An evaluation of appropriateness of applying ‘learn to speak english’ software in teaching speaking skills for non major 1st year students at hanoi university of business and technology

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** PHÙNG THỊ NGỌC HÀ AN EVALUATION OF APPROPRIATENESS OF APPLYING “LEARN TO SPEAK ENGLISH” SOFTWARE IN TEACHING SPEAKING SKILLS FOR NON- ENGLISH ST MAJOR YEAR STUDENTS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY Đánh giá phù hợp việc áp dụng phần mềm „ Learn to Speak English‟ việc dạy kĩ nói cho sinh viên năm thứ khơng chuyên Tiếng Anh trường Đại Học Kinh Doanh Công Nghệ Hà Nội M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Hanoi – 2013 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** PHÙNG THỊ NGỌC HÀ AN EVALUATION OF APPROPRIATENESS OF APPLYING “LEARN TO SPEAK ENGLISH” SOFTWARE IN TEACHING SPEAKING SKILLS FOR NON- ENGLISH ST MAJOR YEAR STUDENTS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY Đánh giá phù hợp việc áp dụng phần mềm „ Learn to Speak English‟ việc dạy kĩ nói cho sinh viên năm thứ không chuyên Tiếng Anh trường Đại Học Kinh Doanh Công Nghệ Hà Nội M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: Đỗ Tuấn Minh, Dr Hanoi-2013 DECLARATION I hereby state that I, Phung Thi Ngoc Ha, K20D, being a candidate for the degree of Master of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master‟s Thesis deposited in the library In terms of these conditions, I worked on the Thesis on my own and used the sources of information listed in the references only Signature Hanoi, October 2013 Phung Thi Ngoc Ha i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly and foremost, I would like to express my special words of thanks to my supervisor, Mr Đỗ Tuấn Minh , Dr for his constant encouragement, precious advice and especially for his valuable correction throughout this study There is no doubt that without his help, this thesis would be impossible to be accomplished I also wish to express my deep gratitude to all teachers from Faculty of Post Graduate Studies giving lectures and advice that are of great help for me to complete this study I am very grateful to all the teachers of English Division III and all of the students of three classes at Hanoi University of Business and Technology for their enthusiastic participation in the survey questionnaire and interview Without their help, this thesis would not be able to be completed My thanks go to many writers whose important ideas and notions are exploited and developed in the study Finally, I would like to send my deep gratitude to my family and all of my close friends who are always by my side to take care of and support me in the process of doing this thesis ii ABSTRACT With the development of Information and Technology Communication (ITC), computer- Assisted Instruction (CAI) has been brought into the classroom CAI is a kind of instruction that exploits computer software to assist teachers to teach information or skills related to a particular topic, and students can interact directly with lessons programmed into the computer system Universities are also exploiting using many types of software to help develop students‟ English competence Therefore, the research is aimed at evaluating the appropriateness of the software, known as “Learn to Speak English” (LTSE) in teaching English speaking skills as a supplementary material at Hanoi University of Business and Technology And then give some suggestions for adaptation this software to bring the effectiveness on teaching and studying English speaking From the result and discussion of this study, it can be concluded that this LTSE software is suitable as a supporting learning aid for students to improve their English speaking skills Students perceived this courseware as user-friendly and capable for enhancing the learning of the subject However, they also hope for further improvements of the courseware iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study…………………………………………………… Aims of the study………………………………………………………………1 Research questions………………………………………………………… Significance of the study ………………………………………………… .2 Scope of the study ……………………………………………………… Design of the study…………………………………………………… …… PART II: DEVELOPMENT Chapter I: Literature Review………………………………………………… Software in Language Teaching and Learning…………………… …… …5 1.1 Definition of software…………………………………………… ………… 1.2 Roles of teaching and learning software in general English courses.….…… Speaking Skill………………………………………………………… ………8 2.1 Definition of Speaking…………………………………………….……… …8 2.2 Characteristics of Speaking…………………………………… ……… 2.3 Teaching and Learning Speaking Skills with Software…… ……………….10 Software Evaluation……………………………………… …………… .11 3.1 Reasons for Software Evaluation……………………………………………11 3.2 Types of Software Evaluation……………………….……………… …… 12 3.3 Software Evaluation Framework …………………… ……………… 13 3.3.1 Presentation and Organization of the Content…………………………… 15 3.3.2 Evaluation of Learning …………………………………………… 18 Learn To Speak English Deluxe 10 software……………………………….19 4.1 Introduction of Learn To Speak English Deluxe 10 (LTSE) software… 19 4.2 Reasons to Choose Learn to Speak English…………………………………20 4.3 Learn To Speak English Deluxe 10‟s content……………………………… 21 Chapter II: Research Methods…………………………………………………25 The context……………………………………………………………………25 1.1 Description of the LTSE course and its objectives at HUBT……….……….25 1.2 Description of the students at HUBT…………………………………… 26 1.3 Description of English teachers at HUBT………………………………… 26 The Research Methods……………………………………………………….27 2.1 Research methodology …………………………………………… 27 2.2 The data collection methods ……………………………………………… 27 iv 2.3 Data analysis procedure…………………… ………………………… .28 Chapter III: Results and Discussion………………………………………… 29 Results of general information…………………………………………… 29 Results of how students learn LTSE at HUBT…………………………….30 Results of the LTSE’s content evaluation………………………………….33 Results of presentation and organization of LTSE’s content…………….33 4.1 Pedagogical factors…………………………………………………………32 4.2 Interface design factor ……………………………………… ……………34 Results of Learning and Preference toward the use of LTSE Software 39 Recommendations for Courseware Improvements……………………….40 Summary of Major Findings……………………………………………… 42 PART III: CONCULSION Conclusion ……………………………………………………………… …45 Implications of the Findings…………………………………………… …46 Limitations of the Study……………………………………………… ……47 Suggestions for Further Research………………………………… ………48 REFERENCES APPENDICES Appendix 1: LTSE‟s Vocabulary Part Appendix 2: LTSE‟s Communication Stories Appendix 3: LTSE‟s Grammatical Point Appendix 4: LTSE‟s Exercises Appendix 5: LTSE‟s Conversation Part Appendix 6: Questionnaire for Students Appendix 7: Interview Questions for Teachers Appendix 8: Transcription for the semi-structured group interview with teacher v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS HUBT: Hanoi University of Business and Technology LTSE: “Learn to Speak English” ICT: Information and Communication Technology CAI: Computer- Assisted Instruction CALL: Computer-Assisted Language Learning CALM: Computer -Assisted Learning Material vi Appendix 4: LTSE‟s Exercises Drag and Match Exercise See It, Say It Exercise IV Multiple Choice Exercise See and Say Exercise V Fill in the Blank Exercises VI Appendix5: LTSE‟s Conversation Part VII Appendix 6: Questionnaire for Students QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS This questionnaire is designed to evaluate the appropriateness of “Learn To Speak st English” software in teaching speaking English for non- English major1 year students of HUBT Please answer the following questions as many as possible based on your own experience in learning the software Your feedback is very important to the research and the improvement of the software for future use Your cooperation is highly appreciated Part I: General information Personal information: Sex: male / female Age: Major: How long have you been studying English? A 1-3 years B - years C Over years In your opinion, English speaking skill is …… A Very important B Important C Not very important Among four the skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing), speaking is ………… A More important than other skills C Less important than other skills B As important as other skills How much you like speaking English? A A lot B Quite a lot What you think about your speaking skills? A Very good B Quite good Part II: Information of how students learn LTSE at HUBT What you think about the role of teacher in teaching LTSE? A Very important B Important C Not important How can you understand all the instructions and words expressions of LTSE? A A lot C So-so B Quite a lot D Not at all After listening to the sentences in the software, can you repeat it? D Always A Never B Sometimes C Often VIII How much you agree that the software is only suitable for the students with self-consciousness? A Strongly Disagree B Disagree C Somewhat Disagree D Agree E Strongly Agree How often you have pair work, group work activities in learning with LTSE software? A Never B Sometimes C Often D Very Often Part III: Specific information to evaluate the appropriateness of “Learn To Speak English” software in teaching speaking English Where you are asked indicates your level of agreement with a statement Please put a tick (√) in your appropriate respond A Evaluation of the content Item Questions All content are accurate and up-to-date There is no grammar, spelling or punctuation error on the screen The vocabulary is appropriate for the grade level and subject Among four the skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing), speaking is practiced most The software provides a variety of activities to practice pronunciation and speaking English The software supplies enough cultural knowledge, social experience and grammatical rules to help Ss communicate naturally in the real life IX B Presentation and organization of content B.1.Pedagogical factors Item Questions The instructional model is clear, logical and effective for Ss to understand easily The structure let Ss practice English all the time This software allows Ss to practice, check their performance and get feedback quickly and easily 10.This software is effective with Ss of varying abilities and experiences 11 Ss can operate the software independently, creating his or her own sequence of presentation and review B.2 Interface design factors B.2.1 Interactivity Item Questions 12 Allows learners to discover information through active exploration 13 Helps Ss to apply what they have learnt rather than remember it 14 Encourages Ss to practice the whole skills(Listening, Speaking, Writing and Reading) 15 Helps Ss to have chance to X practice interacting with real situations faster and more effective 16 “hint” messages easily Let Ss access to “help” or B.2.2 Navigation Item Questions 17 Clear instructions on how to return to main menu or exit program 18 Icons that are used to assist navigation (e.g back to the home page, exit) are clear and easy to use 19 Key for moving forward or backward in a lesson, key for accessing the next lesson in a sequence 20 Runs smoothly without long delays B.2.3 Feedback Item Questions 21 respond? 22 23 24 25 Does this software provide feedback immediately after a Is feedback enough and appropriate? Does it keep performance records for each user? Does it allow Ss to check their performance? Are enough questions for students to practice ? B.2.4 Screen Design Item Questions 26 The screen layout is clear, easy to interpret and XI consistent on all pages 27 The quality of text, images, graphics and video is good 28 Pictures, graphics, video are relevant and an aid to understanding 29 The use of pictures or graphics meaningfully supports the text provided 30 The video, audio enhances the presentation of information C Evaluation of Learning and Preference toward the use of LTSE Software Item Questions 31 Ss find the software is easy to learn and the role of teachers only as a facilitator when using this software 32 Speaking is one of skills Ss get improvement most 33 This software improves Ss‟ speaking skills better than a textbook 34 The software is attractive and interesting It motivates Ss to continue using the software 35 Ss will suggest their friends to use interactive multimedia software in learning speaking English instead of textbook Thank you for your cooperation! XII Appendix 7: Interview Questions for Teachers INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS These questions are designed to evaluate the appropriateness of “Learn To Speak st English” (LTSE) software in teaching speaking English for non- English major1 year students of HUBT Please answer the following questions as many as possible based on your own experience in teaching the software Your feedback is very important to the research and the improvement of the software for future use Your cooperation is highly appreciated Thank you in advance! st Question 1: Have you ever taught LTSE for non-English major year student at HUBT? If yes, how long have you been teaching LTSE? Question 2: Among four macro skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, you think that speaking skill is improved best with the help of LTSE? Question 3: Can your Ss self-study speaking English with LTSE? How you teach speaking with LTSE? Question 4: In your opinion, what are the difficulties when teaching speaking with st LTSE for non-major year student at HUBT? Question 5: What are your suggestions to help improve Ss‟ speaking skill with LTSE? XIII Appendix 8: Transcription for the semi-structured group interview with Teachers Researcher: Good afternoon, everyone! Thank you very much for coming here today As you know, I am doing my MA minor thesis on evaluating the appropriateness of the software, known as “Learn to Speak English” (LTSE) in teaching English speaking skills as a supplementary material at Hanoi University of Business and Technology In doing this thesis, I have designed a questionnaire for my analysis and now I would like to involve you into this group interview to ask for your opinions, suggestions and solutions to improvements of teaching LTSE at our s university This interview will be recorded and transcribed later However, you should feel safe and be aware that the data from the interview will be kept confidential and will be used only for the purpose of this study You will not be recognized in any parts of the data analysis and discussions Firstly, we will start with the first question: Have you ever taught LTSE for nonst English major year student at HUBT? If yes, how long have you been teaching LTSE? Teacher 1,2,3,4,5: Yes Teacher 2:Of course, we have been teaching LTSE for year because it is the first year this software has been applied in teaching at our university Teacher 1,3,4:,5: Yes Researcher: Oh, yes So all of you here have ever taught LTSE for non-English st major year student at HUBT for year My next question is: Among four macro skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, you think that speaking skill is improved best with the help of LTSE? Teacher 4: I think Listening and Speaking Teacher 1: Yes However, in my opinion, it is speaking Teacher 2,3,5: Yes, I agree Researcher: Yes, it could be seen that the students‟ speaking skill is improved best especially in pronunciation and communication in specific situation Is it right? XIV Teacher 5: Yeah And I have had some chances to teach students from different faculties, and I recognize that the students all have become more confident in speaking English after one year practicing with this software Interviewer: I think so However, can your Ss self-study speaking with the help of LTSE? How you teach speaking with LTSE? Teacher 4: I think that they can They are really interested in speaking with the help of this software I often the vocabulary part with all the class I ask them to listen to the recorded voice and then call randomly each student to repeat it I always give feedback after that Teacher 5: Yes, they can I often begin the lesson with explaining all new words (in English and Vietnamese), the expressions and stories Then I give them time to practice with computer and remember new words and structures After a while, I give them one or two new related topic and ask them to make conversations in pairs Teacher 1: That‟s‟ right We need to give them more chance to practice with each other rather than with computer only Teacher 2: I the same Besides, I often have some games to help them to revise what they have learnt at the end of the lesson Teacher 3: Great ideas! However, there are not many teachers can this, I think Most of time they allow the students to practice with the computer and only give helps when being asked Do you agree? Researcher: Yes I share with you this point Now, my fourth question is: In your opinion, what are the difficulties when teaching speaking with LTSE for non-major st year student at HUBT? Teacher 2: In my opinion, the major difficulty is the students are lack of background knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and English culture as well as confidence in speaking English XV Teacher 4: Yes, I totally agree with you Moreover, I find it difficult to control all the students‟ activities because the poverty of teacher management system- Net support I can not usually use it There are a lot of technical problem Teacher 1: Yes And there often have problems with computers and LTSE as well Teacher 3: Besides, it is easy for the students to be distracted the lesson due to the attraction of computer games Researcher: That‟s right Any other ideas? How about you, teacher 5? Teacher 5: I think one more difficulty is that there are not opportunities for students to practice or interact with partners or teacher Teacher 3: I share the same ideas with teacher Students should be given more chances to interact with their partners and teacher rather than with computer all the time It is boring and demotivated Researcher: Thank you for all your ideas You have listed difficulties in teaching st speaking with LTSE for non-major year student at HUBT so what are your suggestions to help improve Ss‟ speaking skill with LTSE? Teacher 5: Uhm, the first suggestion may be solving all technical problems with computers, the software as well as administration function of teacher‟s computer No internet connection and no game can be installed Teacher 1: Uhm, that‟s necessary! Teacher 2: I think that‟ll help In addition, teachers should adapt this software to their classes with some modifications such as more pair work and group work activities in class, more useful video clips and more difficult communicative tasks Teacher 4, 7: Wow, great! Teacher 4: In order to motivate the students to practice and gain higher score I think, it is necessary to have a mid-term and final test for the students to assess their improvement Teacher 3: Hopefully at this time only and in the future, things will change! Teacher 2: Yes I hope so, XVI Researcher: Thank you very much, all of you! I have learnt a lot from you in this discussion Once again, thanks for your cooperation! Goodbye, see you soon! Teacher 1, 2, 3, 4, 5: Goodbye! See you later! Researcher: Thank you so much! Goodbye! Hope to see you soon! XVII I ... evaluation in language teaching and learning, the definition and characteristics of speaking, teaching and learning speaking with the help of software and present major issues in software evaluation including... concentrating on the issues related to software in language teaching and learning, speaking skills, software evaluation It discusses the definition of software, the roles and types of software evaluation. .. “LEARN TO SPEAK ENGLISH” SOFTWARE IN TEACHING SPEAKING SKILLS FOR NON- ENGLISH ST MAJOR YEAR STUDENTS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY Đánh giá phù hợp việc áp dụng phần mềm „ Learn to