The study on challenges of ICT application in EFL teaching at thanh hoa provincial continuing educational centre

iii ABSTRACT The application of ICT in the EFL classroom is very important for students to learn in an information age Studying barriers to the use of ICT in teaching English may help educators anticipate difficulties and become successful technology adopters in the future This study aims to provide an analysis of teachers’ ICT use to present perceived barriers to technology integration in teaching English The findings indicates that teachers have a strong desire for ICT application into EFL teaching but that, they faced up with many barriers The major barriers were lack of access, lack of time, lack of training and lack of technical support These barriers are mostly extrinsic barriers Therefore, it is very necessary for administrator to provide them to teachers for successful ICT integration However, it is undeniable to say that no one component in itself is sufficient to provide good teaching The important thing is that the presence of all components increases the possibility of excellent integration of ICT in learning and teaching opportunities Generally, this study provides information and recommendations to those for the integration of new technologies into EFL teaching at Thanh Hoa PCEC TABLE OF CONTENTS iv Page DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATION vi LIST OF TABLES vii PART I – INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims and objectives Scope of the study Methods of the study Significance of the study Design of the study PART II – DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Theoretical background of computers and EFL 1.1.1 Education technology and EFL teaching and learning 1.1.2 Computer and EFL teaching and learning 1.1.2.1 CALL 1.1.2.2 History of CALL 1.1.2.3 Computer uses for language teaching and learning 1.2 Challenges of ICT application in EFL teaching 1.2.2 Classification of barriers 1.2.2.1 Intrinsic barriers 9 v 1.2.2.2 Extrinsic barriers 11 CHAPTER II: THE STUDY 16 2.1 The setting of the study 16 2.1.1 ICT in EFL education at Thanh Hoa Provincial Continuing Educational Centre (Thanh hoa PCEC) 16 2.1.2 Teaching EFL at Thanh Hoa PCEC 16 2.1.3 Using computer in EFL teaching at Thanh Hoa PCEC 17 2.2 The study 2.2.1 Methodology 17 2.2.1.1 Participants 17 2.2.1.2 Measurement instrument 17 2.2.1.2.1 Survey questionnaires 17 2.2.1.2.2 Interview 18 2.2.1.3 Data Collection 18 2.2.2 Data analysis 18 2.2.2.1 Data analysis of teachers’ survey questionnaire 19 2.2.2.2 Data analysis of teachers’ interview 23 2.2.3 Findings 25 2.2.4 Implications 28 CHAPTER III: RECOMMENDATIONS 29 3.2 Recommendations to the administrators 29 3.2 Recommendations to teachers 31 PART III CONCLUSION 34 REFERENCES 36 APPENDICES vi LIST OF ABRREVIATION  IT : Information Technology  WWW : World Wide Web  EFL : English as a Foreign Language  ICT : Information Communication Technology  Thanh Hoa PCEC : Thanh Hoa Provincial Continuing Educational Centre  OHPs : Overhead Projectors  FL : Foreign Language  CALL : Computer-Assisted Language Learning vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Teachers’ Software use 19 Table 2: Use of Instructional Tools and Materials 20 Table 3: Teachers’ preferred methods for professional development 21 Table 4: Percentage of Assessed Barriers that English Teachers Faced During Technology Use in Teaching-Learning Process 22 Table 5: Recommendations to the administrators 29 Table 6: Recommendations to teachers 31 PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale Information technology (IT) is a major force which has brought about revolutionary changes in the development of the global, digital society Since its first appearance in Vietnam, IT has justified its usefulness in many fields to which teaching and learning have greatly contributed Regarding foreign language training, IT has been considered as a potential tool Many researches on IT application have been conducted Many articles on effectiveness of IT application have been debated High standard technology classes have been set up in many schools and centers to help students study both receptive and productive skills Locally and internationally connected Computers allow students to take part in distant courses and search further information to support their studying Teachers with textbook and PowerPoint presentation, Word Processor, Window Media and more complexed using like Internet, WWW, Website, Weblog… have helped students be more motivated and more independent in studying However, during the time of ICT application in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Thanh Hoa Provincial Continuing Educational Centre (Thanh Hoa PCEC), along with IT strength, the author has found some challenges that affect the success of ICT intergration in teaching English Therefore, in this paper, the author investigates these challenges and suggests some solutions to them Aims and Objectives This study aims to investigate some challenges of IT application in English teaching at Thanh Hoa PCEC Hence, it is expected to achieve objectives which could be summarized into three research questions: 2.1 Which ICT resources (software, instructional tools and materials) English teachers often use in their teaching? 2.2 What are teachers preferred methods for professional development? 2.3 What are the barriers English teachers face during technology application in their teaching process? Scope of the study Due to the limitation of time and knowledge, this study only focuses on challenges (barriers) of IT application in teaching EFL in Thanh Hoa Provincial Continuing Educational Centre, and these challenges are analyzed and then recommendations to those will be given Methods of the study To carry out this research, some methods have been combined Theoretical knowledge on ICT and a review of challenges of ICT application in teaching language are stated Then, data is collected through the survey questionnaires and interviews with English teachers After that data is categorized and challenges of ICT application in EFL teaching are compared and analysed Lastly, some recommendations to analysed challenges are stated Significance of the study Although the author of this study only focuses on the challenges of using technology in English teaching, its significance is remarkable Firstly, it timely touches upon an issue that is having great impacts on education in technology age and is currently drawing many attentions from educators and teachers who are teaching English; particularly it is carried out in the context of Thanh Hoa PCEC where ICT application still needs consideration from teachers and administrators The results of the study are also expected to improve the efficiency of applying technology in language teaching by investigating some chanllenges and giving out some suggestions to limit them Besides this, the study is also hoped to lay the foundation for further research into the issue within a larger scope Design of the study This study consists of three parts: introduction, development and conclusion The introduction presents the rationale, aims, scope, methods and significance of the study and design of the study The development consists of three chapters: Chapter I: the author reviews the theoretical backround to the application of technology in EFL Chapter II details the setting, the study, and the findings of the study Chapter III is centered on the author’s recommendations to administrators and teachers The conclusion, apart from summarising the main issues so far touched upon in the study, proposes some suggestions for further research PARTB: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Theoretical background of computers and EFL 1.1.1 Educational technology and EFL teaching and learning Technology in FL classroom, which is called “Educational technology” (Harmer,2001:134) becomes available in every type of classroom According to Warschauer and Meskill (2000), each type of FL classroom teaching has its own technologies to support The first technologies based on classrooms with chalk, blackboards, pens, paper and textbooks FL teachers who followed the grammar-translation method treated the blackboard as an useful way to convey information In Harmer’s view, the boards “provide a motivating focal point” for the whole class focusing and can be used for many different purposes as note pad, explanation aid, picture frame, public workbook, game board or notice board (Harmer,2001) Nowadays, these means still keep their own values in the teaching and learning process However, the appearance of modern media with clear and easy-to-use instruction makes this process more creative and flexible Pictures, charts, radios, cassette players, recorders, overhead projectors (OHPs), movies, televisions have changed the classroom atmosphere and structure and have positively supported learners’ knowledge acquisition process OHPs can offer “showing the exercises and texts, pictures or diagrams or students’ writing of very high quality” (Hamer, 2001:136) Songs, stories and news recorded on audio tapes create an exciting classroom environment Videos help bring the real life things and events into classroom It is undeniable that the improvement and achievement of technology in education is non-stop process The actual revolution in FL education, however, is still waiting for achievements of scientific branch called Information Technology whose core component is computer or computer technology 1.1.2 Computer and EFL teaching and learning Computer has had a certain effect on the general picture of FL education since the first time introduced to FL teaching and learning in 1960s Parellel development of IT, the impact of computer in FL teaching and learning still makes controversal The following subsections will present brief information about definition of CALL, history of CALL and uses of computers in FL classroom 1.1.2.1 CALL Since first introduction of computers into the field of second language education, a great number of practitioners have agreed that this technology keeps great potential for language learning (Levy, 1997; Muyskens,1997; Pennington,1996; Warschauer,1996, Warschauer& Healey,1998) This beliefs leads to what is known as Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) According to Levy, CALL is defined as “the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning” (Levy, 1997) Beatty in “Teaching and Reasearching CALL, Pearson, 2003” gives a broader definition of CALL that takes into considerations of its changing nature: “any process in which a learner uses a computer and, as a result, improves his or her language” There are many other definitions to describe CALL, but they have the common views: describle CALL as a good tool for learning and teaching process 1.1.2.2 History of CALL Though CALL has developed over the last 30 years, this development can be categorized in terms of three somewhat distinct phases which the author will refer to as behaviorstic CALL, communicative CALL and Integrative CALL - Bahavioristic CALL is the first phase of CALL It conceived in the 1950s and implemented in the 1960s and 1970s CALL in this phase was based on the then-dominant behaviorist theories of learning Program of this phase entailed repeative language drills and can be refered to as “drill and practice” “Drill and practice” courseware is based on the model of computer as a tutor (Taylor, 1980) In other words, the computer servers as a vehicle for delivering instructional materials to students The rationale behind drill and practice was not totally spurious, which explains in 39 35 Warschauer, M & Shetzer H.& Christine Meloni (2002), Internet for English Teaching The U.S Department of State 36 Warschauer, M ( 1996) Comparing face-to-face and electronic discussion in the second language classroom CALICO journal, 13, (2), p 7-26 37 Warschauer, M (1996) Computer Assisted Language Learning: An introduction, In Photo S (Ed) Multimedia Language Teaching ,Tokyo: Logos International, Available online Retrieved on June 28th 2011 from hhtp://www.ict4lt.org/en/en-mod1-4htm I APPENDICES APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE (FOR TEACHERS) This survey questionnaire will be used for my research “A study on challenges of ICT application in EFL teaching at Thanh Hoa Provincial Continuing Educational Centre” Your assistance in completing the survey is highly appreciated Thank you so much for your cooperation! Do Thi Sen Teacher at Thanh Hoa PCEC Instructions: The questionnaire is in parts, sometimes parts, please put a tick in the appropriate box I Personal Information: Do you own a computer? Yes No Do you have computer at school? Yes No Do you have internet connection at home? Yes No Do you have internet connection at school? Yes No How often you use computer? Less than one hour a day 1-3 hours a day More than hours a day II II Software Usage Software Usage Good Average None 1.Word processor (Word…) Spreadsheets (Excel etc.) 3.Presentation Software (PowerPoint etc.) Databases (Access etc.) Computer Aided Instruction Software Web Page Development Tools (FrontPage, dreamweaver) 7.Web Browsers (Netscape, Explorer etc) Search Engines (Google, yahoo etc.) Electronic Mail (e-mail) 10 Chat and/or Forum 11 Electronic Encyclopedia and/or Atlas 12 Instructional Films (video, CD, VCD etc.) III Usage of Instructional Tools and Materials Usage of Instructional Tools and Materials Board Overhead Projector Opaque Projector and/or Document Camera Multimedia Computer Computer – Projector System Internet/Web Environment Television/Video Radio Cassette Recorder Video Camera 10 Slide Projector 11 Printed Materials (journals, books, worksheets etc.) Frequently Sometimes Never III IV Professional Development about ICT Professional Development about ICT I prefer Neutral I don’t prefer Information resource 1.Printed Materials (manual or journal etc) 2.Self experiment 3.Participating seminars or taking courses In-service Education Internet Support resource Experienced teachers on ICT Colleagues 3.Other colleagues in different schools 4.Technical support units in the schools V Barriers to Technology Usage Barriers to Technology Usage Agree Neutral 1.Inefficient time to prepare materials based on technology 2.Inefficiency of teachers’ technical knowledge to prepare materials based on technology 3.Problems about accessibility to existing hardware (computer, overhead projector etc.) 4.Lack of confidence when using computer at class 5.Inefficient number of media (printer, scanner etc.) for effective use of computers 6.Inefficiency of technical guidance and support by administration 7.Deficiency in support services in material development/technology usage 8.Inefficiency of instructional software/electronic resources 9.Lack of interest of teachers in technology usage 10 Inadequacy of the courses of technology offered to teachers 11.Insufficiency of financial resources for technology integration Thank you very much for your cooperation! Disagree IV CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT DÀNH CHO GIÁO VIÊN (Bản Tiếng Việt) Khảo sát nhằm phục vụ cho đề tài ““Nghiên cứu thách thức việc ứng dụng công nghệ thông tin giảng dạy ngoại ngữ Trung Tâm GDTX tỉnh Thanh Hoá” Sự giúp đỡ bạn việc hoàn thành khảo sát có ý nghĩa lớn việc hồn thành nghiên cứu Xin chân thành cảm ơn hợp tác bạn! Đỗ Thị Sen Giáo viên Trung tâm GDTX tỉnh Thanh Hoá Hướng dẫn: Câu hỏi khảo sát gồm phần, có số câu có phần Bạn đánh dấu (v) vào thích hợp I Thơng tin cá nhân: Bạn có máy vi tính khơng? Có Khơng Ở trường bạn có máy vi tính khơng? Có Khơng Máy nhà bạn có nối mạng Internet khơng? Có Khơng Máy trưường banj có nối mạng internet khơng? Có Khơng Bạn thường xuyên sử dụng máy tính nào? Dưới tiếng ngày 1-3 tiếng ngày Hơn tiếng ngày V II Sử dụng phần mềm giảng dạy Sử dụng phần mềm giảng dạy Tốt Trung bình khơng 1.Bộ xử lí từ (Word…) Bảng tính (Excel etc.) 3.Phần mềm trình chiếu (PowerPoint etc.) Dữ liệu nguồn (Access etc.) Phần mềm hướng dẫn trợ giúp máy Công cụ phát triển Web (FrontPage, dreamweaver) 7.Trình duyệt Web (Netscape, Explorer etc) Phương tiện tìm kiếm (Google, yahoo etc.) Thư điện tử (e-mail) 10 Chat/ Diễn đàn chia sẻ 11 Bách khoa điện tử 12 Phần mềm giới thiệu Phim (video, CD, VCD etc.) III Sử dụng công cụ tài liệu phục vụ giảng dạy Sử dụng công cụ tài liệu phục vụ giảng dạy 1.Bảng đen Máy chiếu Projector May chiếu Opaque Projector Máy tính đa phương tiện Hệ thống máy tính-máy chiếu Môi trường Internet/ Web Television/Video Đài thu âm Máy quay 10 Máy chiếu Slide Projector 11 Các ấn phẩm (báo, tạp chí, sách ) Thường xuyên Thỉnh thoảng Khơng bào VI IV Các hình thức học tập để nâng cao trình độ ICT Các hình thức học tập để nâng cao trình độ Thích ICT Nguồn thơng tin Trung lập Khơng thích 1.Ấn phẩm (sổ tay hướng dẫn, sách, tạp chí ) 2.Tự thực nghiệm 3.Tham gia semina hội thảo 4.ẩThm gia khoá đào tạo chức Học qua Internet Nguồn trợ giúp Giáo viên có kinh nghiệm ICT Đồng nghiệp 3.Giáo viên trường khác 4.Phòng ban hỗ trợ kĩ thuật trung tâm V Những rào cản việc sử dụng công nghệ thông tin Những rào cản việc sử dụng công nghệ thông tin Đồng ý Trung lập Kh đồng ý 1.Không đủ thời gian đêrr chuẩn bị dạy máy tính 2.Giáo viên khơng đủ kiến thức cơng nghệ để thiết kế giảng điện tử 3.GV gặp khó khăn việc tiếp cận phần mềm vi tính vfa phần mềm giảng dạy 4.Thiếu tự tin sử dụng máy vi tính lớp 5.Khơng đủ phương tiện ( máy in, máy scan…) để sử dụng máy tính cách hiêu 6.Thiếu hỗ trợ hướng dẫn mặt kĩ thuật Thiếu dịch vụ hỗ trợ phát triển tư liệu sử dụng công nghệ 8.Thiuế phần mềm hỗ trợ 9.Giáo viên thiếu hứng thú việc sử dụng công nghệ cho dạy học 10 Thiếu kháo đào tạo công nghệ cho giáo viên 11.Tài khơng đủ để phục vụ cho việc tác hợp công nghệ Cảm ơn hợp tác bạn! VII APPENDIX INTERVIEWS FOR TEACHERS What benefit does ICT usage bring to you during your English teaching process? What problem you have when you apply ICT in your teaching process? What are your solutions to limit mentioned problems? VIII CÂU HỎI PHỎNG VẤN DÀNH CHO GIÁO VIÊN (Bản Tiếng Việt) Những lợi ích mà việc Ứng dụng cơng nghệ thông tin mang lại cho bạn trình bạn dạy tiếng Anh? Bạn gặp phải khó khăn qua trình ứng dụng cơng nghệ thơng tin giảng dạy? Bạn có giải pháp để hạn chế bớt khó khăn mắc phải? IX APPENDIX FINDINGS FROM TEACHERS INTERVIEWS (Translation into English) Teacher 1 What benefit does ICT usage bring to you during your English teaching process? “ I get many benefits from using ICT in teaching Word processor, Internet ( The world wide web, messenger, email), audio CDs, VCDs, DVDs, projectors, camera, CD ROMs….support mea lot in their teaching These tools make teaching and learning activities more active, motivate and flexible Presentation PowerPoint helps me design more scientific lessons I also use a word processor in writing compositions, in preparing a class newsletter or in producing the homepage They make my labor more significant” What problem you have when you apply ICT in your teaching process? I sometimes felt discouraged by computers That’s why I could not apply ICT in all lessons in the textbook Sometimes I not know how to operate some software such as: Hotpot, Sound Splitter… Lack of high quality software and difficulty of choosing hardware and software were also other problems Accessing Internet is not always good Some websites are not suitable for children Although they are precautious, children still get ignored when accessing to them I also find that software development is sometimes time consuming and costly Meanwhile we not get any financial support from school management board, our salary is so low to buy such software So we only use the old ones or nothing but accept it What are your solutions to limit mentioned problems? - I want to be professionally trained in order that I could be compatible with computer I hope our centre will support money for us to buy software and hardware - Teachers have to know that computer could not replace the role of teacher Teachers themselves only used computer as a tool to create effective results in teaching When using computer, a teacher could not just be a teacher, he/she must be a facilitator, designer, advisor and cooperator to develop computer literacy, manage links of resource and create interactivities X Teacher What benefit does ICT usage bring to you during your English teaching process? “ Of course, using ICT in teaching is really beneficial I use Word processor, Internet (audio CDs, VCDs, DVDs, projectors, camera, CD ROMs….in my teaching These tools make teaching and learning activities more active, flexible I also use Presentation PowerPoint as a tool to design most lessons in textbook It is nice, professional I also use a word processor in writing compositions, in preparing a class newsletter or in producing the homepage Besides, the use of computer technology helps develop learners’ autonomy and independence Students also can gain confidence through “learning by doing” in activate environment Using computer to learn English can help learners to become more disciplined” What problem you have when you apply ICT in your teaching process? I sometimes felt unconfident with computers It is not because I don not know how to integrate with computer, but lack of high quality software and difficulty of choosing hardware and software makes me troublesome Moreover, you know, software development is very time consuming and costly Meanwhile our centre does not support money to teachers to buy this software, so we could not any more but accept this problem What are your solutions to limit mentioned problems? - I would like to have training, so that I have more knowledge in ICT - I know the benefits that computers bring to my lessons But when I lack of hard ware and software resources, I used color cards and pictures - When using computer in teaching, I not abuse the computer I use it as a tool to create effective results in teaching When using computer, sometimes I must be a facilitator, designer, advisor and cooperator to develop computer literacy, manage links of resource and create interactivities XI Teacher What benefit does ICT usage bring to you during your English teaching process? In fact I apply many software in my teaching process But the most useful is PowerPoint Presentation Other instructional software such as: audio CDs, VCDs, DVDs, projectors, camera, CD ROMs are often used The lessons with ICT application help my students more activate and work more independent It helps them practice four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing and provide them with corrective advice Doing exercises on computer, students can choose level, be self-paced and timed In general, teachers stated a lot benefits that they gained from ICT usage What problem you have when you apply ICT in your teaching process? I like computer and like applying computer in my teaching process However, I always lack of time for lessons with ICT That’s why I could not apply ICT in all lessons in the textbook Moreover, high quality English software for teaching is insufficient in our centre I also have some difficulties in choosing hardware and software for my lessons So I not use computer in some lessons but blackboard and textbooks On the other hand, software development is time consuming and costly Meanwhile our centre does not pay money for buying it So we don not anything but accept it What are your solutions to limit mentioned problems? - I think training is acceptable to limit teachers’ current problems Training help teachers have more knowledge in ICT, so we can encounter the problems we have during teaching process - For the lack of time, i often replace difficult task in textbook with other simpler So that I can save my time and students practice as much as they can XII Teacher What benefit does ICT usage bring to you during your English teaching process? I like applying ICT in my teaching It is very convenient Many tools and software make my teaching become easy Word processor, Internet (audio CDs, VCDs, DVDs, projectors, camera, CD ROMs are available for my teaching Using ICT in teaching make the me more active and the lesson more interesting My students are also very eager with this method! They are more discipline and work more independently in learning activities What problem you have when you apply ICT in your teaching process? I like applying ICT in my teaching , so I like to have more effective training on ICT I have a basic knowledge on ICT but lack of pedagogical computer methods But training cost is my big problem I can not arrange time, I also an not afford this training because of high cost So I often ask my colleagues when I have problems with it I know this made me less professional in technology development But I have no choice Other thing I faced up during ICT application is that lesson is so long I don’t have enough time to teach a lesson with ICT Another thing I find during my computer use is the disadvantages of Internet using Internet offered access to all types of issues and topics while not all of them were suitable for children So this is the other side of ICT that we have to limit for a better use What are your solutions to limit mentioned problems? I not use computer very often, so I seldom face up with its troubles But I think training is the most effective solution for this problem My problem was not money or training but attitudes to change I am old, so changing makes me difficult to adapt I know traditional method with simple steps in teaching delayed my steps in moving forward But I like it and I accept it XIII Teacher What benefit does ICT usage bring to you during your English teaching process? I like applying ICT in my teaching It is beneficial It helps me design more scientific, vivid and interesting lessons It helps develop learners’ autonomy and independence It also helps them practice four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing and provide them with corrective advice What problem you have when you apply ICT in your teaching process? In fact, I often use computer in my teaching process But time is my problem when using ICT What are your solutions to limit mentioned problems? Firstly, my centre leader should support money and time for us to attend some trainings on ICT Secondly, ICT application should become a movement which raise awareness of using computer in teaching among teacher and centre Thirdly, when using computer, we not abuse it We have make balance between traditional method and ICT application in teaching Thank you for evaluating AnyBizSoft PDF Merger! To remove this page, please register your program! Go to Purchase Now>> AnyBizSoft PDF Merger  Merge multiple PDF files into one  Select page range of PDF to merge  Select specific page(s) to merge  Extract page(s) from different PDF files and merge into one ... common points among them 16 CHAPTER II: THE STUDY 2.1 The setting of the study: 2.1.1 ICT in EFL education at Thanh Hoa Provincial Continuing Educational Centre (Thanh hoa PCEC) Thanh Hoa Provincial. .. education at Thanh Hoa Provincial Continuing Educational Centre (Thanh hoa PCEC) 16 2.1.2 Teaching EFL at Thanh Hoa PCEC 16 2.1.3 Using computer in EFL teaching at Thanh Hoa PCEC 17 2.2 The study. .. this study only focuses on challenges (barriers) of IT application in teaching EFL in Thanh Hoa Provincial Continuing Educational Centre, and these challenges are analyzed and then recommendations