool to support their teaching process.They claimed that they used the equipment in every lesson, however; it does notmean that they use them for the whole duration Teachers usually alternateactivities that need the support of Interactive Whiteboards and the ones do notneed it According to the researcher’s calculation, the time that teachers useInteractive Whiteboards in a lesson take up from 40% to 83% The figures can

be various in different lessons and different classes at different levels Theteachers themselves are aware of this fact, therefore, in her interview, TeacherB1 stated that she often used Interactive Whiteboards for about 30% to 40% perlesson An explanation for this issue can be found in Teacher B3’s answer in theinterview that: “we should not allow students to look at the InteractiveWhiteboards for the whole lesson because it is harmful to their eyes.” TeacherB6 also added that “While the Interactive Whiteboards are useful for presentingand demonstrating, it is also important for students to process information andpractice using language alone, in pairs or in small groups” so he usually preparesactivities which do not need the use of Interactive Whiteboards in his lessons

Tools to control Interactive Whiteboards

Regarding to the usage of Interactive Whiteboards, the first thing should

be concerned is the using of Pen, fingers, the keyboard, mouse and PointingStick to control the operation of Interactive Whiteboards As observed by theresearcher, Interactive Whiteboards in two centers are quite different in thetouch-sensitive nature To be specific, in Apollo Nguyen Ngoc Vu, theInteractive Whiteboards are so sensitive that the smallest touch can causeproblems and teachers can control them by fingers, however; in Apollo LieuGiai, it is impossible to control the board by fingers Because of thosedifferences, the researcher asked a question in the interview about whetherteachers prefer to use the Pen or their fingers to control the InteractiveWhiteboards The answers disclose that in Apollo Lieu Giai the finger-controlmode is turned off Teachers in Apollo Lieu Giai claimed that they do not turnthe mode on because it is too sensitive (Teacher B5, 2014) and easy to makemistakes and for the students to mess the Interactive Whiteboards which candisrupt the lesson (Teacher B3, 2014) In addition, Teacher B6 shared hisopinion that it is better for young children to only have the Pen-control modeavailable to avoid the temptation to play with the Interactive Whiteboards.Besides, the majority of teachers in Apollo Nguyen Ngoc Vu answered that theyprefer the Pen because sometimes the Interactive Whiteboards could be toosensitive (Teacher B1 & Teacher B2, 2014) However, Teacher B3 had theopposite opinion She explained that the Pen she uses sometimes causes problemand does not work, hence; she prefers to use fingers Another difference betweenthe two centers is the using of Pointing Stick In general, Pointing Stick has thesame function as the Pen apart from the feature that Pointing Stick is longer thanthe Pen In Apollo Nguyen Ngoc Vu, it is quite often to see the appearance ofPointing Stick in classroom while in Apollo Lieu Giai, the researcher has notseen it ever Consequently, in the interview with teachers of Apollo NguyenNgoc Vu, the researcher asked about the usage of Pointing Stick whereas in theinterview with teachers of Apollo Lieu Giai, the researcher asked whether

teachers would like to apply new teaching aid which is the Pointing Stick On theone hand, the results from the interviews show that teachers in Apollo NguyenNgoc Vu feel that the Pointing Stick is not a necessary tool because they saidthat it was just useful for short students who cannot reach the InteractiveWhiteboards (Teacher B1 & Teacher B3, 2014) Moreover, Teacher B2 alsostated that Pointing Stick is not very effective for regular use such as writing andopening programs She added that the Pointing Stick is better used to circle orclick on something rather than for writing because it does not write well On theother hand, the teachers in Apollo Lieu Giai had the same opinions All threeteachers said that they do not think it is necessary to use the Pointing Stick since

it has the same function to the Pen or fingers and it is only useful for shortstudents to reach the Interactive Whiteboards Furthermore, InteractiveWhiteboards are connected to computers so it is possible to control them throughthe keyboard and the mouse The interview question about the specificmanipulation that can only be done with the Pen or the keyboard and the mouseshows that Teacher B3 and Teacher B2 are not aware of it, while the others allsaid that typing needs to be done with the keyboard Teacher B1 and Teacher B4also affirmed that when the Pen gets problems and stops working, there is noother way except using the keyboard and mouse to control InteractiveWhiteboards In short, Pen is the most suitable tool to control the operation ofInteractive Whiteboards

Common software and programs used in Interactive Whiteboards

Despite of the fact that six observed teachers are from different centers,they have similarities in using software and programs in InteractiveWhiteboards The collected data from the observation field notes and interviewdisclose that ActivInspire, Digital course book and Internet are the mostcommon software and programs which are used by all teachers

Teachers claimed that they use ActivInspire with the functions similar to anormal whiteboard where they can write, draw on Interactive Whiteboards Theyalso expressed their satisfaction by ranking it 5 (totally effective) in term ofeffectiveness Reason for this choice can be inferred from the questions askingfor purposes of using each software and program The participants shared thataside from the function as a normal whiteboard; ActivInspire allows them toopen and work on more than one flipchart (the technical term used to call a

“page” in ActivInspire), move the writing or images, play videos on it, combineits function with some other software It provides a lot of pictures that have beenalready loaded and many slides as well Besides, the researcher realized from theobservation that all teachers usually use ActivInspire to support their classroommanagement Teachers create a flipchart of students’ name with stars (or points)and during the lesson the stars (or points) can be changed based on students’behavior and participation Some teachers even add a flipchart of classroom’srules in order to remind students what should and should not do in the class Thisfunction seems to be similar to a normal whiteboard but the differences arestated by Teacher B6 He said that with a normal whiteboard you have to leave alot of space for the list of students and it takes much time for cleaning the board,which will distract students’ attention He added that it is very easy to switchbetween flipcharts and when it comes to the page of class list, students will knowthat they did something wrong so they stop doing bad Furthermore, the mostsignificant function of ActivInspire is the possibility for teachers to create theflipcharts ahead and plan for the upcoming lesson Teachers can prepareflipcharts with pictures of the vocabulary, activities or exercises According toteacher B2, ActivInspire also has the function of making games in which theyjust need to choose the vocabulary and then the software will create the gamesuch as spelling, matching or searching words games She said that this functionhelps the preparing process faster and convenient

Another software is used by all teachers is the Digital course book Thecommon purpose of using it is to display the students’ book on the Interactive

Whiteboards Moreover, the Digital course book allows teachers to enlarge theimages in the book, play the recording of the exercises and do the interactiveexercises and games The Digital book has the various resources includingrecording of songs, pictures, flashcards, the test, etc In general, it providesteachers needed materials of the course book Therefore, most of the participatedteachers ranked it 5 in terms of effectiveness However, two teachers are notsatisfied with the Digital course book which are Teacher B2 and Teacher B5.They give it 4 and 3 in terms of effectiveness They explained that there aresome textbooks that can be used better than this one (Teacher B2, 2014) and thesome parts of the content are not worthwhile to use (Teacher B5, 2014).Nevertheless, in the end they still confirmed that the Digital course book canattract the students’ attention with lively images and authentic recording

Internet is claimed to be used by all the teachers as well Teachers sharedthat with the access of Internet, the teaching process is much more interestingand convenient They usually use Internet to go on Youtube to let students watchvideos on the topic of the lesson, Google for searching images to teach thevocabulary The flexibility is the most outstanding advantage of Internet Theteachers stated that with Internet it is easier for them to explain the difficultvocabulary by going on Google image to search for pictures of the word TheYoutube is also helpful in demonstrating the cultural elements with videos ofculture all around the world Youtube is considered a good source for variousclips of vocabulary, pronunciation and so on Besides, some teachers said thatthey use Internet to access some ESL websites for review games (Teacher B2,Teacher B3, Teacher B4 & Teacher B5, 2014) It is worth noting that the websiteClassdojo.com is also liked by Teacher B1 and Teacher B5 According toTeacher B5, Classdojo is the classroom management website used to manage theclass by giving point and checking attendance He has an interest in it since herealized that the students find it fun and very interactive The website displaysstudents’ score in front of the whole class so they know that they should beobedient While Teacher B5 gives point for students in each lesson and restarts it

in the next lesson, Teacher B1 keeps the point of students for the whole course toremind the students that they should be nice and participate in every lesson.Overall, the Internet is a great tool so all teachers rank it 5 in terms ofeffectiveness.

Apart from three main software and programs above, Primary box and dictionary are used by four teachers: Teacher B2, Teacher B3, Teacher B4 andTeacher B5 Primary I-box and I-dictionary are software which provides manygames about vocabulary and grammar Teacher B3 and Teacher B4 gave the twosoftware 5 in terms of effectiveness because they said that those software workproperly and they do not have difficulty in using them Otherwise, Teacher B2and Teacher B5 gave them 3 and 4 Teacher B2 explained that some extra games

I-in the software are not quite essential

Moreover, it is noteworthy that the mentioned software and programs can

be combined together to take full advantages Four out of six teachers admittedthat they have combined software during their teaching process When they wereasked for detailed explanation, Teacher B3 said that she uses the camera tool toput pictures from the Internet onto the flipchart in ActivInspire while Teacher B4shared that he usually put the Internet links in ActivInspire flipcharts to help himaccess them more quickly Teacher B2 and Teacher B5 added another method ofusing those software Teacher B5 revealed that sometimes when teaching aboutvocabulary, he opens the picture in the Digital course book and use the spotlightfunction of ActivInspire to cover that page, thus, there is only a small corner ofthe picture is shown Then he uses the moving function to move that corner andwhen it comes to an object or an animal that is targeted vocabulary, he will askstudents “What is it?” or explain the word Afterward, he makes students to go tothe Interactive Whiteboards to move the corner and find an object or an animal

By doing so, he can do two jobs at the same time which are teaching vocabularyand checking the understanding of the students Teacher B2 commented that the

combination “helps students visualize the language and it makes learning fun for

a lot of the kids”

Preparation of materials on Interactive Whiteboards

As stated above that ActivInspire and other software in InteractiveWhiteboards allow teachers to plan the lesson beforehand so the researcherdecided to investigate how teachers prepare the materials and activities for alesson

Four out of six teachers claimed that they have prepared the materials onInteractive Whiteboards Most of them use ActivInspire to create flipcharts;some also use the PowerPoint software to create slides With ActivInspire, allfour teachers claimed that they usually find the pictures of vocabulary and putthem in the flipcharts before the class in order to avoid wasting time Eachteacher has a different purpose on the using of flipchart Teacher B3 said that sheprepares the flipcharts contain words or phrase used in speaking activities whileTeacher B6 stated that he put the audios in the flipchart to prepare for listeningactivities In addition, the interview also explores the activities that teachersprepare with Interactive Whiteboards The answers are diverse with many kinds

of activities including sorting activities, board rush game, matching, drawing,writing dictation, organizing vocabulary into categories activities Thoseactivities are considered to be used for students practicing the lesson or checkunderstanding Moreover, it is said that Apollo English Centers has a materialsharing system called “Teacher Docs” which is installed in every InteractiveWhiteboards The system is built for teachers creating, saving and sharing theirmaterials for the colleagues It is noticeable that different centers have differentsystem so the materials are sharing among teachers in just one center TeacherB2 shared her opinion on the system that it is very convenient to look and learnfrom other teachers’ materials She added that as long as she is in ApolloNguyen Ngoc Vu, she can access the materials, thus; the place of classroom is

not an obstacle for opening the materials The time needed to prepare thosematerials is also a concern of the researcher According to the results collectedfrom interview, the teachers stated that the average time to prepare a lesson isapproximately 30 minutes Additionally, the time fluctuates depending on thelesson content, students’ level and the availability of resource

Besides, there are some activities that cannot prepare with InteractiveWhiteboards All teachers stated that the games involving flashcards, worksheetsand writing exercises do not need the support of Interactive Whiteboards.Nevertheless, during the game Interactive Whiteboards are still on to record thescores in the games and to maintain discipline using the star classroom flipchart(Teacher B4, 2014)

4.1.2 Research Question 2: What are the benefits of Interactive

Whiteboards in teaching English to primary students from the perspective of the teachers working at Apollo English Centers?

The results of the interviews have revealed the positive attitude of Englishteachers in two Apollo English Centers toward the using of InteractiveWhiteboards in teaching English to primary students

In terms of lesson planning, it is obvious that the majority of teachers feelsatisfied with the resources in Interactive Whiteboards Four out of six teacherssaid they like the pictures, audios and videos provided in Interactive Whiteboard(Teacher B1, Teacher B2, Teacher B3 & Teacher B5, 2014) Teacher B3expressed that the pictures are really useful to compare with the photocopies onebecause of the black and white color make it hard to see the detail

In terms of flexibility, some of the teachers claimed that they like thefreedom the Interactive Whiteboards allow them Firstly, with a variety of

software and programs, it is easy to use more than one software or program atthe same time In the ActivInspire, teachers can also switch between theprepared flipcharts and the new ones which can give them more time to spend onachieving the lesson (Teacher B6, 2014) Secondly, Interactive Whiteboardsallow teachers to access the Internet at any time Teacher B3 revealed that whenteaching English to primary students many words suddenly come up during thelesson therefore the best way to explain is to go to Google and search for theword and let students see the picture Thirdly, the teachers can decide when touse Interactive Whiteboards Teacher B4 stated that there are many activities that

do not need the support of Interactive Whiteboards

The majority of teachers affirmed that they do think InteractiveWhiteboards can support the interaction and conversation between them andstudents Firstly, the students are so excited with the Interactive Whiteboards,therefore, they want to have chance go to and participate the game on theInteractive Whiteboards as Teacher B6 said “when you give them the Pen, theyfeel really happy because they feel they are important” Secondly, InteractiveWhiteboards have the dual pen function which is useful the group-work games.This kind of game can bring students together (Teacher B5, 2014)

Another benefit confirmed by the teachers is that Interactive Whiteboardssupport the presentation of new linguistic and cultural elements All teachersstated that Interactive Whiteboards is the most helpful in teaching listening sincenot only the provided resources for this skill are useful but also it is easy toaccess the online recording through Internet (Teacher B3, 2014) Teacher B5 andTeacher B6 also added that the quality of provided recordings is much betterthan CDs Moreover, Teacher B3 claimed that Interactive Whiteboards areuseful for speaking as well She explained that while her Flyer students aretalking if suddenly want to add an idea about something, teachers can use picture

to provide them the vocabulary or useful phrase By doing so, the students willremember and know how to use the word for their speaking later on About the

cultural elements, all teachers express that Youtube is a good source for teachingculture Some teachers shared that this function of Interactive Whiteboards isclearly shown in the lesson of carnival around the world Teachers usually go onYoutube and find the suitable videos and let the students watch them.

Besides, it is claimed by the teachers that Interactive Whiteboards supportthe classroom management, the ActivInspire and Classdojo website helpsteachers in keeping the discipline The function of Classdojo makes Teacher B5appreciate He said that by displaying the students’ score in front of the class,Classdojo makes students behave well Besides, Teacher B4 claimed thatalthough some games do not need the involvement of Interactive Whiteboards,they are still on to record the score and keep the class discipline since as long asthe Interactive Whiteboards are still on, the students know that they should bewell behaved Otherwise, they will lose the stars

4.1.3 Research Question 3: What are the weaknesses of Interactive

Whiteboards in teaching English to primary students as viewed by the teachers at Apollo English Centers?

In order to answer this question, the results from two research methodswill be included in this section

All teachers responded that the weaknesses of using InteractiveWhiteboards were the technical problems including, Internet, the Pen, thePointing Stick and the projector Teacher B1 claimed that InteractiveWhiteboards could suddenly crash Teacher B5 and Teacher B2 faced the sameproblem with Internet connection lost They stated that the teaching process wasinterrupted and they could not teach the things that they had prepared Besides,Teacher B3 has the problem with the Pen She said that sometimes the Pen doesnot work properly and if the body mistake to touch the screen at the same time