Investigating the use of videos in english language classrooms at an upper secondary school in ha tinh province

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY VO THI VIET ANH INVESTIGATING THE USE OF VIDEOS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS AT AN UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HA TINH PROVINCE MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION Nghe An, 2018 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY VO THI VIET ANH INVESTIGATING THE USE OF VIDEOS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS AT AN UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HA TINH PROVINCE Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Code: 80140111 MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION SUPERVISOR: Nguyen Gia Viet, Ph.D Nghe An, 2018 ABSTRACT This research was carried out with teachers of English and grade 10th students at an upper secondary school located in the South of Ha Tin province to investigate the use of video clips in teaching and learning English.The thesis aimed to find out how video clips in English lessons help to achieve the goals of the English curriculum The main hypothesis was that teaching with video clips would develop pupils‟ communicative skills and, therefore, would be appropriate for the communicative approach to ELT The study addressed four research questions regarding the use of video clips in English lessons in the case study school: to what extent were video clips used in ELT, for what purposes the teachers and students used video clips, what experiences the teacher and students had in using video clips, and what suggestions the teachers recommended on using video clips in teaching English The research was performed as a case study in an upper secondary school in Ha Tinh province The data for the research was obtained through the use of mixed methods: qualitative, in the form of questionnaires answered by twelve English teachers, and quantitative, in the form of questionnaire answered by more than 80 students in grade 10 Video clips appeared to have a positive impact on the development of the pupils‟ four language skills and vocabulary growth, as well as to scaffold the process of acquiring the pragmatic use of the language and to teach about the target language cultures By and large, both the teachers and the students had positive attitudes to lessons with video clips i The findings of the study suggested that teaching with video clips can effectively promote communicative language teaching, bring variety into ELT classrooms, motivate pupils to learn a foreign language, benefit the development of the four language skills and vocabulary growth, supplement texts in textbooks, and approach the curriculum topics via a different medium The thesis has contributed to the knowledge on the use of one of the digital media, namely video clips, in ELT in an upper secondary school and, to the best of the researcher‟s knowledge, has contributed to a gap in the research in this field ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have been fortunate to receive invaluable help from many people during my assignment First, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr Nguyen Gia Viet, my supervisor, for his immense encouragement, whole hearted and detailed guidance, without which the assignment could not have been completed I would like to thank all the teachers who have taught me during the course and have given me useful advice and favorable conditions for the completion of the thesis I also would like to show my special thanks to teachers of English and students in the upper secondary school where I conducted the research, who help me a lot in accompanying with me during the research, answering all of my questionnaires, giving their invaluable comments, efforts and contributions while the work of this assignment was in progress Last but not least, I also owe my indebtedness to my family and colleagues for their kind co-operation and encouragement which help me in completion of this study Nghe An, July 2018 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .vi LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION viii 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Rationale CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW .4 2.1 Definition of a video clip 2.2 Why use video in the classroom? 2.2.1 Principles of Learning 2.2.2 Video in the ESL classroom 2.3 A brief history of video clips use in English teaching 2.4 Potentially positive aspects of using video for English teaching 12 2.5 Problematical aspects of using video for teaching English 16 2.6 Summary 16 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY .19 3.1 Research questions 19 3.2 Participants 19 3.3 Instruments .21 3.4 Procedure 23 iv CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS .26 4.1 Results 26 4.1.1 The extent of video use in class 27 4.1.2 Purposes of using video clips in teaching 32 4.1.3 Teachers‟ and students‟ experiences in using video clips in EFL classrooms 38 4.1.4 Teachers suggestions about use of video clips in English teaching 42 4.2 Discussion .45 CHAPTER V CONCLUSION 50 5.1 Overview of the thesis 50 5.2 Pedagogical implications 51 5.2.1 Implications for administrators 51 5.2.2 Implications for high school teachers 52 5.2.3 Implications for high school students 54 5.3 Limitations .55 5.4 Suggestions for further research 55 v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL: English as Foreign Language ESL: English as a second language NS: native speakers vi LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Demographic information of student participants .19 Table 3.2 Demographic information of teacher participants .20 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4.1.1a the extent to which the teachers used video clips in teaching English according to the teachers‟ answers 28 Figure 4.1.1b the extent to which the teachers used video clips in teaching English according to the students‟ answers 29 Figure 4.1.1c Whenever I plan my lessons, I often think of ways to use video clips for teaching 30 Figure 4.1.1d I often get feedback from students for using video clips in class.31 Figure 4.1.1e My English teacher often gets feedback from students for using video clips in class 31 Figure 4.1.2a The purposes for which the teachers used video clips in teaching English according to the teachers‟ answers 32 Figure 4.1.2b The purposes for which the teachers used video clips in teaching English according to the students‟ answers 34 Figure 4.1.2c Comparisons between teachers‟ and students‟ ideas about using video clips in English lessons to break the ice and warm up .35 Figure 4.1.2d Comparisons between teachers‟ and students‟ ideas about using video clips in English lessons to introduce the useful languages: words, phrases, idioms, structures… 36 Figure 4.1.2e Comparisons between teachers‟ and students‟ ideas about using video clips in English lessons just for fun 37 Figure 4.1.3a Teachers‟ ideas about the statement “I find teaching English speaking by videos really useful because it‟s easy for my students to remember and practise” 38 Figure 4.1.3b Using video clips in English teaching make lessons more interesting and exciting 39 their language skills as well Students‟ test scores cannot be the only criteria for assessment, rather, all students‟ abilities ought to be considered The ultimate aim of applying video clips is reflecting the effect of teaching and learning rather than ranking students Therefore, the traditional assessment that only emphasizes scores in the examination is not suitable any more In schools, the assessment should include not only scores of tests, but also other kinds of assessment such as classroom observation, students‟ daily performances and responses, interviews, feedbacks from other teachers, parents, students themselves and even classmates In this way, students are encouraged to demonstrate their achievements in daily homework, classroom performances, journals and tests and will be relaxed for taking the final examinations and thus learn more effectively 5.2.3 Implications for high school students Students play the key role in the success of implementing video clips as well as any other teaching aids In order to overcome the difficulties when carrying out activities and learn more effectively in the future, it is crucial for students to consider the following suggestions First of all, students need to be enthusiastic, hardworking, active and have positive attitude during the process of watching video clips for any purposes and doing the tasks afterwards Students must carefully pay attention to the video clips to make use of them in each activity designed Additionally, students ought to take time to watch and choose the most suitable information from the video clips, or to practise skills and knowledge that the teachers require them to through using the video clips 54 Secondly, students must try to self-improve some essential skills such as: drilling, rehearsing, and presenting skills Furthermore, basing on teachers‟ recommendation, students should spend much time on reviewing vocabulary, grammar points and sentence structures shown on the video clips to have better results of teaching and learning procedure Finally, students had better be open-minded to listen to teachers‟, friends‟ and classmates‟ comments so that they can minimize their weaknesses and succeed in English lessons 5.3 Limitations Although the study has accomplished the aims set at the beginning, it cannot avoid some limitations First, a main limitation is related to the durations of the treatment Time factor is very important in the present study because absolutely accurate data would not be achieved in a short time The second limitation is the size of the experiment, the study involves two groups of 99 participants Though the questionnaires were set and carried out carefully, it cannot be claimed that the data collected can be seen as the typical answer in a wide range 5.4 Suggestions for further research Most of the students involved in the research were all eager to learn the lessons with video clips; therefore, language teachers should provide their students with opportunities to make progressive use of this tool with a variety of 55 purposes, for which in each lesson the teachers should focus on one main purpose of using video clips such as to break the ice and warm up, to help students drill the languages, to introduce the new knowledge, to educate the moral lessons and so on Furthermore, video clip use may be time - consuming, so teachers are recommended to adopt and adapt the video clips chosen as short and simple as they can Side effects of video clips are also an important issue to be considered when applying video clips in teaching English language Although most of the participants were supportive of the video clip uses in EFL teaching, many of them were still unsure about a lot of issues, such as the exact purposes of their use, the effectiveness of their using video clips in both teaching and educating, and so on The data collected, also carefully, cannot fulfill the accuracy demanded, then it would be much reliable if any further research chose other methods or approach to get more convincing results The results of this study are also expected to give contribution to English teachers and future researchers The findings show that there is a significant uncertainty about the main purposes of video clip use in English teaching, or the teachers and students general perceptions on what the main effects of video clips in English teaching are For example, in the future, researchers can study on “How can EFL teachers use video clips more effectively and skillfully?” Finally, I truly consider that this research has improved my pedagogical practice as teacher because as I implemented the video clips in my class sessions, I learned to be more reflective and resourceful, and gained confidence in the creation of innovative learning experiences I believe that the effectiveness of 56 video clip use as well as the teachers‟ and students‟ attitudes towards this issue can create an overview in applying visual aids in teaching and learning English 57 REFERENCES Admiraal, W., Veen, W., Korthagen, F., Lockhorst, D., Wubbels, T., Hernadez, F., et al (1999) Tele-guidance 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169 Sztajn, P., Hackenberg, A J., White, D Y., & Allexsaht-Snider, M (2007) Mathematics professional development for elementary teachers: Building trust within a schoolbased mathematics education community Teaching & Teacher Education, 23(6), 970-984 62 APPENDIX A Questionnaire A: Teachers tick () the appropriate answers: Statements Strongly agree I use video clips for teaching at least once a week I tend to use video whenever I have a chance When I plan my lessons, I often think of ways to use videos for teaching I often get feedback from students for using videos in class I use video clips in English lessons to break the ice and warm up I use video clips to introduce the useful languages: words, phrases, idioms, structures… I use video clips in English lessons to introduce the lesson topics I use video clips in English lessons to provide necessary information related to the target Agree Not sure Disagree Strongly disagree knowledge I use video clips in English lessons to stimulate Students‟ concentration as well as raise the questions about the central topic among students 10 I use video clips in English lessons to make my teaching job less hard 11 I use video clips in English lessons to help students drill models or structures 12 I use video clips in English lessons to help students self – practise and improve their pronunciation 13 I use video clips in English lessons to help students get accustomed to native accent and language 14 I use video clips in English lessons to teach students songs and chants 15 I use video clips in English lessons just for fun 16 I find teaching English speaking by videos really useful because it‟s easy for my students to remember and practice 17 Using video clips in English teaching make lessons more interesting and exciting 18 Students perceive knowledge as well as improve critical thinking via watching educational video clips 19 It is much easier to attract my students‟ attention to a topic and elicit their ideas about the topic by using video clips 20 Most of the video clips related to common topics are available and easy to find on the Internet 21 Using video clips in English speaking teaching is often time consuming and not necessary 22 Lack of facility in my school make it difficult for me to apply visual aids in teaching English 23 I find my students really interested in lessons with video clips 24 I find it easy to get students engaged in the topic by using a video clip 25 I think video clips should be short and simple 26 I think video clips used in class must be related to the target language 27 I believe teachers should be trained to use video clips more effectively 28 I think teachers should consider other side effects of video clips 29 I think teachers should have a careful consideration when choosing any video clips to use in the classroom 30 I think video clips are not always the best choice to stimulate students concentration activeness and APPENDIX B Questionnaire B: Students tick () the appropriate answers: Statements Strongly agree My English teacher uses video clips for teaching at least once a week My English teacher tends to use video clips whenever he/ she has a chance My English teacher often gets feedback from students for using video clips in class My English teacher uses video clips in English lessons to break the ice and warm up My English teacher uses video clips in English lessons to introduce the useful languages: words, phrases, idioms, structrures… My English teacher uses video clips to introduce the lesson topics My English teacher uses video clips in English lessons to provide necessary information related to the Agree Not sure Disagree Strongly disagree target knowledge My English teacher uses video clips in English lessons to make teaching job less hard only My English teacher uses video clips in English lessons to help students drill models or structures 10 My teacher uses video clips just for fun 11 When being asked to watch video clips in an English speaking lesson, I just only pay attention to the speakers‟ appearances 12 I learn not only English language but also moral lessons and educational information from video clips ...MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY VO THI VIET ANH INVESTIGATING THE USE OF VIDEOS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS AT AN UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HA TINH PROVINCE Major: Teaching... teachers of English and grade 10th students at an upper secondary school located in the South of Ha Tin province to investigate the use of video clips in teaching and learning English .The thesis... recall the information that they have acquired and stored There are two major principles that are the basis for the process of memory augmentation: the principle of organization and the principle of