The influences of social networks on english self study process of freshmen in english faculty, thuongmai university

ABSTRACT The study aims to explore the effects of social networks in the process of selflearning English of students belong to English Faculty, Thuongmai university (TMU) through a number of popular social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube,Zing.mp3,etc.A total of 61 students from English Faculty at TMU participated in this study.The participants were divided into two main groups that including the first year students and the final year students in order to compare the difference in the process of using the social network for English self-study and how the impact of social networks affect them.A mixed method consisting questionnaire method, interview method and group interview method was implemented to analyze the collected data The findings of this study indicate that social networks can effectively assist college students in self-learning process.Students can improve their professional knowledge not only from the in-class instruction but also through social network sites However, due to the lack of appropriate learning methods, social networks still exist a few negative effects in the learning process.Finally,some useful instructional strategies are provided to educators and practitioners in the English education field Keywords: Social networks, self-learning process, research method HANOI, 2019 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This graduation thesis would never have been able to finish without the guidance of my supervisor, help from my friends and support from my family Firstly, to complete this graduation thesis, I have received a lot of helps from school and teachers.I would like to thank to faculty of English,TMU for giving me a good learning environment, providing me with knowledge about business English, as well as opportunity to let me have time to access to practical Secondly,I would like to express my sincere thanks to the teacher: Ms.Han Thi Bich Ngoc During the time of writing the thesis, I received the guidance of the teacher.She helped a lot in correcting, supplementing and perfecting the missing theoretical knowledge to complete the thesis with the best results Thirdly, I would also like to thank the library management of Thuongmai university who has helped me a lot in the process of collecting materials, providing valuable materials to complete this thesis Last but not least, I want to show my appreciation to participants, including K54,the first year students and K51,the final year students of English major at Thuongmai university, who provided me with valuable assistance in collecting data However, due to limited qualifications and limited research time, the research and presentation process is inevitable I really hope to receive comments and advice from teachers so that my graduation thesis will be more perfect Thank you so much! Hanoi, April, 2019 Tran Thi Cuc TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS NO ABBREVIATIONS E.g TMU Etc EXPLANATION Exempli gratia (for example) Thuong Mai University Et cetera CHAPTER I: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1.Rationale In the context of international integration, English has become the most widely used language all over the world It is considered as the medium communication in many different fields such as: science, technology aviation, international sport, and so on Businesses are increasingly focusing on their English language skills (especially English) For medium and large enterprises, foreign language certification is gradually becoming a mandatory requirement, and is considered a prerequisite for applicants when interviewing.However, the response and the way we are implementing so that English becomes a second language for graduates, there are still many issues to consider Back to the university training environment, like many universities in the country today, Thuongmai University also requires that before graduation, students need to have a certificate of English as a required condition Studying foreign languages at school is not enough for students to apply well what they have learned in practice So the core problem for students to improve their foreign language skills is in students' self-study in addition to the lessons in class.Self-study is really a very important skill for students It helps students to grasp knowledge effectively However, how self-study is effective and how to have the best self-study method? Especially for freshmen in English Faculty, finding a suitable method for the English self-study process is really necessary.While the internet is having a booming era, new forms of communication are attracting more and more viewers Internet users - especially young people, start looking for a place that satisfies all the needs of information, entertainment, connectivity and social networking that are launched to meet all those needs.For students, the benefits that social networks bring have an immense role in self-studying English of students at TMU Students through social networking links to work together as a group of people with the same goal of self-learning English, with interest, online exchange, help each other improve English proficiency and English skills.Not only that, social networks also expand the scope, allowing students from different schools not only in the country but also abroad to create sites to help each other learn This is one of the channels to help them improve learning efficiency, share knowledge and materials.Nowaday, the world has hundreds of different social networks like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, Each social network has a certain success based on its compatibility with cultural, geographic factors Facebook and YouTube are social networks that are commonly used in Vietnam In addition, having some appearances of other social networks such as: Zing me, YuMe, Tamtay,etc Many young people, especially the first-year students in English Faculty who have just entered the university environment are still having difficulties and surprise during their study, the use of social networks will help very much in their English self-learning process.In addition to studying on the school under the guidance of teachers, they use social networks to provide more knowledge and exchange skills to learn English with others Not only that, networks also provides an opportunity for students to interact with foreigners who not need to go abroad or lose the cost of taking English courses Besides convenience, social networks also lead to negative phenomena among current students One of the most remarkable phenomena is the "online addiction" phenomenon.For students, spending too much time using social networks also has many consequences such as: reduce labor productivity, poor health (vision loss, insomnia, mental fatigue, ).A large amount of information that is not original, uncensored or social networking groups with bad intentions will cause them to lose money without any effect in the learning process.Besides, the dissemination of information from social networks is quick and easy, creating an environment for the bad guys to exploit and entice,which make to reduce the students' will to study Students account for the most number of members using social networks during their self-study process.However, they are faced with multi-dimensional impacts daily, affecting both awareness and behavior in the process of using social networks.However, the problem of social network impacts on students, especially first-year students of English Faculty at Thuongmai University has not been deeply studied The problem is: How is the impact of social networks on students major in English? What social network has changed to their habits and needs during the English self-learning process? These questions need to be addressed by practical, concrete surveys and based on solid theoretical background The things mentioned above are the reasons why I choose “ The Influences of Social Networks on English Self-Study Process of Freshmen in English Faculty, Thuongmai University ” for my graduate thesis Hopefully, it will be beneficial to learners of Vietnamese, who have a passion for English 1.2.Previous Studies Considered as a new communication channel, the explosive growth of social networks attracted the attention of researchers In the world, there have been many research projects, articles on social networks and young people that have attracted many achievements, such as: Research: “Social Networks and Internet Usages by The Young Generations”(Ehrhardt,2013) This study has shown the habits of young people when using social networks and the internet, comparing these habits with real life behaviors as well as the views of the younger generation on social networks At the same time, the study also emphasizes the importance of social networks in modern society A different study of with a multiple name “Young and Old Use Social Media for Surprisingly Different Reasons” (Ladegaard,2014) indicates the reasons that people participate in social networking How it has changed their habits and lifestyles as well as the trend of using social networks in the future Besides, there are also many discussions around the negative and positive impacts of social networks on the younger generation, such as Debate.org website with the title: “ Is Social Networking Bad for Today’s Generation?”.There have been a lot of opinions in the debate, of which 58% agree that social networks are having negative impacts on the younger generation, 42% disagree and tell the advantages that social networks bring In Vietnam, Social networks have only been introduced in recent years but it has also attracted many people's attention and interest There are many studies as well as articles written about the power of social networks in the multilateral media era However, these studies only stop at a general level and often focus mainly on features as well as ways of communicating on social networks, the interaction between social networks and traditional communication It has not shown the true impact on young people, especially students who studying in the university environment Through the process of surveying and researching this topic, I have the conditions to refer to the documents at the faculty offices, libraries of TMU, national universities, national libraries as well as materials from different sources and found that in forums, libraries, research on social networks, there have been quite a number of research projects on social networks, such as: Graduation thesis with the theme:“Social Network Movement in Vietnam”(Quynh,2013) (surveyed through manifest social networks now in Vietnam: Vietspace, Cyworld Vietnam and Yahoo).This thesis mainly studies the participation of social networks of young people and regular internet users in Vietnam through three social networks.The thesis also assesses the consequences as well as the implications of social networks, thereby proposing some development solutions and ideal models for social networks in Vietnam In addition, there are many other interesting research topics that address social issues and young people However, these topics are concentrated in a different aspect and unconnected together Another problem that I found is that even in my school environment( TMU), the social network problem has not really been studied deeply, especially for the first year students who are having many difficult problems in English self-study That is reason why I am implementing research topic: “The Influences of Social Networks on English Self-study Process of Freshmen in English Faculty, Thuongmai University ” This is one of the first topics of comprehensive systematic research on the impact of social networks with the specific object is student of TMU and specific aspect is English self-study.This is a non-overlapping and interesting topic at TMU, promising to attract the attention of students and teachers 1.3.Aims of The Study Thesis studies,analyzes and assesses the impact of social networks on young people in collecting, receiving, connecting, sharing and transmitting information to serve the special needs of self-learning English for the first year students major in English as well as their views on social networks from which to give ideas and suggestions aim to help students have the right direction in using social networks to their learning Specifically, the study aims to answer the following three questions: Research Question 1:How is the current situation of using social networks of the first-year students of English Faculty,TMU in English self-learning process today? Research Question 2: What are the effects of social networking on English self-learning process? Research Question 3: What are the solutions to limit the problems that exist in the process of using the social networking? 1.4 Research Subject The research subject of the thesis is the impacts of social networks on young people especially the first-year students of TMU on the needs, habits of collecting, receiving, connecting and giving change, sharing as well as their views on social networks In the framework of a dissertation project, in order to study more deeply and in detail, the dissertation only focuses on surveying some main social networks which are Facebook, YouTube and Zing.mp3 Facebook is a social network that is at the peak of its development period Currently, Facebook has the number of members in all social networking sites with over 800 million members According to the newly published report of the internet market research firm: Global Web Index( England) Specifically, by the end of 12/2012, Facebook had 693 million users piercing through and became the largest social network in the world.In Vietnam, according to Facebook's research report on users in countries, Vietnam has the highest number of users in Asia in 2012 The total number of Vietnamese members participating in this largest social network reached nearly 5.5 million, a strong increase of 55.6% compared to the previous quarter YouTube is the world's largest video sharing website This is the most visited and popular address among entertainment services.According to the internet market 10 Initially, VOA focused on the radio, but for the moment, most of their content is posted on the Internet For English learners, this is a great website News on this site are all real news but are expressed in a more understandable way such as: adding subtitles, some messages that are slower than usual and designed specifically for language learners.If you are new learner, start from the VOA Learning English homepage On the homepage, the new information, the resources are clearly divided for you to easily choose according to the purpose of learning BBC Learning English  BBC Learning English is a free website for you to study English - English (not English - American) through lessons related to vocabulary and grammar and are divided according to a specific level/field This website divides the structure very clearly, logic so you can easily study In addition, this is a long-term learning channel (with history since 1943) so you can be assured of quality Duolingo  Duolingo is the basic English learning application; developed platform on all devices from computer to phone application (on Android and IOS operating systems), is one of the recommended English learning applications of the US government.You will feel excited from accessing to the homepage of this free English learning website Specific, detailed and step-by-step is the most impression that attract users -promising to be a good user care website Intuitive, user-friendly interface The lessons designed are not too hard but also require hard work, perseverance to fully practice listening - reading skills writing vocabulary, sentences, grammar Just try it, you will Be fascinated by the goals you set yourself every day With intuitive, user-friendly interface,the lessons designed are not too hard but also require hard work, perseverance to fully practice skills such as listening reading skills - writing vocabulary, sentences, grammar Just try it, you will be fascinated by the goals you set yourself every day Lang-8  Lang-8 is a website developed in a new form, completely different from other website platforms.It is a specialized site to help you practice your unique skills: writing English 41 The way that this website works is very simple You just need to follow the 3step process below: - Submit your article to the Lang-8 community - Collect comments and corrective comments from partners in the community - Return, comment and make some suggestions for new students We support and interact with each other - it is also the basic platform for this website to exist and grow In addition to the popular websites I have just listed, there are many other websites such as TalkEnglish, as the name suggests, TalkEnglish is a website focused on helping you practice English speaking or Fun Easy English website The above is a summary of some of the most free and effective English language learning websites in the world.Some pages to help you develop your listening skills, some others help to develop vocabulary; there is a website for the development of listening - speaking - reading - writing Specify the goal of learning English, then choose for yourself 1-2 websites suitable for your interests, immediately plan your self-study and deploy to learn English as soon as possible Although the websites listed above are all famous and reputable websites, you should only choose a website that is suitable for your level and goals For example, if you feel your English listening skills are not good, you should choose a website that focuses on listening skills Avoiding to access to many websites at the same time that will not bring a certain effect for your English self-learning process 4.1.3.The third problem 4.1.3.1.The risk of "social networks addiction" Although the use of social networks to meet the needs of students to learn English is necessary, the use with no suitable method will easily lead you to this situation Sometimes, after hours of intense training, you use social networking to entertain, reduce pressure, but you are easily caught up with it This greatly affects your English learning process and causes loss of time for learning Social addiction is a phrase sometimes used to refer someone to spend too much time using Facebook, Twitter and other social networking, so that these social networks intervene too deeply into other aspects of everyday life 42 A person addicted to social networks can be considered a person who tends to use social networks beyond the normal level For example, constantly check Facebook status updates or "track" profiles of people on Facebook for hours Researchers at the University of Chicago conclude that addiction to social networks may be even more intense than cigarette and alcohol addiction, after an experiment in which they recorded the feelings of addiction to hundreds of people in several week Social addiction is ranked before craving for cigarettes and alcohol.The fact that addiction to social networking is a process of excessive and harmful use of the Internet Social network users at this level have been reported to cause negative impacts on their lives and work Even when addicted to social networking is not officially diagnosed, there are some signs show that a person addicted to social networking includes: • Spend more time on social networking sites • Think about social network sites even when not online • Feeling a great need to share something on Facebook or other social network sites • Worry or stress if you can't stay online for a certain period of time Moreover, not only mental health is affected by excessive use of social network There have been studies showing that some college students experience physical health problems, such as obesity and sleep disorders 4.1.3.2.Suggestions for the third problem The following are some solutions to overcome the addiction of social networks of students, especially in the process of using social networks for learning English Relax by doing exercise  Exercise regularly every day, either in the morning or before bedtime with gentle exercises or skeletal muscle movement In addition to helping our bodies stay healthy as well as improve health as everyone knows, it also helps to cope with social networks addiction.Exercise like an arrow to hit two targets, both to help us stay healthy and to help us quit bad habits Relax regularly when using social networks  43 Keep in mind that no matter how important it is to use social media for learning, at least, take at least to 10 minutes to take a break after every online hour.You can relax by listening to English songs or listening to international news This helps you not only reduce stress, fatigue but also improve your English skills.Moreover,this helps us to have a reasonable time on social media and not too abusive or dependent on it Find the right purpose to be online  List all the important things you need to on social networks and focus on doing it on certain period of time, so you won't be distracted or waste your time on individual jobs Also, look for the most legitimate goals to be online, and if not, try not to dig up the social network If you decide to use social networking for your English self-study, don't use it for other purposes Restall the settings of social networks  When we want to reduce the overuse of social networking sites, resetting them is one of the very important things You absolutely not let Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube,etc in the state always logged in Although this is very convenient for you and you not have to to log in every time,it is harmful in your English learning process, because when you log in, any relevant notifications on the social network will appear at any time and that will make you follow that messages, notifications and forget the main purpose of using social networking is learning.\ If you not want to log in again many times, you can allow Notification to be turned off in every setting that every social networking site has Or you can install network time management software or manage long passwords for social networking sites Social networks dominate a seemingly indispensable role in human life It helps us to connect with friends, relatives, promote our work and update the latest news However, due to misunderstandings about the meaning of social networks as well as having no proper method of application, using social networks in the process of learning still exist many problems The problems I have listed above are popular issues, most common problem among young people in general and students 44 at Thuongmai university in particular.In addition to the research process, along with the accumulated experience of myself during years of intensive English training in the university environment, I propose a number of specific suggestions for each the problem Hopefully, this solutions will help the freshman at Thuongmai University who still have a lot of confusion on learning English will find yourself suitable learning methods and bring high efficiency 4.2.Limitations of the study 4.2.1.Some specific limitations of the study After nearly months of studying the graduation thesis, I draw some specific limitations for my own research as follows: 4.2.1.1 Limitations on references Reference materials play a significant role in scientific research activities To ensure a complete and accurate scientific research, students need to have many sources of high-precision materials.Specially: (1) The source of materials related to English major that students can access is quite small Currently, at the library of Thuongmai University, a number of reference books on issues of English skills quite limited in terms of topic and content In particular, the books are research-based and go into the topics that I choose to have a quantity that is almost inadequate (2) Although the current Internet resources are becoming diversified and plentiful, it is difficult to verify the accuracy and basics that scientific research needs In the current technological age, it is no longer difficult to search a certain problem Currently, the Internet has many different streams of information and includes false information.That is reason why I also have difficulties in the process of selecting information and data to carry out the scientific research 4.2.1.2.Limitations on lacking of knowledge and basic skills in scientific research methods Currently, in the training program of the English Faculty, students have access to scientific research methods but that is only on the theoretical basis but not yet applied much Therefore, I realized that this is one of the leading difficulties in conducting research I was still very surprised and did not know where to start and 45 how to start.It took me a period of time to learn and to be guided by the teacher in order to determine for myself the right way to study 4.2.1.3.Limitations on presentation skills Regarding the presentation problem, all people think that this is not a big problem, can be done after the content has been completed But besides scientific content, the presentation of science is a direct determinant of the persuasiveness of the topic.The presentation of the list of references, the abbreviations, appendices, abstracts,etc must follow the standards of the guiding documents so I sometimes encounter certain difficulties Technical errors while presenting topics such as font errors, drawings, charts, etc also make the topic unfulfilled Besides, because of limitations on computing ability, sometimes the presentation becomes complicated and may not be perfect 4.2.2.Suggestions for further research From the difficulties in the process of doing scientific research, the author would like to give some recommendations to improve the quality of scientific research of students in English Faculty in particular and the entire students of TMU in general.These proposals will also make my research become more complete in futher studies Firstly, the addition of industry-related titles at the library of university should also be taken into account, so that students can find appropriate and orthodox materials and not spend too much time on data collection search Secondly, the school and teacher should create conditions for students to approach scientific research methods early, help students better understand scientific research Thereby students will have a different perspective on scientific research, instead of thinking that scientific research is a difficult thing to implement Not only that, approaching research method subject also promotes the excitement of research in students and helps students have more skills to conduct research in the most accurate way Finally, the author wishes to propose the organization of building more specialized clubs as well as scientific research teams Through clubs, students can exchange, discuss as well as share the experiences gained in the process of building 46 ideas and completing research Besides, when participating in the clubs mentioned above, students are also exchanged to share topics related to specialization as well as English learning skills, thereby having conditions to improve their knowledge With the limitations and suggestions presented above, the author hopes that Thuongmai University will understand the difficulties that students of English Faculty in particular and all the disciplines in general are facing on scientific research process The author's suggestions are just a few recommendations based on personal views and also hope that these recommendations will help school and teachers find solutions to help students become more and more passionate and have motivation in scientific research activities in the future 47 CONCLUSION Today, social networks become an indispensable part of society It has been and will bring to the human life the day many great utilities, maximizing functions.Especially for students who belong to English Faculty, it is an indispensable tool on the way to conquer their English However, social networking is also a place where many worries arise We cannot completely blame social networks because it is simply a tool, a means created to link people together all over the world Because of not understanding the right purpose of social networks, students have overused it, leading to the existence of negative effects.It all comes from behavior and awareness among individuals who use social networks Therefore, every student in English Faculty in particular and all students of TMU in general should understand the measures from themselves and the community to participate in social networking in the most positive way In addition, each individual should demonstrate responsibility in improving the positive impact of social networks on the community as well as the quality of English learning at Thuongmai University Due to the limitation of the scope of the study as well as the time to make the research, this thesis might cover in some parts of the whole problem Hopefully, it would be a useful material for students in TMU to improve their English skills 48 REFERENCE 1.Bui Thu Hoai (2014), Impact of social networks on young people, Master's thesis, Hanoi National University 2.Cambrige University (2012), Facilitating social behavior for young people, Department of Education 3.Cambridge dictionary 4.Dao Le Hoa An (2013), "The study of human Facebook use behavior - a challenge for modern psychology", Journal of Science, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education 5.Hoang Van Thanh (2015), The impact of social networks on business promotion process, Google scholar source 6.Nguyen Thi Bac (2018), Behavior of using social network of student at Hai Duong University ,Psychology,Academy of Social Sciences 7.Nguyen Thi Hau (2013), Social Network for young people in Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City Development Research Institute, cultural publishing house Nguyen Ky (1998), Educational Research Magazine No 9.Jody C.Baumgartner, Jonathan S.Morris (2009), Social networking web sites and political engagement of young adults, East Carolina University 10.Weiwu Zhang, Thomas J Johnson, Trent Seltzer, Shannon L Bichard (2010),The influence of social networking sites on political attitudes and behavior, Social Science Computer Review 28 (1), 75-92, Texas Tech University APPENDIX  Survey questionnaire for the students Dear the first year students of English Faculty at TMU, the survey questionnaire below are based on my research topic on the “The influences of social networks on English self-study process of freshmen in English Faculty, Thuongmai University ” Thank you for your cooperation and help for this questionnaire The data collected is used in the research paper only, not for any purposes Question 1: Which social network you use most for English self-study? A Facebook B.YouTube C.Twitter D.Zing.mp3 E.Others Question 2: How long you use social network ech time for English selfstudy? A < hour B 1-3 hours C > hours Question 3: How often you use social network for English self-study? A Every day B.Sometimes C.Once a week D.Others Question 4: You use social networks through: A Laptop B.Smart phone C.PC Question 5: What you use social network for except for English selfstudying? A Entertainment B.Making friends and chating C.Business Question 6: What is your opinion about using social networks for English self-study A agree B.Relatively agree C.Neutral D.Disagree E.Relatively Disagree Question 7: How social networks effect on your English learning process? A Accumulate more knowledges B Take a lot of time without any results C No effect Question 8: How you rate the effects that social networks bring to the English self-learning process? A Good B.Normal C.Not good Question 9: Are you satisfied with using your social network for English self-study? A Absolutely satisfied B.Satisfied C.Neutral D.Not satisfied Question 10: According to your opinion, what measures should be taken to reduce the negative effects of social networks on the English self-study process? … ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… ... implementing research topic: ? ?The Influences of Social Networks on English Self- study Process of Freshmen in English Faculty, Thuongmai University ” This is one of the first topics of comprehensive... students Thereby drawing conclusions about the impact and influence of social networks on the process of self- learning English Steps in the interview process: For the most convenient for the interviewer,... situation of using social networks of the first-year students of English Faculty,TMU in English self- learning process today? Research Question 2: What are the effects of social networking on English