Factors affecting first year medical technology students on using ELL software to improve their pronunciation at a medical and pharmaceutical university in vietnam

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ HẢI YẾN FACTORS AFFECTING FIRST-YEAR MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS ON USING ELL SOFTWARE TO IMPROVE THEIR PRONUNCIATION AT A MEDICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM (CÁC YẾU TỐ ẢNH HƯỞNG ĐẾN VIỆC SỬ DỤNG PHẦN MỀM ELL ĐỂ CẢI THIỆN KHẢ NĂNG PHÁT ÂM CHO SINH VIÊN KỸ THUẬT Y HỌC NĂM THỨ NHẤT TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC Y DƯỢC Ở VIỆT NAM) Master thesis Major: English Language Teaching Code: 60140111 HANOI - 2017 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ HẢI YẾN FACTORS AFFECTING FIRST-YEAR MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS ON USING ELL SOFTWARE TO IMPROVE THEIR PRONUNCIATION AT A MEDICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM (CÁC YẾU TỐ ẢNH HƯỞNG ĐẾN VIỆC SỬ DỤNG PHẦN MỀM ELL ĐỂ CẢI THIỆN KHẢ NĂNG PHÁT ÂM CHO SINH VIÊN KỸ THUẬT Y HỌC NĂM THỨ NHẤT TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC Y DƯỢC Ở VIỆT NAM) Master thesis Major: English Language Teaching Code: 60140111 Superviser: PhD Hoàng Ngọc Tuệ HANOI - 2017 DECLARATION I hereby state that I Nguyen Thi Hai Yen, being an MA candidate of the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, certify my authorship of the study entitled ―Factors affecting first-year medical technology students on using ELL software to improve their pronunciation at a medical and pharmaceutical university in Vietnam.‖ The thesis is the study of my own research and the substance of the thesis has not, wholly or in part, been submitted for a degree to any other universities or institutions Supervisor‟s signature Student‟s signature PhD Hoàng Ngọc Tuệ Nguyễn Thị Hải Yến i ACKNOWLEDGMENT I would like to express my special thanks to my supervisor PhD Hoang Ngoc Tue for his constant guidance, suggestions, dedication and professionalism through my research My deep gratitude goes to the lecturers of the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their thoughtful and fruitful lectures which have inspired me to conduct this study I am also indebted to the staff and students of the Department of Foreign Languages at Haiphong University of Medicine and Pharmacy for their support and participation in my research I wish to acknowledge, in particular, my family and my best friends who have encouraged me while I was accomplishing this study Finally, I would like to thank the readers who have patiently read and given valuable comments on this thesis ii ABSTRACT It is crucial for a language learner to have a good pronunciation of the language CALL accordingly has a great potential to teach and learn pronunciation Through much research has been undertaken on CALL, there exist a gap in investigating factors affecting the use of CALL to improve English pronunciation in a medical and pharmaceutical university when language students face many medical terminologies, especially in Vietnamese context In order to address such a gap, this study examines the use of a software program, students‘ motivation to use the program, the effectiveness of the program This study seeks to contribute new understandings into using CALL to improve pronunciation and recommendations to use CALL effectively The qualitative data are collected from students‘ learning sheets, classroom observation and students focus group, and content analysis is employed for the interpretation of the data The results showed that the students agreed on a number of factors affecting the effective use of the software such as motivation, lack of training and policy climate Keywords: CALL, English pronunciation, focus group, learning sheet, classroom observation, content analysis iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGMENT ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENT iv LIST OF FIGURES vi LIST OF APPENDICES vi LIST OF ABBREVIATION vii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Statement of the problem 1.2 Objectives of the study 1.3 Methods of the study 1.4 The significance of the study 1.5 Thesis outline CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Role of pronunciation in language teaching and learning 2.2 Challenges of teaching pronunciation 2.3 Benefits of using CALL software in EFL teaching and learning pronunciation 2.4 Challenges of using CALL software in EFL teaching and learning pronunciation 12 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 17 3.1 Context of the study 17 3.2 Description of the software program 18 3.3 Research questions 18 3.4 Research design 19 3.5 Data collection 21 iv 3.5.1 Classroom observation 22 3.5.2 Learning sheet 22 3.5.3 Focus group interview 23 CHAPTER DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 24 4.1 Data analysis 25 4.2 Results 26 4.2.1 Benefits of ELL 26 4.2.2 The challenges of ELL 28 4.2.3 Motivation 29 4.2.4 Necessary improvements 30 4.3 Discussions and recommendations 32 4.3.1 Teacher and student training 32 4.3.2 Motivation for Student Self-Discipline 33 4.3.3 Policy Climate 35 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 38 5.1 Summary 38 5.2 Limitations of the Study 39 5.3 Suggestions for Further Research 39 REFERENCES 40 APPENDICES I Appendix 1: The congruence of research questions, literature reviews, conceptual framework, data collection methods, data sources, and data analysis I Appendix 2: Student Focus Group Interview IV Appendix 3: Student’s Learning Sheet V Appendix 4: Classroom observation .VI v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Benefits and challenges of CALL 16 Figure 2: Crotty‘s (1998) model of research design 19 Figure 3: Data Collection Model 22 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix 1: The congruence of research questions, literature reviews, conceptual framework, data collection methods, data sources, and data analysis I Appendix 2: Student Focus Group Interview IV Appendix 3: Student‘s Learning Sheet V Appendix 4: Classroom observation VI vi LIST OF ABBREVIATION CALL: Computer Assisted Language Learning CAPT: Computer Assisted Pronunciation-Teaching CAP: Computer Assisted Pronunciation EFL: Learning English as a Foreign ESP: English for Specific Purposes vii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION This first chapter consists of five sections It begins with the statement of the research problem (section 1.1) Section 1.2 provides the objectives of the study and research questions The section 1.3 and 1.4 present the methods of the study and the significance of the study The last section in this first chapter (section 1.5) presents the thesis outline 1.1 Statement of the problem In recent decades, due to the impacts of globalization, English is increasingly used as an international language (Jenkins, 1998) Pronunciation is becoming more and more important for successful communication (Stephens, Silbert, & Hasson, 2010) The use of spoken language to establish successful communication also becomes the general goals of language teaching (Kelly, 2006) This reality has realized a new level-headed discussion about models, objectives and especially, the techniques used for teaching speaking and pronunciation Much research has dealt with teaching English pronunciation and problems learners confront in English pronunciation and the research proposed that the teaching and learning of English pronunciation take time (Levis & Grant, 2003; Sifakis & Sougari, 2005) As a matter of fact, communication may break down when individuals pronounce erroneously Besides, students with great pronunciation are usually more capable speakers and more fruitful language students than those with poor pronunciation (Kelly, 2006) Understanding the roles of learning and teaching English pronunciation, the researcher has had great effort to help students pronounce English better, however, the job meets with many difficulties Meanwhile, CHAPTER CONCLUSION This last chapter presents the conclusion of the research The researcher summarizes (section 5.1) all the major issues that have been mentioned in the study Besides, the researcher has pointed out the limitations of the study (section 5.2) The final section 5.3 presents suggestions for further research 5.1 Summary The primary objective of this study was to investigate the employment of ELL software The secondary aim of the study was to identify factors affecting on students‘ use of the software to improve their English pronunciation This study was conducted based on the data from a class of 28 first year medical technology at a medical and a pharmaceutical university in Vietnam It was an out-class curriculum and a triangulated approach was adopted in order to collect data by means of structured classroom observation, structured learning sheets and focus group interview The data collected was analyzed and interpreted in the light of content analysis The preliminary finding from this research was that the benefits this program offers depend were undeniable There were still challenges that are facing students to come by The research has identified three factors that affect students in using ELL software: motivation, lack of understanding of the software, and curriculum Besides, the findings show that students often met with time problems, the nature of the course and the teacher The multiple method of research employed in this present study was valuable not only for the rich data it collected in the research process, but also because of valid findings and reliable data collection 38 It is expected that the study will be helpful to the teaching and learning of foreign languages at medical and pharmaceutical universities in particular and help students use CALL to learn pronunciation effectively in general 5.2 Limitations of the Study Although the study has some beneficial contributions to the pronunciation teaching and learning, it still has some limitations The study was conducted at a medical and pharmaceutical university with a small class of 28 students Therefore, this study is prone to lack of generalization This number is not enough to have a full understanding of the factors affect the students in using pronunciation software Besides, research refers to the factors that affect the use of software at the student- level The influences by other levels such as teacher and institute level are not discussed 5.3 Suggestions for Further Research The study has opened some directions for future research (1) The research has been conducted to first-year medical technology students at a medical and pharmaceutical university; it should be conducted with students in different years and at different universities Then the factors that affect the students in using ELL software to improve their pronunciation will be more accurately evaluated (2) Besides ELL software, there exist other software packages which used to teach English in general and pronunciation in particular The factors that affect students in using these packages should be tested so that the efficiency in using the software in EFL teaching and learning will be enhanced Hopefully, this study and subsequent research will result in better awareness and evaluation of applying software in teaching and learning English pronunciation, so that contribute to the renovation of learning foreign language methods at medical and pharmaceutical university 39 REFERENCES Anderson, R C., & Pearson, P D (1984) A schema-theoretic view of basic processes in reading comprehension Handbook of reading research, 1, 255-291 Avineri, N (2017) Research Methods for Language Teaching: Inquiry, Process, and Synthesis: Springer Baker, A (1996) Introducing English Pronunciation.: A Teacher's Guide to Tree or Three? and Ship or Sheep? : Cambridge University Press Barr, D (2004) ICT, Integrating Computers in Teaching: Creating a Computer-based Language-learning Environment Oxford, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Frankfurt and Main, New York, Wien: Peter Lang Beatty, K (2013) Teaching & researching: Computer-assisted language learning: Routledge Bernstein, J., Cohen, M., Murveit, H., Rtischev, D., & Weintraub, M (1990) Automatic evaluation and training in English pronunciation Paper presented at the Icslp Bingimlas, K A (2009) Barriers to the successful integration of ICT in teaching and learning environments: A review of the literature Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 5(3) Blumer, H (1969) Fashion: From class differentiation to collective selection The Sociological Quarterly, 10(3), 275-291 Boyd, B L., & Murphrey, T P (2002) Evaluation of a computer-based, asynchronous activity on student learning of leadership concepts Journal of Agricultural Education, 43(1), 36-45 Bradley, R A (2004) English for nursing and health care: A course in general and professional English: McGraw-Hill Brown, A (1992) A survey of attitudes and teaching practices related to pronunciation teaching: Professional Development Unit, Adult Migrant Education Service-WA Bunnell, H T., Yarrington, D M., & Polikoff, J B (2000) STAR: articulation training for young children Paper presented at the Sixth International Conference on Spoken Language Processing Çakır, İ., & Baytar, B (2014) Foreign language learners‘ views on the importance of learning the target language pronunciation Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 10(1), 99-110 Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D M., & Goodwin, J M (1996) Teaching pronunciation: A reference for teachers of English to speakers of other languages: Cambridge University Press 40 Chou, F C (2005) Ya-Ya language box-A portable device for English pronunciation training with speech recognition technologies Paper presented at the Ninth European Conference on Speech Communication and Technology Claire, S (1993) Pronunication in the NSW Adult Migrant English Service: Current Practice, Future Directions University of Technology, Sydney, Clement, I (2010) Nursing: Solved Question Papers for BSc Nursing - 4th Year (2009 - 1999) (As per Indian Nursing Council Syllabus) (2nd ed.) New Delhi, Panama City, London, Dhaka, Kathmandu: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd Creswell, W J (2012) Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research (4th ed.) Boston, Columbus, Indianapolis, New York, San Francisco: Pearson Crotty, M (1998) The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process: Sage Davies, G (2012, 20 October, 2017) History of EUROCALL Retrieved from http://www.eurocall-languages.org/about/history Denzin, N K (1994) The art and politics of interpretation Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Eskenazi, M., & Pelton, G (2002) Pinpointing pronunciation errors in children's speech: examining the role of the speech recognizer Paper presented at the ISCA Tutorial and Research Workshop (ITRW) on Pronunciation Modeling and Lexicon Adaptation for Spoken Language Technology Fetterman, D M (1998) Ethnography: Step by Step (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Flick, U (2014) An introduction to qualitative research: Sage Foddy, W (1994) Constructing questions for interviews and questionnaires: Theory and practice in social research: Cambridge University Press Foote, J A., Holtby, A K., & Derwing, T M (2012) Survey of the teaching of pronunciation in adult ESL programs in Canada, 2010 TESL Canada journal, 29(1), 1-22 Fraser, H (2000) Coordinating improvements in pronunciation teaching for adult learners of English as a second language Canberra: DETYA (ANTA Innovative project) Fraser, H., & Perth, H (1999) ESL pronunciation teaching: Could it be more effective Australian Language Matters, 7(4), 7-8 41 Frey, A., Faul, A., & Yankelov, P (2003) Student perceptions of webassisted teaching strategies Journal of Social Work Education, 39(3), 443-457 Fung, H., & Yuen, A (2012) Factors affecting students‟ and teachers‟ use of LMS–Towards a holistic framework (1st ed.) Heidelberg, Dordrecht, London, New York: Springer Gilakjani, A P (2012) The significance of pronunciation in English language teaching English language teaching, 5(4), 96 Gilbert, J B (2008) Teaching pronunciation: Using the prosody pyramid: Cambridge University Press Giuliani, D., Mich, O., & Nardon, M (2003) A study on the use of a voice interactive system for teaching English to Italian children Paper presented at the Advanced Learning Technologies, 2003 Proceedings The 3rd IEEE International Conference on Graceffo, A (2010) Teaching English Pronunciation to Vietnamese Students Foreign Policy Journal, 14 Gündüz, N (2005) Computer assisted language learning Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 1(2) Hardison, D M (2004) Generalization of Computer-Assisted Prosody Training: Quantitative and Qualitative Findings (1) Language, Learning & Technology, 8(1), 34 Harmer, J (2003) The Practice of English Language Teaching ELT Journal, 57, Harwell, M R (2011) ReseaRch Design in Qualitative/Quantitative (2nd ed.) Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC: SAGE Higgins, J (1988) Language, learners, and computers: Human intelligence and artificial unintelligence: Addison-Wesley Longman Ltd Higgins, J (1995) Computers and English language learning London: Intellect Ltd Jenkins, J (1998) Which pronunciation norms and models for English as an International Language? ELT Journal, 52(2), 119-126 Jim, S (2005) Learning teaching The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching, Kawai, G., & Hirose, K (1997) A CALL system using speech recognition to train the pronunciation of Japanese long vowels, the mora nasal and mora obstruents Paper presented at the Fifth European Conference on Speech Communication and Technology 42 Kawai, G., & Tabain, M (2000) Automatically detecting mispronunciations in the speech of hearing-impaired children Proceedings of InSTIL, 3948 Kawulich, B B (2005) Participant observation as a data collection method Paper presented at the Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research Kelly, G (2006) How To Teach Pronunciation (With Cd): Pearson Education India Kern, R (2006) Perspectives on technology in learning and teaching languages Tesol Quarterly, 40(1), 183-210 Kohn, L., & Christiaens, W (2012) The use of Qualitative Research Methods in KCE studies Method Brussels: Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE) Krueger, R A., & Casey, M A (2002) Designing and conducting focus group interviews Social analysis, selected tools and techniques, 4(23), 4-24 Kumaresan, K., Balamurugan, K., & Thirunavukkarasu, S (2012) Computer assisted language learning International Journal of Management Research and Reviews, 2(12), 2083 Laroy, C (1995) Pronunciation: Oxford University Press Lee, K C (2001) Selecting and Integrating CALL Software Programs into the EFL Classroom Paper presented at the ELT Perspectives on IT & Multimedia, Hong Kong: English Language Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Levis, J M., & Grant, L (2003) Integrating pronunciation into ESL/EFL classrooms Tesol Journal, 12(2), 13-19 Liou, H.-C (2000) Assessing learner strategies using computers: New insights and limitations Computer assisted language learning, 13(1), 65-78 Liou, H C., & Yang, C Y (2001) Teaching English in an „E‟ era Taiwan: Caves Books Little, C A (2012) Curriculum as motivation for gifted students Psychology in the Schools, 49(7), 695-705 Machovikov, A., Stolyarov, K., Chernov, M., Sinclair, I., & Machovikova, I (2002) Computer-based training system for Russian word pronunciation Computer assisted language learning, 15(2), 201-214 Mead, G H (1934) Mind, self and society (Vol 111): Chicago University of Chicago Press Merriam, S B (2002) Qualitative research in practice: Examples for discussion and analysis: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub 43 Miles, M B., & Huberman, A M (1994) Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks, London, New Delhi: SAGE Publications Miller, S F (2000) Targeting pronunciation: The intonation, sounds, and rhythm of American English: ERIC Murphy, J M (1991) Oral communication in TESOL: Integrating speaking, listening, and pronunciation Tesol Quarterly, 25(1), 51-75 Murray, L., & Barnes, A (1998) Beyond the ―wow‖ factor—evaluating multimedia language learning software from a pedagogical viewpoint System, 26(2), 249-259 Najmi, A., & Bernstein, J (1996) Speech recognition in a system for teaching Japanese The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 100(4), 2726-2726 Neri, A., Cucchiarini, C., Strik, H., & Boves, L (2002) The pedagogytechnology interface in computer assisted pronunciation training Computer assisted language learning, 15(5), 441-467 O‘Dwyer, B (2004) Qualitative data analysis: illuminating a process for transforming a ‗messy‘but ‗attractive‘‗nuisance‘ The real life guide to accounting research: A behind-the-scenes view of using qualitative research methods, 391-407 Otlowski, M (1998) Pronunciation: What are the expectations The internet TESL journal, 4(1), 150-161 Patton, M Q (2001) Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods: SAGE Publications Pennington, M C (1999) Computer-aided pronunciation pedagogy: Promise, limitations, directions Computer assisted language learning, 12(5), 427-440 Piske, T., MacKay, I R., & Flege, J E (2001) Factors affecting degree of foreign accent in an L2: A review Journal of phonetics, 29(2), 191215 Price, P (1998) How Can Speech Technology Replicate and Complement Good Language Teachers to Help People Learn Language? Paper presented at the STiLL-Speech Technology in Language Learning Ross, L (1992) Teaching Phonology to teachers: the phonology element in initial training courses Approaches to Pronunciation Teaching Review of English Language Teaching, 2(2), 18-28 Rostron, A., & Kinsell, P (1995) Learning pronunciation using CALL: Some experimental evidence ReCALL Newsletter, 5(1) 44 Seferoğlu, G (2005) Improving students‘ pronunciation through accent reduction software British Journal of Educational Technology, 36(2), 303-316 Sfakianaki, A., Roach, P., Vicsi, K., Csatari, F., Oster, A., Kacic, Z., & Barczikay, P (2001) SPECO: Computer-Based Phonetic Training for Children Paper presented at the Proceedings of the Phonetics Teaching & Learning Conference, London Sifakis, N C., & Sougari, A (2005) Pronunciation issues and EIL pedagogy in the periphery: A survey of Greek state school teachers' beliefs Tesol Quarterly, 39(3), 467-488 Stephens, G J., Silbert, L J., & Hasson, U (2010) Speaker–listener neural coupling underlies successful communication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(32), 14425-14430 Trinh, T H (2015) Using software to improve first-year English majors' pronunciation: an action research at Hong Duc University (Master of Art Coursework), University of Languages and International Studies, VNU, Hanoi, Vietnam Warnick, B (2001) Critical literacy in a digital era: Technology, rhetoric, and the public interest: Routledge Warschauer, M., & Healey, D (1998) Computers and language learning: An overview Language teaching, 31(2), 57-71 Watts, N (1997) A learner-based design model for interactive multimedia language learning packages System, 25(1), 1-8 doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0346-251X(96)00056-5 Witt, S., & Young, S (2014) Computer-Assisted Pronunciation Teaching Based on Automatic Speech Recognition: Routledge Wu, W., & Hwang, L.-Y (2010) The effectiveness of e-learning for blended courses in colleges: A multi-level empirical study International Journal of Electronic Business Management, 8(4), 312 Yates, L (2001) Teaching pronunciation in the AMEP: Current practice and professional development AMEP Research Centre 45 APPENDICES Appendix 1: The congruence of research questions, literature reviews, conceptual framework, data collection methods, data sources, and data analysis LITERATURE REVIEW – CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Research questions How first year medical technology students at a medical and pharmaceutical university use ELL to improve their pronunciation? Categories Sub-categories - Benefits of CALL in EFL teaching and learning: - Kawai & Hirose, 1997; Machovikov, Stolyarov, Chernov, Sinclair, & Machovikova, 2002 Sinclair, &Machovikova, 2002; Najmi & Bernstein, 1996 - Beatty, 2013 - Bill, as cited in Boyd and Murphy, 2002 - Boyd and Murphy, 2002 - Celce-Murcia et al., 1996 - Dooley, Stuessy & Magill, as cited in Boyd & Murphy, 2002, p.37 - Hardison, 2004 - Diagnose pronunciation mistakes - Correct pronunciation mistakes - Promote pronunciation learning - Avoid embarrassment - Provide a learning environment - Promote motivation - Increase learner interest and motivation - Provide visuals to learners - Overcome teacher‘s drawbacks DATA COLLECTION Key interview questions Learning sheet with students Appendix Appendix - Why you use ELL - The content you software? practiced today - How you use ELL (pages of the book): software? - What functions in - What kind of function this program did you you often use? use today? - What functions you - How much time not use very often? you use to practice? - Which characteristics - Is the time enough help you improve your for your practice? English pronunciation? - How does the Why? software support you - What you like about in pronunciation? ELL? - What difficulties - Do you need the you meet when you teachers ‗help? are practicing? - What is the different between ELL and a teacher in terms of teaching and learning pronunciation? I Classroom observation Appendix - What functions in the program students use most? - What functions the students not use very often? - Does the teacher need to help students in the class? What are the factors that influence the students in the use of ELL software? - Challenges of using CALL in EFL teaching and learning: - Witt & Young, 2014 - Higgins, 1988 - Kumaresan, Balamurugan, & Thirunavukkarasu, 2012 - Beatty, 2013; Lee, 2001 - Lee, 2001 - Bingimlas, 2009 - Fung & Yuen, 2012 - Provide unclear mistake diagnosis - Need to choose proper software - Need to consider learner‘s language proficiency - Need to interact and interfere with the software - Need to learn how to use the software - Need to interfere with the software - Need Vietnamese adaptivity - Need a richer menu of exercises - Need adequate language processing methods - Exist issues with innovation, teaching philosophy, classroom conditions, cost and teacher training - Is ELL attractive software? Why? - How you interact when using ELL? - How does the software give you the models? - How does the software improve your pronunciation? - What difficulties you meet when you use the software? - Does the software meet your needs? - Is the software instruction clear and easy to use? - How does the time joining the laboratory affect your using software? - Is the time enough for your practice? - Do you often waste time for other things II - What kind of functions in this program did you use today? - What difficulties you meet when you are practicing? - How much time you use to practice? - Is the time enough for your practice? - How the students interact when using ELL? - How does the software support the students? - Is the software instruction clear and easy for students to use? - Do the students meet any difficult with the software instruction? - Is the time enough for students practice? - Do the students use time for other things? What are they? - When students not focus on their learning? - Do the students pay enough attention in using ELL software - including a lack of funds, expertise and authoring programs - Need to pick reasonable software for students - Need to choose good software - Exist teacher barriers - Exist a need for selfefficacy, learning styles, learning strategies, learning attitude, demographic attributes, life characteristics, need for interaction, past experience, motivation and attitude - Need to consider technical resources, societal factors (such as the computers and the earphones broken )? - Do you feel happy when go to the lab to practice? - Do you like using ELL software to practice your pronunciation? Why? - Do you need to train carefully before you use the software? III to improve their pronunciation? - Do the students the other works in the lab room? - How the lower and higher motivated students use the software? Appendix 2: Student Focus Group Interview Categories Background information Benefits of CALL software in EFL teaching and learning Challenges of using CALL software in EFL teaching and learning Interview questions Have you ever been used any software to learn English and learn English pronunciation? Why you use ELL software? How you use ELL software? What kind of function you often use? What functions you not use very often? Which characteristics help you improve your English pronunciation? Why? Do you need the teachers ‗help? What you like about ELL? What is the different between ELL and a teacher in terms of teaching and learning pronunciation? 10.Is ELL attractive software? Why? 11.How you interact when using ELL? 12.How does the software give you the models? 13.How does the software improve your pronunciation? 14.What difficulties you meet when you use the software? 15.Does the software meet your needs? 16.Is the software instruction clear and easy to use? 17.How does the time joining the laboratory affect your using software? 18.Is the time enough for your practice? 19.Do you often waste time for other things (such as the computers and the earphones broken )? IV Appendix 3: Student‟s Learning Sheet Name: Date: The content you practiced today (pages of the book): What functions in this program did you use today? How much time you use to practice? Is the time enough for your practice? How does the software support you in pronunciation? What difficulties you meet when you are practicing? V Appendix 4: Classroom observation Date: Page of the course book: General description for students today How the students interact when using ELL? How does the software support the students? Is the software instruction clear and easy for students to use? Do the students meet any difficult with the software instruction? Is the time enough for students practice? Do the students use time for other things? What are they? VI When students not focus on their learning? Do the students pay enough attention in using ELL software to improve their pronunciation? Do the students the other works in the lab room? 10 How the lower and higher motivated students use the software? Researcher‘s reflection VII ... and challenges does ELL software offer to first- year medical technology students at a medical and pharmaceutical university in Vietnam? What are the factors that influence upon their use of ELL. .. exist a gap in investigating factors affecting the use of CALL to improve English pronunciation in a medical and pharmaceutical university when language students face many medical terminologies,... factors affecting students on using a software to improve their pronunciation This study seeks to contribute new understandings into Vietnamese context of using CALL to improve pronunciation in