Students’ attitudes towards using technology in language classes in learning pronunciation a survey at a vietnam based international school

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ******************** HAYRULLAH KARKI STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS USING TECHNOLOGY IN LANGUAGE CLASSES IN LEARNING PRONUNCIATION : A SURVEY AT A VIETNAMBASED INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (Quan điểm học sinh việc sử dụng công nghệ việc học phát âm lớp học: khảo sát trường song ngữ Việt nam) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 6014111 HANOI, 2014 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ******************** HAYRULLAH KARKI STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS USING TECHNOLOGY IN LANGUAGE CLASSES IN LEARNING PRONUNCIATION : A SURVEY AT A VIETNAMBASED INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (Quan điểm học sinh việc sử dụng công nghệ việc học phát âm lớp học: khảo sát trường song ngữ Việt nam) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 6014111 Supervisor: TUAN MINH DO, PhD HANOI, 2014 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I declare that the research paper Students‟ attitudes towards using technology in Language classes in learning pronunciation: A survey at a Vietnam-based International school my own work and to the best of my knowledge It contains no materials previously published or written by another person Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have studied at Ha Noi University of Language and International Studies or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis Hayrullah Karki Signature: i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people take a role during this thesis and helped me to accomplish this achievement, whether directly or indirectly I am very proud to acknowledge their support I dedicate this thesis to my deceased father, who gave me the ambition to reach for the stars and still be a person among other people Special thanks to my family, despite a hundred miles in between give me a warm support All of my teachers, from kindergarten to university, have helped guide me to where I am today in my educational path And especially my supervisor Mr Tuan Minh Do for his inspiring and invaluable guidance, advice, encouragements and everything that I learnt from him throughout my work ii ABSTRACT It is an undeniable fact that technology has contributed enormously to the remodeling of conventional skills of both teaching and learning in Vietnam English as being an essential tool in every aspect of our life, is making giant steps not only in Vietnam but also in the world Because of above, tremendously important factors, the author delivered a research named “Students‟ attitudes towards using technology in language classes in learning pronunciation: A survey at a Vietnam-based international school” The primary purpose of this study is to determine to what extent technology contributes in teaching pronunciation to students, and students‟ attitudes towards technology in a Vietnam-based international school So as to gather information to evaluate the severity of the case on the students‟ perspective, a questionnaire designed by the author administered to the 21 grade students who are studying at a Vietnam-based international school named “Horizon International bilingual school” The findings gathered from the questionnaire were meticulously scrutinized and some outcomes were put forward Considering the substantiality of the these outcomes , the author suggested some beneficial advice, and finalized it with the drawbacks and shortcomings of the thesis Findings gathered from the questionnaire revealed that students at HIBS have a great desire to employ technology to improve pronunciation in order to minimize the factors inhibiting them from mastering on pronunciation, such as crowded classroom atmosphere, not having a native or native like teachers, and mother tongue interference iii LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Picture 1: LCD Projector Picture 2: Audio Laboratory (place A building HIBS) Chart 1: Question Chart 2: Question Chart : Question Chart 4: Question Chart 5:Question Chart :Question Chart 7: Question Chart 8: Question 10 Chart9: Question 11 Chart 10: Question 12 Chart 11:Question 12.1 Chart 12: Question Diagram 1: Question Picture 3: IPhone Picture 4: Linguaphone Picture 5: Talking Dictionary iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Certificate of Originality ii Acknowledgements ii Abstract…………………………………………………………………… iii List of figures and tables iv Table Of Contents v PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study Aims of the study 3 Research questions Scope of the study Methods of the study Design of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Pronunciation and communicative teaching 1.2 History and scope of teaching English pronunciation 1.3 Approaches to teaching pronunciation 1.3.1 Intuitive-imitative Approach 1.3.2 Analytic-linguistic Approach 1.3.3 Approach of Bottom-up 10 1.3.4 Approach of Top-down 10 1.3.5 Approach of integrating pronunciation 10 1.4 The teacher‟s roles in teaching pronunciation 10 1.4.1 Helping learners hear 11 1.4.2 Helping learners make sounds 11 1.4.3 Providing feedback 11 1.4.4 Pointing out what‟s going on 11 1.4.5 Establishing priorities 11 1.4.6 Devising activities 12 1.4.7 Assessing progress 12 v 1.5 Pronunciation goal 12 1.6 Computer assisted language learning 12 1.6.1 Structural / Behavioristic CALL 13 1.6.2 Communicative CALL 13 1.6.3 Integrative CALL 13 1.6.4 Studies on Efficacy of CALL 14 CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY 15 2.1 Introduction 15 2.2 Subject 15 2.3 Instrumentation 15 2.4 Procedures 15 2.4.1.Discussion of the survey questionnaire 16 2.4.2 Presentation of statistical results 16 CHAPTER III: FINDINGS 25 3.1 Findings 25 3.1.1 From Students‟ perspective 25 3.2 Discussion 26 CHAPTER IV: RECOMMENDATIONS 27 4.1 Suggested equipment/devices for better improving pronunciation 27 4.1.1 Suggestions for students 27 4.1.1.1.Technological devices 27 4.1.1.2.Internet 28 4.1.1.3 Softwares 29 4.1.1.4 Applications 30 4.1.2 Suggestions for teachers 30 PART C: CONCLUSION 31 Conclusions of the study 31 Limitations 31 Recommendations for further study 32 REFERENCES 33 APPENDIX I APPENDIX .III vi PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study Back in 1943, when the first computer was invented, nobody could even imagine that just in a half of the century this device would be a turning point of history Since then, they have increasingly been used in every aspect of human life, starts with education, industry, science even in marine fish breeding As a result, information technology became a substantial cornerstone in every scientific and non-scientific field Countries across the world are trying hard to keep pace with latest technological innovations It is undeniable that “high-tech” nations are among those countries that have high GDP In 2006, Vietnam has made a giant leap by joining to WTO This made Vietnam be integrated into the world of information technology in all walks of life, including education In fact, IT has contributed enormously to the remodeling of conventional skills of both teaching and learning in Vietnam Individuals with a simple click are able to broaden their horizons by updating the information of their interest through the Internet In past recent years, almost all educational institutions pushed the button to launch the campaign of renovating the methods of teaching and learning IT, then, has clearly fulfilled its task It is obvious that, English is a means of communication in the fields of culture, technology, science, politics, economy, education and so on English is not only the mother language of about 375 million of a native speakers around the globe but also the official in many other countries as well as foreign language in many nations in the world Following British colonization from the 16th to 19th centuries, it became the dominant language in the Australia, New Zealand, United States and Canada The booming economic and cultural influence of the United States and its status as a global superpower since World War II have significantly accelerated the language's spread across the planet In Vietnam, English has taken on a historic significance when citizens are carrying out the industrialization and modernization of “Doi Moi” era in 1986 Since then, the number of individuals who are learning English is growing rapidly fast Every single member of Vietnamese society has been aware of that English is a prime key to be modern, enthusiastic, intellectual English has even become a mandatory subject in the syllabus of almost all universities in Vietnam HIBS standing for Horizon International Bilingual School is a prestigious school and training institution with leading quality nationwide in the area of foreign language training at secondary and high school levels; providing customized courses in foreign languages … Because the school is running a bilingual education , There are two types of Teachers at HIBS, that‟s Vietnamese teachers and foreigner teachers Our subject in this thesis is Vietnamese teachers Traditionally, English teaching by Vietnamese teachers at HIBS been dominated by teacher-centered mode During the lesson, the lecturer who is considered as the major factor plays on a single-man show, reminding monopoly He or she seldom makes any communication with them or asks his/her students any questions Teacher tries to seize as many opportunities as possible to impact the students with the knowledge The teacher teaches actively while the students listen to him/her passively, even in some cases can not listen clearly In return, it brings the individuals poor abilities and skills of speaking and listening It is widely known that, speaking skills are the most influential factors in the process of an integrating to a new society Good communication in English depends on proper pronunciation Diverse dialects can differentiate, but the crystal clear pronunciation is a paramount factor to make your message be understood After completing few English Pronunciation courses for several years, students still remain at a loss when they have to express themselves in English Their word power could be undoubtedly rich of words and structures, but the usage is still insufficient in communication So far, the modern world requires that the goal of teaching oral skills, to be more significant English Pronunciation, needs to enhance students‟ communicative skills because, only in that way, learners may have expressed themselves and learn how to follow the social and cultural rules befitting in each communicative competence Learning English as a foreign language is quite challenging no matter what learning materials can be used; however, technology can make learning English Pronunciation easier and much more exciting According to Mary Masterson of Georgia State University, "the text, graphics, video, and audio [of multimedia] encourage immersion in the language." Indeed, the process of combining two extremely valuable tools in everyday life such as technology and English Pronunciation learning skills has made an enormous strong sensation As an English teacher working and lecturing at HIBS ,I am well aware of the situation and It is obvious that students lectured by local teachers have encountered a number of difficulties in studying of English Pronunciation with a not efficient technological support This actually drives me to this research, namely “Students „attitudes towards using technology in Language classes in learning pronunciation” 24 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS 3.1 Findings The findings below are based on the above statistical results of the survey questionnaire 3.1.1 From students` perspective As seen from students‟ point of view, there are both subjective and objective factors that contribute to students‟ opinions about applying technology in studying of English Pronunciation at HIBS The author with neat research had found some facts that HIBS officials have to take into consideration Also these findings could be more useful if the Ministry of Education and Training will take further actions In order to help students in applying technology in studying of English Pronunciation at HIBS, officials may able to make some regulations due to following findings: To start learn English Pronunciation during Primary School Years "Children are in the process of moving from egocentricity to reciprocity, and information introduced before the age of ten is eagerly received" (Curtain & Pesola, 1988, p 4) To practice more through listening comprehension as it leads to perfect pronunciation Mostly HIBS students are satisfied with their own pronunciation level According to half of students Teachers play a major role in Pronunciation acquiring process and mostly students rate their Teachers Pronunciation as “good” In general, 93% of all respondents state that technology has a major impact in Pronunciation learning whether 55 % said that they don‟t believe that HIBS is fully equipped with it More than half partially agree with that HIBS has more privileges to other universities in Hanoi in terms of technology Students also claim that every language laboratory has to include Computer, Microphone and Headphone However, 55% of all students are not fully satisfied with audio equipment in HIBS Three in four of HIBS students, chose to study in technologically advanced class 25 During English Pronunciation course, students would like to study lesson with a lot of videos, pictures that show inside mouth during a speech and also they claim that the lesson is more understandable than studying with blackboard and white chalk HIBS students also believe that English Pronunciation can be better learned outside of the classroom, it would be nice if Teacher cold arrange some field trips to some foreign companies, international schools or trips to English-spoken countries 3.2 Discussions It can be assumed that there was not any research about technology appliance in studying at HIBS The author has chosen this topic to find out the real statistics and to enhance studying of students at HIBS By the help of this research results students will able to achieve their future goals, of course, English Pronunciation is a first step on a ladder of success During this research author has exposed that application of technology is not appropriate enough as seen from studying HIBS students are not gaining profits from nowadays technologies Both teachers and students strongly` stickled in the old convention method of learning English Pronunciation In the next section, author will provide some suggestion such as technological devices, electronic tools, and software and Internet websites in order to learn English Pronunciation by gaining the benefits from modern technology Hopefully, these suggestions would be useful not just for students, but for teachers as well 26 CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS 4.1.Suggested equipment/devices for better learning English Pronunciation at HIBS In this day and age, it seems to be problematic to be Amish to new advances of technology and start surfing on the Internet, resorting to computers and cell phones for basic communication , wedding day reminders and even spell-checkers 4.1.1 Suggestions for Students Surely, first and foremost try your best Self-motivation as the best tool, of course none of these electronic devices could change your language through night, they only can support, give an extra advantage The suggested tools can be implemented both inside and also outside of the classroom 4.1.1.1.Technological devices : Mobile phones, with this “lifesaver” students able to record their pronunciation for further checking, listen English songs, use on phone-installed dictionaries, browse on Internet for pronunciation websites (needs to have GPRS connection) and use mobile applications to enhance pronunciation Picture 3: IPhone Linguaphone, is an electronic device that available for 100 languages and include all audio courses, explorer courses for those who just want to learn the basics, and in-depth courses for more serious students 27 Picture 4: Linguaphone Talking dictionary, is an electronic device that functions similarly to a traditional, paper dictionary It is also referred to as an electronic dictionary Speaking dictionaries are frequently designed to look like small laptops, and are roughly the size of a graphing calculator They often have clamshell designs, with screens that flip up to reveal a display screen on one side and a small keyboard on the other 4.1.1.2Internet : Web sites People surf web sites every hour all over the world “The Web has become both a widespread and legitimate source of information retrieved” (Paul Stapleton, ELT Journal, volume 59/2, April 2005).Lina Lee from University of New Hampshire (http://www/unh.edu/spanish/lina/internet1.html) wrote: “Most of Web pages contain both text and images Some browsers also have access to sounds and videos.” A variety of web sites are designed specifically for FL students and FL teachers to search information, exchange emails, exercises, play games, etc Articles on English Pronunciation teaching and learning are available on the Web page Information is various on the Web sites, so the 28 problem is how to select suitable information to search Through the virtual world students can learn English Pronunciation from scratch or if they prefer improve already gain knowledge From long and patient work ,author find out some websites that can be enormously helpful for learners www.livemocha.com www.rosettastone.com www.ordinate.com www.tellmemore.com www.shiporsheep.com www.spokenenglish.org www.kidsrcool.com.cn/Pronunciation.html www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home www.spokenskills.com www.english-online.org.uk/pronounce/pronounce.html 4.1.1.3.Software : Fonix Voicemaster, Computer software for speech recognition, evaluating speech, evaluating speech quality, evaluating diction, for providing a graphical response to analyzed speech and/or diction Talking Heads, computer-animated heads which integrates speech technology with studies on gestures and head and face movements These talking heads are devised to appear on the learner„s computer monitor and act as the learner„s virtual teachers to engage in many aspects of his/her language learning process, from reading to pronunciation to conversation practice Angel's Vox, is the very first audio player on the market designed specifically for audiobook enthusiasts It saves your valuable time, helps to learn new foreign languages, has a lot of useful unique features for listening to audio books RealSpeakTM Word, employs speech synthesis to change the words and idioms from a dictionary into speech output, to help learners to hear how words should be articulated 29 4.1.1.4.Applications: iTunes, Sounds: the Pronunciation ; Sounds Right ; Accent Pro preview ; Type & Speak Android , Type & Speak; Sounds: the Pronunciation; Howjsay English; Audio Cambridge There are some considerations to be borne in mind for teaching and learning English Pronunciation with a technological devices 4.1.2 Suggestion for Teachers For teaching, the teacher should be dynamic, flexible and knowledgeable of computer skills so that he/she can deal with all the unexpected incidents during the lesson A common incident is the technical errors with the computer or the LCD projector.Moreover, the teacher should know how to interest students to cooperate with the teacher properly and effectively The teacher can instruct them how to learn with IT in class in advance Teachers as the main “ supporting column” in the class should stay updated with the latest technological innovations that can be useful in teachings English Pronunciation For learning outside the class, the teacher should guide students about working with the Internet, searching information and assign them tasks to Then, students know what they have to outside the class The students should ask the teacher questions if they not know how to the tasks at home They should also improve their computer skills to be able to accomplish at-home tasks with computers All in all , students also play vital role during the process, as teacher being a “supporting column” could be not enough without well-built “basement” That is why students need to be both mentally and physically eager to learn English Pronunciation 30 PART C : CONCLUSIONS Conclusions of the study In the study, the author has neatly discussed the topic Applying technology in studying of English Pronunciation at HIBS - from theoretical background and practical The current situation has been found out through survey questionnaire, which has been delivered to 21 students After analyzing the finding researcher has made some vital suggestions and recommendations There is hope, that officials and HIBS administrators can take further actions in order to reinforce the situation The study has introduced some measures to assist students in order to acquire English Pronunciation in more active and tangible way It also includes suggestions for students to make use of modern technological devices In addition, almost all of the respondents (93%) believe that technology has a vital role in learning English Pronunciation It is crystal clear that, in Vietnam, especially in HIBS, use of technology is cutting edge tool for learning Limitations of the Study This study has focused on a phenomenon that is well-known and common one i.e the technology It is a fact that, this reflects challenging task for author to care about studying about this issue Despite of researchers carefully prepared work, it still has some limitations and shortcomings First, due to time limit, the research was carried in less than a month period So this may have led to some inaccurate findings If the researcher could have sufficient time more and interesting findings could be gathered Second, the questionnaire was designed for grade students at HIBS who are studying English Pronunciation Then, the population of the experimental group is not big enough, almost 21 people There is no doubt, more respondents more clear findings could be made towards existing problems Last but not least, the pre-research and post-research surveys have conducted by the author himself; it is obvious that in this study, certain degree of subjectivity can be found Author of this research is a foreigner, living in Vietnam for five years And this amount of time could not be enough to fully understand a foreign culture as well as the way of thinking about its people 31 Recommendations for the Further Study It is expected that, in near future many more researches will be done regarding this topic As this work being the “first block” in building bright future for the next generations This also could raise awareness in learning English Pronunciation first and foremost among HIBS family than in other schools in Vietnam Additionally, it would be a great pleasure for an author if this research could contribute even a little in practice of renovating conventional methods of studying English Pronunciation in Vietnamese school 32 REFERENCES Bakar, N A (2007) English language activities in computer-based learning environment : A case study in ESL Malaysian classroom EMA Online Journal of Language Studies ISSN: 1675-8021, 33-49 Castillo, L (1990), Pronunciation Pedagogy: Where have we been? Where are we headed? The Language Teacher Vol.14, No.10 3-7 – http://www.iteslj.org/Articles/Castillopronunciation.html Celce-Muria, M (1987) Teaching pronunciation as communication In J Morley (Ed.), Current Perspectives on Pronunciation (pp.5-12) Washington, D C.: TESOL Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D., & Goodwin, J., (1996), Teaching pronunciation: A reference for teachers of English to speakers of other languages Cambridge University Press Cohen, A (1977), Redundancy as a tool in listening comprehension, TESOL Quarterly , 16/1, 71-77 – http://www.iteslj.org/Articles/Cohen-pronunciation.html Dalton, C and B Seidlhofer (1994) Pronunciation Oxford: Oxford University Press Ghabanci, Z., & Anbarestani, M (2008) The effect of CALL program on expanding lexical knowledge of EFL Iranian intermediate learners The Reading Matrix, (8) Gilbert, J., (1995), Pronunciation Practices as an Aid to Listening Comprehension, A Guide for the Teaching of Second Language Listening, San Diego: Dominic Press Hewings, M., (2000), Pronunciation Tasks, A course for pre-intermediate learners, Nha Xuat Ban TP Ho Chi Minh Hardisty, D & Windeatt, S (1989) CALL Oxford: Oxford University Press Hewings, M & Goldstein, S., (1999), Pronunciation Plus, Practice through interaction, Nha Xuat Ban TP Ho Chi Minh Jones, R.H and Evans, S(1995) "Teaching pronunciation through voice quality" in ELT Journal 49: 244- 251 Jones, C., and Fortescue, S (1987) Using Computers in the Language Classroom London: Longman Kelly, L G (1969) 25 centuries of language teaching: An inquiry into the science, art, and development of language teaching methodology, 500 B.C.-1969, Rowley, MA: Newbury House Kelly, G., (2003), How to Teach Pronunciation, Pearson Education Limited Kenworthy, J (1987), Teaching English pronunciation, London: Longman 33 Lasagabaster, D & Sierra, J (2003) Students’ evaluation of CALL software programs Educational Media International, 40 (3-4), 293-304 Retrieved January 16, 2010 from www.tandf.co.uk/journals Morley, J., (1991), The pronunciation component in teaching English to speakers of other languages, TESOL Quarterly Vol.25 Morley, J., (1994), Pronunciation, pedagogy and theory: New views, new directions Alexandria, Virginia: TESOL Inc Mortimer, C., (2003), Elements of Pronunciation, Intensive practice for intermediate and more advanced students, Cambridge University Press Noteboom, S (1983) Is speech production controlled by speech perception? Sound structure, Dordrecht: Foris Pennington, M.C., (1989), Teaching Pronunciation from Top Down, RELC Journal June Stern, H.H (1992), Issues and Options in Language Teaching, Oxford University Press Suter, R (1976), Predicators of Pronunciation accuracy in second language learning Language Learning Vol.26, 233-53 – http://www.iteslj.org/Articles/Suterpronunciation.html Purcell, E., & Suter, R (1980) Predictors of pronunciation accuracy: A reexamination Language Learning, 30, 271-287 Tench, P., (1981), Pronunciation Skills, Essential language teaching series, Macmillan Publisher Ltd Warschauer, M., & Healey, D (1998) Computers and language learning: An overview Language Teaching, 31, 57-71 Yang, S C (2001) Integrating computer-mediated tools into the language curriculum Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 17, 85-93 34 APPENDIX Questionnaire Brief information : This Master thesis questionnaire is carried out in regarding to the topic “Students’ attitudes towards using technology in Language classes in learning pronunciation: A survey at a Vietnam-based International school” Duration: at most In your opinion, at which age should children start learning English Pronunciation ? Primary School Years High School Years What is the main problem, which inhibits you from improving pronunciation? Problem with ending sounds Teacher is not a native speaker On scale of 1-5 how would you rate your pronunciation? -Bad –needs to be improved -very - people can understand -good good What factors influence your English Pronunciation most? Teacher “English Pronunciation can not be taught in a classroom ,only learnt outside” – How much you agree with that statement? Strongly agree disagree Are you satisfied with the audio equipment in the language laboratory? Yes On scale of 1-10 how would you rate teachers` (all teachers) pronunciation at HIBS? -Bad –needs to be improved - students can understand -good -very good I Do you think that technology has an important role in studying English Pronunciation? Agree What you think is the most significant technological device that every audio lab has to have? Smart board Microphone 10 Do you believe that HIBS has much more privileges, in terms of technology to teach better than other International schools in Hanoi ? Totally 11 Do you agree with the statement that HIBS is fully equipped with technology to teach English Pronunciation? Yes 12 Which form of the Pronunciation teaching applied by teachers you prefer to be taught by HIBS teachers? A A lesson with a blackboard and pieces of chalk B A lesson with a computer and projector A The screen is colorful B The lesson is illustrated with a lot of videos C Helps to show inside mouth during speech (making sound) D The lesson is more understandable Thanks for your cooperation II APPENDIX 1) www.livemocha.com 2) www.rosettastone.com 3) www.ordinate.com 4) www.tellmemore.com 5) www.shiporsheep.com 6) www.spokenenglish.org 7) www.kidsrcool.com.cn/Pronunciation.html 8) www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home 9) www.spokenskills.com 10) www.english-online.org.uk/pronounce/pronounce.html III ... attitudes towards using technology in Language classes in learning pronunciation: A survey at a Vietnam- based International school my own work and to the best of my knowledge It contains no materials... learning pronunciation: A survey at a Vietnam- based International school? ?? Duration: at most In your opinion, at which age should children start learning English Pronunciation ? Primary School Years... in Vietnam HIBS standing for Horizon International Bilingual School is a prestigious school and training institution with leading quality nationwide in the area of foreign language training at